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WiC 115 (Jul 15, 2011)

Got any plans for August 2?

China and the World, Talking Point Even if Washington avoids default, lessons will not be lost on…

When American schoolchildren learn the key dates in their national history, probably the best known is July 4, 1776 – when the 13 colonies declared ...

Stock driven down

Auto Industry Buffett’s BYD needs to rediscover fifth gear

It all sounds a little counter-intuitive. On June 30, carmaker BYD Auto lists on the Shenzhen stock exchange and on its first day the stock jumps 41%. ...

Reaching for the Finnish line

Telecoms Nokia’s iron grip on China handset market has started to slip…

Nokia wasn’t always a handset maker. In earlier days it tried its hand at everything from toilet paper to televisions. It wasn’t until the 1990s ...

Price to be paid?

China Ink More inflation data from June. Is the worst over? Domestic and…

No need to panic? Inflation hit 6.4% last month, the highest it’s been in three years and well above the official 4% target. ...

Energy & Resources Pressure is mounting for China to increase its exports of rare…

You’ve probably never heard of dysprosium. But as a material essential in the making of smartphones, you’ll likely have some in your ...

Taking their toll

Rail & Infrastructure Why China’s local governments view their roads as vital revenue tools

Warren Buffett says that the best place to put your money is ‘toll bridges’. Local government officials across China appear to agree with the ...

Rigging the news

Environment Oil spill cover-up draws angry comments from Chinese media

When it comes to PR disasters, Tony Hayward’s “I’d like my life back” gaffe will take some topping. With 11 deaths reported from the ...

Rail & Infrastructure China’s reputation for building roads hits setback

Built just nine years after Spartacus was defeated by the Roman legions in the mountains of southern Italy, the brick and limestone Ponte Fabricio ...

China and the World Ecuador’s finances are in hock to Beijing

Who wants to be a lender of last resort nowadays? Not the Germans, it seems, who are fed up with the continuing requests to bail out their more ...

Galloping ahead

Media & Gaming Li Ming is cashing-in on China’s cinema boom

Here’s a stat likely to resonate with Hollywood studio execs: China is adding new cinemas at the pace of three screens a day, faster than any other ...

Sport Basketball giant Yao Ming to retire

The end of the ‘Ming’ Dynasty? Yao Ming, China’s basketball icon, is rumoured to have decided to retire. According to a report from Yahoo Sports, ...

Entertainment Propaganda movie struggles

It seems like China’s latest propaganda flick Beginning of the Great Revival (initially called The Founding of a Party) needs a ...

Who’s Hu Li Jinyuan

Hebei-born Li Jinyuan dropped out of school at the age of 14 to become one of the youngest workers at an oil field in the province. Two years later, he ...

Pregnant question

Planet China Mr and Mrs Zhang had been trying for a child for…

Mr and Mrs Zhang had been trying for a child for three years, but unsuccessfully. And when they visited a hospital it soon became clear why. The couple ...

No smile for the camera

Cartoons No smile for the camera

A case of tit-for-tat? You can hardly blame Chinese media for hitting out at the municipality of Chongqing’s decision to ‘buy American’. The ...

Guilty admissions

And Finally Universities employ dirty tricks to lure top talent

In the Oscar-nominated movie The Blind Side, a series of US college football coaches visit the home of star player Michael Oher. They compete to lure ...