A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) says China has
overtake
n the United States to become the world's top energy consumer. Vivien Marsh reports.
Provisional figures from the IEA indicate that China's energy consumption has doubled in a decade, fueled by a rising population and rapid economic growth. Last year, the figures show, it consumed about 4% more energy than the United States. And though China's ascent through the IEA rankings was faster than expected, it comes as American energy use is
stagnating,
with the US suffering much more than China in the global economic crisis. The average Chinese person still consumes just a fifth of the energy of an American. But as city
dweller
s become more
prosperous
, future energy demands could be huge.
Cuba says it's ready to release more jailed dissidents in addition to the 52 whose release it announced earlier this month. The president of the Cuban National Assembly said they could remain in Cuba if they so wished. Michael Voss reports.
The 52 prisoners who are being freed are the last remaining opposition figures who were arrested during a major government
crackdown
in 2003. But according to the unofficial Cuban human rights commission, there are more than 100 additional political prisoners on the island. None of them were included in the recent deal
broker
ed between the Cuban authorities, the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish government. Now a senior Cuban official has indicated that the government is prepared to release the majority of these prisoners.