Breaking News - China will Execute British Man Before the End of the Year

Associated Press has announced that China is planning to execute a British citizen on Dec 29th. Akmal Shaikh, 53, was arrested with a suitcase containing nearly nine pounds of heroin in Urumqi two years ago.

According to his lawyers and family, Mr. Shaikh is a sufferer of bipolar disorder. It is claimed that he went to China dreaming of being a pop star and was given the suitcase in Kyrgyzstan by a man who he believed would make him famous.

According to Article 18 of China’s Criminal Law, somebody who is suffering from a mental disorder but who has not lost the ability to recognise his own actions still bears criminal responsibility but medical evidence should be considered during sentencing. Mr. Shaikh’s lawyers say that they have been denied the right to give medical evidence in his favour.

Breaking News - US willing to support funding for poorer nations

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has announced that the US would be willing to work on creating a fund which would provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to help combat climate change in the developing world. The move is being seen as an attempt by the US to break the deadlock at the conference and take the leading role in the fight against climate change.
The $100 billion figure was formally laid on the table last night by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. While the figure is lower than many developing nations say they need, it is hoped that achieving agreement on a figure today may revive hopes of some form of interim binding deal by the end of the week.