The death toll from China’s earthquake has risen to 131, with almost 1,000 people injured, as rescuers dig through rubble in below freezing conditions. The magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck just before midnight on Monday, in Jishishan county near the border of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, destroying or damaging more than 150,000 homes, according to state media. The quake, which was followed by several strong aftershocks, caused mud and landslides, and damaged power lines and other local infrastructure “to varying degrees”. On Wednesday morning authorities said the official death toll had risen…
Day: December 19, 2023
Earthquake rescue operation in Gansu ‘basically over’, focus now on treating and housing survivors: provincial authorities
Earlier, rescuers from the fire brigade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and civilian rescue teams were gathering for operations amid the low temperatures brought on by a cold snap. The lowest temperature in Jishishan county, where the quake struck, was around minus 14 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night. A report by Shanghai-based media outlet The Paper on Wednesday said there was a severe shortage of tents needed to accommodate displaced residents. Over 120 dead and hundreds hurt after earthquake strikes Gansu in China The Ministry of Emergency Management, which is…
Supply squeeze helps copper prices buck tough year for base metals
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Family of political prisoner describes his ordeal behind bars
A Vietnamese prisoner-of-conscience who once worked for Radio Free Asia has been a frequent target of inmates in the notorious Prison No. 5 in the northern province of Thanh Hoa, his family told RFA. “Since his arrival at Prison No. 5, he has been held in cell block K1. It’s not a solitary confinement area, but he has had to share the cell with two or sometimes three inmates, some of whom showed signs of mental illness,” his wife, Le Bich Vuong, told RFA Vietnamese shortly after visiting him. “They…
Anti-junta forces set up satellite-based internet service in 60 areas
Anti-junta forces have set up satellite-based internet access in more than 60 areas under their control in the Sagaing and Magway regions and in Karenni and Kachin states, officials from Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government told Radio Free Asia. The military junta cut off access to regular internet services in many communities following the Feb. 1, 2021, coup d’etat as they sought to weaken communication capabilities among resistance forces. Mobile phone services have also been blocked in many townships where fighting has taken place between junta troops and People’s Defense…
Chinese Vloggers Glorify Hamas with Cosplay and Posts
With a green headband, a camouflage uniform and a Palestinian flag patch, a man dressed as a Hamas fighter appears in a social media video pointing a rifle and a knife at the camera. However, he is not a member of Hamas or any other armed group but a vlogger on the Chinese video website Bilibili. Over the past two months, netizens in China have cheered for Hamas and shared cartoons featuring Hamas fighters on Bilibili and other Chinese social media platforms. Some have posted images of themselves dressing as…
Alibaba names new Taobao and Tmall CEO in major move to fend off competition
Alibaba Group Holding is reshuffling the top ranks of its most important profit earner since its sweeping restructuring started over half a year ago, as it tries to regroup after its value fell behind rival PDD Holdings. Eddie Wu Yongming, chairman of Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall Group (TTG), will become the chief executive of the combined e-commerce group from Wednesday, adding to his responsibilities as CEO of Alibaba Group and its cloud computing unit, according to a letter signed by Alibaba’s chairman Joe Tsai that was seen by the South…
Gansu earthquake: scientists in China believe they received an ominous signal days before
But researchers in the Chinese province of Shaanxi have developed a groundbreaking technique that has allowed them to forecast successfully every earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 or more that has struck around the globe in the past 10 years. But to their dismay, there is still no way to predict the location of these earthquakes. 01:31 Earthquake in northwestern China kills more than 110 people, injuring hundreds Earthquake in northwestern China kills more than 110 people, injuring hundreds The researchers first realised that the latest earthquake was on the…
Nippon Steel’s US bet could be ‘catalyst’ unleashing Japan M&A wave
Ten hours after stunning markets with the biggest acquisition in the company’s history, the president of Nippon Steel Eiji Hashimoto had a second surprise: Japan’s biggest steelmaker was still open to “any other good opportunity that comes up”. His comments on Tuesday followed the announcement of Nippon’s all-cash $14.9bn takeover bid for US Steel, a deal that would make the combined group the world’s third-biggest steel producer. The deal marks Japan’s largest overseas acquisition this year and signals that the country’s cash-rich corporations are returning to global markets as some…
US at UN condemns North Korean ICBM launch, as China and Russia defend ally
“We are here because the DPRK must understand that the only viable path forward is through diplomacy,” he added, referring to North Korea by its official name. Robert Wood, US deputy ambassador to the UN, confers with advisers during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday. Photo: AFP The meeting followed talks on Monday between top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and his North Korean counterpart Pak Myong-ho during which the two countries reaffirmed their long-standing bonds. While Russia repeatedly criticised the US by name at the council…