London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May batted away critics of her leadership on Wednesday, saying she was “not a quitter”, according to media reports. May is under pressure from across her Conservative party over her Brexit strategy and her domestic policy programme, with one veteran …
Read More »Expert behind new MH370 search hopeful of find within a month
Sydney, Australia | AFP | After years of futile efforts, a fresh hunt for MH370 has set off for the remote Indian Ocean — and the top Australian scientist who helped pinpoint the new search zone is hopeful the missing jet can be found within weeks. Armed with oceanographic analyses and …
Read More »Panick as China stops import of recycled plastics
Ugandan traders fear losses but Coca-Cola offers hope Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | A trader without a market now; that is Peter Musiige, the manager of a small plant that has been exporting recycled plastics to China. He lost his market when the Chinese government on Jan.01 started implementing a …
Read More »China’s waste import ban upends global recycling industry
Beijing, China | AFP | For years China was the world’s top destination for recyclable trash, but a ban on certain imports has left nations scrambling to find new dumping grounds for growing piles of garbage. The decision was announced in July and came into force on January 1, giving companies …
Read More »Chinese county bans schoolchildren from mosques
Beijing, China | AFP | Authorities in a Muslim-majority county in northwest China have banned schoolchildren from going to mosques during their winter holidays, a state-run daily reported Friday, the latest tightening of regulations on religious freedoms. The decision was outlined in a notice sent to all high schools, primary …
Read More »Google, Tencent eye collaboration on new technologies
Shanghai, China | AFP | Internet titans Google and Tencent on Friday signalled possible future collaboration on developing new technologies as the US and Chinese firms announced a long-term patent-sharing agreement. The companies gave no details on the scope or nature of the potential cooperation but said in a joint …
Read More »White House hails drop in Chinese trade with N.Korea
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Friday welcomed news of a sharp drop in Chinese trade with North Korea, saying it would help put pressure on the regime of Kim Jong-Un. China reported earlier that its imports from North Korea plunged 33 percent last year — …
Read More »France signs deals with China but warns against ‘pillaging’
Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron oversaw the signing Tuesday of business deals worth billions of dollars, seeking better trade ties even as France’s finance minister boasted of rejecting those investments he likened to “pillaging”. The two sides signed deals in the …
Read More »Macron visits Forbidden City before China deals, Xi talks
Beijing, China | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron toured Beijing’s sprawling Forbidden City on Tuesday before a day of business deals and talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as the two rising global leaders seek closer ties. Macron, who has positioned himself as the leading voice of the European …
Read More »‘Don’t fear death’: China’s Xi urges blunt call to PLA
Shanghai, China | AFP | President Xi Jinping has issued a blunt call for China’s military to be ready for war and unafraid to die defending the country, as geopolitical tensions mount in Asia. Xi’s exhortation to the world’s largest fighting force, parts of which were revealed only late Thursday, …
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