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BEIJING (Reuters) -China firmly opposes any country allowing the Dalai Lama to make visits under any pretext, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday. Senior officials from the U.S. State Department and the White House met with the Dalai Lama in New York on Wednesday and “reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to advancing …

China opposes any country allowing Dalai Lama to visit, says foreign ministry Read More »

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) -The United States on Wednesday called on Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force that will determine the location and resources for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub they have agreed to establish in Japan. In letters seen by Reuters on Thursday, the U.S. Ambassador to …

US urges Japan to name disaster relief hub task force members Read More »

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power has suspended preparation work for the test removal of nuclear fuel debris from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, a company spokesperson said. The preparatory work was suspended due to an error in the installation of the extraction equipment and it is unclear when the work, the first of its …

Japan’s TEPCO halts preparations to remove nuclear debris from Fukushima plant Read More »

By Bernard Orr BEIJING (Reuters) – Produce prices in China have risen sharply over the past two months, affected by extreme weather from deadly floods to scorching heat that has devastated millions of acres of farmland and is now hitting consumers in their pockets. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, …

China’s extreme weather takes bite out of produce as prices soar Read More »

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia may shut down a portion of a coal-fired power plant near Jakarta to reduce air pollution affecting the city, a senior minister said on Wednesday. The country is looking at closing 2 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity at the 4 GW Suralaya coal-fired power complex in Indonesia’s Banten province that is …

Indonesia may shut part of Suralaya coal power plant to curb pollution Read More »

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese premier Li Qiang in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. “Our countries have large-scale joint plans, projects in the economic and humanitarian areas, we expect them to last for many years,” the RIA state news agency quoted Putin as saying. Li said earlier on …

Russia’s Putin meets Chinese premier Li Qiang in Moscow Read More »

By Ananda Teresia and Kate Lamb JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia President Joko Widodo on Wednesday said he respected decisions of the country’s institutions, amid a move by his allies in parliament to try to reverse a court decision that changed qualification criteria for regional elections. His remarks come during a rare power struggle between Indonesia’s …

Indonesia president says he respects institutions amid power struggle over court ruling Read More »

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Geopolitical shocks could disrupt the political and security landscape and strain unity in the Pacific Islands region amid strategic rivalry between China and U.S. allies, a think-tank report warned ahead of an annual Pacific Islands leaders summit. Pacific Islands nations are valued in the defence plans of major world powers because of …

World powers’ strategic rivalry threatens to overwhelm Pacific Islands, think tank warns Read More »