Afghan election commission orders runoff

President Hamid Karzai has agreed to a runoff in Afghanistan’s controversial election, after a fraud investigation reduced share of the vote total to below 50 percent. Observers are skeptical however, that runoff will do much to mitigate the damage done by the perception that Karzai stole the election in the first round.

Chinese Ship hijacked

Pirates have seized a Chinese freighter in the Indian Ocean. It was the first time that Somali pirates have attacked a Chinese ship, and the Chinese government has vowed to do everything it can to retrieve the crew.

Reporter beaten by police in Henan

Police in Henan Province beat and detained a local journalist and detained for ten hours this week after the man attempted to film the scene of a car crash. A police car hit a pedestrian at the scene of the accident earlier this year, and the man said he wanted to use the footage to show why it was necessary to install cameras to catch cars driving above the speed limit. The case has been referred to the local prosecutor’s office for investigation.

China resettles 330,000 people

China has begun the process of resettling over 300,000 people in order to build a reservoir in Danjiangkou in Hubei Province. The project is a part of a broader effort to divert water to the northern part of the country, which experts say has already begun to suffer from water shortages.

Chongqing Gang members get death sentence

Six gang members in Chongqing municipality were given the death sentence this week after being convicted on charges that included murder, extortion, coercive business practices, and assault. Three of them, however, were given a reprieve.

Kenya and China split medals in BJ marathon

Mugo Samuel of Kenya won the men’s gold medal in the Beijing Marathon on Sunday. Chinese champion Bai Xue won the women’s gold. Bai said she is now beginning to focus on preparations for the 2012 Olympic marathon in London.

Elderly cheer up the morning

Finally, the Chongyang festival – a day to honor your elders– is coming up next week, so we leave you with a brief look at an ancient Chinese tradition: morning exercises for the elderly.

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