links for 2007-05-09

The Chinese government on Tuesday announced that it would send an engineering unit to Darfur in Sudan to participate in implementation of the second phase of a UN support plan for the African Union (AU) mission in the region.

Beijing accused a U.S. advisory panel on Tuesday of taking “potshots” at China in a report that accuses the government of imprisoning and torturing people for practicing their religion.

The offering is thought to be Mr Abe’s first show of respect at the Yasukuni Shrine since he took office last year.

South Korea on Tuesday reacted angrily to news that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering to Tokyo’s war-related Yasukuni Shrine in late April, blasting the move as “very regrettable” and calling on Japan to adopt a “correct perception of hi

Abe sent $425 last month to buy a plant that was presented to the shrine, said Sayaka Ishida, a shrine spokeswoman. She said Abe bought a two-meter, or six-foot, sakaki, a type of evergreen used in Shinto rituals.