In January 2013, a suffocating, poisonous haze hung over Beijing for four days. The record high levels of fine particulate matter in the air caused airports to close and thousands of coughing, choking citizens to seek hospital care. Although the particulate matter that filled the winter skies resulted from both human and natural emissions, a […]

In downtown Cairo, it’s not uncommon to see streets clogged with cars. But in a proposed redesign for a central thoroughfare, they’re hard to spot. Instead, in the concept illustration for what looks like the Egyptian version of Amsterdam, a two-way bike lane, a sidewalk, and a plaza filled with palm trees replace the sea […]

Big-name snowboarders from all over the world zoom through the air, performing epic tricks for impressive prize money at an annual tournament held 70km from downtown Beijing. When people think of snowboarding, the Chinese capital may not immediately spring to mind. But since Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, cold season sports have […]

BEIJING  – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pledged a package of $20 billion in loans, and about $106 million in financial aid, to Middle East nations, as part of what he called an “oil and gas plus” model to revive economic growth in the region. Beijing has ramped up engagement in the Middle East […]

BEIJING – China’s COSCO Shipping Holdings (601919.SS) (1919.HK) said on Sunday a key U.S. review body has cleared its planned $6.3 billion acquisition of shipping firm Orient Overseas International Ltd (OOIL)(0316.HK) on security issues. COSCO said on June 30 that all pre-conditions for the OOIL offer made last year had been met after receiving approval […]