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A research project about changes in family life over three generations has found that traditional values still play a key role in sexual relations in China, and women often struggle amid tensions between old and new.One of the areas of conflict is what researcher Liu Jieyu has called a “virginity battle”.Influenced by Western liberal attitudes, many younger Chinese men are open to premarital sex, and they often pressure their girlfriends to have sex while dating, according to Liu’s new book, Embedded Generations: Family Life and Social Change in Contemporary China, published on November 25.On the other hand, men still want…

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s trip to China this week signals a mutual desire to resume high-level dialogue amid mounting economic and geopolitical tensions, according to analysts.But they cautioned that the visit, which could lay the groundwork for a trip by Chancellor Friedrich Merz early next year, should be viewed as pragmatic management of a complex “systemic rivalry”, rather than a major reset in Beijing’s relations with Berlin or Brussels.For Germany, securing access to Chinese critical minerals – vital for its automotive and renewable industries – is a top priority, alongside seeking China’s diplomatic influence regarding the war in Ukraine,…

In the tumultuous days before Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew clung to the hope that the city could still be part of the federal government under a looser arrangement, but his deputy had no desire to pursue this ideal.While Lee was conflicted and even wavered at the eleventh hour when he asked then Malaysian prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman if he was certain there was no alternative, Goh Keng Swee, widely regarded as the architect of modern Singapore, was convinced a clean break was needed.The differences between both men were recounted by Senior…

The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Peshawar, has seized smuggled goods worth an estimated Rs74.4 million in a series of coordinated operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said on Sunday. In the largest action, the Enforcement Division in D.I. Khan intercepted three trucks carrying 12,200 kg of smuggled betel nuts, 4,021 sleeves of foreign-origin cigarettes, and 170 tyres. The goods and vehicles, valued at Rs54.5 million, were taken into custody. Customs officials in D.I. Khan also confiscated non-duty-paid cosmetics, including creams, lotions, shampoos, and petroleum jelly, recovered from passenger vehicles. The seized items are valued at Rs2.4…

South Africa, China’s largest trade partner in the continent, and other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) members are suffering from an unforeseen barrier to enjoying Beijing’s zero-tariff policy.SACU customs deals are negotiated collectively among the five member states, which means none can unilaterally benefit from the preferential tariff exemption.John Steenhuisen, South Africa’s minister of agriculture, said in a recent interview that duty-free access to China had been rendered “quite complicated” as the country is part of SACU, whose other members are Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia.SACU’s collective bargaining agreement prevents individual members from accessing Beijing’s zero-tariff deal, so the exclusion of…

MILAN (AP) — Milan’s storied Teatro alla Scala celebrates its gala season premiere Sunday with a Russian opera for the second time since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. But this year, instead of drawing protests for showcasing the invader’s culture, a flash mob will demonstrate for peace.La Scala’s music director Riccardo Chailly will conduct Dmitry Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” for the gala season opener that draws luminaries from culture, business and politics for one of the most anticipated events of the European cultural calendar. Shostakovich’s 1934 opera highlights the condition of women in Stalin’s Soviet Union, and was blacklisted…

The International Monetary Fund’s Executive Board will meet on Dec 8 to review Pakistan’s request for a $1.2 billion disbursement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), according to the Fund’s updated schedule. Pakistan and the IMF reached a staff-level agreement in October after negotiations in Karachi, Islamabad, and Washington. The deal, covering reviews of both the EFF and RSF, requires board approval before funds can be released. Clearance would unlock about $1.2 billion, roughly $1 billion under the EFF and $200 million through the RSF. Separately, IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li praised…

Vijay Andrews arrived in Singapore determined to compete again.The 32-year-old Indian fitness coach had spent months recovering from an injury that kept him out of New Delhi’s July Hyrox fitness competition. So when he learned there would be another edition in Singapore in November, he seized the opportunity.“Singapore was geographically the closest country where a Hyrox was soon happening,” Andrews said. “I love travelling and I love fitness, so it worked out very well for me.”He was one of more than 2,200 international competitors who came to the city state to take part in the event at Singapore Expo on…

They promise consistency, cost savings and the speed demanded by modern life. But in a culture that reveres freshness and the wok hei benchmark for Chinese dishes, the rapid rise of industrially processed pre-made meals has stirred a heated debate – and simmering anger.The recent public outcry has been driven not by food safety fears, but by a perceived lack of transparency.Diners at restaurants are increasingly incensed about paying premium prices for reheated factory packets served without disclosure – a practice many view as a breach of trust. At its heart, the controversy represents a collision between China’s ancient culinary…

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Nobel week was underway in Stockholm and Oslo with laureates holding news conferences and lectures before they will be awarded the prestigious prizes. Hungarian László Krasznahorkai, who won the Prize in literature for his surreal and anarchic novels that combine a bleak world view with mordant humor, was expected to give a lecture in Stockholm on Sunday in one of his rare public appearances.When the Nobel judges announced the award in October, they described the 71-year-old as “a great epic writer” whose work “is characterized by absurdism and grotesque excess.” “Krasznahorkai’s work can be seen as part…