Bangkok / AFP Thai prosecutors have charged a string of tour operators with ripping off Chinese tourists, police said on Thursday, as the kingdom cracks down on scams targeting their most lucrative visitors. China sends more people to Thailand than any other nation and tourism remains one of the few bright spots in the kingdom’s otherwise bleak economy. But complaints …

  Istanbul / AFP The Turkish central bank on Thursday announced it was hiking its main interest rate by 50 basis points, in a bid to counter a drastic fall in the value of the lira. The monetary policy committee of the bank said the one-week repurchasing rate was being lifted to 8.0 percent from 7.5 percent, the first rate hike …

  Beijing / AFP Coca-Cola workers in three Chinese cities have gone on strike after the US soft drinks giant announced it was selling its bottling interests in the country. Strikes and other labour protests have surged in recent years in China, where growth is slowing and parts of the economy are moribund. The beverage giant announced last week it was …