India will spend $130 billion on military modernisation says Rajnath Singh amid border row with China
BENGALURU: India is vigilant in the face of attempts to change status quo at its border and prepared to defeat any misadventures to defend its territorial integrity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, amid the continued military standoff with China. “We have long witnessed unfortunate attempts to employ force to change the status quo at […]
China says 16 Chinese COVID-19 vaccines undergoing clinical trials
By K J M Varma BEIJING: As the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine intensified around the world, China said that it has increased the number of vaccines undergoing clinical trials to 16 from 11 to step up supplies at home and abroad. China is conducting clinical trials of 16 COVID-19 vaccines, seven of which have […]
India launches coronavirus vaccination drive, the world’s largest
NEW DELHI:The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi launched the pan India rollout of COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conferencing today. This is the world’s largest vaccination program covering the entire length and breadth of the country. A total of 3006 session sites across all States and Union Territories (UTs) were virtually connected during the […]
Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul and GOP power broker, dies
By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL LAS VEGAS:Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire mogul and power broker who built a casino empire spanning from Las Vegas to China and became a singular force in domestic and international politics has died after a long illness. Adelson died at 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Las Vegas Sands announced […]
Hopeful of solution; ready to deal with any eventuality: Army Chief on eastern Ladakh standoff
NEW DELHI: Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane on Tuesday said he was hopeful that India and China will be able to reach an agreement to resolve the eastern Ladakh standoff but at the same time asserted that Indian troops will maintain a high state of combat readiness to deal with any eventuality. Addressing […]
China to continue suspending flights to and from Britain
BEIJING: China will continue to suspend flights to and from Britain, the country’s airline regulator said on Sunday. The Civil Aviation Administration said in a notice that the new suspension will take effect on Monday. Source: Reuters, Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by William Mallard
India has requested China for early crew change for stranded Indians aboard 2 ships: MEA
NEW DELHI: India on Friday said its Ambassador in Beijing has taken up with the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister the issue of 39 Indian sailors stranded on two cargo ships in Chinese waters and requested early approval for crew change for Indian crew members aboard the two vessels. Citing coronavirus-related restrictions, Chinese authorities have not […]
Where is Jack Ma, China’s e-commerce pioneer?
By JOE McDONALD BEIJING: China’s best-known entrepreneur, e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma, made his fortune by taking big risks. The former English teacher founded Alibaba Group in 1999, when China had few internet users. Online payments service Alipay launched five years later, before regulators said such businesses would be allowed. Both long shots grew to dominate […]
China says opposes U.S. politicizing trade issues on U.S. delisting of Chinese telcos
BEIJING: China said on Monday it firmly opposes the United States government’s behaviour of politicizing trade issues after the New York Stock Exchange began delisting three Chinese telecom firms that Washington says have military ties. Beijing will adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the legal rights of Chinese companies, foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, told […]
Jack Ma missing after conflict with Chinese government
NEW DELHI: Tech billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma has “disappeared” from public life and has not been spotted for at least two months amid the conflict with the Chinese regulators. The Financial Times reported that Ma was recently replaced as a judge in the final of TV show ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’. “His photograph was […]
China’s Zhong Shanshan replaces Mukesh Ambani as Asia’s richest
NEW DELHI: Zhong Shanshan, founder of bottled water company Nongfu Spring has overtaken Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani as the richest person in Asia, with a net worth of $77.8 billion. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed that Zhong’s net worth has surged $70.9 billion making him the richest man in Asian above both Mukesh Ambani […]
ITBP gets land for its headquarters in Delhi
Namakkal (TN), Dec 29 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday said he does not aspire for the high post of CM but considered himself as “in-charge” having overall responsibility to “execute the task” people assign to him. His role as chief minister was only to serve the people as what remained everlasting […]
China denies seeking additional guarantees for USD 6 billion loan for rail project in Pakistan
By K J M Varma BEIJING: China on Monday termed as baseless the reports that it has sought additional guarantees from Pakistan for sanctioning a whopping USD 6-billion loan for a railway line project and backing away from its initial financial commitments to the multi-billion dollars China-Pakistan Economic Corridor due to weakening financial position of […]
Donald Trump signs Tibet policy to preempt Chinese move on Dalai Lama’s succession; China firmly opposes
By Lalit K Jha and K J M Varma WASHINGTON/BEIJING: US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that reaffirms the right of Tibetans to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama and calls for establishing an American consulate in Tibet, prompting China to warn that the act will seriously disrupt and hurt […]
Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine
By VICTORIA MILKO JAKARTA:In October, Indonesian diplomats and Muslim clerics stepped off a plane in China. While the diplomats were there to finalize deals to ensure millions of doses reached Indonesian citizens, the clerics had a much different concern: Whether the COVID-19 vaccine was permissible for use under Islamic law. As companies race to develop […]
Donald Trump downplays Russia in first comments on hacking campaign
By JILL COLVIN and MATTHEW LEE WASHINGTON:Contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested without evidence that China — not Russia — may be behind the cyber espionage operation against the United States and tried to minimize its impact. In his first comments on the breach, Trump scoffed […]