• Cina

    Big but brittle

    THE HEAD OFFICE of Sheyang Rural Commercial Bank is a reassuringly solid building. Its grey stone façade and arched doorways convey a feeling of prosperity, a splash of high finance in this small county town in eastern China where grain fields nip at the edges of factories. But look a ...

  • Cina

    Dark and stormy

    AFTER LI HUI’S husband died in a car accident a decade ago, she received an insurance payout of 800,000 yuan. The money could not begin to make up for his loss, but Ms Li, a soft-spoken pensioner, thought it would at least help tide her over for the rest of ...

  • USA

    Stay with me

    Room for a few more HOTEL companies check out well just now. On May 3rd Hyatt became the latest chain to report sunny results—profits were up by 55% over the same quarter in 2015. In America RevPAR (revenue divided by rooms available in a given period) has risen for the past ...

  • Cina

    Parks of recreation

    WHEN Disney opens its newest theme park in Shanghai next month, one of the first sights to greet visitors will be the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Its gold finials and blue spires will tower 60 metres above the centre of the park, making the castle the largest in any of Disney’s ...

  • Cina

    Growing, wildly

    THE duty of large corporations is “not limited to ‘not being evil’”, argues People’s Daily, the bombastic mouthpiece of China’s Communist Party. The newspaper desires greater social responsibility at China’s internet-search firms. It apparently wants them actively to “stand up for the company’s ethics”. The publication’s wrath centres on Baidu, China’s ...

  • Regno Unito

    What do the Foxes say?

    IN FOOTBALLING terms, Claudio Ranieri, an affable Italian, has found a way to turn water into wine. Mr Ranieri manages a club in England, Leicester City, which historically has not been very good. On May 2nd his team were crowned champions of the English Premier League, a competition more watched ...

  • Cina

    Alibaba Sales Up 39% on Increased Consumer Spending in China

    The e-commerce giant said a revenue surge showed the power of the Chinese consumer, even as it faces the longer-term challenge of that country’s slowdown.

  • Cina Hong Kong

    KFC, With New Nail Polish, Redefines Chicken Fingers

    As part of a marketing campaign in Hong Kong, the chicken chain is offering lickable, edible nail polish in two flavors: Original, and Hot and Spicy.

  • Cina

    Sinosphere: Q. and A.: Arthur R. Kroeber on ‘China’s Economy’

    The managing director of Gavekal Dragonomics discusses the role of innovation and China’s potential for growth.

  • India

    India intends to confiscate overseas assets of wilful defaulters

    The new framework would help in improving India's position in the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking