China's WeChat Denies Storing User Chats

HONG KONG — 

Tencent Holdings' WeChat, China's most popular messenger app, on Tuesday denied storing users' chat histories, after a top businessman was quoted in media reports as saying he believed Tencent was monitoring everyone's account.

"WeChat does not store any users' chat history. That is only stored in users' mobiles, computers and other terminals," WeChat said in a post on the social media platform.

"WeChat will not use any content from user chats for big data analysis. Because of WeChat's technical model that does not store or analyze user chats, the rumor that 'we are watching your WeChat everyday' is pure misunderstanding."

Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holdings, owner of the Volvo car brand, was quoted in Chinese media on Monday as saying Tencent Chairman Ma Huateng "must be watching all our WeChats every day".

Like all Chinese social media platforms, WeChat is required to censor public posts deemed "illegal" by the Communist Party.

WeChat's privacy policy says it may need to retain and disclose users' information "in response to a request by a government authority, law enforcement agency or similar body".

WeChat did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

According to a report by Amnesty International, Tencent ranked at the bottom of 11 tech firms running the world's most popular messenger apps for how they use encryption to protect user privacy.

China's cyber watchdog in September announced a new rule making chat group administrators and companies accountable for breaches of content rules.

In the same month it handed down maximum penalties to tech firms including Tencent, Baidu Inc and Weibo Corp for failing to properly censor online content, and asked them to increase content auditing measures.

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US Military Confirms Killing of Soldier in Eastern Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — 

The U.S. military said Tuesday one of its soldiers was killed and four others wounded during a "combat engagement" in eastern Afghanistan. The casualties occurred on Monday in the volatile district of Achin in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan.

Two wounded service members are being treated at a nearby medical treatment facility and are in stable condition. The other service members have returned to duty, according to a military statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own,” said General John Nicholson, commander, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. "At this very difficult time our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of our fallen and wounded brothers."

No other details about the incident have been released.

The U.S. military lost 17 soldiers in combat-related incidents in 2017 in Afghanistan.

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American Blogger Apologizes for Video Featuring Dead Body in Japan

American blogger Logan Paul has apologized after facing widespread criticism for a video he posted that appeared to show the body of a suicide victim.

Paul posted a video of himself walking with friends in the Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji, known to be a site of frequent suicides. They come across a man's hanging body and react with shock, but also a number of jokes.

Critics commented the jokes were "disrespectful" and "disgusting."

Paul posted an apology Tuesday on Twitter, saying "Where do I begin. Let us start with this. I am sorry," explaining that in his daily production of video blogs, or vlogs, "it is easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications."

"I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it will be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video," Paul wrote.

The video has been taken down, but segments remain online.

Suicide rates in Japan are the highest in the developed world. Statistics on suicides specifically in the Aokigahara forest, where people choose to take their lives because it could take days to find their bodies, are not available as authorities fear they would publicize the site.

Paul has more than 15 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and nearly four million Twitter followers.

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Vietnamese Businessman Arrested in Singapore

A Vietnamese property developer charged with disclosing state secrets has been arrested in Singapore.

A lawyer for Phan Van Anh Vu says his client was detained last Thursday in the city-state as he tried to cross the border into Malaysia.

The lawyer said the family of the 42-year-old Vu "is concerned there is an imminent risk" he will be repatriated to Vietnam, where he faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted. Choo says his client has applied for asylum in a European country, but would not reveal which one.

Another of Vu's attorneys, told Reuters his client has applied for entry into Germany.

The 42-year-old Vu is one of many Vietnamese officials and business figures who have been swept up in massive anti-corruption crackdown by the government.

Among those arrested was Trinh Xuan Thanh, an executive of the state-owned energy company PetroVietnam, who was seized by Vietnamese security agents last July from Berlin's Tiergarten park a day before he was due to appear for a hearing on his request for political asylum in Germany.

The incident angered Berlin, which called it an "unprecedented and blatant violation" of German and international law.

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Pakistan Summons US Envoy Over Trump's Twitter Remarks

Pakistan has summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest President Donald Trump's tweets accusing Islamabad of sheltering terrorists who are battling U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Islamabad says David Hale was summoned to the foreign ministry Monday night to discuss Trump's New Year's Day tweet.

In his first tweet of 2018, the president angrily said the U.S. has "foolishly" given Pakistan over 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and had gotten "nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools."

"They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump said at the end of his tweet.

Washington has long accused Pakistan, especially its security institutions, of turning a blind eye or covertly helping the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani terrorist network to stage cross-border attacks against Afghan and U.S.-led forces.

Islamabad denies allegations it is harboring Afghan insurgents and instead complains anti-state militants are using the neighboring country for terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

Responding to President Trump with his own tweet, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said Monday his country "will let the world know the truth...difference between facts and fiction."

Pakistan's National Security Committee, comprised of the country's top civilian and military leadership, will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the situation in the aftermath of Trump's tweet.

President Trump unveiled his new South Asia policy last August, in which Pakistan was blamed for providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

The administration also announced at the time that it was freezing $255 million in military assistance until Pakistan cracks down on extremists.

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Australian Driver Charged with Murder After Pedestrian Dies

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIAN — 

A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street was charged with murder on Tuesday after one of the injured died.

Saeed Noori had been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life alleging he drove an SUV into pedestrians on Dec. 21 on a sidewalk in downtown Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

An attempted murder charge was upgraded in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to murder because an 83-year-old man died after eight days in hospital. Another three victims remain in hospital. Murder carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while attempted murder carries a 25-year sentence.

Noori, 32, has been refused bail and has yet to plea to any charge. An Afghan refugee with Australian citizenship, he has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, and his lawyers have said Noori's mental impairment and fitness to plea would be explored as part of his defense.

It was the second alleged use of a car to assault pedestrians in downtown Melbourne in 2017. In January, six people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a car was driven up a pedestrian mall. The defendant in that case pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges last month, and his defense lawyers have also questioned his mental health and fitness to enter a plea.

Police have not defined either as a terrorist attack, though other vehicle attacks around the world last year were allegedly linked to terrorism.

In October, a man drove a truck down a New York City bicycle path, killing eight people. The driver is accused of providing material support to the Islamic State group among other charges, including murder.

In August, 13 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when a vehicle rammed into pedestrians in Barcelona, Spain. Two attacks in London last year were allegedly linked to Islamic extremists and another was seen as a reprisal attack outside a mosque, killing 13 people altogether.

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Japan Emperor Greets Cheering Crowd at Palace for New Year

TOKYO — 

Japan's Emperor Akihito, who is handing the Chrysanthemum Throne to his son next year, was showered with cheers from tens of thousands of New Year's well-wishers Tuesday at the Imperial Palace.

"Happy New Year,'' the 84-year-old emperor said from a balcony. "I wish that this year will prove a gentle and spiritually fulfilling one for as many people as possible.''

Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife appeared at the emperor's side. Masako, a former diplomat, has suffered from stress and has often skipped public events. It's unclear how she will step up to her upcoming role as empress.

Emperors have rarely abdicated in Japan, the last being 200 years ago. Akihito's father, wartime Emperor Hirohito, died in 1989 of an illness.

Akihito's abdication was set for April 30, 2019, after he expressed his wish to retire because of his age and health concerns.

The New Year's appearance is a rare opportunity for the public to greet the emperor on palace grounds, and this year's was expected to attract even more people than usual because of his retirement. The other such appearance he makes is for his birthday in December.

The emperor's role has been symbolic after Japan's defeat in World War II, and he and the imperial family have no political powers.

Naruhito and Masako have a daughter, Princess Aiko, but only males can inherit the throne. Masako's not producing a son is widely believed to be related to her stress-related problems.

From the start, when she married Naruhito, in 1993, the public was aware of the pressures she might face in the cloistered tradition-bound royal family. Naruhito, educated at Oxford, made a widely publicized remark that he would "protect Masako.''

Naruhito has a younger brother who has a son among his three children.

Akihito and Empress Michiko, the first commoner to marry into the royal family, are popular in Japan.

Although Japan fought World War II in the name of the emperor, Akihito has always stood for peace.

Before the royal couple retires, they are expected to visit places that commemorate peace, as well as people who fled their homes after the 2011 tsunami set off a nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan.

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