WASHINGTON — The Chinese government denounced on Monday the United States’ secret expulsion this fall of two Chinese diplomats suspected of espionage, and asked for a reversal of the action. The expulsions appeared to be the first of Chinese diplomats suspected of spying in more than three decades. The two men were detained with their […]
LONDON (Reuters) – The Bank of England said on Monday it planned to tweak rules on the amount of capital that banks hold to allow them to lend more after an economic crisis. The BoE said its plans would leave the average amount of capital that major lenders need to hold broadly unchanged, but would […]
(Reuters) – U.S. consumers showed greater appetite for loans this year – driven by stronger demand for mortgages amid lower rates – and they had an easier time accessing credit when compared to a year earlier, a survey from the New York Federal Reserve showed on Monday. Applications for credit rose slightly this year compared […]
(Reuters) – Developers of a Texas rare earths mine said on Monday they will build a pilot plant to refine the strategic minerals, the latest domestic processing project announced at a time when more Americans are voicing concern about China’s control over the sector. China is the largest global processor of rare earths, a group […]
HONG KONG (AFP) – China announced on Monday (Dec 16) they have arrested more than one person at a temporary police checkpoint on a mega cross-border bridge, including a Hong Konger who was reported missing over the weekend by his family. It is the first time mainland officers have confirmed arrests on the artificial island […]
SINGAPORE – To Mr Barack Obama, who crafted the essential rules for winning elections in the digital age, the buck is back with the voter. Or, as the man who collected the highest number of votes ever cast for a White House candidate in his improbable bid to become America’s first black president put it: […]
BALI (AFP) – A baby orangutan that was drugged by a Russian trafficker in a failed bid to smuggle it out of Bali will be released back into the wild. The case made headlines in March when suspicious authorities on the Indonesian holiday island stopped Andrei Zhestkov, who was flying back to Russia, and opened […]
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s annual monsoon season continues unabated, with Johor facing the brunt of it, with some areas struggling with flood waters up to eight feet deep. As of Monday afternoon (Dec 16), the number of people evacuated in Johor state had more than doubled to 9,348, from 3,934 on Sunday. Over two-thirds of […]
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — For nearly 24 hours, the center of Mazar-i-Sharif, one of Afghanistan’s economic hubs, became a front line for a battle that included machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and helicopter gunships. And it didn’t even involve the Taliban. Elite Afghan forces on Sunday surrounded the compound of Nizamuddin Qaisari, an abusive militia commander, who […]
LONDON (Reuters) – European shares hit an all-time high on Monday as a “totally done” initial trade deal between the United States and China kept the momentum rolling after a rally last week spurred by Britain’s election. The pan-European STOXX 600 index gained 0.89% to 415.68 points, surpassing the previous life-high made in April 2015. […]