World

G20 climate talks in Indonesia fail to agree communique Displaced people who fled from flood-hit areas sit on a tractor to cross a flooded area at Sehwan in Sindh province, Pakistan on Wednesday as misery mounted for millions trapped by the worst floods in the country's history. Officials from the Group of 20 major economies meeting on Wednesday for climate talks in Bali, Indonesia have been unable to agree a joint communique, sources told Reuters. (Photo by AFP) NUSA DUA, Indonesia: Officials from the Group of 20 major economies meeting on Wednesday for climate talks in Bali have been unable to agree a joint communique, amid objections over language used on climate targets and the war in Ukraine, two sources told Reuters. Indonesia's Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar had started ...

China’s aggressive attitude towards its territorial disputes, both on land and at sea, in the recent past, has cautioned many of its neighbours with who it shares its geographical boundaries. Its disagreements with many of its neighbouring countries has subsequently radiated a shadow of apprehension upon the Chinese administration and its foreign policy objectives. This has also invariably created a series of political, diplomatic and military conflicts with nations that seem to be locked in horns with the Chinese. The number of territorial disagreements regarding China currently stands at a staggering 17 disputes with its boundary sharing nations; of which at least 7 seem to territorial disputes related to land cover. Amongst the most volatile disputes in the lot, however, is the conf

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations headed to Africa on Wednesday, saying she was going to focus on how the United States can help Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde deal with the food crisis that has hit the continent particularly hard — not to compete with China and Russia. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the long-planned trip is not part of global competition with either of America’s rivals, but it is part of a series of high-level U.S. engagements “that aim to affirm and strengthen our partnerships and relationships with African leaders and peoples.” Her trip from Aug. 4-7 will be followed immediately by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visits to South Africa, Congo and Rwanda from Aug. 7-11. It also comes on the heels of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lav

China central bank cuts lending rates to boost economy The head office of the People's Bank of China is pictured in Beijing. (Reuters photo) BEIJING: China's central bank on Monday cut benchmark loan rates in an attempt to boost an economy battered by the government's strict zero-Covid policy and a slump in the property market. The world's second-biggest economy saw an improvement after some coronavirus restrictions eased in June, but consumer and business sentiment remains weaker than usual. The one-year Loan Prime Rate, which serves as a benchmark for corporate loans, was reduced from 3.7% to 3.65%, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement. The five-year LPR, which is used to price mortgages, was cut from 4.45% to 4.3%, it added. The PBOC slashed key interest rates las...

Military leader leaves door open to negotiations but not until 'legal processes' are finished A photo released by the Myanmar Ministry of Information shows former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and former president Win Myint during their first court appearance in Nay Pyi Taw on May 24 last year. (Myanmar Ministry of Information via AFP) Myanmar’s military chief said on Friday the junta is open to negotiations with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to end the crisis sparked by its coup — after her trials in a junta-run court have concluded. “After the legal processes against her according to the law are finished we are going to consider (negotiations) based on her response,” Min Aung Hlaing said in a statement. Aung San Suu Kyi, 77, has been detained since the generals toppled her gover

Most of China’s students came from South Korea, followed by Thailand and Pakistan Students wearing face masks walk out of a venue of the annual national "gaokao" university entrance exam, which was postponed in the city due to the Covid-19 outbreak, in Shanghai, China, on July 7, 2022. (Photo: Reuters) China is opening the door to foreign students for the first time in more than two years, easing restrictions on their entry imposed after the outbreak of Covid-19. Foreign nationals holding a valid Chinese residence permit for study or an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) business travel card will be allowed to enter China starting Wednesday, the nation’s United States embassy said in a statement posted on WeChat late Tuesday. Similar statements were made by China’s embassies in Ja

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos was laid to rest in a state funeral Tuesday, hailed as an ex-general who backed and then helped oust a dictatorship and became a defender of democracy and a can-do reformist in his poverty-wracked Asian country. Ramos died July 31 at age 94 from COVID-19 complications at the Makati Medical Center in the capital region, his family said. He also suffered from a heart condition and dementia and had been in and out of hospital in recent years, former aides said. An urn containing the ashes of the U.S.-trained general, who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars, was placed in a flag-draped coffin, which was carried by six pallbearers amid somber music. His cremated remains were placed in his grave after a funeral procession le

Ms Chompoonoot, centre left, and Mr Shih, centre right. Land and Houses Bank (LH Bank) is putting more focus on Taiwanese businesses in Thailand, aiming for 70% loan growth in this corporate customer segment in 2022. The ambitious target comes amid a growing belief that Thailand could benefit from greater business opportunities as a result of tensions over Taiwan if manufacturers relocate their factories. Taiwanese businesses in Thailand, including those connected to lending, trade finance, foreign exchange, and other Taiwan-related financial services, have been growing strongly. Amid geopolitical tension between the US and China over the island, Taiwanese business operators with a production base in China could relocate to Asean member states, particularly Vietnam and Thailand, said Sh...

Sales of tour packages to Japan expected to surge Visitors wearing protective face masks take selfie photos at Nakamise Street leading to Senso-ji temple at Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo: Reuters) Sales of outbound package tours to Japan are expected to surge in the fourth quarter once the mandatory pre-arrival RT-PCR test is dropped on Sept 7, while sales of tour packages to South Korea have continued to decline. In a briefing with travel agencies on Thursday, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) insisted that visitors will be required to show a vaccine certificate with three approved shots instead of a negative test result. Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said more tourists are interested in pu...

POXINDEJE, Mexico (AP) — A painter in orange overalls touches up the image of a hand holding a rifle while an artist perched on scaffolding painstakingly places bits of colorful ceramic in a mosaic of a guerrilla fighter. The artists aren’t just decorating a wall: Together, they are helping to revive muralism, a movement that put Mexico at the vanguard of art a century ago. Just as their famous predecessors did shortly after the Mexican Revolution, teachers and students of the Siqueiros School of Muralism are on a mission to keep alive the practice of using visual imagery to share messages of social and political importance. The mural in progress is on three walls of a municipal building in San Salvador, a small town of about 29,000 people north of Mexico City in Hidalgo state. The Siqu