Author: Verified News Online

AdvertisementChina consumptionEconomyChina EconomyXi Jinping backs services sector to power China’s next growth phaseBeijing is counting on services to rebalance growth as it faces economic headwinds and demographic challenges
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFrank Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 9:30pm, 8 Apr 2026President Xi Jinping has signalled a renewed focus on China’s services sector, calling for a demand- and tech-led strategy to reshape growth and create jobs, as policymakers met to chart the path forward.
“The focus must be on demand-driven development and reforms as well as empowerment by technologies,” Xi said in a message to a two-day conference on the sector that concluded on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
Highlighting the role of services in tackling some of China’s biggest challenges, Xi said the sector had grown in scale and quality in recent years, supporting upgrades and people’s livelihoods and stabilising employment.
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AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranChinaDiplomacyWho is Asim Munir and why are Trump and Iran praising him?After stepping into the domestic spotlight last year, the Pakistani military chief is now emerging as a player in world affairs
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenOrange WangandVanessa Caiin ShanghaiPublished: 9:18pm, 8 Apr 2026Updated: 9:53pm, 8 Apr 2026As the United States and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire, Pakistan’s strongman military chief is emerging as a major diplomatic player on the international stage.When announcing the truce, both US President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed appreciation for the diplomatic efforts of Asim Munir.Munir, who last year became Pakistan’s first ever chief of defence forces, is widely seen as the most powerful man in the country.
AdvertisementAccording to one prominent Chinese analyst, Munir’s close ties with Trump gave him a unique advantage in de-escalating a conflict that has threatened to shake the global econom..

Kharg island
US-Israel targeted Kharg Island in a fresh wave of attacks on Tuesday, striking Iran’s key oil export hub as the conflict intensifies. Multiple explosions were reported on the island, with US officials indicating that military targets were hit, even as the strikes came just hours ahead of a deadline set by Donald Trump for Tehran to meet his demands or face broader action.The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel, with critical infrastructure increasingly coming under direct threat. Several key bridges were also targeted in the latest strikes.Why Kharg Island mattersLocated in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is the backbone of Iran’s oil export system, handling nearly 90 per cent of the country’s crude shipments. Oil is transported from mainland fields through pipelines and stored in large tank farms before being loaded onto very large tankers at the island’s deep-water jetties, an advantage Ira..

A Florida man who sold his home over a year ago was left stunned after discovering he was still being charged hundreds of dollars each month for insurance on the property.Eugene Boykins Jr., a resident of South Florida, continued paying around $600 a month in home insurance premiums for more than a year after selling his house in Miami Gardens. Despite informing his insurer at the time of the sale, the charges continued and cost him thousands of dollars.Boykins had lived in the house for three decades and said the property held deep personal meaning. “I raised my children there. My wife died in it … Great memories.” However, rising costs forced him to sell and move into a rental property on a fixed income. “I downsized plus the mortgage was getting so high. So I sold it,” he said.Although he moved on, the financial link to his old house remained. “I sold the house 13 months ago and I’m still paying insurance on it,” he said. He added: “I mean it’s just like me throwing my money up in t..

AdvertisementUS-EU relationsChinaDiplomacy‘Paper tiger’: what’s behind Donald Trump’s renewed Greenland threat?Europe is likely to stay neutral in the Iran war and could even benefit if America fares poorly in its military campaign, analyst says
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenFan ChenPublished: 10:00pm, 7 Apr 2026US President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to take Greenland when America is bogged down in a war with Iran will only deepen the fracture with Washington’s European allies, according to analysts.Trump has repeatedly criticised Europe since returning to the White House. He has derided Nato as a “paper tiger” that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not afraid of” and last week threatened to withdraw the US from the transatlantic security alliance.Europe, meanwhile, has pushed back and kept a distance from Trump as the US-Israel war on Iran continues in its sixth week, having plunged the world into an energy crisis and leaving European countries among the hardest hit.AdvertisementAccord..