BEIJING, Jan 13: Tension between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the East China Sea escalated as Beijing today warned of “firm response” if Tokyo resorted to any provocative action against Chinese ships patrolling there.
“We urge Japan not to look down on Chinese Government determination and resolve in defending China’s territorial sovereignty,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.
Hua was responding to questions on Japanese Defence Ministry’s reported remarks to use force against Chinese patrolling ships.
“If Japan takes further provocative action on the islands issue China will make firm response and Japanese side should be responsible for all the consequences arising there from,” Hua said.
Official media here quoted Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera as telling the media yesterday that “We can never overlook repeated incursions into territorial waters.”
China and Japan are at loggerheads over the islands called Senkakus by Japan and Diaoyus by China, located in the East China Sea.
The area, which till 2012 was controlled by Japan is believed to be rich with minerals and oil. China accuses of Japan violating an earlier understanding not to nationalise the islands overlooking Beijing’s claims.
China claims that islands as its inherent territory.
Tensions escalated between the two countries after Senzho Abe took over as Prime Minister last year and made efforts to modernise the Self Defence Force, changing its pacifist nature adopted since the Japanese defeat in Second World War.
“How Japan stole the Diaoyu islands from China is very clear,” Hua said adding that Japan’s erroneous position and action on the islands issue is an attempt to deny the outcome of the second world war and challenge  the post war world order.
“Japan’s attempts no way change the fact that Diaoyu islands belongs to China,” she said.
“The more some Japanese people deny and evade history more difficult it will be for them to get rid of the judgement of the history and the heavier historical burden on their shoulders,” she said.
Hua also attacked Japan for criticising its new fishing law in Hainan province, imposing restrictions on fishing by nationals other than Chinese in the South China Sea.
“Relevant people before making remarks should do basic research. At least they should read Chinese laws and regulations,” Hua said.
“We hope people will see through the nature of Japan’s purposes and stay on high alert,” she said.
China claims all most all of South China Sea as its own which is strongly contested by Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. (AGENCIES)

DHAKA, Jan 13: Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kept crucial portfolios of defence, home and foreign affairs with herself as she distributed portfolios among her new Cabinet members.
While distributing portfolios among her 49-member council of ministers overnight, Hasina kept three more portfolios – home, foreign affairs and power – this time, besides the cabinet division, public administration and armed forces division that she held earlier too.
According to a cabinet division statement, issued hours after the swearing in of the new Government yesterday, Hasina will also keep the ministries that have no ministers and ministers of state.
Hasina and her 48-member council of ministers took oath of office yesterday. Besides the 66-year-old Awami League chief, 29 lawmakers took oath as Cabinet ministers while 17 MPs were appointed as ministers of state and two as deputy ministers.
Hasina dropped several of her previous ministers, including Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta, a minority leader.
Only 15 of the 51 ministers and state ministers retained their positions in the new Government as Hasina brought back several veteran leaders who were sidelined in her previous Government.
She inducted at least 23 new faces, including first time MP advocate Anisul Haq, who led the state in the assassination trial of Bangladesh’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father.
Haq was given the law portfolio while among the senior party veterans Tofail Ahmed was entrusted with the charge of commerce, Amir Hossain Amu with industry and Mohammad Nasim with health.
Ahmed and Amu were also in the poll-time multi-party interim Government during the past three months and were re-inducted in the new Government.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith will retain his earlier finance ministry, Matia Chowdhury agriculture, Syed Ashraful Islam local Government, Nurul Islam Nahid education, Obaidul Quader communications, Mazibul Haq railways, Shajahan Khan shipping and Khandker Mosharraf Hossain expatriates’ welfare. (AGENCIES)

MELBOURNE, Jan 13: An Australian man has set up a website to allow people to vote for his daughter’s first and middle names.
Stephen McLaughlin, a web developer, created the website called namemydaughter.Com, where netizens can vote for their favourite name for the baby which is due on April 2.
“My name is Stephen and much to the disbelief of my wife, I have decided to let the internet name my daughter,” he said on the website.
However, the final decision to name the baby lies with the parents.
“Unfortunately internet I know better than to trust you. We will ultimately be making the final decision. Alas, my daughter shall not be named WackyTaco692,” he said.
Currently, the top combination according to highest number of votes is Amelia Mae. The other leading names include Cthulhu for a first name and All-Spark for a middle name. Other wacky suggestions for a first name include Streetlamp, Pancake, Moose, Wednesday, Yolo and Spiderman.
McLaughlin said he was sitting on the end of his bed after coming home from work one day when the idea hit him, ‘news.Com.Au’ reported.
He told his wife that he was going to ask the internet to name their daughter.
“She was supportive right from the start. I think at first she didn’t think I was actually going to do it. But once the domain was registered she knew it was real,” he said. (AGENCIES)

JERUSALEM, Jan 13: A state memorial is underway for former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as the nation prepares for the funeral of a man revered as a war hero in his country but reviled as a war criminal by Palestinians.
Six military generals will carry Sharon’s casket to his grave as Israel bids farewell to the controversial figure who generated awe among friends and detractors alike.
Israel’s 11th Prime Minister, Sharon will be buried next to his wife Lily at his Sycamore Ranch in the Negev desert in a ceremony expected to attract tens of thousands of mourners from across the political spectrum.
The funeral procession began this morning at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, at a formal event to be addressed by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President Joe Biden, former British premier Tony Blair and Sharon’s former secretary Mirit Danon.
Dozens of dignitaries from around the world have landed in Israel to attend the funeral.
The procession will then continue to Latrun, where a special meeting of the Israel Defence Forces’ general staff is set to be held, and will conclude at Sycamore Ranch with Sharon’s burial at 1200 GMT (1730 IST) and speeches by his sons, Omri and Gilad, and by army chief of staff Benny Gantz.
Security is on high alert for the funeral given its close proximity to the Gaza Strip ruled by Islamist Hamas regime.
Police will deploy 800 officers, border policemen and volunteers to secure the funeral venue which is just six miles from the Gaza Strip with the Air Force and Iron Dome missiles ready to protect the funeral from any possible attacks, security sources here said.
Sharon’s sons, Omri and Gilad, have specifically asked that as many people as possible be allowed at the funeral.
Massive screens broadcasting the ceremony have been placed at a distance away from the grave site to enable crowds to watch the burial. A separate tent has been set up for media teams from around the world who will be covering the event.
Thousands came to the Knesset yesterday to pay their last respects to Sharon who died on Saturday at the age of 85 after remaining in coma for eight years.
“I am sure that among those who came, there are those who disagreed with him politically, but they all respected him,” Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said.
The general public however is not invited to the event at the Knesset today. (AGENCIES)

PHNOM PENH (CAMBODIA), Jan 13: A Cambodian court has suspended an extradition request for a Russian property developer wanted in his homeland for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars.
A court in the capital Phnom Penh issued the ruling in a closed-door hearing today on Sergei Polonsky’s fate.
The court also released the 41-year-old businessman, who was detained two months ago in Cambodia’s southern coastal town of Sihanoukville following a request by Moscow.
It was not immediately clear whether Polonsky could still face extradition at a later date.
Court officials were not available for comment.
Polonsky was charged in Russia last year with embezzling more than USD 175 million from 80 property investors.
The International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, recently added Polonsky to its “red list” of internationally wanted criminals for “large-scale fraud.” (AGENCIES)