BEIJING — A year ago, Li Houchen was on the streets of Shanghai, hollering “Freedom!” to protest China’s harsh “zero COVID” policy and growing authoritarianism. He was one of thousands of people demonstrating across China in what came to be called the White Paper movement, after the blank sheets of paper protesters used to represent … Read more
SHENZHEN, China — In one painting, a child sits, mouth wide open, as a worker in white medical garb extends a long cotton swab toward her tonsils. In another, a masked officer and medical workers stand guard in front of an apartment cordoned off with ropes and seals reading “CLOSED,” as residents look on with … Read more
Staying well-informed on politics, news, and world events, especially these days, can take a toll on your mental health. “Trauma is the air that we have been breathing in the 2020s,” says Katharine Manning, an expert with more than 25 years of experience of handling distress in the workplace. From the Covid-19 pandemic to the … Read more
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The biennial Dubai Air Show opened Monday as airlines are poised to make major aircraft purchases after rebounding from the groundings of the coronavirus pandemic, even as Israel’s war with Hamas clouds regional security. That conflict, as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, likely will influence the five-day show at … Read more
TOKYO — Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. racked up a huge loss in the July-September quarter as its technology investments, most notably office-sharing company WeWork, went sour. Tokyo-based SoftBank loss totaled 931 billion yen ($6.2 billion) in the last quarter, a reversal from the 3 trillion yen profit it posted in the same period … Read more
Rice is a crucial staple for over half the global population and the world is bracing for its most significant shortage in 20 years. India’s export ban on rice is reverberating through global rice markets, threatening food security if developing nations cannot afford or access rice. “The only shortage out there right now would really … Read more
BEIJING — For sale at a recent Beijing art exposition was a painting with an asking price of $2,460 that depicted the snow-capped Mount Baekdu, the mythical birthplace of the Korean people. A portrait of a prim young lady in bright brushstrokes was being sold for $5,190. For buyers on a budget, there were colorful … Read more
HONG KONG — The exodus of tens of thousands of professionals from Hong Kong triggered by a crackdown on its civil liberties is being offset by new arrivals: mainland Chinese keen to move to the former British colony. The Asian financial hub has attracted tens of thousands of visa applications from mainland Chinese under the … Read more
LONDON — The former top aide to ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday painted a picture of widespread chaos and dysfunction in the U.K. government during the coronavirus pandemic. In keenly awaited testimony to the country’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Dominic Cummings, a self-styled political disruptor, was withering about many of the … Read more
CANBERRA, Australia — A cruise operator that failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak was ruled negligent in its duty of care to passengers in an Australian class-action case Wednesday. The Ruby Princess ocean liner left Sydney on March 8, 2020, with 2,671 passengers aboard for a 13-day … Read more