Apple has removed the Meta-owned end-to-end encrypted messaging app WhatsApp from its App Store in China following a government order citing national security concerns, the news agency Reuters reported Friday. Meta’s newer, Twitter-esque text-based social networking app, Threads, has also…
Germany’s Scholz arrives in China on a visit marked by trade tensions, Ukraine conflict
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on Sunday on a visit focused on the increasingly tense economic relationship between the sides and differences over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Scholz’s first destination was the industrial hub of Chongqing, where he…
China former football chief sentenced to life for bribery
A former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery, according to the country’s state media. In January, he pleaded guilty to taking bribes worth a total of 81 million…
Borrell: EU worried about Hong Kong law’s potential impact on rights
EU foreign affairs chief has expressed concern about the potential impact of Hong Kong’s new security law on the rights and freedoms of people in the Chinese special administrative region. Josep Borrell expressed his concern in a statement on Wednesday,…
TikTok sparks user revolt in US over sale plan
American politicians are being inundated with calls from TikTok users unhappy at plans to force its parent company to sell the social media app. A bill that would mandate the sale within six months or see TikTok facing a ban…
Ship causes bridge collapse in China, at least 2 dead
At least two people died after a ship collided with a bridge in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Thursday morning. The local authorities said on Chinese social media platform Weibo, that it caused the structure to partially collapse.…
Recession in Japan makes Germany third largest economy
Germany overtook Japan as the world’s third-biggest economy, official data showed on Thursday, as fresh figures from Tokyo showed Japan’s economy slipping into a recession. Japan’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) for 2023 stood at $4.2 trillion in dollar terms, government…
Fans mock Lionel Messi over Falklands and call him “thief” after Hong Kong no-show
Chinese football fans have called Lionel Messi a “thief” and mocked him over the Falkland Islands. The Argentinian star angered supporters when he didn’t play during Inter Miami’s game in Hong Kong earlier this month. Messi was on the bench…
Hong Kong court orders China’s Evergrande, which owes $300b, to liquidate
A Hong Kong court ordered China Evergrande, the world’s most heavily indebted real estate developer, to undergo liquidation following a failed effort to restructure $300 billion owed to banks and bondholders that fueled fears about China’s rising debt burden. Judge…
UN calls on Hong Kong to drop case against publisher Jimmy Lai
As Hong Kong’s official legal year began Monday, the city’s chief justice, Andrew Cheung, used the opportunity to stress how the judiciary takes its duty seriously. The courts will not “blindly convict” anyone and will respect fundamental rights in national…
