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BAODING, China (AFP) — A decade ago the plight of former champion gymnast Zhang Shangwu shocked China and made world headlines when he was discovered begging in Beijing, prompting one of the country’s richest men to give him a job. That should have heralded a turnaround for the troubled Zhang, who had been imprisoned for theft after injury ended his gymnastics career. But after another stint in jail, Zhang is again making a living […]
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday detained two people after a huge fire gutted a historic factory in Saint Petersburg, as firefighters continued putting out the blaze. On Monday, a fire broke out over several floors of the red-brick Nevskaya Manufaktura building in Russia’s second city. The inferno killed one firefighter and left two more hospitalised with serious burns. The fire continued burning into Tuesday over an area of 500 square metres (5,381 […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people scrambled to get the last trains, buses and ferries out of Dhaka on Tuesday before a nationwide transport shutdown to halt the spread of coronavirus took hold. With new cases and deaths hitting record numbers, Bangladesh’s government has ordered all offices and shops to close for eight days from 6.00 am (midnight GMT) on Wednesday. The country will become virtually cut off with all international flights […]
by Glenda KWEK Agence France Presse India has authorised emergency use of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, the health ministry said Tuesday, as infection rates soar to record highs and some major cities boost their hospital bed capacity. Sputnik V is the third vaccine to be approved by India after the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot and Covaxin, which was developed by Indian firm Bharat Biotech. The recommendations of an expert panel (SEC) had been accepted to […]
TOKYO, Japan Japan’s government on Tuesday approved a plan to release more than one million tons of treated water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, in a controversial decision that follows years of debate. The release, which is not likely to begin for several years and could take decades to complete, has sparked concern in neighbouring countries and faces fierce opposition from local fishing communities and anti-nuclear activists. Japan’s government argues […]
MUMBAI, India (AFP) — India on Monday overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections and Bangladesh halted international flights and shut offices as a new wave battered South Asia. The region — home to almost a quarter of the world’s population — has been hit by soaring infection rates in recent weeks. India reported a new daily record of more than 168,000 cases on Monday to take the total toll […]
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India on Sunday banned the export of remdesivir as infections soared to a new daily high and hospitals grappled with increasing demand for the coronavirus treatment drug. The vast nation has experienced a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, adding 152,000 new cases on Sunday to take the toll to 13.3 million infections. The health ministry said the surge in cases has led to a “sudden spike in […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A security guard was wounded in a bomb blast outside a military-owned bank in Myanmar’s second-biggest city Sunday morning, as the civilian death toll from the junta’s brutal crackdown on dissent topped more than 700 at the weekend. The country has been in turmoil since the military removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. Myawaddy Bank’s biggest branch in Mandalay was targeted on Sunday morning and a security […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — At least seven people were killed after a 6.0 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s main Java island Saturday, as the country reels from a cyclone disaster in another part of the archipelago. The afternoon quake hit offshore about 45 kilometres southwest of Malang city in East Java, damaging hundreds of homes as well as schools, government offices and mosques across the region. “Our latest data shows that […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong on Friday confirmed it has requested AstraZeneca suspend delivery of its Covid-19 vaccine amid fears of severe side effects and concerns over its efficacy against new variants of the coronavirus. Europe’s medicines regulator said this week the AstraZeneca vaccine could cause very rare blood clots in some recipients, prompting a cascade of countries to pull the plug on giving it to people under a certain age. Britain sought […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s government approved tighter coronavirus measures for the capital and other areas on Friday, weeks after lifting a state of emergency and with just over 100 days until the postponed Tokyo Olympics. The new restrictions are far less severe than the blanket lockdowns seen in other countries and mainly call for restaurants and bars to close at 8 pm, with the threat of fines for those that do not. They are […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A leading Myanmar actor, singer and model who has backed the country’s anti-coup protests was arrested on Thursday, his sister said, as the junta hunts more than 100 celebrities for supporting the movement. The country has been rocked by daily protests since the military seized power on February 1, and the authorities have launched a bloody crackdown on dissent, with hundreds killed and more than 2,500 arrested. Paing Takhon, 24 […]
