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Potholes, a British obsession with a heavy price
Potholes, a British obsession with a heavy price
Economy
by  AFP

Dotting the asphalt, they come in various shapes and sizes, costing drivers a fortune in vehicle repairs and even lives. According to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, more than £14 billion is needed to fix a backlog of repairs in England and Wales.

Lab-grown diamonds put natural gems under pressure
Lab-grown diamonds put natural gems under pressure
Economy
by  AFP

The glittering diamonds sparkle the same but there are key differences: mined natural gems are more than a billion years old, while laboratory-made rocks are new and cost less than half the price. Man-made gems are reshaping the $89 billion global diamond jewellery market, especially in the west Indian city of Surat where 90 percent of the world's diamonds are cut and polished.

Made-in-China airliner seeks buyers at Singapore Airshow
Made-in-China airliner seeks buyers at Singapore Airshow
Economy
by  AFP

China's first domestically produced passenger jet was presented at Asia's biggest airshow, which opened in Singapore on Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to woo international buyers. Although the airshow is a good opportunity for Beijing to show off the C919, finding a big-name buyer will be hard, said aviation analyst Shukor Yusof of Singapore-based consultancy Endau Analytics.

China shares dip as central bank cuts key rate
China shares dip as central bank cuts key rate
Technology
by  AFP

Mainland China's shares fell on Tuesday as its central bank announced a record cut to a benchmark lending rate in a bid to boost its struggling economy. But both were down in early trade Tuesday, as the People's Bank of China announced it was lowering the five-year loan prime rate (LPR), used to price mortgages, from 4.2 to 3.95 percent.