Tag: Henan

China arrests hundreds over banking scandal that sparked rare protests

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese police have arrested more than 200 suspects linked to one of the country’s biggest-ever banking scandals, which triggered rare mass protests. Four banks in central China’s Henan province suspended cash withdrawals in April as regulators cracked down on mismanagement, freezing the funds of hundreds of thousands of customers and sparking protests that at times ended in violence. Police said Monday they had now arrested 234 people in connection with […]

China banks vow to repay more customers after protests

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese regulators have promised to repay more victims of one of the country’s biggest-ever banking scandals, after hundreds of thousands of customers were left without access to funds, triggering rare mass protests. China’s rural banking sector has been hit hard by Beijing’s efforts to rein in a property bubble and spiralling debt, in a financial crackdown that rattled the world’s second-largest economy. Four banks in Henan province froze cash withdrawals in […]

Death toll from Henan floods rises to 71 as China braces for more rain

BEIJING, China (AFP) — The death toll from floods in central China’s Henan province rose to 71 on Tuesday as a tribute at a subway where 14 people died was sealed off in a sign of sensitivity to public criticism of the government’s handling of the disaster. Torrential downpours dumped a year’s rain in just three days last week on the hardest-hit city of Zhengzhou, flooding subway cars and trapping more than 500 commuters during […]

Chinese city picks through the debris after record rains kill 33

  by Leo RAMIREZ / Ludovic EHRET Agence France Presse ZHENGZHOU, China (AFP) — Piles of cars were strewn across a central Chinese city Thursday as shocked residents picked through the debris of a historic deluge that claimed at least 33 lives, with more heavy rain threatening surrounding regions. An unprecedented downpour dumped a year’s rain in just three days on the city of Zhengzhou, weather officials said, instantly overwhelming drains and sending torrents of […]