With extremists gone, booze is back in Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq - Rows of yellow-labeled whiskey bottles sit alongside imported French wines, while cans of Korean beer chill in the fridge: with Iraq's Mosul free of jihadists, the booze is back.

China and EU commit to further achievements

Business leaders and former senior officials from China and the European Union issued a joint statement on Friday calling for open, balanced and inclusive multilateralism and a rules-based trade and investment system.

Icelandic language fending off an English takeover

REYKJAVIK - Two centuries ago experts predicted that Icelandic would be a dead language by now. But the doomsayers can eat their words: Icelandic is alive and kicking despite an onslaught of English brought on by modern technology.

Students set on record with solar car journey

SYDNEY - A team of students left the Western Australian city of Perth on Saturday in an attempt to break the world record for traversing the continent with the lowest energy consumption in an electric car.

Straight-talking engineers attempt to right gravitationally challenged tower

PISA, Italy - "It's still straightening," said engineer Roberto Cela, gazing at the Leaning Tower of Pisa gleaming in the autumn sunshine of northern Italy. "And many years will have to pass before it stops."

Manufacturing PMI narrows in Nov

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index narrowed to 50 in November, the benchmark separating expansion from contraction, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday.

CRRC to step up efforts in overseas markets

China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the country's manufacturer of locomotives and rolling stock, will continue to bank on localized manufacturing, procurement, employment, services and management to drive growth in markets related to the Belt and Road Initiative, a senior executive said on Friday.

Yili to take control of Thai ice cream maker Chomthana

Dairy products maker Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co Ltd is planning to buy a 96.46 percent stake in Thailand-based ice cream and frozen foods manufacturer the Chomthana Co Ltd for $80.56 million to further expand its reach in the Southeast Asian markets.

GAC: Customs clearance times to be halved by 2021

The General Administration of Customs aims to cut average clearance times in half by the end of 2021, and implement more measures for speedier imports and exports, said an official on Friday.

IN BRIEF (Page 7)

UK hopeful of increased trade ties with nation

The United Kingdom is ready to work with China to foster inclusive growth and champion open trade at a time of shifting global balances, according to the newly-installed Lord Mayor of the City of London.

China Eastern expands fleet with next-generation Airbus

China Eastern Airlines took delivery of its first A350-900 airplane at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Friday, in its latest bid to capture flyers in the premium long-haul intercontinental flight market.