BEIJING (AFP) – US trade negotiators return to China this week for a fresh round of talks in a new city, but experts warn that a change of air is unlikely to quickly solve an impasse between the world’s two biggest economies. The meetings in Shanghai on Tuesday (July 30) and Wednesday will be the […]
SYDNEY (AFP) – Abortion could soon be decriminalised across Australia, with the last holdout state set to consider a new law this week that would remove terminations from the criminal code. Under legislation dating back to 1900, women in New South Wales who have abortions and their doctors can be sentenced to up to 10 […]
TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) – Japan’s unusually long and cool rainy season has dampened demand for apparel, furniture and other goods, with some retailers already reporting steep drops in merchandise sales. Shimamura, a chain of affordable clothing shops, reported last week that same-store sales through July 20 fell 18 per cent from a year earlier. Many of […]
Around 700 people have been rescued in India after flooding left them trapped on a train near Mumbai. Helicopters, boats and diving teams were deployed by the Indian authorities after the Mahalaxmi Express became stranded on Friday night close to the town of Vangani. Passengers told news agency IANS they were ordered to stay onboard […]
At least six people have been killed and dozens more injured after two earthquakes struck a province in the Philippines. The earthquakes, magnitudes 5.4 and 5.9, hit the province of Batanes, an archipelago in the north of the country early on Saturday. Mayor Raul de Sagon said around 60 people were hurt. Many people were […]
US Supreme Court lets Trump use disputed funds for border wall Congress earlier failed to provide US$5.7 billion in wall funding demanded by US President Donald Trump in a showdown in which the president triggered a 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government that ended in January. PHOTO: EPA-EFE A brief order explaining the court’s […]
Wearing helmets is mandatory for motorbike riders in India. But political interference has made it difficult for police to enforce the law in the western city of Pune, writes independent journalist Omkar Khandekar. From the sidelines of the noisy Ganeshkhind road in Pune, police constable Sunil Tathe looks at the oncoming traffic with disappointment. “Up […]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday offered a pessimistic view on reaching a trade deal with China, saying Beijing may not sign one before the November 2020 election in hopes a Democrat who will be easier to deal with, will win. During a wide-ranging session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump […]
WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – US President Donald Trump said on Friday (July 26) he was not upset by North Korea’s launching of short-range ballistic missiles earlier this week. North Korea said Thursday’s missile launch was a warning to South Korean “warmongers” to stop importing weapons and conducting joint military drills, a message that analysts said was […]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. bank regulators said on Friday they had identified no shortcomings in “living wills” submitted by 82 foreign banks detailing how their U.S. operations could be safely dissolved in a crisis. The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation did seek additional information from seven banks in their next plan submissions. They […]