Business

Trump ‘completely wrong’ for curbing ties with Hong Kong, top officials say

Trump ‘completely wrong’ for curbing ties with Hong Kong, top officials say

Hours after US President Donald Trump moved toward stripping Hong Kong of its special treatment in a bid to punish China, senior government officials of the global financial hub lashed out at the US President saying the move made by Trump is “completely false and wrong”.Security minister John Lee said that Hong Kong's government could not be threatened and would push ahead with the new laws."I don't think they will succeed in using any means to threaten the (Hong Kong) government, because we believe what we are doing is right," Lee said.Justice Minister Teresa Cheng said the basis for Trump's actions was "completely false and wrong", saying the need for national security laws were legal and necessary.Trump said Beijing had broken its word over Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy from Beiji
Indonesian President thanks Modi for pharma supplies

Indonesian President thanks Modi for pharma supplies

The two leaders discussed issues related to citizens stuck in each other’s nations       Indonesian President Joko Widodo has appreciated India’s efforts in in ensuring continued supplies of pharmaceutical products to his country in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.   In a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the two leaders discussed issues related to their citizens present in each other’s countries, and agreed that their teams would remain in touch to ensure all possible facilitation in this regard, according to an official release.   “Discussed COVID-19 pandemic with good friend President @Jokowi,” the PM tweeted after the call. Modi assured the Indonesian President that India would do its best to prevent disruption in supplies of medical produ
Indonesia to ban air, sea travel to end-May: officials

Indonesia to ban air, sea travel to end-May: officials

Indonesia will temporarily ban domestic and international air and sea travel, with some exceptions, starting this week to prevent a further spread of the coronavirus, the transport ministry said in a statement on Friday.   The announcement came as the holy month of Ramadan began in the world's largest Muslim majority country, and the government has already banned citizens' traditional annual exodus from the cities to the provinces during the holiday period..   The ban on sea travel took immediate effect, but the ban on air travel will start on Saturday so that some pre-booked flights can go-ahead.   The ban will apply across-the-board until May 31. The ministry had previously given different dates for the end of the ban for different modes of transport.   Cargo transport is exempte
Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say

Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say

  China's President Xi Jinping (L) speaks next to US President Donald Trump during a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Donald Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to work "hard" and act fast to help resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, during their meeting in Beijing on November 9, warning that "time is quickly running out" China has pledged to invest millions of additional dollars into the World Health Organisation (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he was cutting off US funding for the group while reviewing its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.   Beijing said it would contribute an additional $30m as the United Nations organisation battles the Covid-19 pandemic, with Chinese Foreign Ministry ...
Tribes along India-Myanmar border dream of a ‘united Nagaland’

Tribes along India-Myanmar border dream of a ‘united Nagaland’

Dozens of Naga tribes yearn to reunite the 3 million living in India with their 400,000 estranged cousins in Myanmar.The king of the Konyak tribe sleeps in Myanmar, but eats in India - his house, village and people divided by a mountain border which serves as a vulnerable lifeline now severed by a coronavirus lockdown. The Konyak are just one of dozens of Naga tribes, a people yearning to reunite the 3 million living in India with their 400,000 estranged - and much poorer - cousins in Myanmar's isolated far north.Many from Myanmar cross the border to attend school, sell vegetables or visit a hospital, as it is a days-long journey by foot to the nearest town in Myanmar. Even in normal times, they live at the mercy of Indian soldiers guarding checkpoints against the threat of armed groups fi
Millions of people in Indonesia could be at risk

Millions of people in Indonesia could be at risk

Some parts of Indonesia that do not have early warning systems in place for earthquakes could be at increased risk of tsunamis, according to a new study.    Analysis of more than 2.5million years' worth of geological data revealed 19 enormous ancient underwater landslides around the island nation.  The submarine landslides happened, on average, once every 160,000 years.   Should one of these events happen in the modern world, the most at-risk locations would be the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, with a combined population of over 1.6 million people. Researchers say the proposed new capital city of Indonesia at Balikpapan Bay would also be heavily affected.  The research team, led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, said the findings suggest coastal communities in the country witho
Missouri is suing China over coronavirus

Missouri is suing China over coronavirus

Missouri is suing the Chinese government and other top institutions for the role they played in the coronavirus pandemic and the effects it has had on the state, accusing the country of covering up information, silencing whistleblowers and doing little to stop the spread of the disease, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced Tuesday. At least 6,105 people have been confirmed to have the virus in Missouri and at least 229 have died, according to numbers from Johns Hopkins University. Schmitt, in his official role as attorney general of Missouri, filed the civil lawsuit in federal court in the eastern district of Missouri.The lawsuit, the first of its kind, claims "Chinese authorities deceived the public, suppressed crucial information, arrested whistleblowers, denied human-to-huma
Millions of people in Indonesia could be at risk from a devastating tsunami

Millions of people in Indonesia could be at risk from a devastating tsunami

Research found 19 ancient underwater landslides dating back 2.5million yearsThese resulted in a tsunami approximately once every 160,000 years Found an event in today's world would decimate cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda Some parts of Indonesia that do not have early warning systems in place for earthquakes could be at increased risk of tsunamis, according to a new study.    Analysis of more than 2.5million years' worth of geological data revealed 19 enormous ancient underwater landslides around the island nation.  The submarine landslides happened, on average, once every 160,000 years.   Should one of these events happen in the modern world, the most at-risk locations would be the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, with a comb...
Ramadan bazaars go digital in Southeast Asia amid pandemic

Ramadan bazaars go digital in Southeast Asia amid pandemic

KUALA LUMPUR - For 15 years, Siti Zabedah Abdul Wahab’s family food business has opened for one month a year, selling murtabak, a pan-fried bread stuffed with meat, at Malaysia’s popular Ramadan bazaars. But this year, Murtabak Mami Murtabak Sultan started taking orders on Whatsapp and Facebook weeks before the Muslim fasting month began on April 23, as authorities across Southeast Asia called off Ramadan bazaars amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This is the first time we are selling online, so we wanted to start early to make sure our customers can find us,” 38-year-old Siti Zabedah told Reuters. Ramadan is traditionally a lucrative time for food vendors in Muslim-majority countries, with more people going out for late-night meals after breaking their fast at sunset. But the g
Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response

Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response

Race-based COVID-19 containment measures in Guangzhou evolve into major test of China-Africa relations. Lewis was at the hospital where he interns when he saw videos on social media of a black man being chased in the street by police. When the 23-year-old medical student from Sierra Leone checked his phone, he had missed calls and messages from friends in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou who had also seen the video, and there was a notice online in Chinese saying that Africans were "importing" the virus and needed to be quarantined. Then, local authorities came to the hospital where Lewis (who asked that his name be changed for fear of reprisals) worked and told him he needed to quarantine, too. They showed him a government notice that said if he had returned to China that ...
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