Sixteen people were killed in a fire at a department store in China’s Sichuan province on the evening of July 17, state media said. The fire broke out in a 14-storey building in a high-tech zone of the city of…
China launches probe into EU practices in foreign subsidy investigations
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday launched a trade and investment barrier investigation into the relevant practices adopted by the EU in its foreign subsidy investigations, the ministry announced. The investigation was initiated at the request of the China Chamber…
Chinese rocket crashes after accidental launch
A space rocket has crashed in China after being accidentally launched during a test on Sunday. The Tianlong-3 rocket, owned by Chinese aerospace company Space Pioneer, crash-landed into a hillside in central China’s Henan province before exploding, reports say. “Due…
EU leaders pick von der Leyen for second term as European Commission chief
European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to nominate Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive body. At a summit in Brussels, the bloc’s 27 national leaders…
US regulators accuse TikTok of violating child privacy laws
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has referred a complaint against the popular video-sharing app TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance to the Department of Justice. It alleged that they failed to protect children’s privacy. The FTC said in…
China’s Xi Jinping rolls out red carpet for close friend Putin in strong show of unity
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to deepen their strategic partnership in Beijing on Thursday, in a stark show of their growing alignment as Moscow’s troops advance in Ukraine. Putin — whose delegation includes top defense…
Lawmakers ask HK court to call them as witnesses in Jimmy Lai case
A group of current and former politicians from nine countries have demanded to be called as witnesses in the trial of Hong Kong’s imprisoned media mogul and democracy activist, Jimmy Lai. The group, including former UK Conservative party leader Iain…
Putin may visit Vietnam as Hanoi aims to secure power balance
Vietnamese officials are hopefully anticipating an unannounced visit to Hanoi by Russian President Vladimir Putin, possibly as early as next week on his way to Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders. Experts say such a visit would allow the Russian…
Chinese zoo under fire after dyeing dogs to resemble pandas
A zoo in China has been accused of trying to deceive visitors with a pair of dogs dyed black and white to look like panda bears. Videos circulating on Chinese social media show the two “panda dogs” in an exhibit…
TikTok will not be sold, Chinese parent tells US
TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance says it has no intention of selling the business after the US passed a law to force it to sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in America. “ByteDance doesn’t have any plans…