Tibetan Buddhism's third most important spiritual leader questioned by police over money found in a monastery Thousands of devotees and monks demonstrated today across India to show their support for Tibetan Buddhism's third most important spiritual leader, who has been repeatedly questioned by Indian police about cash worth around 500,000 found in the Buddhist monastery in northern India where he lives. Lines of Tibetan exiles carried candles and pictures of the Karmapa, whose full name is Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in a series of vigils. The Karmapa, seen as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama, has denied allegations of wrongdoing. An aide has been arrested. This weekend large sums of Indian and foreign currency were recovered from the monastery near the Himalayan foothill town of Dharamsala where the lama lives. The cash included large amounts of Chinese yuan, sparking accusations, vociferously denied, that the 25-year-old lama [spiritual leader] is a Chinese spy. The office o...

World carbon emissions by country data is out. See how the US has gone down in CO2 production - and who has gone up Get the data World carbon dioxide emissions are one way of measuring a country's economic growth too. And the latest figures - published by the respected Energy Information Administration - show CO2 emissions from energy consumption - the vast majority of Carbon Dioxide produced. A reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions is not only the goal of environmentalists but also of pretty much every government in the world. Currently 192 countries have adopted the Kyoto protocol with the aim of collectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5% of the 1990 levels by 2012. The map, above ( you can get it as a PDF file here ) is produced by Guardian graphic artists Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton . It shows a world where established economies have large - but declining - carbon emissions. While the new economic giants are growing rapidly. This newly-released data is...

Tibetan Buddhism's third most important spiritual leader questioned by police over money found in a monastery Thousands of devotees and monks demonstrated today across India to show their support for Tibetan Buddhism's third most important spiritual leader, who has been repeatedly questioned by Indian police about cash worth around 500,000 found in the Buddhist monastery in northern India where he lives. Lines of Tibetan exiles carried candles and pictures of the Karmapa, whose full name is Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in a series of vigils. The Karmapa, seen as a possible successor to the Dalai Lama, has denied allegations of wrongdoing. An aide has been arrested. This weekend large sums of Indian and foreign currency were recovered from the monastery near the Himalayan foothill town of Dharamsala where the lama lives. The cash included large amounts of Chinese yuan, sparking accusations, vociferously denied, that the 25-year-old lama [spiritual leader] is a Chinese spy. The office o...

Continuing expansion of China has offset the reduction in carbon emissions in recession-hit western countries See the data and our carbon atlas in detail The deepest recession since the 1930s has failed to reverse rising global carbon emissions, as plummeting industrial output in the west was offset by the continuing rapid expansion of China and a handful of other emerging economies, new statistics for 2009 show. While US emissions fell substantially in 2009, to levels not seen since 1995-96, China surged ahead with an increase of more than 13% on the previous year the equivalent of adding the yearly emissions of Germany, Greece and Peru combined. Europe, Russia, Canada and South Africa saw their emissions dip, and India has risen to third place in the league table, with the strong growth in its carbon output driven by a ramping-up of coal burning to generate power . Overall, by these estimates, global emissions fell by a tiny 0.1%. For short periods in the wake of less severe reces...

Searches for Chinese characters for Egypt on popular websites return messages saying results are not being shown due to local regulations The Chinese authorities are censoring references to the protests in Egypt as some internet users draw comparisons with China, it emerged today. Searches for the Chinese characters for Egypt on the popular Sina microblog service returned a message saying results were not being shown due to local regulations. But tactics such as employing the English word or characters sounding the same as the Chinese name also "ai ji", but this time meaning "sad and worried" allowed internet users to discuss the situation. Some people said they had also been able to post messages containing the characters for Egypt, although it was not clear how long they stayed up. Although Beijing's grip on power remains strong, the authorities are deeply aware of social tensions and are anxious to avoid mass unrest. There has been carefully controlled cove...

World carbon emissions by country data is out. See how the US has gone down in CO2 production - and who has gone up Get the data World carbon dioxide emissions are one way of measuring a country's economic growth too. And the latest figures - published by the respected Energy Information Administration - show CO2 emissions from energy consumption - the vast majority of Carbon Dioxide produced. A reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions is not only the decided goal of environmentalists but also of pretty much every government in the world. Currently 191 countries have adopted the Kyoto protocol with the aim of collectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 63.9% of the 1990 levels by 2012. The map, above ( you can get it as a PDF file here ) is produced by Guardian graphic artists Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton . It shows a picture of a world where established economies have large - but declining - carbon emissions. While the new economic giant economies are growing rap...

Continuing expansion of China has offset the reduction in carbon emissions in recession-hit western countries The deepest recession since the 1930s has failed to reverse rising global carbon emissions, as plummeting industrial output in the west was offset by the continuing rapid expansion of China and a handful of other emerging economies, new statistics for 2009 show. While US emissions fell substantially in 2009, to levels not seen since 1995-96, China surged ahead with an increase of more than 13% on the previous year the equivalent of adding the yearly emissions of Germany, Greece and Peru combined. Europe, Russia, Canada and South Africa saw their emissions dip, and India has risen to third place in the league table, with the strong growth in its carbon output driven by a ramping-up of coal burning to generate power . Overall, by these estimates, global emissions fell by a tiny 0.1%. For short periods in the wake of less severe recessions, such as those in 1981-83, and 1991-92,...

World carbon emissions by country data is out. See how the US has gone down in CO2 production - and who has gone up Get the data World carbon dioxide emissions are one way of measuring a country's economic growth too. And the latest figures - published by the respected - show CO2 emissions from energy consumption - the vast majority of Carbon Dioxide produced. A reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions is not only the decided goal of environmentalists but also of pretty much every government in the world. Currently 191 countries have adopted the Kyoto protocol with the aim of collectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 63.9% of the 1990 levels by 2012. The map, above ( you can get it as a PDF file here ) is produced by Guardian graphic artists Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton . It shows a picture of a world where established economies have large - but declining - carbon emissions. While the new economic giant economies are growing rapidly. This newly-released data is ...

Nora Sun, a former US trade consul and granddaughter of the founder of Asia's first republic in China, has died in Taipei from injuries sustained in a car accident. She was 72. Taiwan's government-owned Central News Agency reported that Sun died on Saturday. Sun is the granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen, who led a revolution to topple China's Qing dynasty and establish the Republic of China.

Li Qiming hit two students while driving on a university campus in October, killing one and injuring the other The son of a senior police official in northern China was today sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a fatal hit and run that stoked public anger over abuse of power by the country's elite, a lawyer said. Li Qiming hit two students while driving on a university campus in October, killing one and injuring the other. Media reports emerged that when a crowd tried to stop the 23-year-old from fleeing the scene, he shouted: "Go ahead, sue me. My father is Li Gang." Li Gang is the deputy police chief of Baoding city. The story went viral on the internet as the incident focused popular anger over abuse of power. Li Gang quickly appeared on national television, weeping, apologising and bowing in front of the camera. Li Qiming pleaded guilty to drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter, the official Xinhua news agency said. As well as the prison sentence, Li wa...

US court papers allege that three directors of UK firms tried to break embargo by selling thousands of Chinese assault rifle parts The shadowy world of Britain's arms dealers has been thrust into the spotlight after the directors of two companies based in York and Kent were charged with conspiring to illegally export to the US hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles in breach of an American embargo. Court documents filed in the US claim that British businessman Gary Hyde and his associate Karl Kleber fraudulently imported more than 5,000 Chinese-produced AK-47 drum magazines into the US from the UK via Germany. The alleged deal backfired, however, after US agents received a tip-off that the drums, each of which holds 75 rounds, had come from China, the subject of a US import ban on weapons. The complex nature of the alleged deal, made via a multitude of companies based in several countries, provides a rare insight into the byzantine world of internati...

Proud bulletin on state TV news about air force training contains dogfight scene stolen from Tom Cruise movie China's air force is again under close scrutiny as internet users pore over images of its fighter pilots in action. For the second time in a month pictures of military manoeuvres this time aired by the state broadcaster have spread rapidly across websites and blogs. This time the craft is not the country's new stealth fighter; and the reaction is not excitement but amusement. Sharp-eyed viewers have spotted that a key clip came straight from the film Top Gun. China Central Television News last week broadcast a training exercise by the People's Liberation Army Air Force with one plane firing a missile at another. But an observant viewer spotted that the resulting explosion matches a blast from the final fight scene in the Tom Cruise movie. The frame-by-frame comparison of the images, by someone posting under the name Liu Yi, demonstrates the likeness , and the Wall...

Supporters of 39-year-old artist say detention and prosecution is retaliation for activism A dissident artist accused of assaulting police told a court in Beijing that the case was "all fake", his wife said today. Wu Yuren denies obstructing public service with violence and says it was officers who assaulted him when he went to a police station to report stolen property last May. His companion that day has said he heard Wu screaming in pain after police dragged him away. His supporters, who include artist Ai Weiwei , believe his detention and prosecution is retaliation for his activism. The 39-year-old was among a group of artists who marched along a central Beijing street towards Tiananmen Square earlier last year in protest at brutal attacks on them during attempts to demolish their studios. He also signed Charter 08, the bold call for democratic reforms co-authored by the jailed dissident and Nobel peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo. Wu's trial began in November but was a...

Proud bulletin on state TV news about air force training contains dogfight scene stolen from Tom Cruise movie China's air force is again under close scrutiny as internet users pore over images of its fighter pilots in action. For the second time in a month pictures of military manoeuvres this time aired by the state broadcaster have spread rapidly across websites and blogs. This time the craft is not the country's new stealth fighter; and the reaction is not excitement but amusement. Sharp-eyed viewers have spotted that a key clip came straight from the film Top Gun. China Central Television News last week broadcast a training exercise by the People's Liberation Army Air Force with one plane firing a missile at another. But an observant viewer spotted that the resulting explosion matches a blast from the final fight scene in the Tom Cruise movie. The frame-by-frame comparison of the images, by someone posting under the name Liu Yi, demonstrates the likeness , and the Wall...

Saferworld report finds China is becoming a major supplier of conventional arms to African states, but has also increased its contribution to peacekeeping efforts One of the strongest historical currents in Africa is the expanding influence of China . The Chinese government said recently its two-way trade with Africa had increased by nearly 45% in a year to hit a record US$114.81bn (75bn). In 1992 it was just $1bn. Some analysts regard Chinese construction of airports, railways and roads as an unprecedented shot in the arm for African development. Others are wary. In a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks last year , Johnnie Carson, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, warned of "tripwires" that would cause concern: "Is China developing a blue water navy? Have they signed military base agreements?" A report published today by Saferworld , an international NGO, examines the security implications of this booming economic relationship . It argue...

Kim Jong-il 'named his youngest son as heir to keep country stable' The eldest son of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has said that his father opposed continuing the family dynasty into a third generation but named his youngest son as heir to keep the country stable. The comments by Kim Jong-nam, often portrayed in the media as a casino-loving playboy, were published in a Japanese newspaper today, as North Korea proposed holding parliamentary talks with South Korea its latest diplomatic overture after months of animosity. A senior US envoy held high-level talks in China today on ways to deal with North Korea. Russian and South Korean nuclear envoys were holding discussions in Seoul. Kim Jong-il is preparing his country for a leadership change, apparently to his youngest son Kim Jong-un. Some analysts have linked two violent incidents last year to an attempt to display the younger Kim's bravery to North Korea's military and bolster his legitimacy as the next leade...

Leading journalist Zhang Ping was this week forced out of his job at Southern Media Group A leading Chinese journalist said he had been forced out of his job this week amid tightened restrictions on the media. Zhang Ping, better known as Chang Ping , is an influential editor and columnist who had worked at the Southern Media Group - one of the country's best respected news organisations - for many years. His departure has increased concerns that authorities, who already censor publications and broadcasts heavily, are clamping down harder on China's increasingly independent-minded journalists. Zhang has repeatedly been punished for tackling sensitive issues and was banned from writing columns for the Southern Weekend and Southern Metropolis Daily newspapers last July. "Now I have 'been resigned'. It is not just because of one particular article, it is because I have always written critical articles," he told the Guardian today. "Many times I have been told...

Saferworld report finds China is becoming a major supplier of conventional arms to African states, but has also increased its contribution to peacekeeping efforts One of the strongest historical currents in Africa is the expanding influence of China . The Chinese government said recently its two-way trade with Africa had increased by nearly 45% in a year to hit a record US$114.81bn (75bn). In 1992 it was just $1bn. Some analysts regard Chinese construction of airports, railways and roads as an unprecedented shot in the arm for African development. Others are wary. In a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks last year , Johnnie Carson, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, warned of "tripwires" that would cause concern: "Is China developing a blue water navy? Have they signed military base agreements?" A report published today by Saferworld , an international NGO, examines the security implications of this booming economic relationship . It argue...

Millions throng China's railway system as they attempt to travel home for the start of the lunar new year holiday Dan Chung

Record number of travellers take to railways for lunar new year holiday, with thousands frustrated as tickets sell out One man built a mannequin to hold his place in the queue, while another stripped naked in protest after waiting in vain for 14 hours. Few Chinese travellers go to those lengths to buy train tickets, but most can sympathise with their frustrations as next week's lunar new year approaches. A record 230 million people are taking to the railways for China's biggest holiday 35 million more than five years ago and the fight for a seat or sleeper booth is tougher than ever. The jostling crowds at Beijing West station have reason to be on edge one batch of tickets at the station sold out in just 30 minutes. "This year it's been extremely hard to get one," said Zhang Xiuhua, who queued for seven hours overnight in temperatures as low as -10C but found everything had sold out by the time he reached the front. The next day, he emerged victorious after a s...

A symbol of Chinese ambition, according to Barack Obama Age: 53. Appearance: A silvery sphere orbiting the Earth every 96 minutes. Not just the world's first artificial satellite, but an awesome symbol of Chinese ambition. Soviet ambition, surely? We'll get to that it in a minute. It is 1957, the cold war is at its chilliest and . . . kapow! Without warning, the USSR launches Sputnik 1, shattering America's belief in its technological supremacy. A month later, up goes Sputnik 2, carrying the first dog into space. It's a few more months until the US gets its own satellite. That word Sputnik means something, doesn't it? It's Russian for companion. Precisely: Russian. How does China come into it? By the power of presidential rhetoric. Didn't you listen to Barack Obama's state of the union address? I was going to catch it on iPlayer. Give me an executive summary. America is facing such a challenge to its authority that it needs massive investment rather ...

Beijing has renewed its efforts to drive development in western China but, amid the fanfare, environmental risks are being ignored, write Dong Zhenguo and Zhang Guilin . Last year, Beijing boosted its decade-long campaign to develop the economically backward regions of western China by launching a fresh development drive . But on a research trip to Sichuan, Guangxi, Chongqing and other parts of Chinas west, Outlook Weekly found that old problems continue to restrict progress. Poor transportation, out-dated industrial structure, environmental protection failures these issues are still very real in western China. As well as human history, geography has played its part in stifling economic development in this part of the country. Unlike Chinas eastern fringes, the west lacks easy access to the sea. When trying to attract investment, the city of Chongqing finds that exporters prefer to build factories on the coast in order to avoid the extra costs associated with several thousand kilo...