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CNN —A mysterious cylinder that washed ashore in Western Australia is debris from an Indian space launch, authorities in both countries have said, ending a flurry of speculation over the object’s origin. The cylinder was part of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had previously launched, Sudheer Kumar, a director at ISRO, told CNN. The Australian Space Agency had previously tweeted on Monday that it had concluded its investigation into the object, and had reached the same conclusion. The Australian Space Agency said Monday that if any further suspected debris is found, it should be reported to local authorities. The debris remains in storage and the Australian Space Agency is working with ISRO, who will provide further confirmation to determine next steps, including considering obligations under the United Nations space treaties,” the Australian space agency added.

Persons: Sudheer Kumar, ” Organizations: CNN, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Australian Space Agency, United, Police Locations: Western Australia, Perth, United Nations, India, Australian

☆ CoCo Lee: Funeral held for singer and actress in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Family and fans bade farewell to singer and actress CoCo Lee at her funeral in Hong Kong on Monday, celebrating a decades-long career that included dozens of successful albums, movies and television shows across the globe. The hearse carrying the casket of singer and songwriter CoCo Lee departs from a funeral home in Hong Kong. Tyrone Siu/Reuters‘Always sunny’Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, Lee launched her music career in her birthplace after winning a singing contest. Marvis Lu, 35, was among many fans from mainland China who traveled to Hong Kong for the memorial. Fans leave the funeral of singer and songwriter CoCo Lee, in Hong Kong.

Persons: CoCo Lee, Nancy, “, ’ ” Nancy Lee, Lee, Tyrone Siu, Fa Mulan, Mulan ”, Ang Lee, David Tao, Wang Leehom, Vanness Wu, Jin, MC Jin, “ Singer, ”, Marvis Lu, “ CoCo, Catherine Yang, “ CoCo Lee, Jonathan Serbin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Reuters, Getty, Weibo, Warner Music Asia Locations: Hong Kong, United States, Asia, Taiwan, Shanghai, China

☆ How New Zealand's plan for English and te reo Māori road signs took an unexpected turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But plans to introduce bilingual road signs featuring both the English and te reo Maori languages have sparked a divisive, racially charged debate ahead of the country’s looming general election. Slightly less than a quarter of New Zealand’s 892,200 Maori speak te reo Maori as one of their first languages, according to the latest government data. Part of the reason that te reo Maori is not so widely spoken is that back in New Zealand’s colonial era there were active efforts to stamp it out. The Native Schools Act 1867 required schools to teach in English where possible and children were often physically punished for speaking te reo Maori. “The primary objective of these standards is to guarantee that all road signs are unambiguous, uniform, and legible to all,” he said.

Persons: Simeon Brown, Chris Hipkins, “ I’m, ”, Marty Melville, Awanui Te, Tania Ka’ai, “, ” Ka’ai, –, Kasem Choocharukul, Kasem, Huw Fairclough, James Griffiths ,, Puakea Nogelmeier, Nogelmeier Organizations: CNN, reo, Zealand, Waka, NZ Transport Agency, New, National, Labour Party government, National Party, Labour, Getty, Native, Victoria University of Wellington, Zealanders, The International, Language, Auckland University of Technology, Chulalongkorn University, Research, University of Leeds, Wales –, New Zealand, Welsh, Welsh Language Society, Gaelic, Constitutional Convention, Hawaiian, University of Hawaii, Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, Wales Locations: Aotearoa, Wellington , New Zealand, AFP, New, New Zealand, Zealanders, Wales, United Kingdom, Thailand, Tredegar , Wales, Republic of Ireland, Hawaii, Olelo Hawai’i, Llanfair, Anglesey, Europe, Hawke’s

☆ Goldman names China stocks set for a bounce — and 2 make its list of top buy-rated picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Goldman Sachs has identified a number of Chinese stocks to buy after the government announced a number of major fiscal stimulus measures this week. The bank added that it expects Chinese stocks to "trade better" in the coming months. Goldman screened for buy-rated stocks in several areas related to China's policy announcement, including internet giants Tencent and JD , as well as its medical platform JD Health . In real estate, Goldman is buy-rated on property software company Beike and on mobile components company BYD Electronic as well as online recruitment firm Kanzhun . Search engine giant Baidu and drinks company China Resources Beer are also picks of the bank, and appear on its Asia-Pacific conviction list of top buy-rated stocks.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Kinger Lau, Goldman, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Clement Tan Organizations: country's Communist Party, Tencent, Baidu, China Resources Locations: China, Asia

Reuters analysis shows a massive jump in the assets of emerging market (EM) mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs) that exclude China as U.S. and European investors turn more wary of being exposed to the Asian giant. Other investors are simply moving to markets with better growth prospects, such as Brazil. The scale of change needed in global supply chains could drive such capital flows for the next decade, he said. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex-China ETF , the world's largest emerging market ex-China ETF whose biggest holdings are firms in Taiwan, South Korea and India, attracted a record $1 billion net inflow in the first half of 2023, the data showed. "China is the one major country that investors are most concerned about in EM," said John Lau, portfolio manager for Asia Pacific and emerging market equities at SEI.

Persons: Aly, Malcolm Dorson, John Lau, Goldman Sachs, Jeffrey Jaensubhakij, ”, Benjamin Low, Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Biden, Wong Kok Hoi, Summer Zhen, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: REUTERS, Global, China ETF, China, Asia Pacific, SEI, Stock Connect, Morningstar, China Opportunity Equity Fund, Fund, Boston, Cambridge Associates, CSI, Nikkei, Investors, Reuters Graphics, APS Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, U.S, Mexico, India, Vietnam, Brazil, New York, Taiwan, South Korea, Asia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, “ U.S

Other investors are simply moving to markets with better growth prospects, such as Brazil. The scale of change needed in global supply chains could drive such capital flows for the next decade, he said. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex-China ETF , the world's largest emerging market ex-China ETF whose biggest holdings are firms in Taiwan, South Korea and India, attracted a record $1 billion net inflow in the first half of 2023, the data showed. "China is the one major country that investors are most concerned about in EM," said John Lau, portfolio manager for Asia Pacific and emerging market equities at SEI. “U.S., Canadian, and some European investors are exiting China due to political pressure.

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, losses in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images/FILEWhen Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a slew of Western companies left in protest. But some of the world’s biggest firms — including Nestlé, Heineken and snack maker Mondelez — stayed put. Companies now find themselves caught between Western sanctions and public outrage on the one hand, and an increasingly hostile Russian government on the other. The Kremlin is making it more difficult for Western firms to sell their Russian assets — and imposing steep discounts and punitive taxes when they do. “Western companies are now caught between a rock and a hard place.”Read the full story here.

Persons: Telia Parken, Catherine Ivill, —, Vladimir Putin, Carlsberg, Maria Shagina, ” Organizations: Carlsberg, UEFA Europa, FC Kobenhavn, Celtic FC, Telia, Nestlé, Heineken, Companies, Danone, Breweries, International Institute for Strategic Studies, CNN Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Cheynes Beach: Dozens of whales die in mass stranding in Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —More than 50 whales have died in a mass stranding event in Western Australia as officials and volunteers race to save dozens of others stuck in shallow waters, authorities said Wednesday. A pod of stranded pilot whales off Cheynes Beach in Western Australia. Toothed whales such as pilot whales that use sonar to navigate are more commonly prone to stranding than their toothless counterparts, Pirotta said. Tasmania’s largest stranding was in 2020, when more than 450 pilot whales were found. Earlier this month, a pod of more than 50 pilot whales died after a mass stranding on a northwestern Scottish island.

Persons: ”, Allan Marsh, Vanessa Pirotta, Pirotta Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Parks and Wildlife Service, Western, Southern Hemisphere Locations: Western Australia, Tasmania, Australia, Scottish

☆ Latest news on Russia's war in Ukraine, Kyiv drone attack repelled
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian forces have made gains along the southern front, according to Kyiv military officials and battlefield reports. Ukrainian forces are "entrenching themselves in the reached positions,” he said, adding that Russian troops were "resisting strongly." In an update Tuesday, the general staff said Russian forces continued to focus on preventing Ukraine’s advances along the southern front, indicating stiff resistance. “They managed to force units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation to retreat to more advantageous positions,” Russian military blogger War Gonzo said. In the east: Ukrainian forces drove back the Russians near Andriivka, just south of the embattled city of Bakhmut, spokesperson Kovalov also claimed.

Persons: Andrii Kovalov, “, ”, Gonzo, Kovalov Organizations: Ukrainian, Ukrainian Defense Forces, Russian Federation Locations: Staromaiorske, ”, Velyka Novosilka, Russian, Melitopol, Orikhiv, Ukraine, Robotyne, Ukrainian, Andriivka, Bakhmut

☆ BRICS group: Russia proposes joint research module on space station for China, India, Brazil and South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The head of Russia’s space agency has extended an offer to Moscow’s partners in the BRICS group – Brazil, India, China and South Africa – to participate in the construction of a joint module for its planned orbital space station, state media reported Monday. Construction of the planned space station follows Moscow’s decision last year to end its decades-long partnership with NASA and withdraw from the aging International Space Station – one of the last remaining channels of cooperation between Russia and the United States. The offer to broaden cooperation on the project to include BRICs partner nations was made by Yuri Borisov, the director-general of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, during a meeting Monday in Hermanus, South Africa. Yuri Borisov, director-general of Russian space agency Roscosmos, on September 7, 2020. The International Space Station, which has been continuously occupied for more than 22 years, was originally a collaboration between the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency.

Persons: Vladimir Kozhevnikov, Yuri Borisov, “, Borisov, Omar Sanadiki, Mir Organizations: CNN, South Africa –, NASA, Russian Orbital, BRICS, Space, European Space Agency Locations: Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Russia, United States, Hermanus, Soviet Union, Japan, Canada

☆ China is drilling some of the world’s deepest holes in hunt for natural resources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The hole will eventually reach 10,520 meters (34,514 feet) into the ground at the Sichuan Basin in southwest China, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The region is a major area for gas production and engineers expected to find a natural gas reserve there, the report said. These ultradeep holes stretch greater than Mount Everest measuring from top to bottom, which is about 8,800 meters (28,871 feet) tall. Drilling deep allows scientists to learn more about how the Earth was formed with the crust acting like a geological timeline of or world’s formation. China, the world’s second largest economy and the world’s biggest carbon emitter, has huge energy needs.

Persons: Chen Lili, ”, Xi Jinping, John Kerry, Xi, – Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinopec Corp, Reuters, Kerry Locations: Hong Kong, Sichuan, China, Tarim, China’s, Xinjiang, Russia, Soviet, Xinhua, Beijing

And, in that same earnings call earlier this year, Novogratz said Galaxy hired some traders based in Hong Kong. Just this week, Societe General 's crypto arm received approval by France's financial regulator to offer crypto services, including crypto assets. The next month, Hong Kong implemented a new licensing regime so crypto exchanges can serve retail customers. Hong Kong, in particular, has tried to position itself as an international hub for crypto. Galaxy Chief Investment Officer Chris Ferraro echoed that sentiment in a recent "Crypto World" interview.

Persons: –, Mike Novogratz, Brian Armstrong, Novogratz, Cantor Fitzgerald's Elliot Han, Dean Sovolos, Lily King, Cobo, Owen Lau, Chris Ferraro, Kraken –, Binance, Han, we're Organizations: BlackRock, SEC, Washington, Galaxy, United, Gemini, Payment, Societe, European Union, Crypto, Assets Regulatory Authority, Financial, Oppenheimer, U.S, Coinbase, Huobi, BTC Locations: U.S, Europe, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bermuda, United Arab Emirates, Asia, Gurgaon, India, Singapore, United States, East, VARA, B2C2, Silicon, London, Berlin, China

"For China, it is 'bad news is good news' at the moment," said Jun Bei Liu, portfolio manager at Tribeca Investment Partners in Sydney. Even before the latest disappointing growth data, a slew of soft economic indicators had shown China's recovery was falling short, slamming the brakes on nascent stock market rallies. Foreign money has been leaving, with worries over China's cyber-security crackdowns and Sino-U.S. flaps over chips and rare metals adding to growth concerns. REVIEWING CHINAGoldman Sachs analysts led by Kinger Lau also believe a 'tactical market recovery' thesis is compelling, and project a 15% 12-month return for the CSI300. "We are conservative about the extent of the policy support down the road," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist, Asia Pacific at Natixis.

Persons: Jun Bei Liu, Liu, Marcella Chow, CHINA Goldman Sachs, Kinger Lau, it's, Mike Kelly, Alicia Garcia Herrero, Eugenia Victorino, SEB, Victorino, Ting Lu, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Kim Coghill Organizations: Tribeca Investment Partners, CSI, Morgan Asset Management, CHINA, JPMorgan, PineBridge Investments, Nomura, Thomson Locations: China, Sydney, U.S, Asia, Natixis, Shanghai

☆ Mystery cylinder on Western Australia beach could be space junk, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A mystery object that washed ashore on Australia’s western coast sparking a flurry of local excitement and speculation over its origin is most likely space junk, police said Tuesday. The Western Australia Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday that the item is believed to be “space debris”, echoing similar comments from the country’s space agency which was working on the same hypothesis. But space junk looks the most likely explanation. “The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information,” the Australian Space Agency tweeted on Monday. “Just as general rule, you don’t touch space junk unless you need to,” she said.

Persons: Alice Gorman, ” Gorman, Gorman, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Western Australia Police Force, Police, Department of Fire, Emergency Service, Chemistry, of Western, Australian Space Agency, Flinders University, CNN Locations: Hong Kong, Perth, of Western Australia, Adelaide, India

☆ International Criminal Court rejects Philippine attempt to block drugs war killings probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The decision comes after the ICC said in January it would revive its investigation into possible “crimes against humanity” during Duterte’s tenure. More than 6,000 people have been killed in anti-drug operations since Duterte launched his controversial drug war soon after taking office in 2016, according to police data. Duterte’s administration and its successor under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have pushed back against the ICC’s probe into drug war killings in the country, denouncing the investigations as unjust. The Philippines was formerly a signatory to the ICC but Duterte canceled the country’s membership after the court began probing his drug war. Remulla accused the ICC of having a “political agenda” to resume the investigation, and is an interference to the freedom and sovereignty of the country.

Persons: Rodrigo Duterte’s, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, ”, Duterte, Kristina Conti, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, pullout, Marcos Jr, Jesus Crispin Remulla, Remulla, ” Bryony Lau, “, Marcos Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Hague, Twitter, Duterte, Human Rights Locations: Philippine, Philippines, Manila, Asia

☆ ‘Creamerie’ Review: Where the Boys Aren’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mike Hale | More About Mike Hale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Contains many spoilers for Season 1 of “Creamerie.”The New Zealand post-viral-apocalypse comedy “Creamerie” likes to begin an episode right where the previous one left off. “Creamerie” is in the science fiction subgenre of world-without-men shows; others include the new Netflix anime “Ooku: The Inner Chambers” and FX on Hulu’s “Y: The Last Man” from 2021. “Creamerie” was created by the actresses who play the leads — J.J. Fong, Perlina Lau and Ally Xue — along with the writer and director Roseanne Liang. The four have been collaborators for a decade, making Web series about relatably snarky young women in urban New Zealand. Fong, Lau and Xue play Jamie (determined, sorrowful, sexy), Pip (uptight, repressed, resourceful), and Alex (rebellious, profane, loyal), the proprietors of a dairy farm in rural New Zealand.

Persons: ”, cowering, French, It’s, “, Creamerie ”, — J.J, Fong, Perlina Lau, Ally Xue —, Roseanne Liang, Lau, Xue, Jamie, Pip, Alex Organizations: Hulu, Netflix Locations: Zealand, New Zealand

☆ ICC ruling opens way to investigation on killings in Philippines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a ruling on July 18, the ICC appeals judges rejected an attempt by the Philippines to block an investigation into the bloody anti-narcotics campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte. A majority of judges rejected all four points of Manila's appeal, including that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines and that authorities there were conducting their own investigation. "The ICC appeals judges' ruling marks the next step toward justice for victims of 'drug war' killings and their families," Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement. The decision left some of the families of drug war victims in tears after they watched the court proceeding online. But appeals judges ruled prosecutors still had jurisdiction over the alleged crimes because they occurred when the Philippines was still an ICC member.

Persons: Rodrigo Duterte, Harry Roque, Roque, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Bryony Lau, Kristina Conti, HRW's Lau, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Anthony Deutsch, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Neil Jerome Morales, Eloisa Lopez, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Emma Rumney, Alex Richardson Organizations: Criminal Court, ICC, Philippine, Human Rights Watch, Duterte, Police, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, MANILA, Philippines, Manila, Asia, Amsterdam

☆ Can ‘Miss Saigon’ Be Saved? Two British Shows Disagree.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Houman Barekat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Miss Saigon” is back and so, inevitably, is the surrounding discourse. Claude-Michel Schönberg’s musical melodrama about an ill-fated romance between a Vietnamese sex worker and an American G.I. So not everyone was pleased when the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England, announced it would stage a new production of “Miss Saigon” this summer. Chris (a compellingly lugubrious Christian Maynard) meets Kim (Jessica Lee) in a brothel and they fall in love, but their affair ends abruptly when the Americans withdraw from Saigon. Three years later, Chris, now married to an American woman, learns that he has a young son by Kim.

Persons: Saigon ”, Claude, Michel Schönberg’s, Jonathan Pryce, yellowface, Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau, Cameron Mackintosh, Puccini’s, Christian Maynard, Kim, Jessica Lee, Chris, Kim . Kim Locations: Saigon, American, Vietnam, Sheffield, England, British East, Asian, United States

Hong Kong CNN —Seven people have died and thousands have evacuated their homes in South Korea due to heavy rain. Three others were missing, the country’s Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, citing the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. Across South Korea, more than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter on Saturday, Yonhap reported. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered authorities to evacuate those in landslide-prone regions and to carry out rescue efforts, according to the South Korean news agency. Last year, the South Korean capital Seoul logged record downpours that inundated homes, roads and subways, killing at least nine people.

Persons: Yonhap, Han Duck Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Yonhap News Agency, Central Disaster, Safety, South Korean Locations: Hong Kong, South Korea, Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, Seoul, East Asia, Japan, Fukuoka, Oita prefectures, Kyushu, China, Chongqing

☆ Fukushima wastewater: Hong Kong poised to ban Japanese seafood over treated water
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong, one of the world’s biggest buyers of Japanese fish, says it will ban seafood imports from 10 prefectures in the country if Tokyo presses ahead with its plan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima into the sea. Japanese food is hugely popular in Hong Kong, which has more than 2,000 Japanese restaurants. The move comes less than a week after Beijing announced a similar ban on Japanese seafood exports to mainland China, citing concerns over health and safety. Customers wait to get into Japanese sushi chain Sushiro in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on July 13, 2023. The 10 prefectures facing a seafood ban are Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gumma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, he said.

Persons: Tse Chin, Let’s, ” Tse, Chris Lau, Tse, ”, “, Rafael Grossi, Fumio Kishida, Grossi, Sandy Yu, Timothy Lo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, CNN, Hong, South, UN, HK Locations: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Fukushima, Japan, China, South Korea, United States, Causeway Bay, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gumma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, Saitama, Hong, Causeway

CNN —A giant panda at a South Korean zoo has given birth to the country’s first twin cubs. The palm-sized female pandas were born at the Everland Resort theme park southeast of the capital Seoul on July 7, the zoo said in a statement Tuesday. The twins’ birth is considered rare – there’s less than a 50% chance of pandas giving birth to twins – and in the wild, they struggle to survive as mothers can often only care for one of their cubs. A caretaker carries panda cub Fu Bao, about 100 days after her birth in 2020. It is estimated that around 1,800 pandas remain in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, western China.

Persons: Ai Bao, –, Fu Bao, JUNG YEON, ”, Kang Cheol, Le Bao, Jung Dong Organizations: CNN, YouTube, Getty, South, Everland Locations: Korean, Seoul, Korea, China, Beijing, South Korea, Sichuan

☆ Second girl dies after car crashes into London primary school
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 9 (Reuters) - A second eight-year-old girl has died after a car crashed into a building at a south London primary school on Thursday, police said on Sunday. The driver of a car, a 46-year old woman from the area, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, police said. On Thursday it was confirmed that Selena Lau had died as a result of her injuries. The second girl, who was named as Nuria Sajjad, died on Sunday, police said. Her family said in a statement that she "embodied joy, kindness and generosity and was loved by all around her".

Persons: Selena Lau, Nuria Sajjad, Paul Sandle, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Prep School, Thomson Locations: London, Wimbledon

☆ Authorities swoop on Chinese restaurant that challenged customers to eat 108 dumplings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —A restaurant in China that challenged its customers to eat more than 100 dumplings in return for a free meal has fallen foul of authorities, who are investigating whether it has violated the country’s anti-food waste law. The challenge reportedly involved patrons competing to eat 108 chaoshous, or spicy wonton dumplings, as quickly as possible to win a free meal and additional prizes. The Cover said the restaurant, which it did not name, was one of several being probed by the authorities over similar competitions. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has in the past called food waste “shocking and distressing” and in March this year said agricultural supplies were like the foundation of national security. Will the food not consumed there actually go to the poor?” wrote one user on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.

Persons: Joey Chestnut, Xi Jinping, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, State Administration, Market, ” Radio, overreaching, Weibo, Twitter Locations: Hong Kong, China, Yibin, Sichuan swooped, Coney Island

CNN —Indian authorities have arrested three railway officials as part of an investigation into one of the deadliest train crashes in the country’s history. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in a statement that they had arrested three Department of Railways officials on Friday. The move follows the deaths of at least 275 people in a three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train in eastern Odisha state on June 2. The railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has previously said the accident had occurred “due to a change in electronic interlocking” and that an investigation would show “who was responsible” for that. According to senior railway officials, the crash took place when the Coromandel Express, a high-speed train traveling from Kolkata to Chennai, was diverted onto a loop line and slammed into a heavy goods train idled at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.

Persons: ”, Narenda Modi, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jaya Varma Sinha, Naveen Patnaik, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: CNN, Central Bureau of Investigation, of Railways, Indian, Howrah Locations: Odisha, Kolkata, Chennai, Bahanaga Bazar, Bangalore

☆ Hong Kong police arrest 4 for allegedly aiding dissidents abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Hong Kong police have arrested four people on suspicion of financially aiding activists abroad, just days after they offered bounties for information leading to the arrest of eight pro-democracy figures living in self-imposed exile. They were also charged with conspiracy to sedition, a colonial-era offense, which activists say has been increasingly used in recent years by police to stifle the legitimate criticism of authorities. The arrests came after police put bounties of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,000) each on eight pro-democracy activists abroad, accusing them of violating national security offenses, in a move strongly condemned by rights groups and Western governments. Hong Kong and Beijing authorities say the law restored order in the city following the protests. The suspects were accused of posting content that provoked hatred towards Beijing and the Hong Kong government, while advocating “Hong Kong Independence.” The police did not provide examples of the posts.

Persons: Ivan Lam, John Lee, they’d, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong, Hong Kong, Monday, Hong Kong Independence Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Western, United States, Britain, Australia

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