Year: 2023

Death Toll Rises to 18 in Furnace Explosion at Chinese-owned Nickel Plant in Indonesia

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PALU, Indonesia —  The death toll following the explosion of a smelting furnace at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island rose to 18 on Tuesday, as police ordered the plant to stop operations until an investigation into the incident is completed. The accident, which occurred on Sunday, was the latest in a series of deadly incidents at nickel smelting plants in Indonesia that are part of China’s ambitious transnational development program known as the Belt and Road Initiative. Nickel is a key component in global battery production for…

Chinese-led team reveals secrets of giant star’s explosive death after boost from citizen scientists

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“While the shock wave was expected to be very hot and short lived, our study showed that it was not the case within the first hours the star went supernova,” said the paper’s lead author Wang Xiaofeng from Tsinghua University in Beijing. “It showed that the death of a massive star can be much more complex than previously thought,” he said. 04:00 China launches 12th manned space mission with Shenzhou 17 crew en route to Tiangong space station China launches 12th manned space mission with Shenzhou 17 crew en route…

A Christmas that changed me: I dragged myself to work – and had one of the best moments of my life

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I spent the Christmas of 1998 in Wuhan, working as an English teacher. Everyone has heard of this Chinese city now, thanks to coronavirus, but back then the name meant nothing to much of the world. My knowledge was certainly scant when I arrived in February of that year. Nothing could have prepared me for the heat and humidity of a Wuhan summer, and the odour of fermented tofu deep-frying outside the university gates at 7am certainly took a while to get used to. Ten months later, however, I’d got…

VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Dec. 17–24

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Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Chinese Still Largest Group of Foreign Students in US Students from China retained their position in 2023 as the largest group of international students in the United States. Despite a slight dip, China is still the leading country of origin for foreign students pursuing an education in the U.S. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more. As Holidays Approach, Migrants Face Eviction From New York City Shelters…

Saffron supplies dry up as climate change shrivels Iran’s ‘desert gold’

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The city of Torbat-e Jam is famed for the acres of colourful crocus fields that yield one of Iran’s most prized exports: saffron. But for Reza, a local farmer heaving bags of the orange-red spice into the city’s bustling spice exchange, this year has been a disaster. “My family harvested only 900kg this season, down from 1,500kg,” he said, blaming bad weather for decimating his precious crop. More than nine-tenths of the world’s saffron comes from Iran. It is known as “desert gold” due to its ability to thrive in…

Nike challenger Anta faces fresh rivals in Chinese sportswear race

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In 1987, a teenage Ding Shizhong boarded a train from the southern Chinese city of Fuzhou to Beijing, carrying leather shoes manufactured at his family’s factory in the coastal province of Fujian. The 17-year-old managed to bargain his way into selling the shoes they made in the capital’s department stores. It marked the start of his company Anta’s evolution from being a little-known provincial shoemaker to last year overtaking Adidas to become the second-largest sportswear retailer in China behind Nike, with annual revenues of $7.8bn. “Ding realised early on that…

Anta challenges Nike but faces chasing pack in Chinese sportswear race

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In 1987, a teenage Ding Shizhong boarded a train from the southern Chinese city of Fuzhou to Beijing, carrying leather shoes manufactured at his family’s factory in the coastal province of Fujian. The 17-year-old managed to bargain his way into selling the shoes they made in the capital’s department stores. It marked the start of his company Anta’s evolution from being a little-known provincial shoemaker to last year overtaking Adidas to become the second-largest sportswear retailer in China behind Nike, with annual revenues of $7.8bn. “Ding realised early on that…

N Korea set to hold meeting this week to outline policy goals for 2024

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North Korea is expected to determine its major policy direction for 2024 this week – with analysts predicting an increased focus on further boosting its nuclear capabilities aimed at exerting more pressure on the United States. Pyongyang stated in early December that it would convene the Central Committee Plenary Meeting of the Workers’ Party Korea later the month, without specifying exact dates.  Given North Korea’s tradition of convening year-end meetings and announcing results on New Year’s Day to set the next year’s policies, the meeting is likely to take place…

China’s middle class does not ‘dare to spend’ until post-Covid economy shows clear signs of recovery

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“The stock market and real estate are in a slump and almost all kinds of investments are shrinking, no one dares to spend,” a small-business owner named Huo from China’s southern tech hub of Shenzhen said. “The economy is not doing well so everyone is worried about the future, so why should I spend money? Consumption can’t be boosted by a few more purchases of clothes or jewellery.” How China’s lottery boom reflects a ‘long and challenging’ economic recovery Official data bears out Huo’s pessimism. Property sales by floor area…

Australia Storm Cuts Power to 110,000 Homes, Kills One

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SYDNEY —  Christmas night thunderstorms and strong winds cut power to 110,000 homes in eastern Australia and toppled a tree that killed one woman, officials said Tuesday. People lost electricity as the storm wrought “catastrophic” damage, downing power lines in Queensland’s capital Brisbane and the Gold Coast area, energy company Energex said. “There is no easy way to say this, but some customers will not have power for days — we’re looking at catastrophic and widespread damage on the scale of a cyclone,” it said in an update on social…