Author: Media Library

North Korea Says Cooperation With Russia ‘Natural’ for Neighbors

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north korea says cooperation with russia natural for neighbors

SEOUL, South Korea —  North Korea on Monday slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for criticizing its cooperation with Moscow following leader Kim Jong Un’s Russia visit, saying it is “natural” and “normal” for neighbors to keep close relations. Yoon, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly last week, said that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programs in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be “a direct provocation.” In a piece carried by KCNA news agency, the North denounced Yoon for “malignantly” slandering…

Beijing’s demographic crisis means China could get old before it gets rich

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Cici, 27, doesn’t want to have a baby until she’s at least 35. Her mother is putting pressure on her to get married and “have a stable life”, but with a busy job at a tech company in Beijing – while also completing a master’s degree in law – she hardly has the time to think about starting a family. Cici’s story is not unique; across the world, young women are putting off marriage and childbirth for longer than their mothers did. However, in China the phenomenon is so acute…

Explosive engine test with drone could propel China to supersonic age

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explosive engine test with drone could propel china to supersonic age

China’s first drone to be powered by an engine that uses explosions to propel aircraft to unparalleled speeds has made a successful maiden flight at an undisclosed airfield in Gansu province. The FB-1 Rotating Detonation Engine (FB-1 RDE) was developed jointly by Chongqing University Industrial Technology Research Institute and Thrust-to-Weight Ratio Engine (TWR), a Shenzhen-based private company. Images circulating online show the engine ignited and tested during the taxiing phase of the drone, which is about five metres (16ft) long. It is unclear whether the engine continued to operate during…

Chinese migrants to Australia top pre-pandemic levels, lured by jobs, property and improved economic ties

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chinese migrants to australia top pre pandemic levels lured by jobs property and improved economic ties

Chinese short-term migration to Australia is on track this year to overtake pre-Covid 2019, owing to improved economic relations, a glut of white-collar jobs and a boom in real estate, according to government data and analysts. The number of Chinese nationals taking up short-term residence in Australia had reached 276,330 this year as of August, compared with 315,150 for all of 2019, and far outpacing what was seen during the immigration-hobbled pandemic years, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures. That data largely reflects visa issuances for study and employment.…

AI poses ‘bracing test’ to multilateral system, says UK deputy prime minister

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ai poses bracing test to multilateral system says uk deputy prime minister

Receive free Artificial intelligence updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Artificial intelligence news every morning. Artificial intelligence poses a “bracing test” to the multilateral system, the UK government has warned, as it seeks to align countries including China behind its vision for regulating the technology’s “societal-scale” risks. Speaking to the Financial Times on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden and foreign secretary James Cleverly defended Britain’s decision to invite China to an AI regulation…

China Central Bank Adviser Proposes Structural Reforms to Revive Economy

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china central bank adviser proposes structural reforms to revive economy

China has limited room for further monetary policy easing, and it should pursue structural reforms such as encouraging entrepreneurs rather than counting on macroeconomic policies to revive growth, a central bank adviser said on Sunday. Liu Shijin, a member of the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC) monetary policy committee, told a financial forum in Shanghai that Beijing’s room for monetary policy easing was limited by widening interest rate differentials with the U.S. Fiscally, Chinese governments at various levels are under stress, he told the annual Bund Summit conference. “If China…

US ‘back in force’ in Pacific as Biden hosts regional leaders at summit, vows to reopen embassies following China’s diplomatic push

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us back in force in pacific as biden hosts regional leaders at summit vows to reopen embassies following chinas diplomatic push

When the White House hosts Pacific island leaders on Monday, exactly a year after their first-ever US-led summit in September 2022, President Joe Biden will follow up on his commitment to raise American engagement in the region to the “next level”, according to senior administration officials. “You will see, over the course of a few days, our commitment to reopen embassies,” said one official. “USAID is back in force in the Pacific. The Peace Corps has arrived in many of the islands that they’ve served with in previous periods.” A…

Coal Mine Fire in Southern China’s Guizhou Province Kills 16 People 

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coal mine fire in southern chinas guizhou province kills 16 people

BEIJING —  A coal mine fire in southern China killed 16 people on Sunday, according to local authorities. The blaze broke out at the Shanjiaoshu coal mine in Panguan, a town in Guizhou province. An initial investigation suggested the people who died were trapped after a conveyor belt caught fire, the Panzhou city government said in a statement posted on social media. China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, continues to depend heavily on coal for electricity despite massive expansion of its wind and solar power capacity. The country’s…

Death Toll Rises in Taiwanese Golf Ball Factory Fire 

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death toll rises in taiwanese golf ball factory fire

TAIPEI, Taiwan —  Search teams Sunday found the bodies of the last three missing people at the site of a golf ball factory fire in southern Taiwan, bringing the death toll to 10, according to Taiwanese media reports. Launch Technologies, the operator of the plant, is a major global supplier of golf balls. Four of the victims were firefighters. Taiwan’s Central News Agency, quoting a Pingtung County fire official, said an explosion Friday caused part of the building to collapse about 6:10 p.m., trapping firefighters and workers under rubble, A…