India will overtake China as the world's most populous country in the coming week, hitting almost 1.43 billion people, the United Nations said. "By the end of this month, India's population is expected to reach 1,425,775,850 people, matching and then surpassing the population of mainland China," the UN Department of...

Coca-Cola's profits came in at $3.1 billion, up 12% from 2022.

Australia launched its biggest defense overhaul in decades, vowing to turn a military that is "no longer fit for purpose" into a fighting force that could deter China or any would-be foe. Defense Minister Richard Marles unveiled a strategic review that called for using missiles, submarines and cyber tools to...

China insisted it respects the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries, after comments by its ambassador to France drew ire in Europe. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the European Union's three Baltic countries, summoned China's envoys to account for Ambassador Lu Shaye questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states.

"German business's worries are abating, but the economy is still lacking dynamism," said Ifo president Clemens Fuest.

Brussels, Belgium - Comments made by the Chinese ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries were "unacceptable," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday. Borrell added that he hoped the comments did not reflect Beijing's official stance. "Unacceptable remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France," Borrell tweeted. "The...

Beijing, China--Pummelled by a housing crisis that caused a record-breaking slump last year, some Chinese property developers are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel, but analysts warn the sector is still on course to slow down in the long term. The real estate industry grew at lightning...

Many who unwillingly gained blue ticks made it clear that they had not subscribed, as the badge became a symbol of support for Musk. Many official media accounts regained a tick, including AFP, which has not subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Paris, France--EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on European navies to patrol the disputed Taiwan Strait, in a opinion piece in a French weekly published Sunday. Borrell's comments in the Journal Du Dimanche, echo comments he made last week when he stressed how crucial Taiwan is to Europe. Taiwan "concerns...

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, electric vehicles made up 25 percent of car sales in the country in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 94 percent.

Nokia's share price was down seven percent at $4.35.

The warning from the boss of the financial giant follows the dollar having already dropped 10 percent from its peak hit last year and after it hit lowest level in a year against the euro last week.

HSBC's largest stakeholder Ping An says the split will improve business.

India's population will be 1.4286 billion compared to China's 1.4257 billion at mid-year, the United Nations Population Fund's State of World Population report showed. China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed earlier this year.

If China successfully mediates the Israel-Palestine peace talks, it will cement its status as a global peacemaker, a role that has long been reserved for the United States.

The new venture will be launched in 2024.

The Syrian president met with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus. This is the first visit to Syria's capital by a Saudi official since the start of the country's civil war in 2011, marking a new era in ties betwee the two countries.

After two days of talks in the bucolic Japanese mountain resort town Karuizawa, the top diplomats from leading economies unveiled no new sanctions on Moscow over its invasion but pledged to crack down on those helping Russia evade the measures and acquire weapons.

Beijing, China--China's economy grew much better than expected in the first three months of the year as the country reopened after the end of zero-Covid measures, official data showed Tuesday. The figures were the first snapshot since 2019 of the world's second-largest economy unencumbered by the strict health controls that helped...

The two countries had severed ties seven years ago after Saudi Arabia executed a revered Saudi shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. They have pledged to work for stabilizing the situation in the Middle East, where they have been supporting opposite sides in the conflicts of Syria and Yemen.

In February this year, the Iraqi foreign minister reiterated Baghdad's support for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, during a visit to Baghdad by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

ABU DHABI, UAE - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived here Saturday, following a two-day visit to China to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties. The UAE's energy and infrastructure minister, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, welcomed the Brazilian leader at Abu Dhabi airport, local media reported. Lula, who in January...

Sapporo, Japan--G7 allies kicked off two days of "difficult" climate talks in northern Japan on Saturday, facing pressure to show progress on key fossil fuel commitments in an example to other major economies including China. Campaigners have warned climate and environment ministers from the group of developed countries against backsliding on...

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the UAE had promised a billion dollars to prop up Pakistan's forex reserves -- which at their current level of $4.04 billion can barely pay for four weeks of imports. China on Friday released $300 million to Pakistan -- the last tranche of a $1.3...

The first plane departed Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, for government-controlled Aden hours after a Saudi delegation departed without a fresh truce but with plans to meet again. Both initiatives come a month after Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran, who back opposing sides in the Yemeni conflict, agreed to re-establish...

Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit -- the first since the outbreak of the country's civil war in 2011. It was one in a flurry of events that were nearly unthinkable before Saudi Arabia and Iran announced to restore ties.

ABU DHABI, UAE - ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S), the shipping and maritime logistics arm of ADNOC, announced on Thursday the deployment of five new-build Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC). The gas carriers were built at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China, and will be owned and operated by AW...

It has sold more than US$7bn of its shares since early 2023.

Doha, Qatar: Chinese oil giant Sinopec on Wednesday became the first Asian firm to get a stake in Qatar's expansion of North Field East, the Gulf country's energy company announced. North Field contains the world's biggest natural gas reserves and extends under the Gulf into Iranian territory. China is already...

Global government debt is on track to reach levels not seen since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund warned. China and the United States are responsible for the vast majority of the expected debt increase over the next five years, the head of the IMF's Fiscal...

China has announced ambitious plans to become a global leader in the field of AI by 2030, and consultancy group McKinsey estimates the sector could add about $600 billion every year to China's gross domestic product by then. But Beijing's strict censorship and a US squeeze on chip imports have...

Struggling to recover from its pandemic-driven slump, China, the world's second largest economy, has reported that its consumer price inflation fell below one percent in March, a sign of weak demand. The country is targeting an average inflation rate of three percent for 2023, which is still far below the...

Shopping online at Temu, Laurie Silva paid just $1.25 for earrings and $15 for a cardigan -- she is among millions of US consumers the Chinese platform is wooing with low-cost bargains and a dizzying array of products. Temu topped US app download rankings in early April, a spot it...

After two days of exercises that included simulating targeted strikes on Taiwan and encirclement of the island, the Chinese military said the wargames also included "sealing" it off, and a state media report said dozens of planes had practised an "aerial blockade". One of China's two aircraft carriers -- the...

China's war games involved sending planes, ships and personnel into "the maritime areas and air space" around all four sides of Taiwan, the army said of the exercises. On Beigan island, part of Taiwan's Matsu archipelago that is within eyesight of China's mainland, 60-year-old chef Lin Ke-qiang told AFP he...

The delegation's arrival comes roughly a month after China helped broker a surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, fuelling hopes for progress on ending the Yemen conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Omani mediators arrived in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday.

Iran's foreign ministry said a delegation will visit Saudi Arabia by April 14 to pave the way for reopening its diplomatic missions there following a similar move by Riyadh. The announcement comes a day after a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran and follows a historic meeting between the two Gulf...

Saturday's visit is part of "implementing the tripartite agreement" reached on March 10 between the two regional powers, brokered by China, to restore relations ruptured in 2016, the Saudi foreign ministry said. The two longtime Middle East rivals have now pledged to work together.

In a PLA statement, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theatre Command, said "United Sharp Sword" would involve police patrol drills in the Taiwan Strait, "to the north and south of Taiwan, and in the sea and airspace to the east of Taiwan". The exact location of the...

France's foreign minister has held a rare face-to-face meeting with her Iranian counterpart in China, urging Tehran to release French nationals "arbitrarily detained" in Iran, the foreign ministry said. Catherine Colonna, traveling with French President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit to China, met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing.

Experts say developing nations are struggling to find the funds needed to stop burning planet-heating fossil fuels and prepare for tomorrow's climate disasters, as they grapple with rising costs, soaring debts and extreme weather events. Reform plans are gaining momentum because they fill a "policy vacuum" over funding for the...

ByteDance's success in China's highly competitive internet sector has been largely thanks to its popular short video app Douyin.

The two regional powers have cut ties twice since the 1987 crackdown on protesting Iranian pilgrims in Makkah. They have now pledged to work together for regional stability.

"It makes a lot of sense for us, as the Chinese market keeps growing, to be serving local for the Chinese airlines, and probably some other customers in the region," Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said during a trip to China, where he is accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron on his...

Beijing, China--French and EU leaders will on Thursday seek to make Europe's case for bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine in a Beijing meeting with Xi Jinping, a close ally of Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will be greeted late...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran on Wednesday welcomed a US call to help end the long-running conflict in Yemen by backing a peace process, one year after a United Nations-brokered truce dramatically reduced fighting. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have multiplied since the Yemeni government's main foreign backer Saudi Arabia signed a...

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player due to its overseas territories and military deployments. On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China...

Hong Kong, China--Chinese property developer Evergrande said it has entered into a restructuring agreement with a group of international creditors, in what could be a breakthrough deal toward easing the developer's massive debt. Once China's largest real estate company, Evergrande was found in 2021 to be drowning in more than $300...

A total of 3049 new companies joined DMCC in 2022.

BEIJING, CHINA - Chinese authorities have begun an investigation into leading US memory chipmaker Micron Technology, a decision Beijing's foreign ministry said Monday was intended to "safeguard national security". The probe escalates an already fierce battle between Beijing and Washington for supremacy in the field of semiconductors as broader bilateral relations...