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Chinese ‘spy ship’ docks in Sri Lanka despite India, US concerns
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Chinese ‘spy ship’ docks in Sri Lanka despite India, US concerns

Chinese 'spy ship' docks in Sri Lanka despite India, US concerns The Yuan Wang 5 entered the deep-sea port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on the condition it would not engage in any research. HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka: A Chinese research vessel docked at Sri Lanka's Chinese-run southern port of Hambantota on Tuesday despite concerns from India and the United States about its alleged spying activities. The Yuan Wang 5 entered the deep-sea port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on the condition it would not engage in any research, port officials said. It was originally due to arrive last week, but Colombo asked Beijing to defer the visit following objections by India, which shares Western concerns about Chinese activities in the region. But on Saturd...
China and US spar over climate on Twitter
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China and US spar over climate on Twitter

BEIJING (AP) — The world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are sparring on Twitter over climate policy, with China questioning whether the U.S. can deliver on the landmark climate legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden this week. “You can bet America will meet our commitments,” U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns tweeted in response on Wednesday, using a national flag emoticon for “America.“ He called on China to resume suspended climate talks, writing, “We’re ready.” The punchy exchange, part of a longer back and forth on Twitter, is emblematic of a broader worry: U.S.-China cooperation is widely considered vital to the success of global efforts to curb rising temperatures. With the breakdown in relations over Taiwan and other issues, some question whether the t
G20 environment ministers in Bali spur global climate action
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G20 environment ministers in Bali spur global climate action

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Environment officials from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations met Wednesday on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali for talks on climate action and the global impact of the war in Ukraine, with Indonesia’s environment minister saying the world is already facing a climate crisis. They discussed the implementation of each G-20 nation’s contribution to fighting climate change and synchronizing targets among developing and developed countries, Indonesian environment minister Siti Nurbaya said after the meeting. She said it produced a joint agreement with three priority issues — a sustainable economic recovery, land-based and ocean-based climate action, and resource mobilization to accelerate environmental protection — to help realize the Paris agreeme
Venice and the milk of dreams
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Venice and the milk of dreams

Andra Ursuta's Predators 'R Us. Apinan Poshyananda Santa Maria Della Salute, also known as Saint Mary of Health, stands majestically at Punta Della Dogana by the Grand Canal in the city of Venice. In 1631, Venice experienced an unusually devastating plague when nearly a third of the population was wiped out. As a votive offering, the Republic of Venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health with objects of art that bore reference to the Black Death. In March 2022, after postponement due to Covid-19 that killed thousands in the city, the 59th Venice Biennale opened under the theme of "The Milk Of Dreams" and was welcomed like a warm delicious latte by the art world. Founded in 1895, the International Exhibition of Art, Venice Biennale has been described as the Olympics...
China Scared of Losing Ground in the Gulf
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China Scared of Losing Ground in the Gulf

The Chinese Embassy in Kuwait is learnt to have embarked on a media drive to improve the country’s image. Towards this end, the Embassy has apparently hired a team of experts who are approaching Kuwaiti journalists to provide ground level feedback about China, its economic policies and its ongoing confrontation with the US on the Taiwan issue. They have also been tasked to interview Kuwaiti officials, local experts and scholars on a variety of issues, including China Arab Cooperation Forum Framework, China-Kuwait bilateral relations, Sino-US tensions and sentiments about China within the local intelligentsia. 2However, Kuwaiti media fraternity is vary of these moves, viewing them as ‘investigations’ rather than surveys. Many journalists were reportedly reluctant to participate in a
Mirror boy band member breaks silence on Instagram
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Mirror boy band member breaks silence on Instagram

Singer vows group 'will not give up' and will bounce back Barriers are seen outside Hong Kong Coliseum after a giant video panel fell onto the stage during a concert by boy band Mirror in Hong Kong on July 29, 2022. (Reuters photo) HONG KONG: A core member of popular Hong Kong boy band Mirror has broken his silence on a horrific stage accident a week ago that critically injured a dancer, vowing that the group will not give up and will get back on its feet to face challenges. Keung To, 23, posted a message on Instagram to his 900,400 followers in the early hours of Thursday, writing in Chinese: "Will not give up. We will not give up. Must stand up and face everything together." It was the first time that Keung, one of the most popular members of the band and winner of a ViuTV talent sho...
US commander says China missile fire over Taiwan must be contested
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US commander says China missile fire over Taiwan must be contested

US commander says China missile fire over Taiwan must be contested A missile is fired during a Chinese military exercise in China on Aug 4, 2022. (Photo by PLA EASTERN THEATER COMMAND/ESN / AFP) China's recent decision to fire missiles over Taiwan is a "gorilla in the room" that has to be contested, a top US military commander said Tuesday. Beijing has carried out huge air and sea drills this month around Taiwan in a furious reaction to visits by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation. Those exercises included firing multiple ballistic missiles into waters off Taiwan -- some of the world's busiest shipping routes -- and it was the first time China has taken such a step since the mid-1990s. "It's very important that we contest this type of thing. I know that the g...
Rising stars emerge at President’s Cup 2022
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Rising stars emerge at President’s Cup 2022

Rising stars emerge at President's Cup 2022 Winner: Sailub Lertratanachai and Courville L from the Horse Lover Club. The President’s Cup 2022 has been underway since last month at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, Pattaya, with Harald Link, president of the Thailand Equestrian Federation (TEF), declaring that the competition is truly back on track. The easing of Covid-19 protocols and restrictions in the country helped restart the highly-anticipated events, said Mr Link, who is also the chairman of B.Grimm. Disease elimination Thailand is also seeking the return of African horse sickness (AHS) free zone status. The TEF has been working with the Department of Livestock Development and the private sector to eliminate the disease in the country by following the recommendations of the Wor
EXPLAINER: Why is China so angry over UN report on Xinjiang?
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EXPLAINER: Why is China so angry over UN report on Xinjiang?

BEIJING (AP) — China has responded furiously to a United Nations report on alleged human rights abuses in its northwestern Xinjiang region targeting Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim ethnic minorities. The report has been in the works for years and was released despite Chinese efforts to delay or block it, aware of how it could validate claims that more than 1 million ethnic minority members were forcibly sent to centers it says were for vocational training. Those who were held, their relatives and monitoring groups describe them as prison-like reeducation centers where inmates were forced to denounce Islam and their traditional culture, while swearing fidelity to the ruling Communist Party. The camps have been part of a widespread campaign of repression in Xinjiang, allegedly including i
Rohingya refugees cannot be forgotten
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Rohingya refugees cannot be forgotten

Rohingya refugees cannot be forgotten Rohingya refugees pray as they gather on Aug 25, 2019, to mark the second anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar at the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. In taking in the refugees, Bangladesh feels the weight of responsibility lies unfairly on it alone. (Photo: Reuters) I have spent nearly 30 years exposed to emergencies and humanitarian crises. Yet, standing at our "hospital on the hill" in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, now the world's largest refugee camp, I was taken by the sheer scale of this makeshift setting. A jumble of humanity packed together in precarious bamboo and plastic shelters, all contained within kilometres of razor wire fencing. As we mark five years since the brutal campaign of violence meted out at the hands of the Myanma...