GlaxoSmithKline's Former China Boss Mark Reilly and Two Others Charged With Corruption

GlaxoSmithKline's Former China Boss Mark Reilly and Two Others Charged With CorruptionReuters

China has charged the former boss of GlaxoSmithKline's China unit, Mark Reilly, and two other executives, Zhang Guowei and Zhao Hongyan, with corruption after authorities claim the people routed 3bn yuan ($488m, £307m, €365m) in bribes to doctors through 700 travel agencies and consultancies over six years.

A Ministry of Public Security official said, a press conference in Beijing, that "(GSK) departments offered bribes to hospitals and doctors as well as personnel to boost their sales. The money involved was in the billions of yuan (hundreds of millions of dollars)."

In July 2013, Chinese police arrested four GSK executives in connection with the bribery allegations.

On 30 April, GSK said: "The People's Republic of China (PRC), acting through various government agencies, continues its investigation into alleged crimes and violations of law by GSK's China operations.

"The Group takes these allegations seriously and is continuing to cooperate fully with the Chinese authorities in this investigation. The Group has informed the US Department of Justice, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) regarding the investigation and is co-operating fully with these agencies.

"It is not possible at this time to make a reliable estimate of the financial effect, if any, that could result from these matters."

GSK has also admitted that some Chinese executives appeared to have broken the law, but CEO Andrew Witty said the head office had no prior knowledge about the wrongdoing.

166 Workers Die in Turkey Coal Mine Inferno; Hundreds Trapped

At least 166 miners have been killed in a coal mine explosion in western Turkey. Rescuers are trying to save more than 200 trapped underground.

Turkey's worst mine disaster in at least two decades was caused by an electrical fault in a mine in Soma, around 120 km (75 miles) northeast of the Aegean coastal city of Izmir.

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, who confirmed the death toll, also said 787 people were inside the mine when the explosion happened. He said as many as 363 workers have been rescued.

According to the provincial Natural Disaster and Emergency Coordination Directorate, 200 workers are still trapped inside the mine.

Rescue personnel are pumping oxygen into the mine shaft to limit fatalities, Reuters reported. More than 100 rescue workers, dozens of ambulances and other rescue equipment were at the scene of the accident.

The dead were the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, and authorities have said rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that the mine was not fully cleared of gas.

A power outage that followed the explosion crippled the mine's safety systems and hundreds were trapped inside as elevators failed to work.

Cengiz Ergun, the mayor of the province Manisa where the mine is located, confirmed scores of bodies have been retrieved from the mine.

However, the mine's premises and the hospitals witnessed chaotic scenes as thousands of family members of the miners clamoured for information, Reuters said.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a foreign travel and would rush to the scene of the disaster, his office said. "Rescue efforts for our brothers in the mine are ongoing ... God willing, in the coming hours, I hope to receive uplifting news," Erdogan said as news of the explosion broke.

Turkish authorities and trade union leaders have expressed fears that the accident could be the biggest mining disaster in the country's history.

Turkey's worst mining accident happened in 1992, when 263 workers were killed in a mine explosion in the Zonguldak province.

"Time is working against us. We fear that the numbers could rise further," energy minister told HaberTurk television. "We have to finish this [rescue operation] by dawn. I have to say that our pain, our trouble could increase."

Joseph Eid's Atmospheric Photos of the Devastation in Homs, Syria

Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has been reduced to rubble after President Bashar al-Assad's forces laid siege to the rebels holed up in the city.

Now that the rebels have left the city, residents have been returning to retrieve anything salvageable from what's left of their homes.

AFP photographer Joseph Eid captured these atmospheric photos in the Old Town.

Rays of light burst through holes in the roof of Maskuf covered market, or Souk, in the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

A woman walks past a burning shop in the Maskuf Souk in the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

A broken guitar lies on the street next to handmade grenades the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

Residents of the Old City of Homs carry their belongings out from their neighbourhoodJoseph Eid/AFP

Anti-sniper curtains hang over a barricade made of barrels at a former frontline in a destroyed part of the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

Sandbags remain on a former frontline in a destroyed neighbourhood of the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

A woman retrieves belongings from her home in the Old CityJoseph Eid/AFP

A resident of the Old City of Homs carries rolls of cloth out of a destroyed neighbourhoodJoseph Eid/AFP

Syrian children carry shop mannequins in a destroyed neighbourhood of the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

A mortar round is seen on a road in a destroyed neighbourhood of the Old CityJoseph Eid/AFP

Syrians carry their belongings past destroyed buildingsJoseph Eid/AFP

A heavily damaged building in a destroyed neighbourhood of the Old City of HomsJoseph Eid/AFP

A damaged painting of Christ lies on the ground in the Syrian Orthodox Um al-Zinar church in the Christian Hamidiyeh neighbourhoodJoseph Eid/AFP

A man walks through a damaged building in the compound of the Syrian Orthodox Um al-Zinar churchJoseph Eid/AFP

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Egypt Tourism Numbers Slide Ahead of Presidential Elections

Camel guides wait for customers at the Pyramids Plateau in Giza Pyramids, on the outskirts of CairoReuters

The number of tourist visitors to Egypt continues to plummet as instability plagues the country and it prepares to hold presidential elections in May.

The number of tourists visiting the North African country in March was down from more than a million in 2013 to 755,000, 32.4% lower, Egypt's statistics agency reported.

The country's tourism industry has been hampered by more than three years of political turmoil that have seen two presidents ousted after massive demonstrations across the country.

The sector is a vital source of foreign currency for Egypt. In 2010, the year before the uprising in Cairo's Tahrir Square, 14 million tourists visited the country and tourism accounted for 14% of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP).

Egypt's annual revenues from tourism plunged 41% last year to $5.9bn and the persistent instability and violence gripping the country shows no sign of easing as candidates prepare to battle for the presidential elections at the end of May.

Germany's second biggest airline halted all flights to the Egyptian resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh in April, over security concerns in the Sinai peninsula.

Political unrest has plagued the Sinai since the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

In February 2014, three Korean tourists were killed when a bomb exploded on a bus. An al-Qaida affiliated group later claimed responsibility.

The country will host presidential elections on May 26 and 27. Former head of the armed forces Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is the strong favourite tipped to win the elections.

Kuwait Seals $3bn Natural Gas Deal with BP to Stave Off Energy Crisis

A camel wanders through Kuwait power grids(Reuters)

Kuwait signed a five-year deal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) with BP on Tuesday. The Kuwaiti government will pay an estimated $3bn as it aims to stave off an energy crisis in the summer months, when electricity use is at its peak.

The OPEC producer announced an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell on Sunday, who will supply Kuwait with $12bn worth of LNG over a six-year period.

Kuwait will also import gas from Qatar's state run Qatargas.

"The amount contracted by the three companies that we signed with will be up to 2.5m tonnes per year," said Nasser al-Mudhaf, head of the Kuwait Petroleum Corp.

The three companies will send 32 shipments per year, each one comprising 80,000 tonnes, Mudhaf said. Shell will send 18 shipments, Qatargas will send eight and BP will send six, he added.

Kuwait first imported LNG in 2009. The frozen gas shipments are vital to supply its power grid, especially during the scorching summer months when air conditioning use is at its peak.

Since 2009, Kuwait has done supply deals with Shell and the Swiss-based trader Vitol for the peak power demand months from April to October.

Oscar Pistorius 'Using Anxiety Claim to Beat Murder Rap'

Oscar Pistorius mental condition claim is "a fallback position," claimed prosecutor Gerrie NelGetty

Oscar Pistorius could be trying to beat the rap for killing Reeva Steenkamp by claiming he was mentally unstable at the time of the offence, the runner's murder trial has been told.

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that evidence from a psychiatrist who said Pistorius had a "anxiety disorder," was an effort by his defence team to undo the damage the fallen star had done to himself during his own testimony.

Dr Merryl Vorster told the trial that the defendant had generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and was "hyper-vigilant" about security.

Nel said: "Can it not be seen as a fallback position? The timing of the witness being called and the timing of the consultants is important."

He claimed it was in the interests of justice for the court to find out more about Pistorius' mental condition and asked that the defendant be sent for observation. That could take up to a month.

Chief of the defence team, Barry Roux, said the request had "no merit" and the judge adjourned the trial to consider Nel's request.

Nel pointed out that Vorster was only called by the Paralympian and Olympian's defence team after days of gruelling testimony from the proseuction, during which time he contradicted himself and gave inconsistent evidence at times.

Under South African law, Pistorius cannot be found guilty of murder if it is shown he was in the grip of mental illness or 'intellectual disability".

Giving evidence at North Gauteng High Court, Vorster described the effect of GAD could have on Pistorius.

"It may impact on your capacity to live a normal lifestyle. By definition generalised anxiety disorder is a psychiatric disorder, so one can say it's a mental illness.

"But one has to look at the impact of that diagnosis on the individual's capacity to live and socialise."

The psychiatrist told Nel: "He [Pistorius] was still able to function at a high level and he still did socialise.

"He had distress because of his anxiety disorder but he was at that stage still able to continue with his life."

Pistorius denies premeditated murder and claims he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder inside his luxury home on the outskirts of Pretoria. The prosecution alleges he killed her following an argument between the couple.

Pistorius also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.

The trial continues.

Why You Shouldn't Steal Radioactive Isotope Iridium-192 from Work

Iridium-192 is deadly if not handled properlyReuters

A man in China has fallen ill after taking a radioactive pellet home from work.

The man, known only as Wang, took home the piece of iridium-192 from his job at the Fifth Construction Co, part of China's oil refiner Sinopec, because he thought it was valuable, reports said.

He had been working in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province, when he spotted the radioactive object, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

He said he picked up the soybean-sized piece of iridium and put it in his pocket, took it home and put it in his garden.

The theft sparked a large-scale search which scared Wang into wrapping up the iridium in a plastic bag and throwing it away. Search teams wearing anti-radiation suits and working for three minutes at a time recovered the isotope after a few hours.

Iridium-192 is highly radioactive and can be fatal if not handled properly.

Fang Guiping, deputy director of Nanjing's environmental bureau, said the company had failed to properly train and manage its workers.

Wang was given medical treatment but no further details on his condition have been released.

"The harm caused by Ir-192 depends on how long and how strong the radiation is," said Tang Shuangling, of Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

Imprisoned Al Jazeera Journalist Elshamy in Hunger Strike 'Could Die Within Few Days"

A demonstrator looks on with a sign reading "I am against the military courts for civilians"Reuters

The condition of Al Jazeera journalist Abdullah Elshamy, who has been on hunger strike in an Egyptian prison for 112 days, has worsened at the point that he could die within a few days, according to doctors.

Medical tests on Elshamy, who has been imprisoned for 269 days along with other three Al Jazeera journalists, showed that he is suffering from acute anaemia, shrinking red blood cells and kidney dysfunction.

Doctor Mohamed Ussama Al Homsi told Al Jazeera that the journalist's condition was life-threatening, having lost a third of his body weight. He warned that Elshamy could "die within a few days".

The journalist was later moved from his Tora prison cell to an undisclosed location. His lawyer had asked Egyptian authorities to transfer him to hospital within 48 hours.

In a letter from prison, Elshamy narrated his ordeal at the hands of prison guards to force him to start eating.

Elshamy was arrested on 14 August while covering the violent crackdown at Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adaweya Mosque but he has never been charged.

Three English journalists of the Qatari-funded broadcaster - Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed - have been imprisoned in Tora prison for 133 days.

Al Jazeera journalists stand accused of spreading false news and aligning with the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that the current Egyptian government considers to be a "terrorist" organisation.

The trial of Greste, Fahmy and Mohammed has been adjourned until May 15.

Al Jazeera strongly denies the accusations made against its staff.

African Mother Allegedly Hacks Daughter to Death Before Burning Her on BBQ

Magdalena Nunyango Amunyoko hacked to death then burnt on a BBQ in Namibia.Reuters

An African teacher has been accused of killing her 26-year-old disabled daughter and burning her body on a BBQ at her family home in Namibia.

Magdalena Nunyango Amunyoko was hacked to death with a machete before she and her wheelchair were burnt on a "braai" stand.

Gruesomely, her head remained intact and could still be seen in the fire, The Namibian reported.

Amunyoko was born with a rare condition which restricted her body functions, and left her bedridden with impaired speech.

The girl's mother, who is believed to be suffering from mental illness, is now being detained at the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital's psychiatric ward.

It is believed her mother had reached breaking point over her daughter's condition, having repeatedly attempted to cure it by attending various prayer sessions at local churches.

Police identified the victim Amunyoko at a press briefing in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, on Monday.

They said the murder happened on Friday at 6pm before the body was discovered by one of the suspect's sons the following day, who called the police. His mother previously denied knowing where Amunyoko was.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "We did not really suspect her of doing something that horrible but then late in the evening we saw her burning things and we still just thought she was cleaning up her yard."

Buddha's Birthday: Buddhists Around the World Celebrate Vesak

Buddhists across the world are celebrating Vesak, usually called 'Buddha's birthday', but actually marking the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha.

Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, was born in the Himalayan foothills in present-day Nepal about 500 years before the birth of Christ.

A child drops coins into golden Buddha statues on Vesak Day at the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Buddhists across the world celebrate Vesak to honour the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha 2,550 years agoReuters

The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya in India is illuminated to celebrate the birthday of Lord BuddhaAFP

Buddhists place lotus-shaped candle holders in the shape of a swastika, an auspicious Buddhist symbol, at the Yufo Temple in ShanghaiReuters

Monks take part in a ceremony to celebrate Buddha's birthday at the Yufo Temple in ShanghaiReuters

A man packs Buddha figurines at a workshop in ColomboReuters

Thousands of Taiwanese Buddhists take part in a gathering to celebrate Buddha's birthday in TaipeiAFP

Buddhists pray during a ceremony to commemorate the birth of Buddha, at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in TaipeiReuters

Buddhist devotees pour water on a sacred tree as they take part in a ceremony at the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, MyanmarAFP

A novice Buddhist monk is dressed for a Vesak Day ceremony at a pagoda in Takeo province, CambodiaReuters

Buddhist monks perform the "three steps one bow" ceremony at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in SingaporeReuters

A devotee prays at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery in SingaporeReuters

Buddhist devotees unfurl a sacred painting at a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Ipoh, MalaysiaAFP

Worshippers pray under lanterns during a ceremony marking Buddha's birthday at the Jogyesa temple in Seoul, South KoreaAFP

An anti-government protester with her nails painted in Thai national colours, a symbol of the protesters, prays with Buddhist monks during an alms offering ceremony in BangkokReuters

Thai army soldiers help to carry offerings given to Buddhist monks on the occasion of the birth, enlightenment and death of BuddhaAFP

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Kerry Says China Action 'Provocative' as Wang Urges US to be 'Objective' in South China Sea Dispute

Protesters hold anti-China placards while marching in an anti-China protest on a street in Hanoi(Reuters)

US Secretary of State John Kerry told his Chinese counterpart China's behaviour in the South China Sea last week was "provocative," a State Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"He (Kerry) said China's introduction of an oil rig and numerous government vessels in waters disputed with Vietnam was provocative," Jen Psaki told reporters.

"He urged both sides to de-escalate tensions, ensure safe conduct by their vessels at sea, and resolve the dispute through peaceful means in accordance with international law."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his United States counterpart John Kerry to be "objective" regarding the South China Sea dispute, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Wang urged the American Secretary of State to speak and act cautiously when the two spoke this week, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

"We hope that the U.S. side can carefully reflect - if they really hope for the Pacific Ocean to be peaceful, what kind of role do they actually want to play?" Hua added.

Tensions escalated in the region last week after China deployed a huge oil rig in a disputed part of the South China Sea that Vietnam claims as its own territory. Vietnam and China accused each other of instigating clashes by ramming each other's ships close to the Paracel Islands.

The waters surrounding the chain of islands are thought to be rich in resources although they remain largely unexplored. China and Vietnam shared governance of the islands until they fought a brief war in 1974, after which China assumed control of the whole chain. Vietnam has since renewed its claim to the islands.

China last week blamed the United States for provoking tensions in the region by encouraging countries to engage in dangerous provocative behaviour.

Before meeting with his counterpart from Singapore on Monday, John Kerry said the US was concerned over China's "challenge to the Paracel Islands."

"We are particularly concerned – all nations that are engaged in navigation and traffic within the South China Sea, the East China Sea, are deeply concerned about this aggressive act," Kerry said.

"We want to see a Code of Conduct created; we want to see this resolved peacefully through the Law of the Sea, through arbitration, through any other means, but not direct confrontation and aggressive action," he added

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on Monday Vietnam had acted with "utmost restraint" and attempted every means of dialogue to request China remove the oil rig.

US Drones in Japan to Start Monitoring Chinese and North Korea's Interests

US drones based in Japan to start monitoring Chinese and North Korea's interestsReuters file photo

Japan-based American military drones are set to kick off their surveillance activities on China and North Korea by closely monitoring the key installations of the Asian countries.

The US Air Force is set to deploy two Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the mission amid territorial and geo-political tensions in the Asian region.

Operations are expected to begin shortly and the deployment will keep a close watch on Beijing's military activities and Pyongyang's nuclear and missile developments.

According to reports, Washington will deploy two of its unmanned aircraft at the Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture later this month while Tokyo plans to procure three more drones next year.

Both the US drones will be stationed in the Japanese base, located about 590kms northeast of Tokyo, until October 2014 under the bilateral agreement between the two countries.

"The Global Hawk provided us with a wealth of data, including surveillance of the crippled reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant. The device will be effective in surveying the activities [of] North Korean and Chinese military," a senior military source told Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun.

The Global Hawk drone, which proved its mettle in Iraq and Afghanistan during the war, is about 40 meter wide and 14.5 meter long. It can fly up to 30 hours and has an operational altitude of 18,000 meters (60,000 ft).

Japanese aviation authorities have also issued notice to all the operators in the region urging them to inform the Misawa Air Base if their flights plan to cruise at an altitude of 6,100 meters or lower.

The US intends to fly the drones about two times a week.

Given the political climate existing in the region, the latest move is, perhaps, widely seen as a reinforcement of the continuing military cooperation between Japan and the US, rather than a fresh initiative to radically strengthen the countries' surveillance capabilities.

This is because of the fact that both the US and Japan rely on satellite imagery to keep track of North Korea's actions and Beijing has no interest in placing the highly-guarded secrets of its naval assets in the disputed chain of islands in the East China Sea.

Nonetheless, the drones, equipped with high-performance sensors, will certainly be able to provide well-timed intelligence data as the satellites are in orbit.

China Unveiling GlaxoSmithKline Bribery Investigation Details

China Unveiling GlaxoSmithKline Bribery Investigation DetailsReuters

Chinese authorities will unveil the latest developments related to their GlaxoSmithKline investigation after the Ministry of Public Security accused a raft of Asia-based executives at Britain's largest drugmaker of bribery.

According to a Ministry of Public Security statement, China's authorities will reveal to the media at 1100 BST on 13 May about their findings after a probe into GSK following allegations that unnamed executives routed 3bn yuan ($488m, £307m, €365m) in bribes to doctors through 700 travel agencies and consultancies over six years.

In July 2013, Chinese police arrested four GSK executives in connection with the bribery allegations.

On 30 April, GSK said: "The People's Republic of China (PRC), acting through various government agencies, continues its investigation into alleged crimes and violations of law by GSK's China operations.

"The Group takes these allegations seriously and is continuing to cooperate fully with the Chinese authorities in this investigation. The Group has informed the US Department of Justice, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) regarding the investigation and is co-operating fully with these agencies.

"It is not possible at this time to make a reliable estimate of the financial effect, if any, that could result from these matters."

GSK has also admitted that some Chinese executives appeared to have broken the law, but CEO Andrew Witty said the head office had no prior knowledge about the wrongdoing.

Facebook Looks to Open China Office to Boost Ad Sales

A Facebook logo on a computer screen is seen through a magnifying glass.

Social networking giant Facebook is trying to gain from China's high-growth internet market, as the company is working to open a sales office to attract advertisers in the country.

Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter, reported that Facebook is looking to open a sales office within a year to work with local advertisers even if the website remains censored there.

Facebook has confirmed the news to IB Times UK in an e-mailed statement.

"Chinese exporters and developers are finding Facebook is an excellent way for them to reach customers outside China," a spokesman for the company said.

"Today, our sales team in Hong Kong is supporting these Chinese businesses, but because of the rapid growth these businesses are achieving by using Facebook, we are of course exploring ways that we can provide even more support locally and may consider having a sales office in China in the future."

Bloomberg's sources added that Facebook is in discussions to lease space in Beijing's Fortune Financial Centre, located in the city's central business district.

China banned Facebook's social networking service in the country in 2009, but the company, through its Hong Kong office, has attracted a number of Chinese customers who want to sell goods and services to international users through advertisements on the world's largest social network.

The company is yet to decide on whether to hire contractors or full-time employees for a sales office, a source told Bloomberg.

Opening a sales office in China could pave the way for the social network's reopening in the country. In addition, the move would help boost Facebook's Asian sales, which rose to $354m (£210m, €257m) in the first quarter from $118m at the time of its May 2012 IPO.

The Chinese government has been tough on foreign internet companies with its censorship rules. In 2010, Google ended its search service there citing difficulties to comply with the government's censorship.

Micro-blogging site Twitter is also banned in the country, while professional networking site LinkedIn is operating there as it agreed to censor content. Microsoft's bing search engine is available in China, but is censored at the request of the Chinese government.