China, Singapore ink pacts

China and Singapore signed three cooperation agreements in Beijing on Friday as leaders of the two nations pledged to elevate their 25-year-old diplomatic relationship to a higher level.

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• 87 Beijing companies promise investment
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• Recruitment of tobacco control volunteers begins
• IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Free stocks from $10-trillion roller-coaster

Both the volatility and the three-week index dive in Chinese stock markets have been beyond the wildest imagination of most investors and should prompt the country's policymakers to take immediate and effective measures to preempt panic in the stock market.

• Social welfare can help left-behind kids in rural areas
• A credit rating service with a difference
• AIIB reflects China's constructive role

Wealth fund posts lower returns

The overseas investment returns of the nation's sovereign wealth fund sank last year amid a fragile world economy and soft commodity prices, according to figures released on Friday.

• IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Adoption agency traded babies

At a closed adoption agency on the fringes of India's capital, kidnapped toddlers and newborns were once being sold for about $8,000 each, no questions asked.

• Cargo ship successfully launched into space
• Extreme heat brings earlier fruit harvest
• Solar-powered flight breaks world record
• Farmers use wastewater from oil companies to irrigate crops
• Voters swing to 'yes' camp as crucial decision looms
• Hard-hit firms grind to a halt
• Country's neighbors also feeling the pinch
• More troops deployed on Syrian border
• IN BRIEF (Page 9)

Destiny and desperation on the line

The prospect of leading his country to a first major title in 22 years is driving Lionel Messi as Argentina meets Chile in a clash of golden generations in Saturday's Copa America final.

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• Lillard hits jackpot with Blazers
• Hewitt hungry to mentor next generation
• Digest
• Score board
• Nadal insists 'it's not the end'
• Brown brings breath of fresh air
• Federer pines for colorful past
• On the sidelines
• What they said

Growing up on swings

How a 7-year-old Beijinger is quickly becoming one of its most prolific golfers

• A hole-in-one at 6 years old
• Increase in the number of children who hit the fairways

Landing punchlines in the home of kung fu

Irish stand-up comedian's life in China as a waiter and dating show contestant inspires hit comedy show

• In booming Berlin, Sunday gardeners face off against developers

Bollywood and bonhomie

Indian movie makers look to compete for greater attention from Chinese audiences after a recent success

• Show explores range, imagination of Heatherwick design

Cuba's pristine and protected coral reefs

The remote Peninsula of Guanahacabibes could become a destination of note for divers

• Check out Tucson's scenic Sabino Canyon
• Cyclists find scenic escapes on back roads outside Portland
• Vienna dreaming
• If you go

The sphinx in china? no, it's a replica zhu lixin

Best bets

The 2015 Lhasa Travel Photos Contest and Lhasa Tourism Product Design Contest

• Listings
• The loser can be hard to foresee

Ties still strong between China and Singapore

Singapore-China ties will remain strong even after the death of the nation's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, said President Tony Tan Keng Yam, after he became the second Singaporean leader to accept an honorary doctorate from China.

• Profile: Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam
• Guangzhou Knowledge City starts to take shape

Making the right moves

As helmsman of China's most profitable hotel, Rainer Burkle, the general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, said his biggest challenge is the city's weather.

• Hilton still keen to expand in China
• Maison Albar has global ambitions for its Golden Era
• Roundup