An official from the commission set up by Myanmar’s ruling military junta to oversee upcoming elections said Thursday that the results of the widely disputed poll will be available by the end of January. At a news conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, election officials said that six parties would run for nationwide seats, while another 51 others would compete in individual states or regions. The vote is scheduled to be held in three phases beginning on Dec. 28, with two weeks between each phase, officials said. The military announced the…
Category: Media Library
Nasa bans Chinese nationals from working on its space programs
US space agency Nasa has blocked Chinese citizens with valid US visas from its facilities – a move that effectively bars them from working at one of the most respected space research centres. Chinese nationals, who could only work at Nasa as contractors or students contributing to research, found out on 5 September that they had lost all access to Nasa’s systems and facilities, Bloomberg news reported, citing sources. Nasa then confirmed this, saying Chinese nationals would be restricted from using the agency’s “facilities, materials and networks to ensure the…
Is your cup sake cute enough?
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. No fashionable fridge-scape is complete this season without a selection of “cup” sakes – Japan’s photogenic answer to the single serve. By turns funny, cute and beautiful, these ready-to-drink vessels are fiendishly collectible – and at just 180ml to 200ml they’re perfect for chucking in the tote. “The first cup sake was launched by Ozeki in 1964, enabling Japanese spectators to enjoy drinking sake while watching the Tokyo ’64 Summer…
Xi’s new world order won’t run the global economy just yet
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world It turns out that the leader of a country where journalists get slung in jail for writing or broadcasting the wrong thing is also pretty good at manipulating the media beyond its borders. The photos of Xi Jinping at last week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization convening the leaders of the big emerging world powers — including, importantly, India’s Narendra Modi — went around the world, kicking off another round…
Handcuff row delays flight repatriating Korean workers
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world South Koreans arrested by US authorities are due to be repatriated on Thursday, after their flight was delayed by a row over whether they should wear handcuffs and an offer from Donald Trump that the workers at the centre of an immigration raid be allowed to stay. The workers from the Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia had been scheduled to leave on Wednesday on a plane chartered by…
Trump or no Trump, Europe’s relationship with the US will never recover | Nathalie Tocci
Is the transatlantic rupture temporary or structural? Is Donald Trump the cause of the rift, or is the US president only a symptom of underlying trends? Optimists latch on to the hope that the stability we have lost can be restored post-Trump. Having spent the past few days in Washington, I doubt it. Even in recent history, things were not quite so bad for the transatlantic relationship. The current tensions make the first Trump administration look like a walk in the park for Europeans. It is one thing to withdraw…
Trump halted deportation of Korean workers to encourage them to train Americans
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Donald Trump halted the deportation of hundreds of South Korean workers arrested during an immigration enforcement raid and proposed they stay to train Americans, according to South Korean officials. President Trump told officials to “encourage” the workers arrested at the Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia to remain in the country, South Korean diplomats said in a Washington briefing. The workers were initially due to fly to Seoul on…
Pacific islands freeze out US and China at annual summit
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world Pacific island leaders gathering in the Solomon Islands this week have adopted a novel strategy to prevent US-China tensions from overshadowing the region’s most important annual summit: inviting neither. The Pacific Islands Forum — which brings together 18 countries ranging from tiny island nations Tuvalu and Niue to regional heavyweights Australia and New Zealand — has been dominated in recent years by an escalating competition for influence between…
Nasa blocks Chinese nationals from working on its space programs
Nasa has begun barring Chinese nationals with valid visas from joining its programs, underscoring the intensifying space race between the the US and China. The policy shift was first reported by Bloomberg News and confirmed by the US government agency. “Nasa has taken internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals, including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials and network to ensure the security of our work,” Nasa press secretary Bethany Stevens said on Wednesday. According to Bloomberg, Chinese nationals had previously been allowed to work as contractors or…
Japan confronts the increased price of US friendship
Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world There were several moments during Howard Lutnick and Ryosei Akazawa’s celebratory joint video statement last week where you wondered if Japan’s chief trade negotiator was speaking of his own free will. “You . . . think about what was good for Japan. I really felt so . . . You are a very nice guy for me and also for the Japanese people and Japan,” said Akazawa, praising the successful conclusion of trade talks and beaming…