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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Taipei, Taiwan (AFP) Taiwan announced plans for a record increase to its defence budget on Thursday after huge military drills by China earlier this month sent tensions between the two to their highest in decades. Taipei has proposed a defence budget of Tw$415.1 billion ($13.7 billion) for next year, up 13 percent year-on-year, pending parliamentary approval. An additional special budget will also be created specifically to acquire new fighter jets and other projects to boost […]
Storm, with int’l name Ma-on, makes landfall in Guangdong, China after hitting Hong Kong (Eagle News) – Storm “Florita” (international name Ma-on) left at least three people dead and four more injured, the country’s disaster agency said. The storm, which left the Philippines on Wednesday, August 24, has already made landfall in southern China’s Guangdong province. Storm Ma-on has a wind speed of 100 kilometers per hour. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A crippling drought exacerbated by a record heat wave has spread out across half of China and reached the normally frigid Tibetan Plateau, according to official data released ahead of more searing temperatures on Thursday. The world’s second-largest economy has been hit by heatwaves, flash floods and droughts — phenomena that scientists say are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Southern China has recorded its longest continuous […]
Hong Kong, China (AFP) A powerful typhoon was approaching southern China on Wednesday evening, prompting Hong Kong to issue its third highest storm warning as neighbouring Macau and other nearby coastal cities prepared for the prospect of a direct hit. Typhoon Ma-on — which shares a name with a mountain in Hong Kong and translates as “saddle” — was packing wind speeds of up to 110 kilometres (62 miles) per hour on Wednesday evening and […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s autumn harvest is under “severe threat” from high temperatures and drought, authorities have warned, urging action to protect crops in the face of the country’s hottest summer on record. The world’s second-largest economy has been hit by record temperatures, flash floods and droughts this summer — phenomena that scientists have warned are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Southern China in particular has recorded its longest sustained […]
