China

Apple has removed a popular Quran app from its app store in China on the request of Chinese officials.  “Quran Majeed,” a reading-friendly application used by millions of Muslim users around the world, has been deleted on the Chinese app store for “hosting illegal religious texts,” the BBC reported.  “According …

China on Saturday launched a rocket carrying three astronauts — two men and one woman — to the core module of a future space station where they will live and work for six months, the longest orbit for Chinese astronauts. A Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft, which means …

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed on Saturday to achieve “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, and did not directly mention the use of force after a week of tensions with the Chinese-claimed island that sparked international concern. Taiwan responded to Xi by calling on Beijing to abandon its coercion, reiterating that only …

Economic and strategic competition between the US and China is putting immense pressure on the Arab Gulf states, a top Emirati official told delegates on the second day of the 14th World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi. Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s presidential diplomatic adviser and former ​minister of state for …

The United States has reached out to China diplomatically about reducing its purchases of Iranian crude oil, U.S. and European officials said on Tuesday, as Washington seeks to persuade Tehran to resume talks about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Purchases of Iranian oil by Chinese companies are believed to have …

A suicide bomber who targeted Chinese nationals in the Pakistani port city of Gwadar last month came from Iran, counterterrorism police in the southwestern Balochistan province said on Friday, adding that the mastermind behind the attack was a resident of Chahbahar in the neighboring country. Earlier in August, Pakistan’s Interior …

The reaction of France to the new trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and the US brings to mind a powerful cartoon published by an American newspaper during the Trump years, when the US president was ruling by executive order to evade Congress. The cartoon, which appeared in the …

It goes without saying that it is not an easy skill and one has to be gifted to draw – political – cartoons. The Levant News’ own Joon W. (45) is a gifted cartoonist with a cynical sense of humor and has the talent of producing drawings that bring out …

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday Britain would work with the Taliban if needed after the militants capture of Afghanistan, and defended his foreign minister who has come under fire for his handling of the situation. “What I want to assure people is that our political and diplomatic efforts …

A series of photos published last month by Chinese state media of Foreign Minister Wang Yi standing shoulder to shoulder with visiting Taliban official decked out in traditional tunic and turban raised eyebrows on the country’s social media. Since then, China’s propaganda machinery has quietly begun preparing its people to …

The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), a leading global certification program, has awarded TikTok the TAG Brand Safety Certificate across the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Brand safety is the practice of ensuring a brand (through advertisements or any other promotional material) does not appear in an unsafe environment. This certification …

A preponderance of evidence proves the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic leaked from a Chinese research facility, said a report by U.S. Republicans released on Monday, a conclusion that U.S. intelligence agencies have not reached. The report also cited “ample evidence” that Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) scientists – …

The United States is considering cracking down on Iranian oil sales to China as it braces for the possibility that Tehran may not return to nuclear talks or may adopt a harder line whenever it does, a U.S. official said. Washington told Beijing earlier this year its main aim was …

Iran has opened its first oil terminal in the Gulf of Oman, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday, to allow Iranian tankers to avoid using the strategically vulnerable Strait of Hormuz, which has been a focus of regional tension for decades. “This is a strategic move and an important step …

The US Senate on Wednesday passed a law banning the import of products from China’s Xinjiang region, the latest effort in Washington to punish Beijing for what US officials say is an ongoing genocide against Uighurs and other Muslim groups. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would create a “reprehensible …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday it was important to Turkey that Uyghur Muslims live in peace as “equal citizens of China” but said Turkey respects China’s national sovereignty. Erdogan made the comments during a phone call with Xi in which the two leaders …

Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said in a video posted on Saturday on the ministry’s Facebook page that BP was considering withdrawing from Iraq, and that Russia’s Lukoil had sent a formal notification saying it wanted to sell its stake in the West Qurna-2 field to Chinese companies. Abdul …

NATO leaders on Monday agreed to step up their collective defence “against all threats, from all directions,” according to their final statement. NATO said it would adapt to climate-reated security challenges, called on Russia to drop its designation of two allies – the United States and the Czech Republic – …

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey’s central bank had agreed with China to increase an existing currency swap facility to $6 billion from $2.4 billion, in a move that could boost foreign reserves. Turkey’s FX reserves plunged by 75% last year, raising concerns about a possible balance of …

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States and Russia on Friday to cut their nuclear arsenals, days before U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Geneva. Wang, addressing the U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament, said “unilateral bullying acts of the United States” were the root …

Microsoft Corp. on Friday blamed “accidental human error” for its Bing search engine not showing results for the query “tank man” in the United States and elsewhere after users raised concerns about possible censorship around the Tiananmen Square crackdown anniversary. Users, including in Germany and Singapore, reported Friday that when …

Solar panels against an alien landscape, ramps and rods pointing at the Martian horizon — China’s first probe on the Red Planet has beamed back its first “selfies” after its history-making landing last week. The Zhurong rover was carried into the Martian atmosphere in a lander on Saturday, in the …

Experts from both republics discussed measures to increase the potential of the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China transport corridor. Transport Minister of Uzbekistan Ilhom Makhkamov met with the Minister of Transport, Architecture, Construction and Communications of Kyrgyzstan Gulmira Abdraliyeva. The aim of the meeting was a rational and effective use of the possibilities of …

The United States on Monday again prevented the United Nations Security Council from issuing a public statement on worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants as the White House said it was pursuing “quiet, intensive diplomacy.” For the past week Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated on …

The digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Moro Hub, has signed an agreement with Huawei to build the largest solar-powered data center in the Middle East and Africa region. The data center, to be built at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park, will use 100 percent …

Major Chinese investors are in talks to buy a stake in Saudi Aramco 2222.SE, several sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as Saudi Arabia’s state oil firm prepares to sell another slice of its business to international investors. Saudi Arabia was in discussions to sell 1% of Aramco to a leading …

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. During the call, the two leader reviewed the recently announced Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative to combat environmental challenges in the region. The crown …

The United States and China, the world’s two biggest carbon polluters, have agreed to cooperate with other countries to curb climate change, just days before President Joe Biden hosts a virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue. The agreement was reached by US special envoy for climate John …

Envoys from China and Russia to the Iran nuclear talks said on Friday there had been progress in efforts to bring Iran and the United States back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and that all sides would reconvene next week. Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the …

Turkey called in China’s ambassador on Tuesday after his embassy said it had “the right to respond” to opposition leaders who criticised China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims three decades ago. The politicians, IYI Party leader Meral Aksener and Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas of the main opposition CHP, had marked what …

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Iran on Friday for a visit that Iranian state media said would see the signing of a 25-year cooperation agreement between the two countries, which are both under U.S sanctions. The accord, final details of which are yet to be announced, is expected …

Turkey raised the issue of Uighur Muslims during talks with China’s foreign minister in Ankara on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, as hundreds of Uighurs protested against the treatment of their ethnic kin in China. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Cavusoglu and later President Tayyip Erdogan, as …

The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials on Monday for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the first such coordinated Western action against Beijing under new U.S. President Joe Biden. Chinese territory of Xinjiang, Beijing hit back immediately with punitive measures against the EU …

Saudi Aramco will ensure China’s energy security remains its highest priority for the next 50 years and beyond as new and existing energy sources run in parallel for some time, CEO Amin Nasser told the China Development Forum on Sunday. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, retained its position …

Saudi scientists plan to study how cosmic rays affect the efficiency of solar cells used in satellites. The Saudi Space Commission has agreed with the China Manned Space Agency to implement a mission on board the Chinese Space Station (CSS) next year, SPA reported. It follows an invitation from the …

TikTok’s business arm is launching an academy for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to develop their understanding of the platform. It is the first-of-its-kind virtual educational platform from TikTok in the company’s Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region, which has been created specifically with SMBs and boutique agencies …

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, Kyung Cho noticed people sometimes gave him odd looks or asked if he spoke English. These days, Cho said, attitudes toward Asian-Americans like him have become far more hostile. “It’s gotten worse,” the 50-year-old handyman said as he shopped at an Asian grocery …

Pakistan on Thursday blocked the popular social media app TikTok after a court order over a complaint that it ran indecent content, a spokesman for the country’s telecoms regulator said. “The court has asked PTA to block access to TikTok,” Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) spokesman Khurram Mehran told Reuters, adding …

A Chinese court has ordered a man to pay his former wife 50,000 yuan ($7,700) as compensation for housework she did during their five-year marriage, state media reported on Wednesday. Under a landmark civil code that seeks to better protect the rights of individuals, spouses can seek compensation from their …

China has pledged to deliver 400,000 doses of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine to Afghanistan, Afghan officials said on Monday, in a boost for an immunisation campaign begun last week. “China’s ambassador to Kabul said in a meeting with health officials that his country would provide Afghanistan with 400,000 doses of COVID-19 …

China, under growing global pressure over its treatment of a Muslim minority in its far west, is mounting an unprecedented and aggressive campaign to push back, including explicit attacks on women who have made claims of abuse. As allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang mount, with a growing number …

The Dutch parliament on Thursday passed a non-binding motion saying the treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority in China amounts to genocide, the first such move by a European country. Activists and UN rights experts say at least one million Muslims are being detained in camps in the remote western …

The CEO and founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei called Tuesday for a reset with the United States under President Joe Biden, after the firm was battered by sanctions imposed by Donald Trump’s administration. In his first appearance before journalists in a year, Ren Zhengfei said his “confidence in Huawei’s …

Private social audio app Clubhouse is attracting masses of new users from mainland China, where the US app remains uncensored by authorities despite flourishing discussions on rights, national identity and other sensitive topics. Western social media apps including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are banned in China, where the local Internet …