When Karyna Kovalevska, an 18-year-old from Ukraine, first visited China in 2019 as part of a Confucius Institute summer exchange program, she never imagined the country would one day become her second home. The program began in Anhui province, where she eagerly took on the challenge of learning an entirely new language. Chinese wasn’t easy — but it was exciting. “It’s so different from Ukrainian or Russian,” she said. “It felt like stepping into a whole new world.” Kovalevska was amazed by the kindness and generosity she encountered, even though…
Posts published in “World”
PARIS/BERLIN, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Allies including France and Germany are working closely on a plan on how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, as Europe seeks to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambitions in the region. A U.S. military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the NATO alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign…
The Swiss government has frozen any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolas Maduro and people close to the Venezuelan president. The order is to ensure that potentially illegally acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland, the government said in a statement on Monday. The freeze comes into force with immediate effect and will remain valid for four years, until further notice. A total of 37 people are currently affected by the freeze, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in an emailed reply to questions. It declined to given any indication…
The US has halted plans to impose sanctions on China’s Ministry of State Security over a massive cyber espionage campaign in order to avoid derailing the trade truce presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping struck in October. Current and former US officials said plans to impose sanctions on the spy agency — and contractors it is allegedly using to conduct a hacking campaign against US telecom networks called “Salt Typhoon” — were put on hold to avoid undermining the US-China détente. The administration would also not enact major new export…
French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly confirmed on Sunday that the country plans to replace its sole and ageing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a new one. A Chinese expert said that France’s new aircraft carrier seems to be a modern one with larger displacement and electromagnetic catapults, and might see the propulsion issue previously seen on the Charles de Gaulle solved. Macron made the announcement when speaking to troops based at a French military base in Abu Dhabi, according to a Reuters report. The program, known as “Porte-Avions…
Saona Island is a popular tourist destination in the Dominican Republic, known for its stunning beaches, crystal clear waters, and natural beauty. Here are a few things you should know about Saona Island: Getting to Saona Island – Saona Island is located on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, and most tourists take a boat tour from the nearby town of Bayahibe to get to Saona Island. Many hotels and tour operators in the area offer day trips to the island. Beaches – Saona Island has several beautiful beaches,…
The resumption of direct flights between India and the Chinese mainland after a five-year suspension is helping revitalize bilateral exchanges, with the recent breakthrough having a particularly significant positive effect on education and cultural ties, observers said. Indian students are among the primary beneficiaries, as direct flights have reduced travel costs and reignited youths’ enthusiasm for pursuing higher studies in China. “It is fantastic news for us. Travel will be much easier, and traveling expenses will be less than half now,” said Priyanshu Yadav, an Indian student who recently completed…
Christophe Fouquet, the CEO of ASML, a leading Dutch chip equipment manufacturer, has said that the geopolitical landscape indicates the US will persist in exerting pressure to impose stricter restrictions on ASML’s exports to China, according to a report by Reuters. “One of the debates is, is it really about national security? The other debate you start to see … is does it help us or does it hurt us? I see a lot of companies in the US that start to also ask that question,” he said at a…
Keira Knightley has revealed she’s sold the beloved French vineyard where she married musician James Righton, admitting it was ‘difficult’ to keep their passion project going. The Love Actually star, 40, opened up this week about letting go of the property – previously valued at £3 million – as she reflected on the realities of trying to run a hands-on, organic wine operation with Klaxons keyboardist James, 42, who she married in 2013. ‘I have written about wine, and I’ve written about food just because I like eating it –…
Package includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, and has drawn an angry response from China. The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10bn that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China. The state department announced the sales late on Wednesday during a nationally televised address by president Donald Trump, who made scant mention of foreign policy issues and did not speak about China or Taiwan at all. US-Chinese tensions have ebbed and flowed during Trump’s…