Feature
China Arrests Australian Writer On Espionage Charges
MELBOURNE: A Chinese-born Australian writer held in China since January has been formally arrested on suspicion of espionage, the Australian and Chinese governments said yesterday.
Yang Hengjun, a former Chinese diplomat turned online journalist and blogger, was detained in Guangzhou while waiting for a transfer to Shanghai after flying in from New York. He was later moved to Beijing.
“Dr Yang has been held in Beijing in harsh conditions without charge for more than seven months,” Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a statement, adding that Yang was formally arrested on suspicion of spying on Friday last week.
Espionage is punishable by death in China. The arrest of Yang, 53, whose legal name is Yang Jun, came as Beijing struggles to contain anti-government protests in semi-autonomous Hong Kong.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang confirmed Yang’s formal arrest on Friday on suspicion of espionage — and told Australia to back off. “China is strongly dissatisfied with Australia’s statement on this case. I would like to stress that China is a country with rule of law, and Australia should earnestly respect China’s judicial sovereignty and not interfere in China’s handling of the case in accordance with the law in any way,” he said.
The case is being further processed and Yang is in good health with his rights fully guaranteed, Geng added.
Yang’s wife, who is an Australian permanent resident, has also been barred from leaving China. China has not allowed Yang access to his lawyers or family since his detention, Payne said.
However, Australian embassy officials have visited Yang seven times since January and were scheduled to meet him again yesterday, Canberra said.
Yang’s Australian lawyer, Robert Stary, said that Yang faces one charge of espionage, which Yang intends to deny, but the basis of the charge was unknown.
“He’d spent long periods in the US, so we don’t know whether it’s suggested he’s spying for Australia or the US, or Taiwan or whoever it might be, if that’s the allegation,” he told reporters.
Stary said that he wants the Australian government to press for Yang’s release if there is no evidence against him other than his being a pro-democracy advocate.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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