Page 219 - China

New images show Chinese spy balloons also targeted Asia: British media

The British media on Monday reported new evidence of China's spy balloon programme, including flights over Japan and Taiwan, months after US-China relations were derailed when one such airship was shot down off the US coast. Working with Synthetaic, an artificial intelligence company which sifted through huge amounts of data captured by satellites, the BBC has found multiple images of balloons crossing East Asia. The company's founder, Corey Jaskolski, found evidence of one balloon crossing northern Japan in early September 2021. These images have not been published before, the BBC reported. Jaskolski also believes the evidence points to this balloon having been launched from deep inside China, south of Mongolia. US-China relations were thrown into turmoil in February this year, when a Chinese spy balloon, said to be the size of three buses, was shot down by American fighter jets over the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. China has repeatedly claimed th

AIMIM prez Owaisi takes dig at PM Modi over Manipur violence, China

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he hoped his foreign trip would give him enough courage to "break his silence" on the Manipur crisis and Chinese incursions. In a tweet, he said, "Let's hope the foreign trip by Modiji will give him enough courage to mention China now by name instead of succumbing to its bullying. And also break his silence on Manipur which continues to burn for nearly eight weeks now." "More than 4000 weapons have been taken from state armories in Manipur and not one head has rolled. Let alone Kashmir, imagine a fraction of this happening in any opposition ruled state and the orchestrated outrage from our media. New India after all," he said. Targeting the NDA government, the AIMIM leader claimed that there are more ministers who are willing to attack a former US president than there are willing to name China. "Is anyone surprised that more ministers in @PMOIndia government are willing to attack a former

Sri Lanka to halt decision of exporting 100,000 endangered monkeys to China

Sri Lanka has decided to halt its decision to export 1,00,000 endangered Toque Macaque monkeys to China, the country's Attorney General on Monday told the Court of Appeal, amidst protests from environmental groups against the deal. A privately-owned Chinese company connected to Zoological Gardens which are animal breeders had made the request to the island nation's agricultural ministry a few months earlier. Sri Lanka, RARE Sri Lanka, Justice for Animals and others in the Court of Appeal pursuant to the statement made by Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said there were plans being made to export toque macaque monkeys from Sri Lanka to China. The petitioners sought the Court of Appeal's intervention to issue an order to prevent the proposed export of toque macaque monkeys from Sri Lanka to China. When the case was taken up today the Attorney General stated in open court that they had received instructions from the Department of Wildlife and Conservation that they will not

Fukushima nuclear plant to release treated wastewater into sea: Operator

All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week, the plant operator said Monday, as opposition to the plan continues in and outside Japan over safety concerns. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said it installed the last piece of an undersea tunnel dug to release the water offshore, completing the construction of the necessary equipment that began last August. A mandatory safety inspection of the equipment will begin Wednesday, said Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shinichi Yamanaka, who visited the Fukushima Daiichi plant last week. If everything goes well, TEPCO is expected to receive a safety permit for the release about a week after the inspection ends, officials said. Discharge of the treated water is expected to begin this summer, although the exact date has not been set. The plan has faced fierce .

China's economic recovery worsens with weak consumer spending data

Domestic travel spending during the recent holiday for the dragon-boat festival was lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to official data released this weekend

Chinese threat in South China Sea increasing rapidly: Taiwan's FM Wu

The Chinese threat in the South China Sea is increasing significantly as China has deployed a large number of armed maritime militias in the region besides an array of warships and other military assets, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu has said, calling for united efforts by all stakeholders to deal with the challenge. Wu also cited China's growing military activities in the Indian Ocean region, including its attempt to control key ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Djibouti and hoped that New Delhi is paying "close attention" to it. In an interaction with an international media group, the Taiwanese foreign minister said the countries having stakes in the South China Sea must join hands in combating the challenge emanating from China's rising military muscle-flexing in the region and that Taiwan is ready to share its experience in dealing with the Chinese threat. Wu was commenting on various issues including regional security challenges, geo-political upheaval .

China helping Pak Army build defence infrastructure along LoC: Officials

China has been helping the Pakistan Army build its defence infrastructure besides providing Unmanned Aerial and Combat Aerial Vehicles, setting up communication towers and laying underground cables along the Line of Control, officials said. This, according to the officials, is part of efforts to further shore up China's position as an all-weather friend of Pakistan while ensuring the safety of the growing Chinese enclaves on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) set up on the pretext of securing the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) road and hydel projects built in the occupied territory. The officials said that the recently developed SH-15, a 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer gun, has also been spotted at some places along the Line of Control (LoC) after it was displayed on Pakistan Day last year. Known as a 'shoot and scoot' artillery weapon, Pakistan had signed a contract with Chinese firm North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco) for the supply of 236 SH-15s and, according

Nagpur police unearth 'task fraud', trace money trail to China; 6 held

The Nagpur cyber police probing a "task fraud" have unearthed a transaction involving the transfer of crime money to a Chinese individual through cryptocurrency and arrested six men from Mumbai, Gujarat and Rajasthan, a senior official said. Three of the six arrested men hail from Mumbai and suburban Nallasopara and the others from Rajasthan and Surat in Gujarat. The police seized 19 debit and credit cards, nine mobile phones, a laptop, and cash worth Rs 7.87 lakh. Additionally, the police have frozen Rs 37.26 lakh from the bank accounts of the accused individuals, the official said on Saturday. On the modus operandi of such a crime, Deputy Commissioner of Police (cyber) Archit Chandak at a press conference said fraudsters employ different teams to handle various tasks, including an IT team to monitor transactions and a banking team to facilitate their activities. The fraud involves promise of money for performing tasks like liking videos and giving reviews for products. Later, the

Beijing heat wave clouds long weekend, sets multi-day temperature record

Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors. The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration. In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, temperatures also soared above 40 C over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue red alerts for extreme weather. In China's four-tier weather alert system, red indicates the most severe conditions, ones with potential health and safety hazards. Other countries in Asia have experienced deadly heat waves in recent weeks, which scientists say are aggravated by rising global temperatures, caused partly by the burning of fossil fuels. Beijing experienced its second-hottest day on record Thursday, when temperatures soared to 41.1 C (106 F). It was also the highest

Himalayan Airlines resumes flight from Kathmandu to Beijing after 3 years

The Himalayan Airlines, a joint venture between Nepal and China, on Saturday resumed its direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing after a three-year interval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official statement. Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to the People's Republic of China, flew to Beijing in the resumed first direct flight of the Himalayan Airlines, according to a press release issued by the Nepal Embassy in Beijing. "We are pleased to announce that Himalaya Airlines (H9) is re-launching its flight operation between Kathmandu- Beijing- Kathmandu every Saturdays starting from June 24, 2023, which was on halt due to COVID-19 Pandemic, said the statement issued by issued by the Himalayan Airline. In a statement, Nepal's Embassy in Beijing said: "The resumption of direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing plays a significant role in promoting tourism, socio-economic and cultural relations between Nepal and China".

Beijing sizzles under heat wave, authorities ask people to stay indoors

Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors. The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration. In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianji, temperatures have also soared above 40 C over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue red alerts for extreme weather. In China's four-tier weather alert system, the red indicates the most severe conditions. On Thursday, Beijing experienced its second-hottest day on record with temperatures soaring to 41.1 C (106 F). It was also the highest temperature ever recorded in China's capital during the month of June. Beijing's all-time high of 41.9 C (107 F), since modern records began, occurred on July 24, 1999. Chinese meteorologists say the current heat wave has

US unable to solve mystery of Covid-19 origin, shows declassified report

"When President Biden signed the Covid-19 Origin Act, he directed the intelligence community to use every tool at its disposal to investigate the origin of Covid-19," White House NSC spokesperson

PM Modi's state visit to US wasn't about China: Top White House official

"Quiet frankly, India has challenges with China on their own and they address these challenges largely on their own," Kirby said

An explosion at a Chinese steel mill kills 4 and injures 5, says city govt

An explosion at a steel mill in China's northeast killed four people and left five hospitalised with injuries, the city government said on Friday. A blast furnace exploded Thursday morning at the Yingkou Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. in Yingkou, east of Beijing in Liaoning province, the city's Emergency Management Bureau said in a statement. The cause was under investigation, but experts believe an equipment malfunction was to blame, the announcement said. Phone calls to the Yingkou government on Friday weren't answered. The disaster occurred less than 12 hours after an explosion Wednesday evening blamed on cooking gas killed 31 people in a barbecue restaurant in Yinchuan, a city in China's northwest.

President Biden, PM Modi welcomes India's plans to procure Predator drones

The agreement would strengthen India's national security and surveillance capabilities, extending beyond the Indian Ocean and encompassing the border region with China

Zambia reaches deal with China, other nations to rework $6.3 bn in loans

Zambia and its government creditors, including China, have reached a deal to restructure USD 6.3 billion in loans, the French government announced Thursday on the sidelines of a global finance summit in Paris. The agreement covers loans from countries including France, the UK, South Africa, Israel and India as well as China Zambia's biggest creditor at USD 4.1 billion of the total. The deal, announced by officials who spoke anonymously in accordance with the French government's customary practices, may provide a roadmap for how lenient China may be with other nations in debt distress. The International Monetary Fund approved the deal, meaning it's going to allow Zambia to receive more financing from the institution, they said. A discussion between French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema to praise the conclusion of year-long negotiations is to take place during a dinner of heads of state and government at the Elysee ..

India, US walk shoulder to shoulder to combat terrorism, extremism: PM Modi

Notably, these remarks come in the wake of China's obstruction of UN proposals to designate Sajid Mir of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba as a global terrorist

LIVE: India, US walking together in fight against terrorism, says PM

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Yellen says critical to maintain China ties after Biden's dictator remarks

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday that it's critical the US and China maintain a relationship so they can work together on global challenges, coming just after President Joe Biden's remarks calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator drew condemnation from Beijing. Speaking at a news conference in Paris, Yellen said that with respect to the comments, I think President Biden and I both believe it's critical to maintain communication ... to clear up misperceptions, miscalculations. We need to work together where possible." But we have disagreements, and we are also forthright in recognising we do have disagreements, she added. Yellen has recently advocated for improving relations between the US and China, arguing cooperation is needed for the sake of maintaining global stability. Biden's remarks at a fundraiser Tuesday, when he also said China had real economic difficulties, opened a new rift just after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to ...

VSK Energy backed by Vikram Solar to invest $1.5 bn in new US factories

The newly formed company, VSK Energy LLC, aims to leverage India's extensive solar manufacturing know-how in the U.S. push to build a clean energy manufacturing sector to compete with China