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☆ India heatwave: Humans approaching limits of 'survivability' as sweltering heatwaves engulf parts of Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times/ShutterstockThe rain in Uttar Pradesh is likely to continue this week, bringing cooler temperatures to the region. In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) last week before weekend rain brought some relief to the region. Last April, India experienced a heatwave which saw temperatures in capital New Delhi go beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for seven consecutive days. Last week, Beijing’s temperature soared above 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), setting a new record for the capital’s hottest day in June. According to the country’s meteorological observatory, Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shandong will “continue to be baked by high temperatures.”

Persons: Sunil Ghosh, ”, Chandni Singh, “, ” Singh, Kevin Frayer Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hindustan Times, CNN, Indian Meteorological Department, IMD, Indian Institute for Human, University of Cambridge, Beijing Locations: Hong Kong, India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Noida, Bihar, heatstroke, China, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, New Delhi, heatwaves, Assam, Pakistan, Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shandong

☆ China’s premier strikes confident tone on economic growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Premier Li Qiang struck a confident tone about expansion in the world’s second largest economy on Tuesday, saying growth in the second quarter will be higher than in the first three months of the year. “We are on track to achieve the 5% annual growth target that we set earlier this year,” he told delegates at a World Economic Forum summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. “We are fully confident and have the ability to promote the high quality development track of China’s economy over a long period of time.”This is a developing story and will be updated.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Li Qiang, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Tianjin, “

☆ Beijing temperature: Hottest June day recorded in Chinese capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Beijing’s temperature soared above 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) Thursday, setting a new record for the capital’s hottest day in June, as millions across heavily populated northeast China endure heat wave conditions forecast to stretch into the weekend. Thursday’s high of 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) broke the previous record of 40.6 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), set on June 10, 1961, when China began keeping detailed records, according to state media The Beijing News. This year, extreme weather has come even earlier – since March, temperatures in dozens of Chinese cities have hit record seasonal highs. June typically sees highs of 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). Beijing may top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday and Saturday before dropping to high 30 degree Celsius levels (upper 90s to low 100s degrees Fahrenheit) for much of next week.

Persons: Andy Wong, Tesla Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, Beijing Meteorological Observatory, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chinese, Sichuan

[1/5] People walk on a street amid an orange alert for heatwave in Beijing, China June 22, 2023. China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. A red alert indicates the temperature is set to rise above 40C within 24 hours. The China Meteorological Administration said on Thursday it expected high temperatures to persist across much of the country's north for the next eight to ten days. High temperature monitoring and warnings would continue on a rolling basis in places including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Inner Mongolia, it added.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Ryan Woo, Casey Hall, Sonali Paul Organizations: heatwave, REUTERS, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Tingshu Wang BEIJING, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Inner Mongolia

☆ Chinese economic planner woos European giants Airbus, BMW despite unresolved tensions over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese planner said it supports domestic airlines cooperating with Airbus according to their needs. He also witnessed the signing of the agreements between the NDRC and the European companies separately in Berlin and Paris, according to the Chinese planner. Relations are also strained from recent moves by European Union regulators and governments to limit China’s access to sensitive technology. In March, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called on Europe to reassess its diplomatic and economic relations with China. “Germany is committed to actively broadening our economic relations with Asia and beyond,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with Li, according to French news agency AFP.

Persons: Guillaume Faury, Zheng Shanjie, Li Qiang, Li, Ursula von der Leyen, Olaf Scholz, ” Scholz, China’s Sinochem Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Moscow, Airbus, BMW, Mercedes, Benz, Volkswagen, Siemens, BASF, National Development, Reform Commission, Union, ASML, European, AFP Locations: Hong Kong, China, Ukraine, Paris, Tianjin, Europe, European, Berlin, Beijing, Russia, United States, Netherlands, Germany, Asia, Italy

☆ Beijing braces for blistering hot weather as heatwaves return
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 22 (Reuters) - Beijing on Thursday issued its second-most severe warning for high temperatures that are expected to persist through the weekend as northern China battled another round of heatwaves in a week. The Chinese capital raised an orange alert, warning temperatures could rise as high as 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) in most parts of the city from Thursday to Saturday. Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong in northern China were hammered by heatwaves last week, prompting local authorities to step up efforts to safeguard crops, ensure the safety of tourists, and suspend outdoor work during the hottest part of the day. China has a four-tier, colour-coded weather warning system, with red the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue. An orange alert is issued when the maximum temperature exceeds 40 Celsius in a single day, or the maximum temperature remains above 37 Celsius for two consecutive days.

Persons: Ryan Woo, Michael Perry Organizations: heatwaves, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang

☆ Blast at BBQ shop in northwest China kills 31
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 22 (Reuters) - A gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant on Wednesday night in China's northwestern Ningxia region killed 31, according to state-run Xinhua news agency, prompting President Xi Jinping to order stronger safety checks. The blast in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia region, was caused by a leaking liquefied petroleum gas tank at the restaurant, Xinhua reported on Thursday. Xi told authorities to go all out to treat the wounded, and said safety supervision in key industries and sectors should be strengthened, China state television reported. Accidents due to gas and chemical blasts are not uncommon in China despite years of attempts to improve safety. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Ryan Woo, Jacqueline Wong, Tom Hogue Organizations: Xinhua, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Ningxia, Yinchuan, China, Tianjin

☆ Factbox: Top US-China exchanges since Biden took office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Below is a list of some of the other high level U.S.-China exchanges since then. FIRST TRADE TALKS - May 26, 2021U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and China's then Vice Premier Liu He held talks virtually, the first such high level trade talks between the world's two biggest economies since Biden took office. DIPLOMAT VISITS CHINA - July 26, 2021Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman held talks with State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tianjin, China. DEFENCE CHIEFS HOLD FIRST TALKS - April 20, 2022U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a call with China's then defence minister Wei Fenghe, the first talks between the two officials since Biden took office. BIDEN AND XI MEET IN BALI - November 14, 2022Biden and Xi held their long-awaited first face-to-face leadership talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, BIDEN, Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, Katherine Tai, China's, Liu, Wendy Sherman, SULLIVAN, YANG, Sullivan, Yang, Lloyd Austin, Wei Fenghe, WANG, Wang, Nancy Pelosi, HARRIS, Kamala Harris, Gina Raimondo, Wang Wentao, National Defense Li Shangfu, Li, Martin Quin Pollard, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: U.S, FIRST, National Security, . Trade, CHIEFS, . Defense, General Assembly, BIDEN, IN, Economic Cooperation APEC, CHINA COMMERCE, . Commerce, Commerce, Washington D.C, China's, National Defense, Pentagon, Austin, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Anchorage , Alaska, Blinken, CHINA, Tianjin, Taiwan, North Korea, ROME, Russia, Ukraine, Beijing, New York, IN BALI, Bali , Indonesia, BANGKOK, Asia, Thailand, MUNICH, Munich, WASHINGTON, Washington, Singapore

☆ Thousands evacuated in China's Tianjin after cracks appear near high-rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

As of June 3, a total of 3,899 residents from at least three 25-storey high-rise buildings were evacuated to nearby hotels, state-backed Global Times quoted the district government as saying. The Tianjin government called the incident a "sudden geological disaster" following preliminary information from geological experts and several government departments after they did surveying, mapping and monitoring at the site. "The situation is very rare," according to an expert questioned about the incident at the Tianjin government municipal headquarters. Experts said the high-rise buildings facing the street were affected to varying degrees. Roads could be seen buckled and warped in photos on social media, while others showed a section of wall tile from a building collapsed on the floor.

Persons: Bernard Orr, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Global Times, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Tianjin, Tianjin's Jinnan, China

☆ An employee in China was fired for taking toilet breaks of up to 6 hours a day, which he said was due to a medical issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A company in China fired an employee after he had to take toilet breaks of up to 6 hours, per Laodong Daily. The employee underwent surgery for an anorectal issue in December 2014 but was still in pain. Wang then started spending three to six hours in the toilet every day from July 2015, according to state-linked Laodong Daily, which focuses on labor-related news. Some companies in China have come under scrutiny for cracking down on toilet breaks, per South China Morning Post in a Thursday report. In 2021, a tech company in southern China angered employees by fining those who use the toilet more than once a day, per SCMP.

Persons: —, Wang, Shanghai's Organizations: Service, Chinese Communist Party, Weibo, China Morning Locations: China, Tianjin

☆ How the A.I. explosion could save the market and maybe the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Nvidia logo is seen on the company's building at an industry park in Tianjin, China, February 7, 2019. A blockbuster profit report Wednesday from Nvidia crystallized an important point for both markets and the economy: For better or worse, artificial intelligence is the future. "AI is real, AI is not a fad and we're only in the early innings," said Steve Blitz, chief U.S. economist at TS Lombard. "Does it change the course of the economy over the next three to six months? Does it change the economy over the course of the next three to six years?

Persons: Steve Blitz Organizations: Nvidia, Wall, TS Lombard Locations: Tianjin, China, Silicon Valley

☆ Medicare is prohibited from paying for weight-loss drugs. These are the 3 potential ways to change that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

There are three routes lawmakers and regulators could use to add coverage for weight-loss drugs. Older Americans hoping to get their hands on powerful weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may find it impossible to access them. Should Medicare cover weight loss medication, it could also unlock access for people who have private coverage. "A decision by Medicare to cover weight-loss drugs would put pressure on employers and other private insurers to cover weight-loss drugs too," said Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president at KFF who co-authored a recent brief on the subject. There are three potential strategies that could be used to expand Medicare coverage to weight-loss drugs.

☆ Schneider Electric Expands North American Manufacturing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Schneider Electric is moving some manufacturing to North America from Asia and Europe. Here, a Schneider facility in Tianjin, China. Photo: Li Ran/Zuma PressSchneider Electric , one of the world’s largest makers of electrical and automation products, is shifting some manufacturing closer to the U.S. from factories in Asia and Europe as it pushes ahead with a regional manufacturing strategy. The moves are meant to position the France-based company, which makes goods such as light switches, electric-vehicle chargers, home-automation systems and data-center equipment, to meet growing demand in North America and to compete for federal subsidies aimed at expanding manufacturing in the U.S.

☆ Chinese cities broil in heat, brace for more record temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Recently, Yunnan province was gripped with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius, which is especially burdensome for power grids as millions of homes begin to switch on air conditioners. read moreOver the past couple days, Shandong province and Beijing issued heat warnings. Populous cities such as Jinan, Tianjin and Zhengzhou are expected to see temperatures soar to as high as 37 degrees Celsius. The China Meteorological Administration has warned regions to prepare for more extreme heat this year. The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) latest assessment also predicts the strong likelihood of the El Niño weather phenomenon returning later this year.

☆ China names head of NFRA as financial industry faces greater scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has appointed the head of its powerful new financial watchdog, which was created as part of sweeping reforms aimed at reining in the $60 trillion industry. Currently, several provincial leaders had previous careers in the financial industry, including Wu Qing, vice mayor of Shanghai and formerly the chairman of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. China’s sprawling financial industry is coming under closer scrutiny as Xi and his key allies have asserted greater direct control over financial policy. For years, Xi has said the financial industry should better serve the real economy, including making money available to businesses that need it. To further consolidate control, according to analysts, the top anti-graft body has carried out a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the financial industry, which has ensnared more than a dozen senior executives from state-owned financial institutions.

HONG KONG, May 10 (Reuters) - China will appoint Li Yunze as the head of a new financial regulator as part of a broader restructuring of its financial regulatory regime, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. Li, 52, a banking veteran and currently vice governor of southwestern Sichuan province, will take the helm of the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), the sources told Reuters. The NFRA is a new government body under the State Council tasked to supervise the multi-trillion dollar financial industry, excluding the securities sector. Li has a relatively low-profile in the sector compared to previous financial regulatory heads. In 2018, he was appointed as vice governor of Sichuan province.

☆ Australia’s exports to China hit record high as relations thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Australia’s exports to China hit a record high in March, as Chinese buyers snapped up Australian commodities from coal to iron ore amid a thaw in bilateral relations. Shipments of iron ore lump and iron ore fines to China also jumped 28% and 22.5%, respectively, to $380 million and $973 million. Earlier this year, Beijing removed all remaining curbs on Australian coal imports, ending an unofficial ban. For iron ore, it remained the largest supplier for China even when relations soured. Iron ore, for example, is a vital component of its steel industry.

In Shanghai, over seven million tourists arrived in the city for the weekend, according to Shanghai Travel Data. Also known as the May Day holiday, the Labor Day break is one of three major annual holidays in China. Tourists visit Nanjing Confucius Temple ahead of the May Day holiday on April 27, 2023 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. Visitors walk past the Casino Lisboa, operated by SJM Holdings, during Labour Day holiday in Macau, China, April 30, 2023. “The unscrupulous practice of these bed-and-breakfasts is ugly,” said an opinion piece posted on the social media platform by state media People’s Daily.

☆ Go Ahead, Judge This Book by Its Cover. There’s Nothing Inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Anna Kodé | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The tomes are all “rescue books,” ones that would otherwise be discarded or recycled for paper pulp, said Charles Roberts, the president of Books by the Foot’s parent company, Wonder Book. There are other, sometimes counterintuitive, uses for fake tomes as well. Instead, perforated aluminum plates emblazoned with images of books can be found, primarily on the upper shelves of the atrium. Tina Ramchandani, an interior designer in New York, said that her firm has used fake books in both commercial and residential settings. For a dressing room in a members-only club in New Jersey, “where nobody was really going to read the books, but where there were bookshelves, we got all fake books,” Ms. Ramchandani said.

☆ Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of several seizures of commercial vessels in Gulf waters in the past couple of years. The navy said the seizure of the Advantage Sweet by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy disrupts regional security and stability and called on Tehran to immediately release the tanker. Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment by ReutersThe ship, a Suezmax oil tanker built in 2012, issued a distress call during the seizure, the navy statement said. The navy said Iran has in the past two years unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East. Iran in November released two Greek-flagged tankers that it seized in the Gulf in May.

☆ Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet, which, according to Refinitiv ship tracking data, is a Suezmax crude tanker which had been chartered by oil major Chevron and had last docked in Kuwait, sails at Marmara sea near Istanbul, Turkey January 10, 2023. Iran's army said it had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after it collided with an Iranian boat, injuring several crewmen, Iranian state media reported. The vessel's destination was listed as the U.S. Gulf of Mexico port of Houston, ship tracking data showed. Iran last November released two Greek-flagged tankers it seized in the Gulf in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker off the Greek coast. The U.S. Navy, whose Fifth Fleet is based at the Gulf island state of Bahrain, called on Iran to immediately release the tanker.

☆ Angry Birds creator Rovio: Sega makes takeover bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Japan’s Sega, the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog, is buying Rovio Entertainment in a cash deal that values the creator of Angry Birds at €706 million ($774 million). The company’s prime asset, Angry Birds, which launched in 2009, became the first mobile game series to reach 1 billion downloads, according to Guinness World Records. People tour an Angry Birds theme park at its opening on July 9, 2016 in Tianjin, China. Feature China/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesThe story-based puzzle video game has players launching “Angry Birds” from a slingshot at a fortress containing pigs who stole their eggs. The company’s share price closed 4.2% down in Tokyo on Monday.

☆ China resorts to extraordinary measures to soothe entrepreneurs amid deep retreat of private business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —After years of regulatory crackdowns and draconian Covid curbs, private entrepreneurs in China are low on enthusiasm. If anything, the private sector seems to be retreating even more so far this year. State-led investment surged 10.5%, while private investment increased a mere 0.8%. In 2022, state investment rose 10.1%, while private investment ticked up 0.9%. “We always regard private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as people on our own side,” Xi said.

☆ Record rise in China's sea levels from global warming threatens coastal cities like Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Sea levels on China’s coastline have hit their highest on record for the second year in a row, rising more quickly than the global average and posing a serious threat to coastal cities such as the financial hub of Shanghai. The temperature of China’s coastal waters has increased significantly due to global warming, and the rise in sea levels has accelerated, said Wang Hua, head of the marine forecasting and monitoring department at the ministry. “In the last 11 years, from 2012 to 2022, China’s coastal sea levels were the highest since observations were first recorded,” Wang said at the news conference, which released the latest annual report on China’s sea levels. Over the past four decades, rising sea levels along the Chinese coast have caused long-term effects, including the erosion of coastal ecosystems and the loss of tidal flats. In 2022, high sea levels along the Chinese coast aggravated the impact of storms, dealing a severe blow to the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shandong.

☆ Shares in China's 360 Security slump after founder's divorce deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, April 6 (Reuters) - Shares in Chinese cybersecurity company 360 Security Technology (601360.SS) plunged on Thursday after the firm announced that its billionaire founder Zhou Hongyi and his wife were divorcing and that he would give her a 6.25% share. Shares in 360 Security, China's largest provider of cybersecurity products, fell by as much as 7.8%, its biggest one day fall since February. Zhou founded 360 Security Technology in 2005. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011 and returned to Chinese stock markets in 2018 through a back door listing. ($1 = 6.8804 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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