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☆ Check out a ghost town of deserted Chinese mega-villas built for multimillionaires that's now overrun by farmers and left to rot
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese farmers have moved into a cluster of abandoned villas in China to grow crops and rear cattle. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty ImagesThe half-built villas are now overrun by local farmers, who plow the land and plant crops on the overgrown lawns of abandoned villas. Local farmers now plow the land of the abandoned development. Jade Gao/AFP via Getty ImagesThe insides of the buildings look post-apocalyptic too, like shots straight out of "The Last of Us." Shenyang's ghost villas are just one of many "rotten" real estate projects across China's urban landscapeThe interior of a deserted housing sales building.

Persons: Jade Gao, —, riche, Guo, who's, Li Gan, Gan Organizations: Twitter, Service, AFP, Greenland Group, Getty, Getty Images, Texas, M University, Survey, Research Center, China Household Finance, Chengdu's Southwestern University of Finance, Economics Locations: China, AFP, Weibo, Wall, Silicon, Shenyang, China's, Liaoning province, Greenland, Evergrande, Li

☆ A new fossil shows a prehistoric badger-like mammal and a dinosaur locked in 'mortal combat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new fossil shows a badger-like mammal biting into a dinosaur. A new paper in Scientific Reports describes a fossil of the cat-sized mammal, Repenomamus robustus, locked in "mortal combat" with a Psittacosaurus that was three times as large. The newer fossil has quite a bit of evidence suggesting that the mammal was attacking the dinosaur. "I think the clincher is just the fact that the hind leg of the mammal is trapped within the folded hind leg of the dinosaur," Mallon said. "The question that comes up is, what is a mammal doing attacking a dinosaur that's so much larger than itself?"

Persons: Jordan Mallon, Michael Skrepnick, Mallon, Han Organizations: Service, Canadian Museum of Nature Locations: Wall, Silicon, China's Liaoning Province

☆ Dramatic fossil shows pugnacious mammal attacking a dinosaur
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Fossilized skeletons dating to about 125 million years ago from China showing the entanglement of the dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis and the mammal Repenomamus robustus are seen in this 2022 handout photograph. A dramatic fossil unearthed in northeastern China shows a pugnacious badger-like mammal in the act of attacking a plant-eating dinosaur, mounting its prey and sinking its teeth into its victim's ribs about 125 million years ago, scientists said on Tuesday. Dating to the Cretaceous Period, it shows the four-legged mammal Repenomamus robustus - the size of a domestic cat - ferociously entangled with the beaked two-legged dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis - as big as a medium-sized dog. "Here, we have good evidence for a smaller mammal preying on a larger dinosaur, which is not something we would have guessed without this fossil," Mallon added. The researchers discounted the idea that the Repenomamus and Psittacosaurus fossil showed a mammal merely scavenging a carcass.

Persons: Read, paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, Mallon, Xiao, chun Wu, Psittacosaurus, Repenomamus, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: dinos, Canadian Museum of Nature, Thomson Locations: China, WASHINGTON, Ottawa, Liaoning Province, Mongolia

☆ Fossil reveals the moment a cat-size mammal took on a dinosaur three times its size
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sometime during the Cretaceous Period, 125 million years ago, a feisty mammal the size of a domestic cat encountered a dinosaur three times its size and thought it looked like a tasty meal. “The inherited wisdom has been that the ecological interactions were unilateral: The bigger dinosaurs ate the smaller mammals. What makes this fossil exceptional is that the mammal is caught in the moment of attacking the almost fully grown dinosaur. A detail of the fossil shows the left forepaw of Repenomamus robustus wrapped around the lower jaw of the dinosaur. Gang HanPredator vs. scavengerThe fossil shows R. robustus gripping onto the lower jaw of Psittacosaurus with its left forepaw.

Persons: CNN —, paleobiologist Jordan Mallon, Michael W, Skrepnick, ”, Mallon, “, —, ” Mallon Organizations: CNN, Canadian Museum of Nature Locations: China, China’s Liaoning province

☆ BYD seeks nod for $1 billion plan to build EVs and batteries in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China's BYD Co has submitted a $1 billion investment proposal to build electric vehicles and batteries in India in partnership with a local company, three people with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters. The longer-term plan is to build a full line-up of BYD-brand EVs in India from hatchbacks to luxury models, one of the three people said. BYD, the world's largest producer of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If the India investment is approved, it would give BYD a presence in all major global car markets with the exception of the United States. The investment proposal also includes a plan by BYD and Megha to set up charging stations in India and build research and development and training centres, the sources said.

Persons: China's BYD, BYD, Tesla, EVs Organizations: Auto, Reuters, BYD Locations: Shenyang, Liaoning Province of China, India, Hyderabad, hatchbacks, United States

July 13 (Reuters) - Qingdao city in China's debt-laden Shandong province has set up a company to bail out its cash-strapped local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), sources said, as regional governments rush to reduce debt risks in a wobbly economy. The government of Qingdao and the China Development Bank did not reply to Reuters' requests for comment. While no LGFV in China has defaulted in the public markets, cases of delinquencies in the private debt market are increasing, worrying Beijing. Tianjin LGFV bonds yield more than 514 bps over government bonds, compared with 200 bps for Shandong bonds, reflecting the elevated risks. Fund manager Zhou said although he is bullish on LGFV bonds, "the first priority is to be absolutely diversified in investment.

Persons: Qingdao's, Xi Jinping, LGFVs, Goldman Sachs, Zhai Jianye, Zhai, It's, Zhou Tingzuo, Ning Yong, Zhou, Samuel Shen, Jason Xue, Tom Westbrook, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: Dongdin Industrial Group, China Development Bank, Southwest Securities, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Commercial Bank of China, SS, Shoupu Fund Management Co, Ning Yong Fu Fund Management, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, China's, Shandong, China, Shandong LGFVs, Beijing, Big, Jinan, Weifang, Liaoning, Hunan, Shanghai, Tianjin, Singapore

☆ Fact Check-Graphic video of man assaulting woman was filmed in China, not Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Content warning: graphic footage in social media linksA video circulating online that shows a man assaulting a woman in the Chinese city of Dalian has been miscaptioned by some social media users, who falsely claim that it shows a migrant carrying out an attack in Spain. One Facebook user uploaded the clip (here) along with the caption: “Muslim invader attacking a woman in Spain. The incident actually took place in Dalian, Liaoning province in China, on June 25, 2019, according to local reports (here, here and here). A 31-year-old man from Dalian was arrested, the local media reports said. The assault took place in Dalian, China, not in Spain.

Persons: Read Organizations: Reuters Locations: Dalian, Spain, Liaoning, China

☆ Corruption inquiry in Australia uncovers China links to state lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - The former premier of Australia's most populous state engaged in corrupt conduct involving another lawmaker with whom she was in a secret romantic relationship, a years-long corruption inquiry that examined business dealings with China said on Thursday. The inquiry said Maguire sought to use his government office to "create a network between China and Australia and to make a commission in multiple ways". The commission found Maguire engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" between 2012 and 2018 for the migration scheme and other misconduct. It said he misused his role as chairman of the New South Wales Parliament's Asia Pacific Friendship Group to advance the commercial interests of a Chinese business association in South Pacific nations. The commission said it would seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether further prosecutions should be commenced into Maguire.

Persons: Gladys Berejiklian, Daryl Maguire, Maguire, Berejiklian, Barry O'Farrell, Kirsty Needham, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, New South Wales Independent, Corruption, New, Liberal, Australian Council, Australia, Pacific Friendship Group, New South Wales, Public, Maguire, Thomson Locations: Australia's, China, New, New South Wales, Berejiklian, Australia, South Pacific, Beijing, Sydney, Liaoning, New South

☆ Corruption inquiry in Australia's NSW state uncovers China links to lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - The former premier of Australia's most populous state engaged in corrupt conduct involving another lawmaker with whom she was in a secret romantic relationship, a years-long corruption inquiry that examined business dealings with China said on Thursday. Maguire told the inquiry he had received envelopes full of thousands of dollars in cash at his parliament office as part of a scheme for Chinese nationals to fraudulently acquire visas. The commission found Maguire engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" between 2012 and 2018 for the migration scheme and other misconduct. Maguire also misused his office by receiving a fee to introduce the party secretary of Liaoning province in China to then NSW premier Barry O'Farrell at parliament in 2012, it said. The commission said it would seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether further prosecutions should be commenced into Maguire.

Persons: Gladys Berejiklian, Daryl Maguire, Maguire, Berejiklian, Barry O'Farrell, Kirsty Needham, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, New South Wales Independent, Corruption, NSW, Liberal, NSW Parliament's, Pacific Friendship Group, Public, Maguire, Thomson Locations: Australia's, China, New, Berejiklian, Shenzhen, South Pacific, Australia, Beijing, Sydney, Liaoning

New capacity in China is expected to make up more than half of that growth, according to the International Energy Agency. Reuters GraphicsIn 2023, WoodMac sees China's output growth creating a local surplus of 4.24 million metric tons of ethylene and an even bigger oversupply of propylene at 8.69 million metric tons. Reuters GraphicsMARKET SHARE BATTLENewly launched refinery complexes by state giant PetroChina's (601857.SS) Guangdong Petrochemical and privately-run Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical have added to surging petrochemical supply from mega refiners Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp and Hengli Petrochemical (600346.SS) that has come online in recent years. Rongsheng Petrochemical (002493.SZ) and Hengyi Petrochemical (000703.SZ) swung to net losses in the first quarter. While Chinese demand from some sectors such as inexpensive clothing and daily essentials is robust, other sectors such as automative have yet to recover in line with expectations, said Salmon Lee, global head of polyesters at consultancy WoodMac.

Persons: Chen, refiners, China's, Wood Mackenzie, WoodMac, Ganesh Gopalakrishnan, TotalEnergies's, Salmon Lee, Lee, Mohi Narayan, Andrew Hayley, Matthew Chye, Florence Tan, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, International Energy Agency, Reuters Graphics, Guangdong Petrochemical, Jiangsu Shenghong Petrochemical, Zhejiang Petrochemical Corp, Hengli Petrochemical, Sinopec, Rongsheng Petrochemical, Hengyi Petrochemical, Thomson Locations: Dalian, Liaoning province, China, Asia, Europe, U.S, Guangdong, Jiangsu, China's, New Delhi, Beijing

☆ India demonstrates naval strength with dual aircraft carrier exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Indian aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant lead combined operations in the Arabian Sea. Sanjay Atri/Indian NavyUpon Vikrant’s commissioning last year, India joined only the United Kingdom and China in commissioning a domestically built aircraft carrier in the previous three years. It has operated two aircraft carriers on two previous occasions, between 1987 and 1997, and between 2013 and 2017. But even with the advancements demonstrated by the dual-carrier operation, India’s carrier program still has question marks, said Childs from IISS. It would certainly suggest that the Indian Navy could do with more carrier aircraft,” Childs said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Nick Childs, Vikramaditya, INS, “, India’s, Vikrant, Sanjay Atri, Collin Koh, ” Koh, Carl Schuster, ” Schuster, USS Nimitz, Ronald Reagan, Schuster, Childs, ” Childs Organizations: CNN, Analysts, United States Navy, Indian Navy, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Liberation Army, PLA, Navy, PLA Navy, US Navy, Indian Navy India, Australia –, Malabar, USS Locations: India, Russia, United Kingdom, China, Singapore, Soviet, Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian, Hawaii, ”, United States, Japan, Australia, Philippine, IISS

☆ Young people in China are giving up high-paying jobs to become baristas and waiters, and they're talking about it online
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's youth is giving up white-collar work for blue-collar work, and they're talking about it online. The hashtag "my first physical work experience" has over 30.4 million views as of June 12. "I realized this kind of physical work with a sense of participation actually provides nourishment for creation. Kong Yiji is a fictional character from a story written by Lu Xun, a leading figure in modern Chinese literature. That's because the young people posting on Xiaohongshu aren't locked out of the white-collar job market.

Persons: —, They've, they've, Kong Yiji, Lu Xun, aren't, Jia Miao Organizations: Service, CNBC, New York University Shanghai Locations: China, Xiaohongshu, Guangdong province, ByteDance, TikTok, Liaoning, Asia

☆ Three die, farmland and trees damaged as storms sweep across China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - Three people died in eastern China after strong winds toppled a shipyard crane, authorities said on Sunday, as storms caused damage across the country, including large swaths of farmland. In Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in eastern China, large trees were felled on Saturday, crushing vehicles and blocking roads, local media reported. The measures include 275 million yuan for prizes to family farms and cooperatives to encourage high yield, CCTV reported. On Friday, heavy rain hit parts of southwest China, including Guangxi, engulfing roads and partially submerging buildings. ($1 = 7.1273 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Martin Quin Pollard; William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hailstorms, Ellen Zhang, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Twitter, CCTV, Liaoning Meteorological Service Centre, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Wuhu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Wafangdian, Henan, Guangxi, rainstorms, Guangdong, Hainan, Hubei, Guangzhou

☆ Ports in China's oil hub Shandong scrutinizing old tankers -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qingdao and Lanshan are two of the top five biggest Chinese oil importing ports, according to data from Kpler. Shandong is home to numerous independent refineries known as teapots that account for up to one-fifth of China's processing capacity. Port authorities could detain ships for days to rectify any issues, prompting shippers to divert cargoes to other Chinese ports, the sources said. Almost all tankers hauling crude to Qingdao for independent refiners are more than 10 years old, said Vortexa analyst Emma Li. In April, tankers calling at Shandong ports experienced delays after customs authorities stepped up checks on diluted bitumen cargoes.

Persons: Seapalm, Emma Li, Eikon, Muyu Xu, Florence Tan Organizations: Kpler, Shandong Maritime Safety Administration, Reuters, Seapalm Shipping, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China's Shandong, Qingdao, Rizhao, Lanshan, Shandong, Tokyo, Cameroon, Seychelles, Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning, Beijing

☆ North Korea spent the pandemic building a huge border wall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

As the pandemic began, North Korea moved to seal its northern borders, tightening control over informal trade routes and making escape harder for defectors. Nov. 16, 2019 Minimal security features visible along North Korea’s border with Russia. Food shortages in North Korea have worsened in recent months, due in part to the border closures, according to international experts. Still, he said, there were reports of foreign shows such as the South Korean hit “Squid Game” finding their way into North Korea. “It's all the more reason for the international community to step up efforts to support North Korean rights,” he said.

☆ The Russian navy's biggest warships are becoming its biggest headaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ongoing problems with the Russian navy's biggest warships illustrate that trend. This seems most evident with Russia's largest surface warships: its Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruisers, Admiral Nakhimov and Pyotr Velikiy, and the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's sole aircraft carrier. Admiral Kuznetsov in a floating dry dock in a shipyard in Murmansk in August 2010. Other Russian navy sources quickly denied the report to another state media outlet. Izvestia has also reported that the Russian navy is reforming the Kuznetsov's crew, which was mostly disbanded when the ship began its refit.

CNN —South Korean soccer star Son Jun-ho has been arrested in China for allegedly accepting bribes as Beijing clamps down on alleged corruption in the upper ranks of Chinese football. A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday the ministry was aware of Son’s situation and that local Korean diplomatic missions were providing consular assistance. Wang said China would provide South Korean officials with the “necessary facilitation” to perform their consular duties. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it had written to the Chinese Football Association and the Asian Football Confederation regarding the player on Tuesday but had not yet heard back. Vice President Kim Jeong-bae was checking on Son’s condition with the South Korean Foreign and Sports Ministries, a KFA official told CNN.

☆ China says S.Korean soccer player detained for suspected bribery
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, May 16 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday a South Korean soccer player is suspected of taking bribes from non-state workers and has been detained by the public security department of Liaoning province. China is a country that follows the rule of law and handles relevant cases in accordance with the law, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news briefing. South Korean soccer player Son Jun-ho is being held in police custody in northeast China in connection with a bribery case, a Korean diplomatic source said on Monday. read moreReporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Korean player held in China on suspicion of bribery - diplomatic source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Round of 16 - Brazil v South Korea - Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar - December 5, 2022 Brazil's Raphinha in action with South Korea's Son Jun-ho... Read moreBEIJING, May 15 (Reuters) - South Korean soccer player Son Jun-ho has been detained in China on suspicion of bribery, a Korean diplomatic source said on Monday. Son was detained on Friday, the source told Reuters. Son is an international player who represents Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan, based in the northeastern province of Shandong. Son was currently in the custody of the Liaoning Public Security Department, which alleges that Son bribed a "non-government official", according to an official at South Korea's consulate-general in Shenyang. Reporting by Eduardo Baptista, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said. "Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military. Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach. A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers.

CNN —A Taiwan-based book publisher has been placed under investigation in China on suspicion of “endangering state security,” Beijing said Tuesday amid mounting concern over his disappearance. Li’s detention comes at a tense moment in cross-strait relations, and several Taiwan citizens have been detained in China on state security grounds in recent years. CNN has reached out to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Office to inquire about Li’s citizenship status. One of them, Lam Wing-kee, has said he was kidnapped by Chinese “special forces” after crossing the border into mainland China from Hong Kong. Hong Kong used to be a hub for publishing politically sensitive books that would be banned in mainland China.

☆ China says its newest aircraft carrier will be able to launch 'new-type aircraft'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Lau | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. Neither carrier features the Fujian's signature catapult system, which allows planes to launch more frequently and carry more fuel and munitions. Despite plans for the navy to gain the ability to operate globally, the CCTV report only referred to operations in domestic waters when saying that China would build more aircraft carriers. "But due to China's vast oceans, the demand cannot be met with only three aircraft carriers — the Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian. Therefore, new aircraft carriers are bound to be built in the future."

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - China’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports fell sharply in 2022 because of the disruption caused by lockdowns to control the coronavirus epidemic and the massive exit wave of infections when they were lifted. But the import rebound could be smaller than some analysts anticipate because domestic gas production is rising strongly and the country has mostly completed its transition to natural gas for urban residents. Both LNG and pipeline imports remained subdued in the first two months of this year with any rebound delayed until later in 2023. China’s LNG purchasers have proved price-sensitive and will likely wait for prices to decline before increasing imports and refilling storage. PIPELINES NOT LNGThe shift from LPG and especially gasworks gas has turbocharged consumption of natural gas over the last decade.

☆ China's navy is looking to junior high schools as it scrambles to find pilots for its growing aircraft carrier fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Minnie Chan | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese Navy's youth aviation schools have recruited about 4,500 boys aged 15 to 16 this month. China's navy needs pilots for its fleet of aircraft carriers, which grew to three ships in June. The navy draws on talent from the 14 schools for its aircraft carrier cadet pilot programme. AFP via Getty ImagesIt is unclear if this is the first year that students so young will attend the aviation schools. The average age of the newest crop of cadet pilots is 20, much younger than in previous years.

The project is expected to cost 83.7 billion yuan ($12.2 billion), partner Panjin Xicheng Industrial Group said in a statement on WeChat on Sunday. Construction at the complex will start in the second quarter after the project secures the required administrative approvals, Aramco said. Before the pandemic, Aramco signed two other initial agreements for refinery-petrochemical investments in China. The other is with Shandong Energy that includes a potential crude supply agreement and chemical products offtake deal, as well as exploring collaboration on an integrated refining and petrochemical complex in China. Earlier in March, Saudi Aramco also broke ground on a $7 billion project to produce petrochemicals from crude oil at its South Korean affiliate S-Oil Corp's (010950.KS) refining complex in the port city of Ulsan.

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