Beijing issued a warning to Botswana Wednesday over its plans to host the Dalai Lama next month, asking the African nation to respect China’s “core interests”. The Tibetan spiritual leader, who lives in exile in India, is due to speak at the three-day “Mind and Life Dialogue” conference in Botswana’s capital Gaborone, which begins August … Read more
Divorces are known to break a heart or two but in one case in Japan, an extra 54 violins were left in tatters. A woman has been arrested for destroying her former partner’s violin collection and 70 bows, together worth 105.9m yen ($950,700, £770,000). The 34-year-old suspect broke into his apartment in Nagoya and wrecked … Read more
The Philippines tried Wednesday to reassure Southeast Asian neighbours about its proposal to partner with Beijing in oil exploration in the disputed South China Sea, promising to consult them on any plans. President Rodrigo Duterte has softened his predecessor’s policy opposing China’s claims — which expand to nearly the entire sea — causing alarm among … Read more
China said Wednesday it would move to transform all state-owned companies into corporations by the end of this year, as part of efforts to reform the sclerotic industrial giants. China has pledged for years that it would take steps to reform the centrally-run businesses, which dominate crucial industries ranging from power and steel to aviation. … Read more
Ten Chinese Super League clubs say they have paid off debts related to player wages, bonuses and transfers after 13 of them were threatened with expulsion. Shanghai Shenhua, who signed Argentine striker Carlos Tevez in January on what are believed to be among the highest wages in world football, and Oscar’s Shanghai SIPG are among … Read more
A woman has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of destroying 54 violins and 70 bows worth around $950,000 that were owned by her ex-husband, police and media said Wednesday. The 34-year-old was arrested Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a man’s home and wrecking the instruments, with reports that the violins had been made or … Read more
Sri Lanka deployed troops and police to distribute fuel Wednesday as striking petroleum workers protested over plans to sell off stakes in state-owned oil depots to India and China. The indefinite walkout by workers of the national oil company, backed by Sri Lanka’s main leftist opposition party, is in response to the sale of state … Read more
A crane moves a giant bucket brimming with 40 tonnes of molten steel towards a gangway in North Korea’s Chollima Steel Complex. Flames, smoke and a shower of sparks erupt as a worker thrusts his temperature gauge into the liquid, its tip glowing white-hot as he withdraws it. Ratcheted high up through a cavernous mill, … Read more
Let me begin by borrowing the words of Martin Luther, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” You all bear me witness when the ultimate leader of this country, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the occasion of the 60th Independence Anniversary Celebration at the Black Star … Read more
Trailing enormous plumes of dust, the Silk Way rally cars tore through the Gobi Desert bound for China’s Imperial city of Xi’an — fresh evidence of the Middle Kingdom’s newfound love of motorsports. From the well-established Chinese Grand Prix to an explosion of kids’ karting events, the country which until recently relied more on the … Read more
A group of old pals trot onto the pitch for what looks like an ordinary football match in Vietnam. But it is actually a sly act of subversion in the authoritarian state, where this team of political dissidents has turned to football to circumvent government efforts to block their meetings. The game lasts just 45 … Read more
Panama announced Tuesday it has opened an embassy in China after cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan in June. “The opening of the Republic of Panama’s embassy in the People’s Republic of China was done in accordance with the principles that frame the diplomatic relations between both countries,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The … Read more
Katie Ledecky made history on Tuesday by becoming the first woman to win 12 world swimming championship gold medals, as world records were sent tumbling four times in the Budapest pool. Britain’s Adam Peaty twice lowered his own men’s 50m breaststroke record, once in the morning’s heats then again in the evening’s semi-finals. Canadian Kylie … Read more
The Pentagon has picked up signs that North Korea is prepping for another missile test, a US defense official said Tuesday, as the United States cited progress in pushing China to impose tough new UN sanctions. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP that if the test goes ahead, it would “probably” occur … Read more
China’s Xu Jiayu won men’s 100m backstroke gold at the world aquatics championships on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Olympic silver medallist clocked 52.44 seconds with American duo Matt Grevers earning silver, at 0.04sec back, and Olympic champion Ryan Murphy taking bronze at 0.15. “My main aim is to break the world record,” admitted Xu, who fell … Read more
US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday cited progress in talks with China on imposing what she termed as “pretty serious” new UN sanctions on North Korea in response to its first ICBM launch. The United States has been locked in negotiations with China for nearly three weeks on a new raft of measures, and Haley … Read more
Global machinery giant Caterpillar reported a jump in second-quarter profits Tuesday and lifted its full-year forecast, amid strong construction in China and improving commodity markets. Net income for the quarter ending June 30 rose 46 percent to $802 million, as revenues climbed 9.6 percent to $11.3 billion. Caterpillar, which manufacturers industrial equipment, saw its share … Read more
McDonald’s reported higher second-quarter profits Tuesday behind strong comparable sales in key markets, including the United States. Net income for the quarter ending June 30 was $1.4 billion, up 28 percent from the year-ago period in results that easily topped analyst expectations. Revenues dipped three percent to $6.0 billion, partly due to the strong dollar … Read more
General Motors reported a big drop in second-quarter earnings Tuesday on one-time restructuring costs in international markets, as car sales dipped in the cooling North American market. Net income for the biggest US auto maker was $1.7 billion, down 42 percent from the year-ago period. GM said overall performance remained solid, with growth in the … Read more
Sri Lanka’s government Tuesday approved the sale to China of a majority stake in a loss-making but strategically-sited deep sea port for more than a billion dollars, the ports minister said. The cabinet gave final approval to sell a 70 percent stake in Hambantota port for $1.12 billion to state-owned China Merchants Port Holdings, minister … Read more