- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by D_james

Thousands protests for direct elections, democracy in Hong Kong

James — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:20:45 +0000

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Hong Kong to demand full democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Police said some 4,600 people took part in the New Year’s Day protest on Friday, which saw demonstrators marching to the Chinese government’s liaison office, chanting “one man, one vote to choose our leader”.

Democracy is promised in Hong Kong’s constitution, but the Chinese government ruled in 2007 that the territory cannot directly elect its leader until 2017 and its legislature until 2020.

The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, but has a separate political system that promises Western-style civil liberties.

Japan to freeze North Korean assets

James — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:53:59 +0000

Japan announced Thursday it would freeze assets of North Koreans in compliance with new UN sanctions for their links to Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, an official said Thursday.

The action against five individuals, four companies and one government bureau will take effect on Friday, said Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama.

“On July 24, the Japanese government will take measures to freeze assets of these entities and individuals,” Kodama told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in the Thai resort island of Phuket.

“These five individuals will be barred from entry into Japan as well from any transit visits to Japan,” he added.

The entities include Pyongyang-based companies and the North Korean atomic energy bureau as well as their representatives.

Japan embraces shotgun weddings

James — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:24:12 +0000

The stigma attached to walking down the aisle even very late into a pregnancy is evaporating in Japan, with dekichatta-kon weddings accounting for almost one third of the total.

“Being pregnant on your wedding day had a very bad image a few years ago, but we Japanese have changed our attitude recently,” said Masashi Tsubonouchi, of the First Advantage wedding firm.

Japanese Spacecraft Records Full Earth Rising Over the Moon

James — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:19:20 +0000

Japan’s Kaguya spacecraft has relayed the very first Full Earthrise movie in high definition (HD) video, giving humans a uniquely beautiful view of our small blue planet just in time for Earth...

No sex, thank you ... we're Japanese

James — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:52:14 +0000

Housewife Miyuki Yanagisawa cannot recall the last time she had sex with her husband. She is certain, though, that their physical estrangement can be measured in years, not months.

While she shares a room with the couple’s two young daughters, her husband, a company employee, sleeps alone in another room, grateful for the chance to catch up on his sleep after another tortuously long day at work.

Dalai Lama's threat shakes Buddhism

James — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:27:44 +0000

As the world’s most famous Buddhist, the Dalai Lama is a monk juggling two jobs. One is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, and the other is the political head of his government in exile.

He was chosen to serve these dual callings through an arcane process based on signs that he was reincarnated from a long line of Dalai Lamas who were considered embodiments of the Buddha of Compassion, the holder of the White Lotus.