BEIJING – China’s economy grew by 6.9% in 2015, compared with 7.3% a year earlier, marking its slowest growth in a quarter of a century. China’s growth, seen as a driver of the global economy, is a major concern for investors around the world. Beijing had set an official growth target of “about 7%” for…
LONDON – Donald Trump is used to being the one doing the tough talk. But on Monday the Republican presidential hopeful was on the receiving end of the harsh words — with no opportunity of rebuttal — as British MPs made their disdain for him clear during a parliamentary debate on whether to ban him…
TAIPEI – Tsai Ing-wen has been elected Taiwan’s first female president. Ms Tsai, 59, leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that wants independence from China. In her victory speech, she vowed to preserve the status quo in relations with China, adding Beijing must respect Taiwan’s democracy and both sides must ensure there are no provocations….
ISTANBUL – At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion in a district of Istanbul popular with tourists, the city authorities say. Foreign tourists are reportedly among those hurt in the blast, which occurred in the city’s historic Sultanahmet district, near the Blue Mosque. Fifteen people were also wounded in the blast, the…
JOHANNESBURG – South Africa has resolved a trade row with the US which threatened millions of dollars worth of business, its trade minister has said. The US had said it would throw South Africa out of its preferential trade programme over its refusal to allow the importation of American chickens. President Obama had set the…
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama is to widen background checks on buyers of firearms, in a series of measures to address gun violence. The plans will be announced on Tuesday by the president, despite opposition from Congress to new gun laws. All sellers who operate online or at gun shows will be forced to…
NEW DELHI – An earthquake measuring 6.7 magnitude has hit northeast India, near its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing at least nine people. The quake hit at 04:35 local time (23:05 GMT Sunday) about 29km (18 miles) northwest of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Strong tremors…
BRUSSELS – Security is being stepped up in major European cities ahead of New Year celebrations, with officials wary of possible terror plots. New Year fireworks and festivities have been cancelled in the Belgian capital Brussels because of an alert. Extra measures are being put in place in other cities, including Paris, London, Berlin and…
NEW YORK – The US space agency Nasa has warned that the effects of the current El Nino weather phenomenon could be as bad as those of 1998, the strongest on record. That El Nino played havoc with world weather systems and was blamed for several extreme weather events. The current El Nino has been…
NEW YORK – The United States is far from alone in dealing with deadly, destructive weather at the moment. Heavy rains in parts of South America, blamed on El Nino, have displaced more than 150,000 people across Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Swaths of northern England have disappeared under mammoth flooding, prompting evacuations and dozens…
