China flexes naval muscles; holds live-fire drill in Taiwan strait

China held live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday but Taipei dismissed the exercises as "routine" after expected large-scale naval manoeuvres failed to materialise.

Beijing had announced the drills last week, further ramping up tensions following stark warnings against any independence moves by the self-ruled island which China sees as its sovereign territory.

Vessels had been told to avoid a certain area off the Chinese mainland's coast, triggering speculation that a flotilla spearheaded by China's sole aircraft carrier would take part in the exercise.

But Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday that the drills only involved land-based artillery conducting "routine" shooting practice.

Beijing has yet to release any information about the drill, which Chinese authorities had said would run until midnight, without giving any details about which military equipment or personnel would be involved.

"China deliberately released fake information to exaggerate it, to make it sound huge when in fact it's small," Taiwanese defence ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said.

China's Jan-Feb industrial growth picks up, but pace slower than 2017

Profits at China's industrial firms picked up pace in the first two months of the year from December but still lagged growth for the whole of 2017, backing expectations the world's second-biggest economy is set to cool as Beijing clamps down on debt risks.

Slowing earnings grsowth, following a six-year high last year, could deter investment and put further pressure on China's stock markets which have taken a knock in recent sessions on growing fears of a trade war with the United States.

Weaker earnings could also complicate Beijing's campaign to reduce a mountain of debt amassed by its state-owned giants, which dominate its heavy industries.

Industrial profits rose 16.1 percent year-on-year to 968.9 billion yuan ($154.57 billion) in the first two months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday.

That compared with a 10.8 percent increase in December, though it lagged the 21.0 percent jump for 2017 as a whole, the fastest pace since 2011, as a construction boom boosted prices of building materials from steel bars to copper pipes and cement.

Muslims offer prayers in Kandy under Sri Lankan Army protection

Sri Lankan troops today guarded mosques and facilitated Friday prayers as authorities stepped up security in the violence-hit Muslim neighbourhoods in Kandy district after four days of riots that have left at least two people dead. Several homes, businesses and mosques in the hilly Kandy district have been damaged in anti-Muslim riots, since Monday. The violence erupted after the death of a Buddhist Sinhalese man last week. To rein in communal violence, a state of emergency has been imposed by President Maithripala Sirisena's government.

A large number of Muslim-owned businesses in the island nation remained shut in protest against attacks by mainly Buddhist Sinhalese, but some shops in the Muslim neighbourhood opened today.
Army personnel and police constables patrolled outside mosques in Kandy where prayers were offered in open grounds in many places because mosques had been burnt or vandalised.
About 3,000 police, 2,500 army personnel and 750 special task forces have been deployed in Kandy to bring the situation under control.

"There were no incidents during the Friday prayers," a police official said, adding that investigators had stepped up the search for those who took part in the violence. 

Curfew temporarily lifted in Sri Lankan city of Kandy

The Sri Lankan Police on Thursday temporarily lifted the curfew in Kandy district, imposed following deadly communal clashes which left three dead and several injured.

A police official told Xinhua news agency that with the heavy security presence in the district, tensions had eased with no major incidents reported on Wednesday night.

The curfew, which was in place since Sunday evening, was lifted at 10 a.m. but would be re-imposed at 6 p.m., in order to maintain law and order, the official added.

Saudi Prince discusses economy on Egypt trip; pledges to invest $10 bn

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued a visit to Egypt today focused on economic cooperation, with Riyadh agreeing a $10 billion investment with Cairo for a futuristic mega city project.

Prince Mohammed accompanied Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to review construction projects near the Suez Canal before boarding a boat with the president to tour the waterway.
A Saudi government source said the two countries had agreed to set up a joint $10 billion fund to develop areas of Egypt linked to the NEOM project.

The $500 billion NEOM mega city, unveiled by Prince Mohammed last year, is planned to be a biotech and digital hub spread over 26,500 square kilometres (10,000 square miles) in an area facing Jordan and Egypt.

Prince William to make 1st official royal visit to Palestinian Territories

will become the first British royal to make an official visit to Israel and Palestinian territories later this year, Kensington Palace announced today, in a significant diplomatic move.
The Duke of Cambridge will visit the Palestinian Territories as part of a wider tour of the Middle East, which includes Israel and Jordan, in the summer.
William, 35, third in line to the British throne, will travel without his wife and children, with further details of the visit to be unveiled at a later stage.
"The visit is at the request of Her Majesty's Government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities.

Further details will be announced in due course," Kensington Palace said in a statement.
The visit, seen as a significant diplomatic move, is designed to promote cultural and diplomatic ties with the region, with William expected to spend some time with senior politicians and visit local charities.

China shares slip on uncertainty over unlimited rule for Xi Jinping

Chinese stocks slipped today despite gains in most other world markets as uncertainty lingered over the removal of term limits for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Shanghai Composite sank 1.1 per cent to close at 3,292.07, while Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 0.7 per cent to finish at 31,268.66.

Benchmarks elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 and Japan's Nikkei 225 ending higher but South Korea's Kospi slightly lower.

European shares rose in early trading but futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street, a day after the Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq gained more than 1 per cent.
Investors are still mulling the implications of the decision by China's Communist Party to scrap presidential term limits, ensuring party chief Xi Jinping can remain head of state indefinitely and setting the stage for him to become the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Maldives crisis: President Yameen refuses UN General-Secy's mediation offer

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has turned down UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' offer to mediate between him and the opposition in the ongoing political crisis, Guterres's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

"He offered to the President (Yameen) UN mediation but the President conveyed that mediation was not wanted at this stage," Haq said on Wednesday.

Asked about Maldives extending the state of emergency that was set to expire on Wednesday for another 30 days, he said: "The Secretary-General is following the situation in the Maldives closely and with concern."

The crisis in the island nation began on February 1 when the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the terrorism conviction of former president Mohamed Nasheed as well as that of eight other politicians on several charges.

China upgrades combat air capability in Tibet to counter 'India threat'

In wake of the Chinese military releasing pictures of its fighter jets flying over Tibet, a military specialist on Tuesday said China was upgrading its Western Theatre Command so as to confront "any threat from India".

According to Global Times, the photographs show a J-10 and J-11 fighter jets conducting aerial combat training exercises on February 13, two days before Spring Festival and it cited Chinese military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping as saying it was significant for China to strengthen control of airspace over the mountainous region.

"Strengthening the 3.5-generation fighter jets or even stationing more advanced fighters in the Western Theatre Command has been urgent for the PLA (People's Liberation Army)," Song said.

Since India has 3rd-generation fighter jets, China's stationing of its 3.5-generation jets would be able to "deal with any current threat from India", he said.

"With India importing new jets, China will continue strengthening its fighter jets in the Western Theatre Command."

The Western Theatre Command is mainly tasked with the responsibility to maintain security on the border areas with India.