| Intellectuals held in China crackdown after Liu Xiaobo gets Nobel peace prize Reaction 'predictable and stupid' says head of writers group as fears grow for laureate's missing wifeMore than 30 Chinese intellectuals have been detained, warned or placed under house arrest in a crackdown to stifle celebration of the Nobel peace prize being awarded to the imprisoned democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo.Among those facing restrictions are the laureate's wife Liu Xia who visited her husband in Jinzhou prison earlier today.However, she tweeted today that she visited her husband and found he was told on Saturday that he had won the award. Liu Xia told reporters her husband cried and dedicated his prize to the "dead spirits of Tiananmen"."The reaction of the authorities is predictable and stupid. They have tried to block the flow of information on the internet, detain people and cut telephone communications," said Zhang Yu, the Stockholm-based head of the Writers in Prison Committee of the freedom of expression group, Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC). "I'm sure they have planned for this."The Norwegian Nobel peace prize committee announced on Friday that this year's winner will be Liu, a former literature professor who co-drafted the Charter 08 campaign for increased political liberties in China.US president Barack Obama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech president Vaclav Havel were among a host of world leaders who commended the decision, but the Chinese government has responded with fury.The foreign ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador for a dressing down and declared the decision a "blasphemy" and insult to the Chinese people.Censors cut foreign broadcasts of the announcement and police have been mobilised to choke any sign of domestic support for Liu.About 20 of those affected were at a celebration party in Beijing on Friday night that was broken up by police. Three participants are now under eight days administrative detention for "disturbing social order". The others are under house arrest or heightened surveillance."There are two police outside my apartment building. I can't go out," said Liu Jingsheng, a recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. "This kind of thing happens from time to time in Beijing during the People's Congress and other politically sensitive periods, but it is tougher now."Lawyer Teng Biao said police prevented him from meeting journalists and warned him not to talk about the award or attend a celebration banquet.The ICPC – of which Liu was a member – appears to have been particularly targeted. The group's deputy secretary general Jiang Bo is among at least 10 members who have been warned. Two are under house arrest and one – Zhao Changqing – has been detained for eight days.The laureate's wife, Liu Xia is also under tight surveillance and the authorities have cut her phone line.Supporters hope that Liu Xia will collect the prize on behalf of her husband at the award ceremony in Europe later this year. If she was then denied re-entry into China, they say this might set the stage for the authorities to release Liu Xiaobo before the end of his jail term so he could join her overseas.This scenario seems optimistic given the Chinese government's recent unwillingness to release political prisoners. But the award has inspired hope.Jiang Danwen, the deputy secretary general of ICPC, said police have warned him not to comment on the prize and are now parked outside his Shanghai home, but the inconvenience was worthwhile."Actually I feel very happy. The reaction shows the award has really shocked the government."ChinaNobel peace prizeLiu XiaoboJonathan Wattsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Final goodbye: Last rescuer leaves mine The last rescuer, Manuel Gonzales, has left the mine in Chile and arrived safely at the surface, where he was greeted by his jubilant colleagues. bbc.co.uk |
EU agrees tougher rules on hedge funds Britain welcomes hedge fund directive after France backs downThe European Union finally agreed today on a directive aimed at imposing tougher rules on hedge funds, blamed by some for exacerbating the credit crunch.After a year of talks, France, Britain and Germany settled their differences and drafted a proposed text that will now have to be approved by the European parliament."These actors [hedge funds] were not until now, in any way under surveillance or specific regulation at European level, and all preceding attempts to put any regulation in place had failed," said Michel Barnier, EU internal market and services commissioner.The "new and robust rules" will impose more transparency on the industry, which manages almost $2tn (£1.3tn) globally. European regulators will have the power to withhold approval from fund managers from non-European countries as they will need to obtain a passport to operate within the EU. France had tried to impose tougher rules which would have included forcing funds to obtain a separate passport for each European country – an idea opposed by the UK. Britain has fought in Brussels to water down the directive, as London is home to about 450 hedge funds, or about 80% of the European total, managing a combined £250bn of assets. British-based hedge funds employ 10,000 professionals directly and 30,000 others indirectly, including service providers such as lawyers and accountants."Today's agreement represents a significant advance from the situation in May, when member states were on the verge of voting through an agreement that would have closed the EU market to funds from third countries, undermining competition and closing off a source of investment to the EU economy," said Mark Hoban, financial secretary to the Treasury. "We believe this represents a good outcome for investors and the businesses they finance."Hedge funds, mostly based in London and New York, are often active investors that seek profits by promoting mergers, pushing companies into debt deals, or forcing managerial changes. They are also known for spotting trends before the rest of the market. Paulson, a New York hedge fund with almost $30bn of assets under management, made $6bn by betting on a crash of US sub-prime mortgages from as early as 2005.Hedge funds have publicly said they welcome more regulation, but have warned that limits on leverage levels and higher administrative costs will hurt their investments in companies around the world. Private equity firms are also included in the directive.Hedge fundsEuropean UnionFinancial sectorElena Moyaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Iraq war logs: Pictures from one hellish day of the conflict Images from 17 October 2006, a typical 24 hours in one of the bloodiest years since the invasion guardian.co.uk |
S. Korea: Tough Talk from Lee Amid Tense Border Situation Even as Beijing proposes emergency consultations, Seoul says "it no longer makes sense" to think Pyongyang will disarm on its own feedproxy.google.com |