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BEIJING, China (AFP) — Millions of people in areas surrounding China’s capital were ordered into lockdown Tuesday, with authorities doubling down on efforts to contain Covid-19 ahead of a key ruling Communist Party meeting this year. Nearly four million people in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, were ordered to stay home until the end of the week as officials rush to curb a small virus flare-up. And more than 13 million in the neighboring port […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taipei and Beijing have traded barbs over a recent string of drone sorties that have flown from the Chinese mainland to an outlying Taiwanese island, some surveilling military outposts. Photos and video taken by Chinese drones of the Kinmen islands have been circulating on both Taiwan and Chinese social media, with one video showing Taiwanese soldiers hurling rocks at one to drive it off. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese police have arrested more than 200 suspects linked to one of the country’s biggest-ever banking scandals, which triggered rare mass protests. Four banks in central China’s Henan province suspended cash withdrawals in April as regulators cracked down on mismanagement, freezing the funds of hundreds of thousands of customers and sparking protests that at times ended in violence. Police said Monday they had now arrested 234 people in connection with […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The IMF board on Monday approved an agreement to revive a massive loan program for Pakistan, as the country grapples with devastating monsoon flooding that has worsened an economic crisis. The Washington-based crisis lender will release $1.1 billion to the country immediately, and has added an additional $500 million to the total size of the package, bringing it to about $6.5 billion. In addition, the International Monetary Fund agreed to […]
Beijing, China (AFP) The southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan downgraded emergency energy supply measures on Monday, restoring power to some factories after weeks of rolling blackouts due to a heatwave-induced shortage. Parts of Sichuan province and neighbouring Chongqing saw rainfall and lower temperatures beginning Sunday, after weeks of record temperatures higher than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and a crippling drought that strained hydropower generators throughout the region. “Reservoir water levels are gradually increasing and the […]
Sukkur, Pakistan (AFP) by Ashraf KHAN Tens of millions of people across swathes of Pakistan were Monday battling the worst monsoon floods in a decade, with countless homes washed away, vital farmland destroyed, and the country’s main river threatening to burst its banks. Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said a third of the country was under water, creating a “crisis of unimaginable proportions”. Officials say 1,061 people have died since June when the seasonal […]
Hong Kong, China (AFP) An unarmed Hong Kong man who was shot by police during democracy protests three years ago was convicted on Monday of multiple charges — including trying to steal the firearm that struck him. Chow Pak-kwan, 23, was shot at point-blank range by a traffic officer outside a subway station in November 2019 when protesters had called a citywide strike. The shooting was captured on a live Facebook broadcast. It showed the […]
by Ashraf KHAN Agence France-Presse SUKKUR, Pakistan (AFP) — A huge relief operation was under way Monday and international aid began trickling in as Pakistan struggled to deal with monsoon flooding that has affected more than 33 million people. Officials said 1,061 people have died since June when the seasonal rains began, but the final toll could be higher as hundreds of villages in the mountainous north have been cut off by flood-swollen rivers washing […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two United States warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the American navy said, the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island. In a statement, the US Navy said the transit “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Tensions in the Taiwan Strait soared to their highest level in years this month after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited […]
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — The death toll from monsoon flooding in Pakistan since June has reached 1,033, according to figures released Sunday by the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). It said 119 people had died in the previous 24 hours as heavy rains continued to lash parts of the country. The annual monsoon is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but each year it also brings […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea said Friday that the fever cases it detected earlier this week were found to be influenza, and not a Covid-19 resurgence as initially suspected. The state media announcement came a day after authorities said they had locked down parts of Ryanggang province — which borders China — after finding four new “fever” cases there. North Korea refers to “fever patients” rather than “Covid patients” in case reports, apparently […]
by Amber WANG Agence France-Presse TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — US Senator Marsha Blackburn landed in Taiwan late Thursday, the fourth visit by an American politician this month and a move bound to rile Beijing, which has staged huge military drills to protest such trips. Tensions between China and the United States have soared to their highest level in decades since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit triggered Beijing’s unprecedented show of force around the island earlier […]
