Kavanaugh accuser agrees to testify

WASHINGTON - The woman whose sexual assault allegation threatens to bring down US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee has agreed to testify in the Senate, her lawyers said on Saturday, setting up a dramatic showdown next week. Christine Blasey Ford's decision followed days of negotiations and came after Trump turned against her and said her accusation could not be true.

Spam: From ashes of war to holiday gift

JINCHEON, South Korea - From the front lines of war to a staple of institutional catering, Spam is rarely seen as a gourmet ingredient - but the canned pink meat holds a unique position in South Korea as a top-selling gift.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Man of many words

For a man who grew up in a remote border village in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Zhang Mingzhou's career has been nothing short of extraordinary.

A Senegalese businessman's road to success from Yiwu

HANGZHOU - Sourakhata Tirera's office in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, stands right beside the well-known international trade city, the world's biggest hub for small commodities.

Premier Li's promise of support can ease the worries of private sector

IN HIS KEYNOTE SPEECH at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin on Wednesday, Premier Li Keqiang vowed to improve the policies for the private economy, and take more measures to support it by removing all irrational hindrances to its development and making greater efforts to open the promised sectors to private companies. Beijing News comments:

Vital to maintain order on public transport vehicles

ON WEDNESDAY, a female passenger on a high-speed train, G6078, occupied the window seat even though her ticket was for the aisle seat. She quarreled with the conductor when the latter asked her to shift to her allotted seat. Thepaper.cn comments:

By winning party polls, Abe raises both hope and fear

He has long sought to revise Japan's pacifist Constitution ignoring the strong domestic and international opposition. And now that he has been re-elected leader of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which paves the way for him to serve as Japan's prime minister for another three years, he may try to push forward what critics call Japan's "remilitarization" plan.

Good news for personal income taxpayers

SOME GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS are reportedly busy drafting detailed rules on the deduction of housing mortgage interest or rent from the taxable income of individuals. Guangming Daily comments:

Speculation and suspicion certainly not diplomacy

Several recent events are reportedly gnawing worrywarts in New Delhi:

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Let Annan's legacy always inspire us

Since the shock of former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan's death, I have been reflecting on what made him so special.