Bank of China (BOC) is planning to raise additional capital by selling new shares in Hong Kong after its 40 billion yuan ($5.9 billion) convertible bond sale on the mainland, analysts said yesterday
The nation’s third largest lender by market value is likely to sell only its H-shares traded in Hong Kong, and is yet to [...]

World Bank economists yesterday warned about the risks of asset bubbles in China even as the government tries to hold back excessive lending and keep prices stable.
Asset price inflation, or increases in housing prices in particular, is potentially “very dangerous” for China because they are self-reinforcing, made possible by “very cheap credit”, said Hans Timmer, [...]

China published new targets for the reduction of major pollutants yesterday as it ran into the final year to realize its green goals.
The country will meet its binding targets to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), the major cause of air pollution, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) – the main indicator of water pollution – [...]

The performance of China’s women’s volleyball team last year, under the guidance of new coach Cai Bin, let the side’s legions of fans down.However, the comeback of legendary coach Lang Ping provided a massive boost to the domestic league.
The season started with the greatly-anticipated appointment of the head coach of the national squad in March. [...]

MELBOURNE – World number three Novak Djokovic and U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro kicked off their Australian Open preparations with easy first-round wins at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Del Potro cruised to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, before Serbian Djokovic made light work of experienced German Tommy Haas [...]

China’s Jiang Yaohuan, driving a Chery Rely X5, continued his fine form, finishing Tuesday’s 10th stage in 3:34:11 to claim 20th place. Jiang was 19th in the previous two stages.
In the overall standings, Jiang remains 34th with a time of 64:30:21.
The leading Chinese driver overall remains six-time Dakar Rally veteran Lu Ningjun. Lu, also driving [...]

China is still suffering from a coal shortage during the ongoing cold weather and electricity rationing has continued in five provinces and municipalities.
As of Sunday, coal reserves in 598 major power plants were decreasing and were only enough to last for nine days. Coal storage in 205 power plants will last for seven days, an [...]

Bilateral trade between China and Saudi-Arabia could “far exceed” the goal of $60 billion by 2015 and further strengthen trade ties with the Middle Eastern region, said experts yesterday.
During his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the world’s major oil exporter and also the largest oil supplier to China, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said “both [...]

Country won’t seek reprieve for smugglers sentenced to death
The Philippines will not intercede on behalf of any of its citizens who have been sentenced to death in China for smuggling drugs, a spokesperson for the country’s top anti-narcotics body told China Daily Monday.
“They violated the law in China, so we’ll follow the Chinese law,” Carreon [...]

LONDON – It takes guts to put on an opera in a working man’s pub in an Irish part of London, but the Cock Tavern Theater Company’s production of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” in English and updated to today, has audiences mesmerized.
A very brief interlude of pole dancing may have something to do with it.
That perhaps [...]