British GSK Executive Accused Of China Bribery

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, In Beijing

The British former head of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) China unit has been accused of bribery.

Chinese investigators claim Mark Reilly ordered his salespeople to bribe doctors and hospital officials to use the drug company's products.

A statement released by police in the central city of Changsha said that resulted in "illegal revenue" of more than £100m.

Mr Reilly and two Chinese executives have also been accused of bribing government officials in Beijing and Shanghai.

A Ministry of Public Security official told a news conference in Beijing that GSK departments "offered bribes to hospitals and doctors as well as personnel to boost their sales".

GSK responded to the developments with a short statement: "We take the allegations that have been raised very seriously.

"They are deeply concerning to us and contrary to the values of GSK.

"We want to reach a resolution that will enable the company to continue to make an important contribution to the health and welfare of China and its citizens."

The company's share price fell when the FTSE 100 opened for business on Wednesday.

Mr Reilly, who left China in July last year only to return in September to assist the investigation, has since been prevented from leaving the country.

A spokesman from the Chinese Public Security Bureau told Sky News that he remained in China but would not be drawn on whether Mr Reilly would now be arrested.

The British Embassy in Beijing, which has been across the allegations against GSK since they first emerged, referred all questions to GSK.

"We are aware of recent developments in the case but cannot comment whilst it is still ongoing.  We are in close contact with GSK". an embassy spokesman said.

China is a key growth market for large drug-makers, which are counting on the country's swelling middle class to offset declining sales in Western countries.

Before the scandal, GSK's China sales had risen 14% year-on-year in the three months to end-June, but revenue in the country plunged 61% in the third quarter and 29% in the final quarter of 2013.

The crackdown reflects a growing determination by Chinese authorities to stamp out corporate bribery and corruption, which can drive up prices for consumers.

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Oscar Pistorius To Have Psychiatric Tests

Oscar Pistorius must undergo psychiatric tests, the judge in his murder trial has ruled.

The move is likely to lead to significant delays in the case, but Judge Thokozile Masipa said it was about justice, not convenience.

She said Pistorius could be evaluated as an out-patient, indicating he would not have to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Further details about the referral are likely to come out when the order is officially made on Tuesday.

The prosecution made the application for an assessment after defence evidence from a forensic psychiatrist, who said the defendant had generalised anxiety disorder.

But the defence argued there was no need for psychiatric observation and the application had "no merit".

The prosecution has already claimed the decision to call Dr Merryl Vorster so late in the trial - after Pistorius himself had given evidence - may be a "fallback option" for the defence in the event of a guilty verdict.

Sending the 27-year-old for mental health tests at this stage could eliminate the possibility of an appeal by the defence on the grounds that Pistorius' mental health had not been fully and adequately assessed.

If Pistorius were found to be suffering from a mental illness, he could be held not criminally responsible for his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's death and found not guilty by reason of "mental illness or intellectual disability".

Pistorius denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp in a premeditated attack

Judge Masipa said the court was "ill-equipped" to assess the diagnosis by Dr Vorster, and so ruled Pistorius should be sent for evaluation.

She said: "The accused may not have raised the issue that he was not criminally responsible at the time of the incident in so many words, but evidence led on his behalf clearly raised the issue and cannot be ignored."

In her evidence, Dr Vorster said Pistorius had GAD and was a "distrusting and guarded" person who is "hyper-vigilant" about security.

But she also said he was able to able "to function at a high-level", and did socialise.

Pistorius is accused of killing Ms Steenkamp in a premeditated attack at his home in Pretoria, South Africa, on Valentine's Day last year.

He denies the charge and claims he shot his partner after mistaking her for an intruder.

The trial was adjourned until May 20.

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Papua New Guinea Boy's Remains Found In Croc

The limbs of an 11-year-old boy have been found inside a huge crocodile and his head discovered nearby, according to reports in Papua New Guinea.

The youngster's remains were discovered after he was apparently attacked on a river.

Police commander Lincoln Gerari told the National newspaper the four-metre (13ft) reptile grabbed the boy - named as Melas Mero - as he was fishing with his parents in Gulf Province on Thursday.

Mr Gerari told the newspaper: "The crocodile swept the boy with its tail and then attacked the defenceless child." 

The provincial commander said police found two hands, two legs and a hipbone inside the crocodile after they tracked it down and killed it. His head was found later.

The attack is the second to take place in Papua New Guinea this year, according to a global database.

CrocBITE, which is managed by researchers at Australia's Charles Darwin University, said a man was killed on January 1 by a saltwater crocodile at Rawa Bay in North Bougainville.

A total of 75 crocodile attacks, of which 65 were fatal, have been recorded in Papua New Guinea by the database since 1958.

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Brazil World Cup Coach Scolari In Tax Probe

Brazil's national football coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is the subject of a criminal investigation in Portugal, the country's authorities have said.

The Portuguese attorney general's office confirmed in an email to The AP news agency that an inquiry has opened but provided no details.

However, unconfirmed reports in Brazil and the Netherlands say Scolari is suspected of failing to declare €7m in income while managing Portugal.

According to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paolo, the money was allegedly deposited in offshore accounts.

Scolari, 65, who managed Portugal between 2003 and 2008, has strenuously denied the claims.

"I have correctly filed all my tax returns. In all the countries where I've worked, I've always declared my income," he said in a statement.

"If anything is wrong, it's not my fault. I hope justice gets to the bottom of the facts."

Scolari was in charge of Portugal for five years

Officials at the Portuguese Football Federation, which employed Scolari as national coach, could not immediately be reached for comment.

If the Portuguese authorities decide to file charges, Scolari would have to answer in a Portuguese court.

Tax evasion concerning large amounts of money carries a prison sentence in Portugal.

News of the investigation comes a month before the World Cup kicks off in Brazil.

Scolari won the World Cup with host nation in 2002 and is tipped to repeat the feat this summer.

He was appointed Brazil manager for the second time in 2012 and led them to victory in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

He left Portugal in 2008 to take over as Chelsea boss but was fired after six months following a run of poor form.

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Philippines: China Accused Of Reef 'Land Grab'

The Philippines has protested against China's reclamation of land on a disputed reef in the South China Sea, fearing it could be used for military purposes.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the work being done at the Johnson Reef in the Spratly Islands violates a regional non-aggression pact.

Mr Del Rosario said it was not clear from aerial photos what China intended to build on the reef, which Manila claims as part of its western province of Palawan.

However, one possibility was an airstrip. A senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Chinese military could also be planning an offshore base there.

"We're not exactly sure what are their intentions there," Mr Del Rosario said.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying claimed the reef was part of China's territory.

"It falls within China's sovereignty rights to engage in construction on the relevant reef," she told a news conference. "I wonder what special motives there are behind such concerns by the Philippines."

The discovery of the reclamation work is likely to raise alarm bells in other countries which regard Johnson Reef as theirs.

These include Vietnam, which maintains several nearby military installations. Chinese and Vietnamese forces fought a deadly naval battle in the region in 1988.

Manila says the reclamation was first detected by air force planes six months ago.

Philippine aircraft searching for the missing Malaysian jetliner also spotted at least one Chinese dredging ship and a number of smaller vessels there in March.

The Philippines government estimates the submerged reef and a sand bar have been turned into a 74-acre land mass, a senior diplomat told the Associated Press.

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Middle East Virus Claims Five More Lives

What Is Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers)?

Updated: 1:57pm UK, Wednesday 14 May 2014

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (Mers-Cov) is not highly contagious, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Saudi Arabia is at the centre of an outbreak of the disease in the Middle East that began two years ago.

It has mostly spread among health care workers.

At least 400 people have had the respiratory illness, and more than 100 have died.

All of them had links to the Middle East or to people who travelled there.

Mers-Cov is part of the coronavirus family that includes the common cold and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which killed 800 people worldwide 11 years ago.

It has been found in camels, but it is not known how it spreads to humans.

Cases tend to increase in the spring. Experts think this may be down to increased and better monitoring.

But Doctor W. Ian Lipkin, an expert on the virus, thinks this could be due to spring being when camels are born.

The virus can spread from person to person, but officials think this only happens after close contact.

Not everyone who is exposed to the bug becomes ill.

It appears to be unusually lethal, though.

Some estimates have it killing nearly a third of the people it infects - a far higher percentage than seasonal flu or other routine infections.

However, it is not as contagious as flu, measles or other diseases.

Currently, there is no vaccine or cure. There is no specific treatment, except to try to relieve the symptoms.

The CDC has yet to issue any warnings about travelling to countries involved in the outbreak.

Anyone who does develop fever, cough or shortness of breath within two weeks of travelling in or near the Arabian Peninsula should see their doctor and mention their travel history.

 

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Oscar Winner Malik Bendjelloul Commits Suicide

The Oscar winning documentary maker Malik Bendjelloul has committed suicide at the age of 36, his brother has said.

Swedish police spokeswoman Pia Glenvik told the AP news agency that the man behind Searching for Sugar Man died in Stockholm on Tuesday, but would not say how he had died or where his body was found.

His brother Johar Bendjelloul told the Swedish daily Aftonbladet he had been struggling with depression and took his own life.

"Life is not always simple," he was was quoted as saying.

"I don't know how to handle it. I don't know."

The music documentary that saw Bendjelloul rise to fame told the story of the American singer Sixto Rodriguez, who had no idea he had become a huge star in South Africa.

It won the Oscar for best documentary in 2013 and also earned Bendjelloul a BAFTA.

Bendjelloul receives his Oscar from Ben Affleck

Bendjelloul worked as reporter for Sweden's public broadcaster SVT before leaving to travel around the world.

It was during a trip to Cape Town that he stumbled upon Rodriguez's story.

The singer had disappeared from public life in the US but developed a cult following among white liberals in South Africa.

It took Bendjelloul more than four years to finish the film and had to use his savings to ensure it was completed.

Towards the end he shot parts of it on his phone and made his own animations.

At the time of his death Bendjelloul was working on a film about a man who could communicate with elephants.

Swedish Film Institute spokesman Jan Goransson told AP: "This terrible news has put us all in a state of shock.

"Malik Bendjelloul was one of our most exciting film makers, which the Oscar award last year was a clear proof of."

Swedish film critic Hynek Pallas described him as an "incredibly talented storyteller".

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Samsung To Compensate Cancer-Hit Factory Staff

Samsung is to compensate chip factory workers who suffered cancers linked to chemical exposure.

The company apologised to victims and their families seven years after the death of a 23-year-old employee from leukaemia.

However Samsung said the apology did not concede a link between the chemicals used in its chip factories and cancer and other diseases.

Samsung vice chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said: "We feel regret that a solution for this delicate matter has not been found in a timely manner, and we would like to use this opportunity to express our sincerest apology to the affected people."

Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee

The move came a month after opposition politician Sim Sang-jeung urged the government and Samsung to come up with measures to help victims and prevent workplace diseases.

Sim said in April that 114 workers sickened by chemicals since the 1990s were former Samsung semiconductor employees.

For several years, Samsung has resisted calls to apologise, and former workers have struggled to raise awareness about the cancer cases.

Last year, the story of Hwang Yu-mi, who died aged 23 from leukaemia in 2007 and her father's legal battles, was made into a film.

Funded by donations, the movie brought more attention to the possible link between conditions at Samsung's older factories and cancers in workers.

Analysts say the cancer controversy is an issue that Lee Kun-hee, Samsung's chairman, wants to resolve before passing leadership to his own son.

Lee, 72, is in hospital in a stable condition after suffering a heart attack on Saturday.

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California Residents Back Home After Wildfire

Residents ordered to evacuate more than 20,000 homes in and around San Diego because of a wildfire have been allowed to go back.

The fire had spread amid high heat and dry winds in drought conditions but firefighters said it was being brought under control within hours as darkness fell and the weather cooled.

There are no reports of injuries or damage to homes.

"At the point the fire is right now, we believe we have a pretty good handle on it," San Diego Fire Chief Javier Mainar said.

"I think the largest part of the emergency has passed."

The flames began in the fire-prone Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego and quickly spread to 700 acres (280 hectares), driven by hot, dry Santa Ana winds.

By late afternoon, the flames had ripped through canyons to approach expensive homes and new subdivisions on the ridges, moving on to Rancho Santa Fe, one of the wealthiest US communities, known for its multimillion-dollar homes, golfing and horse riding.

Months of drought have left much of the landscape susceptible to fire.

Central Los Angeles has recorded just 6.08 inches of rain this season - less than half its annual average rainfall.

"Fire season last year never really ended in Southern California," said forestry and fire protection department spokesman Daniel Berlan.

His department has responded to more than 1,350 fires since January 1, compared with an average of 700.

The 700-acre blaze in San Diego has been caused by dry weather and winds.

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Turkey: Oxygen Pumped To Trapped Miners

Rescuers are pumping oxygen into a coal mine in western Turkey as they battle to save more than 100 miners trapped underground following a blast which left at least 238 dead.

Hundreds of frantic relatives have crowded around the surface of the mine, in Soma, some 155 miles (250km) south of Istanbul, anxiously waiting for news, more than 24 hours after the disaster.

Relatives wailed as victims were pulled one by one from the mine on stretchers. Blankets were pulled away from the faces of the dead to give the jostling crowd a chance to identify their loved ones.

Police had to hold back distraught friends and relatives

Several people had to be restrained as they desperately tried to climb into ambulances with the bodies.

There are reports that one of the victims was just 15 years old. 

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has visited the scene, said the latest figures suggest 120 miners are still trapped. 

Those still underground are thought to be some 1.2 miles (2km) below the surface and 2.5 miles (4km) from the mine entrance.

Miners have been searching for their co-workers for over 24 hours

Despite efforts to help any survivors who may be struggling to breathe, the country's energy minister Taner Yildiz said "hopes are diminishing" among rescuers. 

The last miner to be rescued alive emerged from the mine in the early hours of the morning.

A fire was said to have been burning inside the mine long into the day and high levels of carbon monoxide have forced rescue teams to halt the operation on a number of occasions.

The father of one of the dozens of rescued miners embraces his son

The poisonous gas is considered responsible for the majority of fatalities.

TV pictures earlier showed survivors coughing and spluttering as they were pulled out alive, their faces coated with black dust.

The disaster struck around 3pm local time on Tuesday during a change of shifts, meaning more than the usual number of workers were underground.

Turkey's energy minister previously said 787 workers were in the mine at the time of the blast, although there is now a degree of uncertainty about that figure.

Protesters in Ankara and Istanbul blame the government for the disaster

According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency just 93 people were pulled out alive, a significantly smaller number than previously reported.

Authorities say the disaster was caused by an electrical fault which triggered an explosion and a fire.

For many who have lost loved ones fear has now turned into anger as reports suggest poor safety standards could have contributed to the disaster.

Dozens have taken to the streets of Istanbul to protest the deaths. In Ankara police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators shouting anti-government slogans.

Prime Minister Erdogan has announced three days of mourning

According to Turkey's main opposition party Mr Erdogan's government voted down a proposal to launch an inquiry into a number of previous accidents at mines around Soma just two weeks ago.

Journalist Dorian Jones told Sky News one Soma miner had told him he felt like a "lamb to the slaughter" every time he went to work.

In a statement, mine operator Soma Komur Isletmeleri described the explosion as a "tragic accident" which happened "despite maximum safety measures and inspections".

Soma, in Turkey's western Manisa province, is known for its mining industry

According to Turkey's ministry of labour, the pit was last inspected on March 17 and was found to be compliant with safety regulations.

Turkey's mines have one of the worst safety records in the developed world. 

The country's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when a gas explosion killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

Turkey has declared three days of national mourning.

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