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☆ Young Chinese are ditching planes to travel long distances by train and bus. Meet the ‘iron butt’ travelers
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Chris Lau | Joyce Jiang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A growing group of Chinese travelers are now turning to extreme forms of transportation for their vacations. They call themselves “iron butt” travelers – inspired by the amount of time they spend traveling on uncomfortable seats that make flesh start to feel like metal. Iron butt travel lets me visit more places for less money,” another self-identified “iron butt” traveler, 27-year-old Peng Fei, told CNN. But that doesn’t mean he and his fellow “iron butt” travelers have to compromise the fun. Now, though, iron butt travelers are redefining – or perhaps gentrifying – this form of travel.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Lin En, Lin, isn’t, Lin En, Peng Fei, ‘, ”, I’d, “, Lin En's, Lin En, Peng, “ I’ve, They’re Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Tibet Autonomous, United Arab Emirates Locations: Hong Kong, Xinjiang, China’s, Astana, Kazakhstan’s, China, Kazakhstan, Laos, Kunming, Huay, Thailand, Myanmar, megacities, Beijing, Shanghai, Lhasa, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region, Guangzhou, Central Asia, Europe, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tibet Autonomous, Egypt

The head of Myanmar’s military government will pay an official visit this week to China, the embattled Southeast Asian nation’s most important international ally, for several regional meetings, state-run media reported on Monday, amid concern by the opposition. The visit comes as Myanmar’s army has suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats over the past year, especially in areas near the Chinese border. Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition has expressed concern about China welcoming a visit by Min Aung Hlaing. It is Min Aung Hlaing and his group who are destroying these things,” Kyaw Zaw said. Myanmar’s army has been on the defensive since late last year when ethnic armed organizations dealt it major defeats in the country’s northeast.

Persons: Min Aung Hlaing, Aung, Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s, Min Aung, Chao, Kyaw Zaw, “, Aung Hlaing, ” Kyaw Zaw, Suu Organizations: Mekong Economic Cooperation, National Liberation Army, AFP, Getty Images, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, National Unity Government, Facebook, National League for Democracy, Brotherhood Alliance, ”, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Arakan Army Locations: China, Suu, Beijing, Myanmar, Kunming, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam Cooperation, China’s Yunnan, ” China, Russia, Kyaukme, Getty Images Russia, Jakarta, Shan

☆ A double dose of hell: The Bataan Death March and what came next
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The Death MarchThat surrender site in Balanga doesn’t mark the beginning of the Bataan Death March. “It looked like they were really trying to kill us all.”White markers along a highway on the Bataan Peninsula show the route from the 1942 Bataan Death March. A boxcar used during the infamous 1942 Bataan Death March, displayed at the Capas National Shrine in Tarlac Province, north of Manila. All but Meyer also survived the Bataan Death March. A relief depicts the 1942 Bataan Death March on the Death March Memorial in Capas, Philippines.

Persons: Philippines CNN —, Edward P, King, Franklin Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, Edward King, “, …, ”, Matoo Nakayama, Masaharu Homma, Camp O'Donnell, AP Survivor James Bollich, ” Bollich, Brad Lendon, Tillman R, Rutledge, O’Donnell, defecated …, –, Manuel Abrazado, Emilio Aquino, Romeo Gacad, MacArthur’s, Robert Overbeck, Calvin Graef, Avery Wilber, Donald Meyer, Anton Cichy, Meyer, Overbeck, They’d, Charles, ” Overbeck, Arisan Organizations: Philippines CNN, Museum, Balanga Elementary, Bataan, Bettmann, US Army, US Navy, Gen, Army, AP Survivor, Air Force News Service, CNN, US Clark Air Base, Kyodo, Heritage Command, US Defense, Agency, Disabled, Getty, Mount, 14th Air Force, former Flying Tigers Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Bataan, American, Corregidor, Bataan As, Harbor, Hawaii, Luzon, Manila, Gen, Marileves, Mariveles, Capas, San Fernando, Tarlac Province, …, O’Donnell, ., Balanga, Tarlac province, AFP, Japan, China, Bashi, Taiwan, South China, Kunming, Asia, Washington, North Africa, Geneva, Arisan Maru

☆ A deadly Boeing 737 crash in China is still shrouded in mystery as the government says it found nothing abnormal before the plane nose-dived
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewChinese authorities say they've yet to identify the cause of a Boeing 737 crash that killed 132 people two years ago, reporting that investigators found nothing abnormal occurring before the fatal incident. The report, published Wednesday by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, covers the government probe into the crash of flight MU5735, which was operated by China Eastern Airlines. AdvertisementBloomberg reported shortly after the crash, citing flight tracker data, that the plane hit the ground while traveling near the speed of sound. A rescuer ties a safety rope to a tree at the plane crash site in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 26, 2022. When asked to comment on the report, a Boeing spokesperson referred BI to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Persons: —, MU5735, Lu Boan Organizations: Service, Boeing, Civil Aviation Administration, China Eastern Airlines, Business, Staff, Street, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Civil Aviation Administration of China Locations: China, Guangxi Zhuang, Teng County, Tengxian County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xinhua, Kunming, Guangzhou, Weibo

☆ China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Imagine jumping on a train in southwestern China, traveling some 2,000 miles and arriving in Singapore – less than 30 hours later. Southeast Asia is the “obvious” choice because of its “proximity to China,” Bowerman adds. “Beijing, I think, ultimately wants to see Southeast Asian countries within its sphere of geopolitical influence. A staff member waits for passengers to board the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train during a week-long public trial phase at the Halim station in Jakarta on September 17, 2023. “In the example of a high-speed railway line between Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore would likely have just one stop – Malaysia would have more,” Wong told CNN.

Persons: China’s, Gary Bowerman, ” Bowerman, ”, Pon Souvannaseng, Peerapon Boonyakiat, Bowerman, Pan Wenbo, Pan, Mei Wei, Wei, “ I’m, Xi Jinping’s, Souvannaseng, Hong Kong –, Hong Kong’s, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Wong Muh Rong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Initiative, China Railway, Reuters, East Japan Railway Co, Malaysian, Bentley University, of, Communist Party, Laos Railway, Laos Railway cumulatively, Orient Express, Getty Locations: China, Singapore, Asia, Laos, Kunming, Vientiane –, Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, West Java, Thailand, Bangkok, Thai, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia, “ China, Peerapon, Cities, Penang, Malacca, Phuket Old Town, Beijing, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Wat, Siem Reap, ”, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Halim, AFP, “

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Landlocked Laos doesn't have the famous beaches of its neighbors to attract tourists, but instead relies on the pristine beauty of its mountains and rivers and historical sites to bring in visitors. The crown jewel is Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where legend has it that Buddha once rested during his travels. Nestled among the mountains of northern Laos, Luang Prabang was the capital from the 14th to the 16th century before it was moved to Vientiane. “This dam won't generate a lot of power for Laos, it's going to power new shopping malls in Bangkok,” Eyler said of the Luang Prabang project. “In isolation, the potential transboundary harmful effects due to the Luang Prabang hydropower project may not be substantial," the river commission said.

Persons: Buddha, it's, ”, Brian Eyler, Stimson, Eyler, ” Eyler, Philip Hirsch, “, you've, ” Hirsch, Vietnam —, Barbara Curti Organizations: UNESCO, Asia Program, Sustainability, ” UNESCO, Associated Press, Ministry of Information, Foreign Ministry, Heritage, Monitor, Sydney University, CBA, Commission Locations: LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Prabang, Southeast Asia, Washington, Luang Prabang, Luang, Paris, New Delhi, Vientiane, Vietnam, China, Kunming, Thailand, Stimson, Bangkok, British, Cambodia, Asia, asia

☆ Myanmar Rebel Group Claims Control of Town Bordering India, Bangladesh
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - An ethnic armed group in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine said it has taken control of a town bordering India and Bangladesh, marking the latest loss for the military government as it battles rebellion in several parts of the country. It is the biggest challenge the junta has faced since it mounted a coup against an elected government in 2021. The fall of Paletwa in the west comes after another rebel group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance took Laukkai town on the in northern Shan State on the border with China. Last week, the junta agreed a ceasefire with that group, the TNLA, for the region bordering China. But on Sunday, the rebel alliance said junta forces are breaching the ceasefire agreement, launching attacks in several townships in Shan State.

Persons: Khine, Kanupriya Kapoor, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Arakan Army, Alliance, Reuters Staff Locations: Myanmar, Rakhine, India, Bangladesh, Paletwa, Shan State, China, Kunming

Vietnam has already rail connections to China, but the system is old with limited capacity on the Vietnam side. The upgraded railway would pass through the region where Vietnam has its largest deposits of rare earths, of which China is by far the world's biggest refiner. Chinese and Vietnamese rare earths industry experts discussed last week stronger cooperation on processing the minerals, according to Vietnamese state media. It is unclear how much China would contribute to the upgraded railway track in Vietnam and whether Hanoi would accept sizeable financing from Beijing on this. A strengthened railway link could also boost Vietnam's export to China, mostly of agriculture products, boost Chinese tourism to northern Vietnam and further integrate the two countries' manufacturing industries, which experts already consider as symbiotic, with factories in Vietnam largely assembling components produced in China.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vietnam's, Wang Yi, Tran, Pham Minh Chinh, Wang Wentao, Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu, Phuong Nguyen, Stephen Coates Organizations: Vietnam's, China's Commerce, Initiative, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hanoi, China, Haiphong China, Vietnam, HANOI, United States, Tran Luu Quang, Kunming, Haiphong, Beijing, China . China, Hong Kong, Washington, South

☆ Malaysia Brings Home 121 Suspected Victims of Job Scams Trapped in Myanmar Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A total of 121 people, mostly Malaysians suspected of being victims of job scams, were evacuated from Myanmar on Friday after being stranded by fighting between the military and rebel groups in the country's north, Malaysia's foreign ministry said. The mission came amid continuous fighting in northern Myanmar after an alliance of armed ethnic groups launched an offensive in late October. The groups have seized control of several towns and military outposts near the country's border with China, disrupting trade. Malaysia's deputy foreign minister Mohamad Alamin said the rescued group were among 128 people stranded in Laukkaing, a town in Myanmar's northern Shan state, state news agency Bernama reported on Friday. Hundreds of Malaysians have been rescued from cybercrime and job scam networks across Southeast Asia in recent years.

Persons: Mohamad Alamin, Bernama, Malaysia's, Mohamad, Rozanna Latiff, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Myanmar, Indonesian, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, China, Laukkaing, Shan, Southeast Asia

☆ China, Vietnam Consider Rail Link Through Rare Earths Heartland
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh VuHANOI (Reuters) - China and Vietnam are working on a possible significant upgrade of their underdeveloped rail links to boost a line that crosses Vietnam's rare earths heartland and reaches the country's top port in the north, senior officials and diplomats said. Vietnam has already rail connections to China, but the system is old with limited capacity on the Vietnam side. The upgraded railway would pass through the region where Vietnam has its largest deposits of rare earths, of which China is by far the world's biggest refiner. Chinese and Vietnamese rare earths industry experts discussed last week stronger cooperation on processing the minerals, according to Vietnamese state media. It is unclear how much China would contribute to the upgraded railway track in Vietnam and whether Hanoi would accept sizeable financing from Beijing on this.

Persons: Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu, Xi Jinping, Vietnam's, Wang Yi, Tran, Pham Minh Chinh, Wang Wentao, Phuong Nguyen, Stephen Coates Organizations: Vietnam's, China's Commerce, Initiative Locations: Khanh, Khanh Vu HANOI, China, Vietnam, Hanoi, United States, Tran Luu Quang, Kunming, Haiphong, Beijing, China . China, Hong Kong, Washington, South

☆ Hundreds of Thais to be evacuated from Myanmar via China amid heavy fighting
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - More than two hundred Thai nationals trapped by the surge in fighting in northern Myanmar between junta soldiers and armed ethnic-minority groups are being evacuated to Thailand via China, the Thai foreign ministry said on Sunday. The Thai foreign ministry said a group of 266 Thais and an unspecified number of Filipinos and Singaporeans are being evacuated from Laukkaing in northern Shan State to the Myanmar-China border with help from the Myanmar authorities. The ministry did not specify the timing of the repatriation flights but said the group is travelling to the Chinese border on Sunday. Thai authorities earlier said some trapped in Myanmar were victims of human trafficking and some might be involved with telecom fraud gangs. The evacuation to China comes a day after 41 Thai nationals were repatriated by land back to Thailand after a coordination between the Thai authorities and Myanmar army.

Persons: Panu, Tom Hogue Organizations: United Nations, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Thai, Laukkaing, Shan State, Kunming, Bangkok, Southeast Asia

☆ Xi-Biden summit: What’s on the agenda for China’s leader as he heads to California?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden, meanwhile, finds himself strapped with international challenges from the war in Ukraine to the latest conflict in Gaza. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, left, and US President Joe Biden. Getty ImagesXi’s agendaDespite the challenges he faces at home, the insulated Chinese leader may see himself in a stronger position relative to Biden. Xi will ask Biden to clarify and define the scope of the US approach on tech restrictions, analysts say. Liu Ranyang/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images‘Positive signals’The lead-up to Xi’s American visit has been marked with signals that China is hoping to smooth prickly relations.

Persons: — Xi Jinping, Joe Biden —, Xi, Biden, he’d, ”, Yun Sun, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, …, Suisheng Zhao, Stimson, Sun, Harry Moyer, Liu Ranyang, Zhong Sheng, wisecracks, Nancy Pelosi’s, Beijing’s, Shi Yinhong, Shi Organizations: CNN, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, “, China Program, Stimson, Getty, Biden, Center for, Cooperation, University of Denver, Communist Party, US, Taiwan’s Democracy Progressive Party, US Flying Tigers, Kunming Foreign Language School, China News Service, “ Flying Tigers, China’s Renmin University, Republicans Locations: China, Hong Kong, San Fransisco, Bali , Indonesia, Ukraine, Gaza, Washington, Beijing, Center for China, Taiwan, California, Kunming, China's Yunnan, United States, Russia, Iran

☆ China Risks Property Debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Source: China Real Estate Information Corp. (CRIC)The physical size of Country Garden’s real estate portfolio is enormous. The Weight of Debt The ballooning debt crisis could delay the prospect of a recovery of both the property market and the broader Chinese economy, in which real estate is a core pillar. China property sector slump China’s property sales, investment and funds raised by property developers slid in January - August 2023 after a sharp fall in 2022. China's property sector accounts for more than half of global new home sales and home building, according to Nomura. Any contraction in the property sector will affect China’s growth, thus sending ripple effects around the globe as the world’s factory slows.

Persons: Evergrande, homebuyers, Nomura, David Stanway, Jason Lee, –, Moody's, Yawen Chen, Amr Alfiky Organizations: Country, Garden, Estate Information Corp, CIFI Holdings, Sunac, National Bureau of Statistics, China, Investment, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, Nomura, JPMorgan, Dubai, National Bureau of Economic Research Locations: China, Burj, Burj Khalifa, Sunac China, Kunming, Yunnan province, Beijing, Xuchang, Henan province, United Arab Emirates

☆ Air China passengers evacuated on runway at Singapore's Changi Airport after plane engine catches fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Passengers on an Air China flight were evacuated upon landing in Singapore after one of the aircraft’s engines caught fire, leading to a three-hour closure of Changi Airport on Sunday. Videos on social media showed passengers evacuating the aircraft using the emergency exit slide while dark smoke billowed from the engine that was still on fire. Other images taken inside the plane showed a dark cabin and the aisle blanketed in smoke. Smoke was also detected in the front cargo hold and a lavatory, Changi Airport said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. @wenyu_li73777/TwitterAir China said in a statement on Weibo that flight CA403 was traveling from China’s Chengdu Tianfu Airport to Singapore Changi Airport when smoke appeared in the cabin of the A320neo before landing.

Persons: CA403 Organizations: CNN, Passengers, Air, Changi Airport, Civil Aviation Authority of, Twitter, Chengdu Tianfu, Singapore Changi Airport, Boeing, China Eastern Airlines Locations: Air China, Singapore, Changi, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, China, Weibo, Chengdu, Chengdu Tianfu Airport, Kunming, Guangzhou

☆ Invasive species cost the world $423 billion every year and are causing environmental chaos, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Scroll through the gallery to see more of the planet's most problematic invasive species. Sarefo / Wikimedia Commons In pictures: Invasive species around the world Prev Next‘Prevention, prevention, prevention’Along with invasive species, other key drivers of biodiversity loss include destruction of land and sea habitats, exploitation of organisms, climate change and pollution. As well as flammable invasive plants sparking and spreading wildfires, climate change is enabling invasive species to move north – even to remote areas such as high mountains, deserts and frozen tundra. Preventing the arrival of new species into new regions is the best way to manage threats from invasive species, according to the report. For invasive species that have already taken hold, eradication has been a useful tool, especially on islands, according to the report.

Persons: ”, Helen Roy, ” Roy, David Gray, Peter Stoett, Anibal Pauchard, Ian Hitchcock, Starling, MENAHEM KAHANA, Phil Mislinski, Jeff J Mitchell, SANJAY KANOJIA, MUNIR UZ ZAMAN, ” Stoett, Stoett, –, ” Pauchard Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Services, billabong, Nile Virus, Ontario Tech University, Chile’s Institute of Ecology, Pacific, World Wildlife Fund, US Department of Agriculture, USA, Studies, New Zealand Government, European, Starlings, AFP, Getty, North, Wikimedia Locations: Darwin, Australia, Africa, Caribbean, Guam, North America, Hawaii, Maui, Antarctica, Pacific, North, South America, Azov, China, Japan, Europe, Bermuda, New Zealand, New York, USA, Australasia, South Africa, United States, AFP, East Africa, Western Asia, Americas, Kenya, India, Puerto Rico, Kunming, Montreal

Warmer temperatures under climate change are expected to further drive the expansion of invasive species. Invasive species are plants or animals, often moved around by human activity, that take hold in an environment with deleterious effects. ERADICATING INVADERSAbout three-quarters of the negative impacts from invasive species occur on land, especially in forests, woodlands, and farmed areas. Getting rid of invasive species once they are established, however, is difficult. Last December, the world's governments committed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to reducing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive species by at least 50 percent by 2030.

Persons: Graeme Sawyer, David Gray, Helen Roy, Anibal Pauchard, Roy, Gloria Dickie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Northern Territory, billabong, REUTERS, United Nations Intergovernmental, Services, Chile's Institute of Ecology, Thomson Locations: Darwin, Hawaii, Africa, West Nile, New Zealand, Kunming, Montreal, London

☆ Motswedi Modiba: South African singer a hit on Chinese reality TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A fortnight ago, Motswedi Modiba was a South African singer showing signs of a promising career in her home country. Now she’s a breakout hit on one of China’s largest reality TV shows after wowing millions with her performance in Mandarin. Modiba, reported to be the first Black and African contestant on “Sing! Kickstarting a careerSouth African singer Motswedi Modiba, who goes by the stage name MOE. “Right now I’m in China, and I’m doing ‘Sing!

Persons: Motswedi Modiba, ”, Karen Mok, Modiba, Wilber Pan, Joker Xue, Kickstarting, Wethu, Tebs David, “, Eli Zaleo, Modibe, she’s, ” Modibe, netizens, ” Modiba, I’m, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Pretoria Chinese School, Yunnan Normal University, Metro FM Music, Manhattan School of Music, Rights Watch Locations: South African, China, Weibo, South, Tshwane, South Africa, Pretoria, Kunming, Manhattan School of Music , New York, TikTok, ”, Africa, Douyin, African

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. Canada said it would put in 200 million Canadian dollars ($147.20 million) and the United Kingdom contributed 10 million pounds ($12.60 million). Campaign group Avaaz said the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund needed $200 million from at least three donors by December to be considered operational. "Surely donors can come up with the paltry $40 million" needed to get the fund up and running. Framework Convention on Climate Change which has provided more than $23 billion to thousands of projects in the past 30 years.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, David Cooper, Avaaz, Oscar Soria, Gloria Dickie, Isla Binnie, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Nations, UN, New York, REUTERS, Biological Diversity, Nations, Global Environment, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New, Vancouver, Canada, United Kingdom, Kunming, Montreal, London, New York

☆ Why US Treasury Secretary Yellen’s visit to a Beijing restaurant set off a wild mushroom craze
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Maggie Wong | Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Among the dishes the food blogger claimed to have spotted were grilled fish with herbs, stir-fried pickled Yunnan wild greens with potato slices and cold rice noodles. She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). But the most heated discussions were focused on the multiple orders of the mushroom dish – jian shou qing. Jian shou qing, Yunnan’s mysterious mushroomsBaskets of jian shou qing mushrooms, foraged from a Yunnan forest. Chieu Luu/CNNThe fact that Yellen and her team visited a Yunnan restaurant shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — It’s, Janet Yellen, jian shou qing, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, ”, Pan Pan Mao, ” Pan Pan Mao, Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Yellen’s, Jian shou qing, Colin Domnauer Jian shou qing, “, Peter Mortimer, Mortimer, Jun Xu, they’re, Luu, Dian Cai –, Ng Mung Lam, Ng, Yellen's, Leisa Tyler, LightRocket Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Weibo, CNN, Kunming Institute of Botany, African, Getty, Botanical Society of, Xinhua, CNN Travel Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Yunnan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Weibo, India, Yunnan Province, Botanical Society of Yunnan, China’s, Shenzhen, Chuxiong prefecture, pu’er

☆ Half a Year After the COP Agreement on Nature, Companies Are Increasingly Looking at Their Biodiversity Impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Joshua Kirby | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

While mandatory reporting on nature may still be a long way off, for some companies, measuring their impact on nature makes good business sense. “Not enough companies are actually measuring their corporate biodiversity impact,” said Steve Kennedy, associate professor in business sustainability at the Rotterdam School of Management. Biodiversity impact, on the other hand, remains a more nebulous concept, with widespread uncertainty about what to measure and how to measure it. While biodiversity impact remains difficult to assess, more complete data can help, said Zoe Balmforth, co-founder of biodiversity-data startup Pivotal. And companies will soon have a final framework on which to base their voluntary biodiversity reporting.

Persons: Jennifer Motles, Philip Morris, Motles, Katie Critchlow, Rémy Cointreau, Eric Vallat, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, ”, Steve Kennedy, Kennedy, “ It’s, “, ” Philip Morris International’s, Nicolo Filippo Rosso, Zoe Balmforth, Balmforth, Cameron Frayling, Frayling, U.N, JULIAN HABER, Kering, PMI’s Motles, Joshua Kirby Organizations: Philip Morris International, Data, Sustainable Business, Fund, Nature, PMI, Rotterdam School of Management . Companies, SAS, Bloomberg, World Bank, REUTERS Governments, United Nations ’, pharma, GSK, Gucci Locations: Montreal, American, of Mexico, Lake Erie, Colombia, Kunming, Canada, joshua.kirby

☆ The scarcity of water is emerging as a global economic threat. With China and India looking the most at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ghosh warned that water scarcity must not be viewed as a sectoral issue, but one that "transcends the entire economy." Asian economies "must understand that it is a regional common good and it is in their own interest to mitigate the risks that come their way in order to prevent the economic shocks that severe water scarcity will impose," he said. India, now the world's most populous nation, will be the hardest hit from water scarcity. "Water scarcity is not particularly problematic to these industries because a lot of the water can be recycled. The Gezhouba dam water conservancy project of the Yangtze River after heavy rain in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.

Persons: Ritesh Shukla, Arunabha Ghosh, It's, Ghosh, Shanshan Wang, Wang, Wayne Middleton, Arup Organizations: Getty, Council, Energy, CNBC, World Bank, Lowy Institute, Arup, Visual China, Getty Images, Water, Future Publishing Locations: Peth, India, China, Asia, Philippines, Singapore, Kunming, Yunnan Province, Getty Images India, Taiwan, Yichang, Hubei Province

☆ Wuhan is so cash-strapped it's calling in debts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It urged them to pay their overdue debts as soon as possible. The public appeal by Wuhan, which was at the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic that began in late 2019, is highly unusual and underscores the fiscal challenges facing China’s local governments. A real estate crash has exacerbated the problem, as local governments rely heavily on land sale revenues. Analysts estimate China’s outstanding government debts surpassed 123 trillion yuan ($18 trillion) last year, of which nearly $10 trillion is so-called “hidden debt” owed by risky local government financing platforms. Wuhan and Kunming are not the only city governments revealing the extent of their debt problems.

☆ An empty station, a burning countryside, soot raining from the sky: This is what it's like to ride Laos' gleaming new $6 billion railway in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Laos is one of the few remaining communist countries in the world. But a shiny new railway funded by China now cuts through the countryside. It's a massive 1,000-kilometer, or 621-mile train network that aims to connect Laos with Thailand and Kunming in southern China. Despite being one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, Laos took on a $1.8 billion loan from China to build the railway. I flew to Laos from Singapore in early April to experience first-hand how the historic railway is developing.

☆ 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.

☆ These maps show how far China's freight railways are stretching across Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — In the last two years, China has announced the opening of new freight train lines, while cross-border railways have become a feature in President Xi Jinping's meetings with regional leaders. Here's a look at where the rail lines are being built across the Asian continent. In the last six months, China also opened freight train lines to Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, according to state media. Those freight lines are in addition to China's relatively older rail network through central Asia — connecting Yiwu in eastern China to London. While it's difficult to verify how operational all the rail lines are, official reports offer a glimpse at how China's Belt and Road ambitions are panning out.

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