In a landmark decision Hong Kong’s highest court on Monday ruled against granting residency to two Filipino maids, dashing the hopes of several hundred thousand other domestic helpers from ever gaining permanent residency in the city.

Five judges on the Court of Final Appeal ruled unanimously that Evangeline Banao Vallejos and Daniel Domingo would not be allowed to settle permanently in Hong Kong after residing here for over seven years, a period that would ordinarily qualify foreigners to become permanent residents under the constitution.

The court ruled that maids should not be treated as “ordinarily resident” in the financial hub given contracts that tied them to finite stints of temporary employment. (Read more)

It’s not exactly news that China is setting itself up as a new global superpower, is it? While Western civilization chokes on its own gluttony like a latter-day Marlon Brando, China continues to buy up American debt and lock away the world’s natural resources. But now, not content to simply laugh and make jerk-off signs as they pass us on the geopolitical highway, they’ve also developed a state-endorsed genetic-engineering project.

At BGI Shenzhen, scientists have collected DNA samples from 2,000 of the world’s smartest people and are sequencing their entire genomes in an attempt to identify the alleles which determine human intelligence. Apparently they’re not far from finding them, and when they do, embryo screening will allow parents to pick their brightest zygote and potentially bump up every generation’s intelligence by five to 15 IQ points. (Read more)

A man from northern China who divorced and sued his wife earlier this year for being ugly has recently won the lawsuit, according to a report from PlanetIvy.com.

Jian Feng said his issues with his wife’s looks only began after the couple’s daughter was born. Feng was appalled by the child’s appearance, calling her “incredibly ugly” and saying she resembled neither one of her parents.

With that being the case, Feng initially accused his wife of cheating. It was at that point that his wife, who has not been named, came forward saying she had spent $100,000 on intense plastic surgeries to drastically change her appearance before she met Feng. She never told Feng about those surgeries.

When Feng found out about the procedures, he filed the lawsuit. He said the woman convinced him to marry her under false pretenses.

A judge agreed, awarding Feng $120,000. (Read more)

Elsewhere, the US foreign department may have to promptly find an anti-Buddhist hate tape made in the US, because otherwise the attack of the US ambassador Gary Locke’s car in Beijing may have to be explained using good old fashioned simmering hatred and anti-American sentiment without an actual inflamatory event. (Read more)

If, God forbid, a major naval engagement happens somewhere in the world, we will likely see the end of surface warfare. The economics favors the defender. It is easier to hit a ship with a missile than it is to hit a missile with a bullet. Also, if shooting missiles at ships, a 1% success rate is devastating. In contrast, for the side trying to shoot missiles with bullets, a 99% success rate can be disastrous.

The idea of an empires military supremacy generally outlives the reality. Given the characteristic arrogance of our political leaders, it is unlikely that this will end well.

And once it happens – Lord help us. It will be another 9/11. No dissenting opinion will be able to withstand the rhetoric surrounding hundreds of dead sailors. Every tyranny and every tax will be introduced to re-established the refuted idea of surface warfare and American military invincibility.

The U.S. has made no secret that it’s pulling its focus from the Middle East and directing military attention to the Pacific, and now China is pushing back.

The Economic Times reports China is increasing its conventional missile capability to carry out multiple launches, the one tactic that could overwhelm a Navy ship’s defenses and cripple its abilities.

Tan Weihong, Commander of China’s Second Artillery Force says, “Conventional missiles are a trump card in modern warfare. So we must be ready at any time. We must be able to deliver a quick response to attacks, hit the targets with high accuracy, and destroy them totally. Of the 114 missiles [our brigade] has launched so far, all have accurately hit the target.”

For each incoming missile a U.S. Navy ship will have to perform some variation of the following actions:

First it will launch a long-range air defense missile, like a SM-2ER. If that fails, then a shorter range missile like the ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) will go out — then the ship’s main deck guns will fire anti-air rounds with fused airburst shells.

Surviving missiles will be engaged by close-in weapons systems like the Mk-15 Phalanx or the RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile). Any incoming missiles struck by these systems will be so close, and moving so fast, that incoming shrapnel and debris would likely be unavoidable.

While all these “Hard Kill” options are going on, the ship’s electronic warfare systems will have been trying to jam the incoming missile, offering the missile a false target, while firing off chaff (for radar guided weapons) and flares (for infrared guided weapons).

All that for every single missile, so if China can send off several at once directed at the same ship, the chances of success on their part may increase exponentially.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/china-announces-how-it-will-decimate-the-us-fleet-should-conflict-ever-break-out-2012-6#ixzz1yWakyV3B

The Shanghai Composite Index was down 64.89 on the anniversary of the massacre, which occurred on June 4, 1989.

Written in the American style, the date of Tiananmen Square was 6/4/89.

The WSJ also notes that the days opening was 2,346.98, which seems to refer to 23, and the date reversed.

Predictably, of course, searches for Shanghai Composite Index were banned on Weibo within hours. (Read more)

In a matter of days, the number of expected foreign visitors to Tibet has gone from millions to zero.

Chinese authorities alerted foreign travel agencies Tuesday that they would no longer be issuing entry permits to Tibet, the latest in a series of regulations being put on travelers to Tibet. The announcement follows the self-immolation of two Tibetans last week.

Tibet is no stranger to Chinese interference in its tourism industry. Tibet’s failed rebellion in March 1959 and the event’s annual memorial on National Uprising Day has chronically put the region at odds with the People’s Republic of China. In 2008, protests after National Uprising Day turned into riots that were met with violence by PRC forces. The Chinese government temporarily closed Tibet to foreign visitors. That is a now-annual practice in March, and during other national events significant to the Chinese government. (Read more)

The capsules were made in northeastern China from dead babies whose bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder, a statement from the Korea Customs Service said.

Customs officials refused to disclose where the babies came from or who made the capsules, citing possible diplomatic friction with Beijing. Chinese officials have been cracking down on the production of such capsules since last year.

The customs office has discovered 35 smuggling attempts since August of about 17,450 capsules disguised as stamina boosters, and some people believe them to be a panacea for disease, the statement said. The capsules of human flesh, however, contained superbacteria and other harmful ingredients.

The smugglers told customs officials they believed the capsules were ordinary stamina boosters and did not know the ingredients or manufacturing process. Fake and altered drug and food items have been a serious problem in China. (Read more)

Five leading nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — are starting their own financial system with a development bank funded exclusively by their nations. (Read more)

This borrowing adds to the national debt, which has recently surpassed $15 trillion and is rising every second. The amount of debt is quickly approaching the federal debt ceiling, a legal limit to borrowing that currently stands at $16.4 trillion.

Much of that debt is held by private sector, but about 40 percent is held by public entities, including parts of the government. Here’s who owns the most. Foreign countries listed include private and public investors, according to monthly U.S. Treasury data.

1. Federal Reserve and Intragovernmental Holdings

U.S. debt holdings: $6.328 trillion

. . . .

2. China

U.S. debt holdings: $1.132 trillion

. . . .

3. Other Investors/Savings Bonds

U.S. debt holdings $1.107 trillion

With the most recent numbers from June 2011, this extremely diverse group includes individuals, government-sponsored enterprises, brokers and dealers, bank personal trusts, estates, savings bonds, corporate and noncorporate businesses for a total of $1.107 trillion.

. . . .

4. Japan

U.S. debt holdings: $1.038 trillion

. . . .

5. Pension Funds

U.S. debt holdings: $842.2 billion

. . . .

6. Mutual Funds

U.S. debt holdings: $653.5 billion

. . . .

7. State and Local Governments

U.S. debt holdings: $484.4 billion

. . . .

8. The United Kingdom

U.S. debt holdings: $429.4 billion

. . . .

9. Depository Institutions

U.S. debt holdings: $284.5 billion

. . . .

10. Insurance Companies

U.S. debt holdings: $250.1 billion

(Read more)

An official Chinese newspaper says Beijing must punish the Philippines economically for proposing closer military ties with Washington.

The nationalist tabloid Global Times, published by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily, said Sunday that China must pressure Manila to abandon cooperation with the U.S. (Read more)

From a recent Open Europe summary:

Tensions rise over second Greek bailout as German government faces rebellion

Bild reports that around 40 MPs from the CDU, CSU and FDP coalition could rebel against the second Greek bailout, meaning that the government may only win a narrow majority.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves today on a state visit to China, where among others, she will again try to solicit Chinese investment in the eurozone’s bailout fund, the EFSF, reports FT Deutschland.

China’s foreign ministry said imposing unilateral sanctions on Zhuhai Zhenrong based on US law was “unreasonable”.

The US said on Thursday Zhuhai Zhenrong was one of three international firms to be punished for dealing with Iran. (Read more)

China stands to be the biggest beneficiary of U.S. and European plans for sanctions on Iran’s oil sales in an effort to pressure the regime to abandon its nuclear program.

As European Union members negotiate an Iranian oil embargo and the U.S. begins work on imposing sanctions to complicate global payments for Iranian oil, Chinese refiners already may be taking advantage of the mounting pressure. China is demanding discounts and better terms on Iranian crude, oil analysts and sanctions advocates said in interviews. (Read more)