Xi Jinping asserts supremacy as Chinese president begins third term with loyalists in key posts
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reuters Leadership transition in the People’s Republic of China (PRCs) takes place twice in a decade; involves the Party and State Government. The ‘Communist Party of China’ (CPC) held 20th National Congress in October 2022 where its leadership for five years term was decided. The State Government functionaries are elected by […]
FEATURE-India e-rupee unpopular as central banks push digital currency
* India is testing its central bank digital currency * Officials say it will increase financial inclusion * Critics say there are privacy, cybersecurity concerns By Roli Srivastava and Rina Chandran MUMBAI, March 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Just outside the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Museum – which charts the evolution of money, from […]
What better way to fly to Japan than on the brand-new Pikachu Jet?
ANA’s Pokémon plane will be ready for international flights in time for the summer travel season. Taking a trip overseas is always exciting, but the experience is even more special when you’ve got some good friends along for the ride. And this summer, Pokémon fans flying on ANA might have a whole crew of pals […]
Meet He Lifeng, the Xi Jinping loyalist overseeing China’s economy
In 1984, when China was in its early embrace of capitalism, 29-year-old He Lifeng was near the center of the action. A Communist Party member with two degrees in government finance, he got a municipal job in Xiamen, a coastal city that had just been freed by Deng Xiaoping from central planning dictates to test […]
Xi’s crackdown on major tech companies continues to hurt China’s super-rich
As Xi Jinping began his unprecedented third term, the political climate in China remains uncertain. A mix of economic slump and complex policies is making the wealthy rethink their stay in the country, reported modern diplomacy. The drive to reign in the economic influence of China’s private sector has diminished private sector expansion and business […]
Minister sidesteps Forrest, Stokes media saga
Mar 28, 2023 – 9.47am Communications minister Michelle Rowland has opted to stay out of a row between billionaires Andrew Forrest and Kerry Stokes linked to mining machinery and media coverage. Ms Rowland knocked back a meeting request from Dr Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group and Fortescue Future Industries, which had wanted to discuss allegations of […]
Alibaba founder Jack Ma returns to China as government tries to allay private sector fears
Alibaba founder Jack Ma arrives at the Tech for Good summit, in Paris, on May 15, 2019.Charles Platiau Alibaba founder Jack Ma has returned to China, ending a stay overseas of more than a year that industry viewed as reflecting the sober mood of its private businesses, and which sources said eventually spurred the new […]
A laid-off Indeed.com employee went on a ‘final office snack run’ and filled his tote bag with chips and instant noodles on his way out
Larry Lee, a Singapore Indeed.com employee, made one final pantry run after his layoff.Larry Lee An Indeed.com employee filmed himself on a final pantry run after he was laid off. He filled up a black bag with an assortment of chips, instant noodles, and other snacks before exiting the office. Jobs portal Indeed.com laid off […]
Nottingham Forest injury state of play ahead of crunch Wolves clash
Nottingham Forest return to action this weekend for the start of a month which could go a long way to deciding their Premier League fate. On the back of six games without a win, the Reds are 16th in the table, two points above the relegation zone. First up after the international break is a […]
China says its open for business again as western CEOs descend on Beijing
When Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook appeared at the China Economic Forum in Beijing on Saturday, he said he was thrilled to be back in the country for the first time since 2019. The contrast between the warm welcome Cook received in Beijing and the aggressive questioning of TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew in […]
Air pollution chokes Thailand as campaigners call for stricter laws
Every December, Dr Nitipatana Chierakul, a specialist in respiratory medicine, notices the same pattern at his hospital department in Bangkok: his patients’ conditions will start to worsen. Some present with chest pain or prolonged coughs. “Mostly they have difficulty breathing,” he says. For at least three months, patients who have pre-existing conditions can amount to […]
Russia to station nuclear weapons in Belarus: How dangerous is this for Ukraine and the West
The Russia-Ukraine war is heating up — one could say it’s almost going nuclear. On Saturday, Russian president and strong man Vladimir Putin announced that some of his country’s nuclear arsenal would be stationed in Belarus. While making the announcement, Putin said that the deployment was in response to a longstanding request from Belarus’ leader […]
US House speaker says lawmakers to move forward with TikTok bill
US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday lawmakers will move forward with legislation to address national security worries about TikTok, alleging China’s government had access to the short video app’s user data. In the United States, there are growing calls to ban TikTok, owned by China-based company ByteDance, or to pass bipartisan […]
North Korea test-fires two short range ballistic missiles as US sends carrier
A South Korean army soldier watches the North Korea side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea. AP Seoul, South Korea: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters Monday, continuing its weapons displays as the United States moved an aircraft carrier strike group […]
Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 397 of the invasion
Ukraine’s ground forces commander said on Monday his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a “military necessity”. Ukraine’s military said Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi had acted during a visit to the eastern frontline to solve “problematic issues that prevent effective execution of […]
Reuters US Domestic News Summary
Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. US lawmaker says FBI briefed him on Trump’s rhetoric over New York probe U.S. Senator Mark Warner said on Sunday he was briefed by the FBI on Donald Trump’s rhetoric after the former president verbally lashed out at a New York prosecutor overseeing a grand […]
Wear A Hat Day: NI hat makers – including one who designed headpiece for Derry Girl – on their unique careers
“Whenever I had started my millinery journey, I found out that my great grandmother was a milliner, something that I never knew,” Susan (40) says. “It came down through the generations. She had lived in America. I had lived in America as well and when I came home, I started millinery. They were doing the […]
Coronation souvenirs boost struggling English ceramics industry
Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom: With an expert flick of a gilt-covered paint brush, a craftswoman puts the finishing touches to commemorative mugs marking the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years. Just six weeks before King Charles III is crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, historic English pottery is working flat out to […]
Satwik-Chirag duo keeps India’s flag flying in Swiss Open, enters men’s doubles final
File image of the Satwik-Chirag pair. AFP Basel: The dynamic doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty overcame a mid-game slump to keep India’s flag flying by entering the men’s doubles final of the Swiss Open Super Series 300 badminton event here on Saturday. The world number six and second seeded Indian pair defeated […]
Manu Bhaker wins India’s sixth medal at Shooting World Cup
Manu Bhaker won bronze in the women’s 25m pistol event. Image: @OfficialNRAI Bhopal: Olympian shooter Manu Bhaker clinched the 25m pistol bronze medal at the ISSF Pistol/Rifle World Cup to take India’s medal tally to sixth, including a gold, here on Saturday. Bhaker, the multiple World Cup medal winner, had shot 290 in the precision […]
Travel romance recalled by strangers who met in Bolivia and fell in love in Paris
On her first date with Augustin Pasquet, Michelle Young found herself weaving through the streets of Paris on the back of his moped. As they headed down the Champs-Élysées, Michelle snapped a photograph with her digital camera. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Three couples form after chance travel encounters. For more Lifestyle related news and videos […]
Why do Hindi speakers end up ‘mispronouncing’ South Indian names?
Image for representational purpose. | Wikimedia Commons [Licensed under CC by 4.0] In December, a clip went viral on Indian social media which showed Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan at a cinema roundtable referring to “Kannad cinema”. Immediately, a number of filmmakers from the South corrected him in unison: “Kannada”. Dhawan wasn’t alone. If you’ve been […]
Eviction ban latest: ‘This is no longer just a rental housing “crisis” – it’s a full-blown emergency’
On Friday, March 31, the Government’s ban on evictions will be lifted in the middle of the worst housing crisis in living memory. The decision has led to a storm of controversy, and one government TD, the Green Party’s Neasa Hourigan, was last week hit with a 15-month suspension for voting against the measure in […]
TikTok supporters: Please stop acting like a ban would violate the First Amendment
When it comes to the prospect of the Biden Administration imposing a ban on TikTok in the US, I have to once again confess my surprise at the way this whole thing keeps unfolding. Pre-Covid, remember, the Trump administration tried the very same move (before a little thing called the pandemic sidetracked that effort). It […]
Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari knocked out of Miami Open
Greece’s Maria Sakkari returns the ball to Bianca Andreescu of Canada during their Miami Open first-round match in Miami Gardens, Florida. AP Miami Gardens: Fourth seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the Miami Open on Friday, losing her opening match to Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-2. In another surprise, Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the former […]
Myanmar lawyer accused of helping army slain by guerrillas
BANGKOK (AP) — A veteran corporate lawyer has been shot dead in Myanmar’s biggest city by self-proclaimed urban guerrillas, highlighting the bloody struggle between the military government and its foes in the country’s cities as well as the remote countryside. Min Tayza Nyunt Tin was shot multiple times while driving his car in Yangon on […]
Dragon’s wrath: Chinese media’s unrelenting criticism of Fumio Kishida and Japan
In the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s historic visit to Japan on 16 March, 2023, which marked the first South Korean presidential visit to Japan in over a decade and sought to reestablish relations long frozen since 2011, there has been a notable uptick in negative commentary from Chinese media outlets directed towards Japanese […]
‘I went to fight in Ukraine and watched my friend die during constant bombing’
A man left his life in the Midlands to risk death fighting in Ukraine – after giving his family just two days’ notice that he was heading to the front line. At just 23, Keiran Von-Breen decided he wanted to help after watching the fighting on the news last year. He joined the International Legion […]