Beijing (AFP) – Beijing is hoping subsidies for rice cookers, microwave ovens and smartphones can boost sluggish spending and help the country weather an economic storm from incoming US president Donald Trump.
Chinese give guarded welcome to spending subsidies
World Bank plans $20 bn payout for Pakistan over coming decade
Islamabad (AFP) – The World Bank plans to loan cash-strapped Pakistan $20 billion over the coming decade to nurture its private sector and bolster resilience to climate change, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.
Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan stabbed in burglary
Mumbai (AFP) – Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan underwent surgery Thursday after he was repeatedly stabbed in an apparent burglary at his home in Mumbai, his public relations team said.
Taiwan's TSMC says net profit rose 57% in fourth quarter
Taipei (AFP) – Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC on Thursday announced a better-than-expected net profit for the fourth quarter as it benefits from booming demand for AI technology.
Olympic push for kho kho, India's ancient tag sport
New Delhi (AFP) – The ancient game of kho kho is enjoying a resurgence in India, with organisers of the first international tournament hoping their efforts will secure the sport’s place in the Olympics.
Dangerous Fritz sets up Monfils clash at Australian Open
Melbourne (AFP) – Fired-up Taylor Fritz scorched through to an Australian Open third-round clash against Gael Monfils with another emphatic win Thursday, dropping just eight games in the tournament so far.
AFP photographer's search for his mother in the Nazi camps
Paris (AFP) – AFP photographer Eric Schwab recorded the horrors of the Holocaust — the crematoria, the piles of skeletal bodies and emaciated faces — as he went from one Nazi extermination camp to the next in the spring of 1945 searching for his mother.
Life after the unthinkable: Shoah survivors who began again in Israel
Jerusalem (AFP) – For years, Auschwitz survivor Naftali Furst kept his story to himself.
Israeli cabinet to vote on Gaza ceasefire deal
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel’s cabinet was expected to meet Thursday to approve a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Hamas, Israeli media reported, a day after mediators announced an agreement they hope will lead to a permanent end to the Gaza war.
Jabeur finds it 'hard to breathe' as asthma flares up in Melbourne
Melbourne (AFP) – A bad bout of asthma nearly derailed the comeback of former world number two Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open on Thursday, with the Tunisian saying she found it hard to breathe and nearly gave up in her second-round victory.
