The State Government of Jammu and Kashmir has hired workers in shikaras, small traditional boats, to clean the weeds from scenic Dal Lake.
Over the past two decades the lake area has shrunk by nearly half and its mean depth has been reduced to a mere 4 1/2 feet. The drying out combined with increase in pollution has resulted in excessive weed growth and a reduction in water clarity, threatening the Kashmir region’s main tourist attraction.
In the past three decades a large influx of tourists has created a pollution problem that threatens the lake’s water quality. The problem is exacerbated by rubbish and sewage from visitors seeking the serenity of living on hundreds of traditional houseboats dotting the lake.
The Himalayan lake is nearly a mile above sea level and its beauty is famous for being surrounded on its three sides by mountains. Much of its surface area comprises specacular floating gardens. Along its shoreline are 16th century Moghul monuments as well as gardens and the famous temples of Shankaracharya and Hari Parbat on small hills overlooking the lake.
Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.
The man who made history by holding a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000 also managed to bring the two Koreas together with his death Tuesday at age 85.
A North Korean delegation dispatched to Seoul to mourn him held talks Sunday with South Korea’s president, relaying a message from Kim Jong Il during the first high-level contact between the rival nations after many months of tension.
The two Koreas technically remain in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty. Tanks and troops still guard the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone bisecting the peninsula.
Kim Dae-jung, however, was respected on both sides of the border. As president from 1998 to 2003, his “Sunshine Policy” advocated engaging the isolated North and sought to ease reconciliation by plying the impoverished nation with aid.
In 2000, he traveled to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong Il — the first summit between leaders of the two Koreas. Raising their hands aloft in a sight that would have been unimaginable just years earlier, the two Kims pledged to embark on a new era of peace on the Korean peninsula.
The following years saw a flowering of reconciliation projects, including the emotional temporary reunions of thousands of Korean family members separated during the Korean War, the restoration of a cross-border cargo train and inter-Korean business ventures.
Some criticized the flow of money to North Korea, which has evaded years of international pressure to dismantle its nuclear program.
Relations have been tense since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008, abandoning the Sunshine Policy and insisting that North Korea must prove its commitment to international nuclear disarmament pacts before it can expect aid.
Pyongyang, in response, ditched the reconciliation talks and most of the inter-Korean projects. The North also has been locked in an international standoff with the U.S. and other nations over its atomic ambitions after launching a rocket, test-firing missiles and conducting an underground nuclear test earlier this year.
However, there have been signs the tensions may be easing. After welcoming former President Bill Clinton during his mission to secure the release of two jailed American reporters, the North freed a South Korean citizen held for four months. It also said it would allow some joint projects to resume.
Kim Dae-jung’s death prompted condolences from Kim Jong Il, who authorized a high-level delegation of six to pay their respects — the first time the North has sent officials to mourn a former South Korean president.
Led by senior Workers’ Party official Kim Ki Nam and spy chief Kim Yang Gon, the delegation went straight to the National Assembly mourning site Friday. Dressed in black, they left a wreath on behalf of Kim Jong Il, bowed before Kim’s portrait and lighted incense, with red badges depicting Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s late founder, pinned to their suits.
Extending their trip by a day, three North Korean officials met Sunday with Lee for a half hour, relaying Kim Jong Il’s thoughts on “progress on inter-Korean cooperation,” Seoul presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
The South Korean president then detailed his government’s “consistent and firm” policy on North Korea and reiterated the need for “sincere” dialogue between the two Koreas, the spokesman said, calling the talks “serious and amicable.”
“Thank you! Thank you! We’re returning in a positive mood,” Kim Ki Nam told reporters as the delegation departed for their flight. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the two sides discussed “developing the relations between the North and the South.”
Though best known abroad for his efforts to reach out to North Korea, Kim Dae-jung was beloved at home for devoting his life to the fight for democracy during South Korea’s early years of authoritarian rule.
“Farewell, Mr. Sunshine: Without you, we could have never known true democracy,” read yellow placards held by mourners who gathered in central Seoul to watch a broadcast of his funeral.
A native of South Jeolla Province in the southwest, he went up against Seoul’s military and political elite. He narrowly lost to Park Chung-hee in a 1971 presidential election — a near-win that earned him Park’s wrath. Weeks later, Kim was injured in a traffic accident he believed was an assassination attempt, and barely survived a Tokyo abduction engineered by South Korean intelligence.
In 1980, tens of thousands took to the streets in Kim’s southern stronghold, Gwangju, to protest the junta that seized power when Park was assassinated in office. Kim, accused of fomenting the protests, was sentenced to death.
International calls for leniency resulted in a suspended prison sentence, and he went into exile. Returning in 1985, he helped usher in new era of democracy in South Korea.
“We love you, Mr. President Kim Dae-jung. We will not forget you,” read one banner outside the National Assembly. “Democracy, peace, human rights: We will carry out your will, Mr. President,” read another. Yellow ribbons and balloons lined the street leading to parliament.
Memorials nationwide for the man dubbed the “Nelson Mandela of Asia” for his lifelong struggle for democracy have drawn some 700,000 people, the government said.
His solemn funeral was the first held at the National Assembly, where Kim — who endured torture, death threats and imprisonment during his decades as a dissident — triumphantly took the oath of office as South Korea’s president in 1998.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo praised Kim as a passionate leader who dedicated his life to democracy, human rights, peace and reconciliation. He also recalled Kim’s resilience.
“Today we are overwhelmed with heartbreaking grief and sorrow. The whole Korea is truly overcome with great sadness,” Han said at the multifaith ceremony held under a blistering sun.
Kim’s widow, Lee Hee-ho, bowed deeply before a portrait of her late husband. President Lee, former presidents and foreign leaders who were among the more than 20,000 who attended the funeral also paid their respects at the altar.
Another 14,000 mourners gathered outside City Hall, police said.
“It hurts me so much. I’m so distressed that we lost someone who devoted his entire life to peace, democracy and, ultimately, us,” Lee Eun-ah, 35, said tearfully.
Kim was buried later Sunday at the national cemetery in Seoul, a blanket knit by his wife and a Bible tucked into his coffin.
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Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim, Nicolai Hartvig and Wanjin Park contributed to this report.
A drought in China’s north has left nearly 5 million people short of drinking water and damaged crops, while dry weather in the south could cause more shortages, a state news agency reported Sunday.
The drought has caused water shortages for 4.6 million people and 4.1 million head of livestock, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an announcement by the national anti-drought administration.
Affected areas stretch from Jilin province in the northeast to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia in the north and the drought is spreading, Xinhua said, citing an administration official, Zhang Xu.
Crops on some 22 million acres (8.7 million hectares) of farmland have been damaged, the report said.
The drought agency also warned of possible water shortages in Hunan and Hubei provinces in the south because of low rainfall and high temperatures, Xinhua said.
Taiwan’s Cabinet approved a NT$100 billion ($3 billion) reconstruction budget Thursday after the island’s worst typhoon in more than 50 years killed 500 people and wiped out roads and bridges in the mountainous south.
Typhoon Morakot hit nearly two weeks ago and caused more than $2 billion in property damage. It triggered landslides and flooding that trapped thousands in remote mountain villages for days.
The three-year reconstruction budget is yet to be approved by the legislature, but is expected to pass smoothly since the ruling Nationalist Party controls more than 70 percent of the seats.
“We will help victims relocate to safe areas,” Vice Minister of the Interior Lin Join-sane told reporters. “It is also important to rebuild public infrastructure, and we will loosen regulations to accelerate the reconstruction of bridges and roads.”
President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration has come under fire for its slow response to the disaster.
Recent polls have reflected growing public anger.
A telephone poll published Wednesday by TVBS news stations put Ma’s approval rating at 16 percent, down from 41 percent two months ago.
The poll surveyed 977 Taiwanese adults on Monday and Tuesday and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
Another telephone poll published Thursday by the usually pro-Ma China Times newspaper showed 47 percent of Taiwanese want a major Cabinet reshuffle.
The poll surveyed 817 Taiwanese adults on Wednesday and had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
Four Cabinet members offered to resign earlier this week to take the blame for the government’s typhoon response.
While Ma has said Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia’s resignation would be approved, Premier Liu Chao Shiuan has said he will only consider the resignations of Defense Minister Chen Chao-min and Cabinet Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan in a Cabinet reshuffle in early September.
The resignation of the chief of the Water Resources Agency, Chen Shen-hsien, is yet to be approved.
German automaker Daimler AG announced Tuesday that it has acquired a nearly 10 percent stake in California-based electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. as part of plans to ramp up its own electric car production.
The two companies are already working together on using Tesla’s lithium-ion battery packs and charging electronics in Daimler’s electric version of its two-seat Smart car.
Tesla was incorporated in July 2003 by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in San Carlos, California. Its early investors include PayPal co-founder Elon Musk and Google co-founders Sergey Brin & Larry Page, Hyatt heir Nick Pritzker. It currently produces an all-electric roadster that sells for about $107,000 and boasts a range over over 100 miles per charge. By January it has delivered about 145 cars.
CHEAP EATS: Eating cheap in Seoul means spice, rice and plenty of everything. Seoulites like to eat out, filling thousands of mom-and-pop places that give good local color and value.
If you’re new to Korean food, start at Lotte Department store’s self-serve food court, where traditional dishes, from dolsot bibimbap (rice and vegetables cooked in stone bowls) to naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) are on mouthwatering display. Note the number of the dish you want, pay at the central ticket booth, and watch for your number on the digital display.
The alleyways of the antiques district of Insadong are packed with tourist-friendly restaurants featuring traditional fare for less than $6 (8,000 won) for a set meal of soondubu chigae (spicy tofu stew) with rice, bulgogi (marinated beef) or dduk mandu guk (dumplings and rice cake in beef broth), and side dishes, including Korea’s most famous condiment, kimchi, fermented and pickled vegetables. Wash it down with traditional liquor, milky makgeolli or tart dongdongju.
Ssamziegil Market in Insadong has cheap, chic restaurants like the healthy Dubu Ma-eul, or “Tofu Village,” and the elegant Oh Mok Theh for hearty seafood pancakes.
MUST-SEES: Seoul’s jewels are the five palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), with beautifully ornate buildings and lush gardens.
Changdeokgung Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and boasts a magnificent “secret” garden, “Biwon,” where 13 of Korea’s kings strolled over the centuries. Visits are by group tour only, $2.30 (3,000 won). English guides are available daily at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. In summer, the palace provides a stunning backdrop for performances, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Thursdays, of traditional Korean p’ansori opera, court music and dance. Closed Mondays, http://eng.cdg.go.kr/main/main.htm.
Gyeongbokgung is impressive as the main palace and center of royal affairs during the Joseon period, housing the king’s throne. Make sure to see the Hyangwonjeon, a two-story pavilion on a lotus pond. Visits by tour only, $2.30 (3,000 won). Closed Tuesdays. http://www.royalpalace.go.kr/html/eng/main/main.jsp.
At nearby Gyeonghui Palace, the Prada Transformer — a novel, four-sided structure designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his Office of Metropolitan Architecture — will host art exhibits, a film festival and fashion shows through mid-October, flipping on a different side for each event: http://prada-transformer.com.
For a free glimpse of ancient customs, start at the Bosingak Belfry at the Jonggak Station, which was used to ring open the old city gates. From 11:30 a.m., four dozen men in colorful traditional attire perform a bell-ringing ceremony before marching through the financial district to relieve guards at Deoksogung Palace. There is also a changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The palace grounds are worth a visit for 75 cents (1,000 won). Closed Mondays, http://www.jongno.go.kr/english/index.jsp.
Drop into a Buddhist temple for a respite. Most are open day and night, with lulling chants at 4 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Jogyesa Temple near Insadong is the only traditional Buddhist temple within ancient Seoul’s city limits. It offers free tours in English and an introduction to temple life that includes making lotus lanterns and prayer beads, printing sutras and a tea ceremony. The program runs the second and fourth Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and costs $15 (20,000 won), http://international.jogyesa.or.kr. Bongeunsa Temple offers a two-hour program Thursdays at 2 p.m. with temple tour, meditation and tea ceremony for $7.50 (10,000 won).
CITY STROLLS: For a great view of the city, take the cable car from the edge of the Myeongdong shopping district to Seoul Tower in lush Namsan Park; round-trip $5.50 (7,500 won), http://www.cablecar.co.kr.
The Namsangol Hanok village near the bottom of Namsan Park is a picturesque group of five painstakingly restored, old-style Korean homes that host traditional wedding ceremonies on weekends, http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264116.
Carve out an afternoon for the alleyways, antique shops and galleries of Insadong, where you can pick up a ceramic charm, rice paper fan or silk satchel for a few dollars. Small independent shops also have jewelry, handicrafts and calligraphy materials. The main street is closed to cars on Sundays, allowing street vendors to roll out carpets covered with artifacts and food carts. At the top end of the area, around Anguk subway station, explore modern art galleries and the Ssamziegil Market for shopping or a bite to eat at the rooftop book and magazine cafe.
Traditional, tree-lined Samcheongdong next to Gyeongbokgung Palace is also a haven for art lovers and a great place to wander the streets.
One of Seoul’s newer centerpieces is the tranquil Cheonggyecheon stream, which cuts through the heart of old Seoul and is popular for romantic strolls, http://english.seoul.go.kr/cheonggye/.
Rent a bike for the trails along the Han River, which cuts through the middle of the city. In summer, enjoy cold beer and dried squid at riverside picnic areas. Try to spot where the mutated creature from the South Korean blockbuster movie “The Host” crawled out of the water. (Hint: It’s near the pleasure boats and Yeouinaru subway station).
SHOPPING: Seoul has dozens of markets but two stand out. Dongdaemun market is an entire city district filled with hundreds of shops, cramped into high-rise malls and tiny shops deep underground. Go at night; many stalls are open only 5 p.m.-1 p.m. the next day, allowing shop owners from around South Korea to stock up. Expect Korean-made brands at discounts.
Namdaemun, known as the Goblin market, has about 1,000 stores selling everything from kitchen sponges, pots and pans to watches, cameras and ginseng. Shops hidden deep inside larger buildings have the best prices.
BEYOND CITY LIMITS: South Koreans love hiking and take it seriously, donning the latest gear for Sunday trips to the 37 picturesque mountains overlooking Seoul.
Take the subway to Dobongsan Station and trek up Mount Bukhansan, Seoul’s largest mountain in the scenic Bukhansan National Park. Go for a full day and you could reach the old Bukhan Sanseong fortress, on a centuries-old defense line protecting the old capital. Fortress admission is $1.20 (1,600 won).
For a shorter hike, try Mount Umyeonsan, near the Nambu Express Bus Terminal south of the Han River. An hour’s walk will get you to the Daeseongsa temple and its water spring.
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Credit card and global payments processor MasterCard Inc. said Friday its first-quarter profit fell 18 percent from the year-ago period that included a special gain on the sale of an investment. Its earnings still topped analysts’ expectations.
New income for the quarter ended March 31 fell to $367.3 million, or $2.80 per share. Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard earned $446.9 million, or $3.37 per share, during the same quarter last year.
Last year’s results included a $173 million gain from the sale of a portion of MasterCard’s investment in Redecard SA, a Brazilian credit and debit card provider.
Net revenue fell 2 percent to $1.16 billion from $1.18 billion a year ago. The dip was primarily due to foreign currency translation. On a constant currency basis, MasterCard’s revenue increased 2 percent from the year-ago period.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, forecast earnings of $2.61 per share for the quarter on revenue of $1.21 billion.
Despite the better-than-expected results, shares of MasterCard fell $8.74, or 4.8 percent, to $174.71 in premarket trading.
Despite a weakening global economy, MasterCard still saw growth in the number of processed transactions — up 6 percent to 5.1 billion.
The dollar value of those transactions fell 10 percent, however, primarily due to foreign currency exchange. On a local currency basis, purchase volume increased less than 1 percent.
MasterCard is also cutting costs, like many other companies around the world, as the economy weakens. The company reduced costs in the first quarter, which helped improve its operating margin. The company’s operating margin improved 5 percentage points to 48.6 percent during the first quarter.
Total operating expenses fell 11 percent to $595 million. Costs were trimmed through initiatives to reduce travel expenses, professional fees and personnel costs. MasterCard, however spent $19 million on severance costs during the quarter.
MasterCard also slashed advertising and marketing spending by more than 35 percent to rein in expenses during the quarter.
China has reopened its land border to tourists traveling to North Korea after a three-year break, with a group of 71 tourists visiting the isolated country, state media reported Thursday.
The Chinese tourists left the city of Dandong in northeastern Liaoning province this week for a one-day tour of Sinuiju, on the other side of the Yalu river that marks the frontier, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
It was the first tour group to cross the border since February 2006, when crossings were suspended following rampant gambling by Chinese tourists, the report said.
The report did not say where the tourists had been gambling or what had changed to allow the border to reopen.
The frontier is a sensitive area and the point where most Koreans fleeing the regime pass through.
Two U.S. journalists reporting on refugees in the area were arrested March 17. Pyongyang has accused Laura Ling and Euna Lee of committing “hostile acts” and will try them on criminal charges. Ling and Lee work for San Francisco-based Current TV, a media venture founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
The group that crossed this week were mostly locals from Dandong who paid 690 yuan (about $100) to visit six scenic sites in Sinuiju, including a museum on North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, Xinhua said.
Ji Chengsong, manager of the travel agency that organized the trip, was quoted as saying that the company hoped to offer tours four days a week.
Taiwanese stocks surged Thursday after the island’s government said it will allow Chinese institutional investors to buy into its stock market for the first time since the two sides split amid civil war 60 years ago.
The decision announced late Wednesday is a major milestone in Taiwan’s rapidly developing economic ties with China and the first step in a wide-ranging financial cooperation program it launched with the mainland just last weekend.
Starting next week, mainland institutional investors will be able to apply to buy Taiwanese shares as long as the accumulated stock does not exceed 10 percent of a listed firm’s total share value, the Financial Supervisory Commission said.
Taiwan’s benchmark stock index surged 6.7 percent to 5,992.57 — its biggest one-day gain in nearly 18 years — amid hopes that the decision will lead to investment from the Chinese mainland.
State-owned China Mobile Ltd. said it agreed Wednesday to buy 12 percent of Taiwan’s Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. for 17.8 billion New Taiwan dollars ($529 million), though the deal requires Taiwanese government approval. Guidelines for Chinese companies interested in buying Taiwanese companies are likely to be announced in late May or early June, and those limits could go as high as 20 percent of total share value.
The regulating agency said Taiwan will continue to relax its control on Chinese investment “step by step” to eventually include futures trading.
“We hope the move can increase the market’s dynamics and … foster the prosperous development of our financial services industry,” the agency said in a statement.
On Sunday, envoys from the two sides signed a financial cooperation agreement in Nanjing, China, that paves the way for the two sides to open banks and other financial service institutions in the other’s territory.
Taiwan has long banned such arrangements, fearing they would allow Beijing to gain control of its economy. But President Ma Ying-jeou has pushed aggressively for closer economic ties since he took office last May, stressing they are crucial for Taiwan’s continued economic integration in the region.
However, an official with Taiwan’s Investment Commission said the telecom industry will not be among the sectors immediately open to Chinese investment, casting doubt on the China Mobile deal.
In making the announcement, Deputy Executive Secretary Ching Ming-pin said the Taiwanese firm will not be sanctioned by the government because the buyout has not yet taken place.
Far EasTone’s Chairman Douglas Hsu said the partnership will provide his firm with “a very strong platform to grow” by prying into China’s vast market. He said it would allow the company to sell its equipment and services on the mainland. Its shares closed up the daily limit of 7 percent to NT$37.65.
Six decades after their split, the mainland continues to view Taiwan as part of its territory, to be brought back into the fold by persuasion if possible, by force if necessary.
But in his 11 months in office, Ma has moved to reduce tensions between the sides, particularly on the economic front. Major breakthroughs include the initiation of regular direct air and maritime service across the 100-mile- (160-kilometer-)wide Taiwan Strait and a liberalization of restrictions on Taiwanese investment on the mainland.
After getting pummeled last year amid the global financial crisis, Taiwan’s stock market has rebounded strongly this year, partly because of its planned trade liberalization with the mainland. The benchmark index is up 41 percent since its low point in late January.
“Taiwan’s risk factor as a flash point has dropped significantly with its improved ties with the mainland,” said Liang Chi-yuan, an economist at Taipei’s prestigious Academia Sinica. “The mainlanders would be hesitant about launching a war as their investment increases here.”
