Ban on global wildlife trade a matter of survival in pandemic era
John Gruetzner researches AI applications to counter illegal wildlife trade at the E-Ranger Lab in Canada and is a fellow at Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He was previously a China-based business adviser.
When they meet in the southern Chinese city of Kunming in October, delegates from nearly 200 countries that are party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity will be asked to vote on a proposal to raise targets for protected land and oceans from the current 17% of the globe to 30%.
But
Hungary's plans for Chinese university campus spark intense backlash
VIENNA -- Plans for a Chinese university to build a satellite campus on donated riverfront land in Budapest have sparked protests and threaten to derail Prime Minister Viktor Orban's pro-Beijing agenda in a country that has maintained strong ties with China.
Hungary's parliament on Tuesday approved the donation of the state-owned land in the capital, where Shanghai-based Fudan University plans to build a new campus. The location is due to open by 2024.
The planned campus is opposed by roughly 70
Thailand strives to regain position as world's biggest rice exporter
BANGKOK -- Thailand is mired in triple trouble gravely affecting its rice exports: decreased production because of droughts, exports at 23-year lows due to the high baht, and higher shipping charges.
Amid emerging expectations that rice exports from Thailand, once the world's biggest exporter, will further drop this year, the government is stepping up efforts to regain that position by lowering export surcharges and improving rice breeds.
At a cabinet meeting in April, the government affirmed a plan to lower surcharges it collects from exporters
Hardline judge on verge of winning Iran presidential election
DUBAI (Reuters) -- Hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi has a big lead in Iran's presidential race, an interior ministry official said on Saturday, after rivals conceded defeat in a contest in which millions of Iranians participated.
The official said in televised remarks that Raisi had so far won 17.8 million votes. The official said more than 28 million Iranians out of 59 million eligible voters had cast ballots.
State media earlier announced that Raisi had won, as his only moderate rival congratulated him.
Hungary's Chinese university plans sparks intense public backlash
VIENNA -- Plans for a Chinese university to build a satellite campus on gifted riverfront land in Budapest has sparked protests and threatens to derail Prime Minister Viktor Orban's pro-Beijing agenda in a European country that has maintained strong ties with China.
Hungary's parliament on Tuesday approved the donation of the state-owned land in the capital, where Shanghai-based Fudan University will build a new campus. The location is due to open by 2024.
The planned university is opposed by roughly 70
China watches 'lay-flatters' as risk to economy: 5 things to know
SHANGHAI -- China's May retail sales announced on Wednesday increased 12% year on year but came in below market expectations as the increase was largely due to a rebound from a steep decline driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Restaurant revenues and home appliance sales remained weak. An increase in youth with low motivation to spend might be behind the sluggish consumption, putting the communist party on alert.
In fact, the buzzword tangping , or "to lay flat," has circulated on China's internet
Top Japan diplomat Akiba to be tapped as national security adviser
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government plans to appoint Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba as the new national security adviser, government sources said Saturday, in a step that is likely to give the Foreign Ministry more say in diplomacy and security policies.
Akiba, a close aide to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe, will replace Shigeru Kitamura, a former National Police Agency official, as head of Japan's National Security Secretariat, the sources said.
The secretariat assists the National Security Council, which was
Apple Daily editor and CEO denied bail in Hong Kong
HONG KONG (Reuters) -- Two executives of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, charged under a national security law, were denied bail on Saturday in a case that has drawn international condemnation and stoked fears over media freedoms in the financial hub.
Editor-in-chief Ryan Law 47 and chief executive officer Cheung Kim-hung 59 were among five Apple Daily executives arrested on Thursday when 500 police also raided the outlet's newsroom, which authorities described as a "crime scene.
Daihatsu tailors new cars to Malaysia and Indonesia
OSAKA -- Daihatsu Motor is stepping up efforts to produce cars tailored to Southeast Asian nations, adopting its fast, low-cost production method developed in Japan to emerging markets, starting with Malaysia and Indonesia.
Emerging markets are important to the Japanese automaker, which acts as a vanguard for parent Toyota Motor. Daihatsu is also trying to ensure its survival by brushing up its flexible production technology before vehicle electrification takes hold in emerging countries.
In March, Daihatsu released the first local version of its Rocky sport utility vehicle in an
Australia takes wine dispute with China to WTO
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- The Australian government said on Saturday it was lodging a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization over China's imposition of anti-dumping duties on Australian wine exports, escalating further the trade standoff with Beijing.
"The government will continue to vigorously defend the interests of Australian wine makers using the established system in the WTO to resolve our differences," Dan Tehan, minister for trade, tourism and investment, said in a joint press release with the Agriculture Minister David Littleproud.
Relations with China