BEIJING: China refrained from setting a 2020 gross domestic product growth target and pledged to step up spending and financing to support its economy, according to Premier Li Keqiang’s work report released on Friday (May 22) at the start of the annual parliament meeting. Given “great uncertainty” caused by the […]
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Pedestrians walk under a television screen in Hong Kong showing a news broadcast of Chinese President Xi Jinping. WASHINGTON, DC: The United States on Thursday (May 21) urged China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy, warning that its proposed national security law for the city would be “highly destabilising” and […]
TAIPEI: The US government has notified Congress of a possible sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan worth around US$180 million, a move likely to further sour already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, which claims Taiwan as Chinese territory. The United States, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties […]
An Italian woman has won a painting by Pablo Picasso, worth about €1m (£900,000; $1.1m), in a raffle after being given the ticket as a gift. The winning ticket was pulled out during a live draw at Christie’s auction house in Paris. The event, which was fundraising for Care charity, […]
The US Senate has passed a bill that could block some Chinese companies from selling shares on American stock exchanges. Chinese online retail giant Alibaba made its New York Stock Exchange debut in 2014 It would require overseas firms to follow US standards for audits and other financial regulations. […]
FILE PHOTO: People stroll through a park in front of the Sydney Opera House amidst the easing of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Sydney, Australia, May 20, 2020. SYDNEY: Australian state and territory leaders bickered on Thursday (May 21) over whether to reopen internal borders, a major step […]
The UK’s inflation rate fell in April to its lowest since August 2016 as the economic fallout of the first month of the lockdown hit prices. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 0.8% from 1.5% in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Falling petrol and diesel prices, […]
Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson says it will continue to sell its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the UK and the rest of the world, despite stopping sales in the US and Canada. It said North American sales had shrunk partly because of a “constant barrage” of advertising by lawyers […]
Up to 60m people will be pushed into “extreme poverty” by the coronavirus warns the president of the World Bank. David Malpass said the bank expects global economic growth to shrink by 5% this year as nations deal with the pandemic. This has already led to millions losing their jobs […]
In a joint statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron said the fund would see European Union budget money used to help sectors and regions that are particularly affected by the outbreak. Germany and France jointly proposed a 500 billion-euro ($543 billion) recovery fund Monday to boost […]