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Journalism of Courage
China sells livers of executed convicts: Paper
HONG KONG: Fueling allegations that China profits from its frequent use of the death penalty, a Hong Kong newspaper said today that a Chinese hospital is selling liver transplants from executed prisoners.
Sun Yat-Sen university of medical sciences, the number one hospital is charging 38,500 per transplant, the South China Morning Post said. It said more than 40 patients from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand have received transplants.
A doctor at the hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou was quoted as saying numbers of livers available will soon increase because China executes more prisoners around the lunar new year, which is February five this year.
Robot to tackle radiation leaks in Japan on cards
TOKYO: Japan8217;s ministry of international trade and industry and several Japanese firms will jointly develop a remote-controlled robot that can deal with radiation leaks like that at Tokaimura, IbarakiPrefecture, last September, ministry officials said on Saturday.
The ministry and the private sector will set up a joint research group at the end of this month with the aim of drawing up basic designs by the end of March and completing the planned robot by the end of March 2001, the officials said.
The government decided to launch the 3 billion yen US 28.6 million project after seeing dozens of workers being exposed to radiation during operations to deal with the Tokaimura leak, Japan8217;s worst nuclear accident, they said.
Scud missile parts headed for Libya seized in Britain
LONDON: A consignment of Scud missile parts bound for Libya has been seized at a British airport, a customs spokesman confirmed early on Sunday, with reports suggesting that other deliveries have already reached their destination via Britain.
Parts for the weapons, capable of carrying chemical or biological warheads, were discovered at London8217;s Gatwick on November 24 after an operation by customs officers, aspokesman said.
Foreign secretary Robin Cook lifted trade sanctions and authorised the renewal of commercial flights after assurances from Libyan leader Colonel Maummar Gaddafi that he had renounced terrorism and military aggression.
