Japan calls for “Asian Community”

Chinese officials welcomed a Japanese call for an Asian Community similar to the EU at the annual Beijing-Tokyo forum held earlier this week. The gathering of experts, academics and officials was jointly organized by the China Daily and Japanese non-profit Genron NPO.

Killing spree at Texas military base

A US army psychiatrist about to be deployed to combat overseas opened fire on Thursday at a US military base in Texas. 12 people were killed and 31 others were wounded. But it is unclear what prompted the rampage. Authorities shot the gunman, and he is now in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

Karzai effectively handed second term

Afghan President Hamid Karzai was effectively handed a second term earlier this week when his main opponent, Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of a constitutionally mandated runoff, arguing that the process was too corrupt to give a fair result. The move has further damaged Karzai’s legitimacy as he works with his NATO allies and the United States to fight the Taliban and al-Qaida militants.

H1N1 worries grow

Worries continue to grow over the spread of the H1N1 virus as a Russian man became the first foreigner to die of the disease in China earlier this week. The Chinese government began issuing free vaccines in September, but the virus claimed seven more lives last month. About 5 million people have been vaccinated so far.

Chinese rocket scientist dies

Qian Xuesen, a Chinese scientist who helped establish NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in the 1940s, died last weekend. After being persecuted for alleging Communist ties during the McCarthy era, Qian eventually found his way back to China in 1955, he then helped the country develop its first ballistic missile, its first satellite, and the Silkworm anti-ship missile. Qian was 98 years old.

Disney to open Shanghai Park

The Chinese government has given its approval for Disney to establish a theme park in Shanghai’s Pudong Area. With an initial cost of over 3.5 billion dollars, the park will be one of the largest ever foreign investments in China, and it eventually may rival Disney’s parks in Florida and California for size and capacity.

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