Day: June 21, 2025

Parisian Alexandre Martins still remembers Chinese electronics brand Xiaomi’s old stores in the French capital, where his parents and sister used to shop. Advertisement “They were at good locations, like Chatelet [a commercial area in central Paris] … I used to go scout for stuff and then buy them online,” Martins said. The Chinese tech brand opened its first boutique in France in 2018, but had shut all of its stores in the country by 2022, opting instead to maintain a presence online and with partnered retailers and operators. “I…

The head of China’s United Front Work Department, the Communist Party body that oversees religious organisations, has warned faith groups to guard against “hidden dangers in the religious field and resolutely resist foreign infiltration”. Advertisement Li Ganjie visited a number of religious organisations this week to deliver the warning, state news agency Xinhua reported. The Panchen Lama is the second-highest spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, after the Dalai Lama. The incumbent was selected by Beijing in a controversial process that passed over the Dalai Lama’s chosen candidate. Advertisement The slew…

The Pentagon has rerouted an aircraft carrier strike group from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, marking the US Navy’s fourth such manoeuvre in less than a year and prompting words of caution in Taiwan. Advertisement Analysts said the United States would need to look at ways to balance immediate operational needs in the Middle East with long-term strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, as fluctuating and prolonged conflicts make increased demands on American military resources. According to US and other media reports, the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz halted operations in the…