When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
blog

Court Battle After Tibetan Mastiff Dog Dies During Facelift Surgery

Court Battle After Tibetan Mastiff Dog Dies During Facelift Surgery

BEIJING — The Tibetan mastiff is a breed of dog prized for its hardy build and exotic beauty.

[rebelmouse-image 27087859 alt="""" original_size="640x454" expand=1]

(photo: Pleple2000)

Though now domesticated, it traces its origins to ancient times when it roamed the highlands of Central Asia. Here's one in its native stomping ground on the Tibetan mountain of Gonggar.

[rebelmouse-image 27087860 alt="""" original_size="576x768" expand=1]

(photo: Dennis Jarvis)

But in recent years, owning a handsome Tibetan Mastiff has become a major status symbol in cash-happy China. But the craze has lately reached extremes. For the past year, Beijing News reports, a courtroom drama has been playing out after the owner of one of the prized dogs that had died prematurely filed suit. Cause of death? Complications during plastic surgery.

[rebelmouse-image 27087861 alt="""" original_size="309x599" expand=1]

The owner, identified as Mr. Yu, and the owner of a pet shop, says he paid 880,000 RMB ($144,000) for the dog. Yu said it is not the first time he has sent a dog in for cosmetic surgery, which apparently makes them even more attractive to buyers.

In this case, he had decided that the Tibetan mastiff in question had asymmetrical hair growth on his face, and therefore needed a “lift.”

The competition for good looks is tough indeed. Look at this beauty!

[rebelmouse-image 27087862 alt="""" original_size="640x454" expand=1]

(photo:Tibetdoctor)

But this time, it didn't end pretty, and the dog died during surgery. Beijing News reports that the veterinarian had used an unapproved anesthetic, as well as acepromazine, which was determined to have resulted in the dog’s death.

Yu took the animal hospital to court last year claiming damages, based on the market price of the dog. The court found the animal hospital fully responsible for the dog's death, and it ordered it to pay around half the value that Yu cited, some 450,000 RMB ($70,000).

But apparently, no one is happy. The animal hospital director, noting that the surgery only cost 1,400 RMB ($230), said he has no way of paying such a sum: "That's an astronomical sum!" he declared in court last week. "Even a coalminer's death is compensated only for by 200,000 RMB in this country. Is a Tibetan mastiff's life worth more than that of two coalminers?"

Yu shouted back: "Your 450,000 is money and my 880,000 isn't!?," Beijing News reported. No date for the final verdict has yet been set.

This is not the first time a Tibetan mastiff has made news in China. Last summer, there were allegations that a zoo in Henan province was trying to pass off one of the dogs as a lion. You can hear it "roar" in the video below.

cover photo: Melanie Ko

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Economy

Lex Tusk? How Poland’s Controversial "Russian Influence" Law Will Subvert Democracy

The new “lex Tusk” includes language about companies and their management. But is this likely to be a fair investigation into breaking sanctions on Russia, or a political witch-hunt in the business sphere?

Photo of President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda

Polish President Andrzej Duda

Piotr Miaczynski, Leszek Kostrzewski

-Analysis-

WARSAW — Poland’s new Commission for investigating Russian influence, which President Andrzej Duda signed into law on Monday, will be able to summon representatives of any company for inquiry. It has sparked a major controversy in Polish politics, as political opponents of the government warn that the Commission has been given near absolute power to investigate and punish any citizen, business or organization.

And opposition politicians are expected to be high on the list of would-be suspects, starting with Donald Tusk, who is challenging the ruling PiS government to return to the presidency next fall. For that reason, it has been sardonically dubbed: Lex Tusk.

University of Warsaw law professor Michal Romanowski notes that the interests of any firm can be considered favorable to Russia. “These are instruments which the likes of Putin and Orban would not be ashamed of," Romanowski said.

The law on the Commission for examining Russian influences has "atomic" prerogatives sewn into it. Nine members of the Commission with the rank of secretary of state will be able to summon virtually anyone, with the powers of severe punishment.

Under the new law, these Commissioners will become arbiters of nearly absolute power, and will be able to use the resources of nearly any organ of the state, including the secret services, in order to demand access to every available document. They will be able to prosecute people for acts which were not prohibited at the time they were committed.

Their prerogatives are broader than that of the President or the Prime Minister, wider than those of any court. And there is virtually no oversight over their actions.

Nobody can feel safe. This includes companies, their management, lawyers, journalists, and trade unionists.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest