As ‘zero COVID’ bites, China’s leadership sounds alarm on economy
When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for a “sense of urgency” about growing economic risks during a meeting with provincial officials earlier this week, it was his third such warning in days.
“We need to be highly vigilant for unexpected changes in the international and domestic situations, and downward economic pressure has further mounted,”...
Chinese national sentenced to U.S. prison after pleading guilty to stealing trade secrets
A Chinese national has been sentenced to 29 months in prison after pleading guilty in January to conspiring to steal trade secrets from agricultural company Monsanto to benefit the Chinese government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.
Xiang Haitao, 44, who was employed by Monsanto and a subsidiary from 2008 to 2017, had...
China uses AI software to improve its surveillance capabilities
Dozens of Chinese firms have built software that uses artificial intelligence to sort data collected on residents, amid high demand from authorities seeking to upgrade their surveillance tools, a Reuters review of government documents shows.
According to more than 50 publicly available documents examined by Reuters, dozens of entities in China have over the...
Uproar over closure of Afghan girls’ schools above grade 6
Activists in Afghanistan are up in arms following the closure of girls' schools for learners above grade 6.
The deputy special envoy of the UN for Afghanistan, Mette Knudsen has termed the decision “discriminatory,” saying that its impact will deeply affect the future generation in “terms of literacy and numeracy and will contribute to...
Pakistan political crisis updates: Court again adjourns hearing
Supreme Court hearing adjourned till Thursday
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has again delayed its ruling on the legality of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections.
A five-judge bench of Pakistan’s top court is hearing multiple petitions challenging Khan’s dissolution of parliament after parliament’s deputy...
How Pakistan’s political crisis could play out in the coming days
Pakistan’s Supreme Court is looking into the legality of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s unexpected move over the weekend to block a parliamentary vote against him and then call for a snap general election.
The deputy speaker of parliament, a member of Khan’s party, threw out the no-confidence motion that Khan had widely been expected to lose, ruling that...
Newport Wafer Fab: Chinese sale not probed despite PM pledge
An investigation pledged by the prime minister into a Chinese takeover of a semiconductor factory has not happened, a group of MPs has said.
In July 2021, Boris Johnson said the National Security Adviser would look at the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab.
The sale to Nexperia potentially compromises national security,...
UN: Afghans need $4.4bn to have enough to eat
The head of the United Nations has said that Afghanistan needs $4.4bn to avoid a food crisis in the country, as he launched the UN aid office’s biggest-ever funding drive for a single country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that some Afghans have resorted to “selling their children and their body parts” to...
Afghan panel chats impact of Taliban in Afghanistan during 49th Session
On the sidelines of the 49th Session of the UNHCR, an all-Afghan panel consisting of a scholar, former diplomat and young innovators discussed the human rights situation in Kabul after the Taliban takeover in mid-August.
The panel expressed concern over the transformation of the educational system under Taliban rule which may turn Afghanistan into...
9 million people at risk of starvation in Afghanistan
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that nine million people are at risk of famine in Afghanistan.
Guterres said that the economy of Afghanistan has effectively collapsed and called on donors to fund the country so that the UN and its partners can continue to deliver lifesaving aid.
"The humanitarian situation...