This is Beirut

Famed 'Sponge Cities' Chinese Architect Kongjian Yu Dead in Brazil Plane Crash

This is Beirut, 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Obituary Architect Kongjian Yu Accident China Brazil Culture

Chinese landscape architect Kongjian Yu, known for his so-called nature-mimicking "sponge cities," has died in a small plane crash in Brazil with two filmmakers documenting his work, police said Wednesday. The 62-year-old was considered a leading figure in sustainable urban planning; his "sponge cities" replace concrete surfaces with natural ...

Typhoon Ragasa: 14 Killed, 152 Missing in Taiwan After Barrier Lake Burst

This is Beirut, 24/09 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taiwan Typhoon Death China Hong Kong

At least 14 people were killed when a decades-old lake barrier burst in Taiwan, a government official said Wednesday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rain. The lake in eastern Hualien County—formed by a series of landslides that created a natural dam wall—burst Tuesday, washing away a bridge and sweeping into a ...

China Steps Into Spotlight at UN Climate Talks

This is Beirut, 24/09 05:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States UN China Climate

China's emissions-cutting pledge is poised to take center stage at a United Nations climate meeting Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering -- if predictable -- broadside against the science surrounding planet-warming fossil fuels. Some 118 nations will outline plans to curb global warming, which is driving disasters ...

China Prepares to Evacuate 400,000 as Super Typhoon Makes Landfall in Philippines

This is Beirut, 22/09 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China Typhoon Philippines Shenzhen

The Chinese city of Shenzhen was preparing Monday to evacuate 400,000 people, while residents of the northern Philippines sought shelter from gale-force winds as Super Typhoon Ragasa headed on a collision course with southern China. The typhoon made landfall on the Philippines' Calayan Island, part of the sparsely populated Babuyan chain, at 3:00 ...

Americans Would Dominate Board of New TikTok US Entity

This is Beirut, 20/09 19:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States TikTok China U.S. Congress

A deal for the Chinese parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok to sell its US operations would see the creation of a board dominated by Americans, the White House said Saturday. "There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans," White House press secretary ...

Trump, Xi Report "Progress" on TikTok and Plan Meeting

This is Beirut, 19/09 20:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Xi Jinping United States China

US President Donald Trump hailed Friday what he called progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including on selling blockbuster app TikTok, and said he would visit the Asian power, which offered a more cautious assessment of their talks. The leaders of the world's two largest economies spoke by telephone for the second time since the return ...

Trump Hopes to Settle TikTok's Fate on Xi Call

This is Beirut, 19/09 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Tik Tok United States China Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump, who recently accused Xi Jinping of working to "conspire" against the United States, hopes to finalize the fate of video-sharing app TikTok and make progress on trade talks in a phone call with the Chinese leader on Friday. "I'm speaking with President Xi, as you know, on Friday, having to do with TikTok, and also trade," ...

Nvidia says Complies with Law After China Antitrust Finding

This is Beirut, 16/09 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Washington China Nvidia

US chip giant Nvidia said Tuesday it follows all laws after a Chinese investigation found it had breached antitrust rules, the latest development in a fierce tech battle between Beijing and Washington. "We comply with the law in all respects," a spokesperson for Nvidia said in a written statement to AFP. "We will continue to cooperate with all ...

US Says 'Framework' Deal with China on TikTok Ownership

This is Beirut, 15/09 21:04 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States China TikTok

The United States and China announced a "framework" deal on Monday to resolve their dispute over TikTok that calls for the Chinese-owned app to pass to US-controlled ownership. In a social media post, US President Donald Trump said, without directly naming the social media giant, that a deal was reached with a "certain company that ...

New Round of US-China Trade Talks Kicks Off in Madrid

This is Beirut, 14/09 17:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China United States Spain Madrid Tariffs

China and the United States kicked off the latest round of trade talks on Sunday in Madrid, where they are set to thrash out their TikTok dispute and President Donald Trump's promised hefty tariffs. The Chinese delegation is in the Spanish capital until Wednesday and senior officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, will meet with the US ...

Trump ready to match EU tariffs on China, India to pressure Putin

This is Beirut, 10/09 00:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump European Union India China

The United States is ready to broaden tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil -- if the EU takes similar moves -- to hit at revenue Moscow needs for the war in Ukraine, a US official told AFP Tuesday. Dialing in to talks between United States and European Union officials on Tuesday, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of tariffs between ...

Beijing Rejects Trump Call to Pressure China on Ukraine

This is Beirut, 05/09 11:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine USA China Russia

Beijing said Friday it "strongly opposes" calls to put economic pressure on China, after US President Donald Trump urged European countries to do so over the war in Ukraine. China has never denounced Russia's war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine's allies believe that Beijing has provided support to ...

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