World Briefs

HONG KONG’s de facto central bank is bidding farewell to its chief after a decade, starting the search for a successor at a time when the city faces an outlook made uncertain by the slowing Chinese economy and the trade war with the U.S. 

CHINA Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Beijing yesterday on the latest stop of a sweep through Asia that seeks to boost relations with the kingdom’s neighbors amid frictions with the West. 

ISRAEL Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) is facing his most formidable challenge yet after his top rival teamed with another large opposition party to run together in Israel’s April 9 vote. Former military chief Benny Gantz’s new Israel Resilience party and ex-Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid announced their alliance yesterday.

USA Teachers in Oakland, California, went on strike in the country’s latest strike by educators over classroom conditions and pay. The city’s 3,000 teachers are demanding a 12 percent retroactive raise covering 2017 to 2020 to compensate for what they say are the among the lowest salaries for public teachers in an exorbitantly expensive area.

BELGIUM Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg (pictured) led a march of thousands of Belgian students who have skipped classes for the seventh Thursday in a row to march through Brussels and draw more attention to fighting climate change.

FRANCE Getting hip to breakdancing’s appeal with young audiences, organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics want the dance sport that spread from New York in the 1970s to become a medal event at the games. The final decision on which events make the cut will be made by the International Olympic Committee after the 2020 Tokyo Games.