ASIA: Chinese leaders who attended the Central Economic Work Conference from Dec. 16 to 18 were buoyant about China’s relative successes, while remaining cautious on major changes to stimulus policies, CNBC reported according to state media. The annual gathering sets development priorities for the upcoming year. Analysts who followed the meeting said it provided little […]

ASIA: India has decided to put restrictions on some Chinese firms that make telecom equipment. The Narendra Modi government will make a list of trusted companies to buy the equipment from, which means that certain companies will have to face restrictions. So far, Chinese companies have dominated the telecom sector, but they will have to […]

ASIA: The major Asian stock markets had a mixed day today: NIKKEI 225 increased 49.27 points or 0.18% to 26,806.67 Shanghai increased 37.89 points or 1.13% to 3,404.87 Hang Seng increased 218.09 points or 0.82% to 26,678.38 ASX 200 increased 77.50 points or 1.16% to 6,756.70 Kospi decreased 1.36 points or -0.05% to 2,770.43 SENSEX […]

Q. My mother is in her late 80s. She received the flu vaccine this year, but I heard that it won’t be as effective because of her age. Is this true? A. The flu vaccine can be less effective in elderly adults. That’s because the flu vaccine works by priming the body’s own immune system to mount […]

ASIA: The US Congress has officially passed the USD 740 billion defense policy bill, which among other things, included calling out Chinese aggression against India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The US House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included key components of Indian-American […]

ASIA: China’s economic recovery broadened in November as both retail sales and industrial production growth accelerated, data released on Tuesday showed. Retail sales, a key indicator of consumption trends in the world’s most populous nation, grew by 5.0 percent from a year earlier, marking the fourth successive month of expansion. The November growth rate was […]

ASIA: Despite claims of an economic recovery, Chinese state-owned companies are defaulting on their debts. A string of missed debt repayments by major firms has shaken local as well as global markets. State firms defaulted on a record $6.1 billion worth of bonds between January and October, according to Fitch Ratings. That’s about as much […]

COMMENT FROM GERMANY: Back then during the days of the Berlin Wall, it was still possible to circumvent a wall with the audacity of some really bold guys…Today in a state of full surveillance it may be quite impossible…Certain virtues are totally gone. Today I am reading in DIE ZEIT the suggestion to make the vaccination […]

ASIA: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday it began revoking China Telecom’s authorization to operate in the United States as it took further steps to crack down on China’s role in US telecommunications. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai noted several US government agencies had recommended the revocation citing national security concerns. In April, […]

COMMENT: SERIOUSLY WE WILL BE LABELED AS TIN FOIL HAT NUTS NOT TO TAKE THE SHOT AND IF YOU OWN A BUSINESS WILL YOU BE SHUT DOWN BECAUSE ITS A PUBLIC PLACE! I KNOW RESTAURANT OWNERS. CK REPLY: There is little doubt that the career politicians have gotten together and decided that since they cannot […]