North china daily news

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Joe Biden will express their deep concern about human rights violations in China in a joint statement to be released after a Japan-US summit next week, Japanese government sources said Saturday. The summit, scheduled for Friday in Washington, comes as the Biden administration ramps up criticism of China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region and actions concerning Hong Kong. Suga has said those issues must be addressed based on basic human rights principles. It would be rare for Japanese and US leaders to single out human rights issues in China in a joint statement. Tokyo and Washington are now arranging the wording of the planned statement. It is almost certain that China would express strong protest against such a statement as interference in its domestic affairs. While the United States and Europe have imposed sanctions on China over the Uyghur issue, Japan remains cautious about following suit. Suga will ... » Learn More about Biden-Suga statement to express concern about human rights in China

Naga Sadhus (Hindu holy men) take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges River on the day of Shahi Snan (royal bath) during the ongoing religious Kumbh Mela festival, in Haridwar on April 12, 2021. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) NEW DELHI — Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in India’s Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world’s highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections . With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally, although the figure is still well below the U.S. peak of nearly 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8. In the northern city of Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges, a river many Hindus consider holy, to participate in the months-long ‘Kumbh Mela’ or pitcher festival. “The crowd here is surging…the police are continuously appealing to people to maintain social distancing,” police official Sanjay Gunjyal told Reuters at the site. By ... » Learn More about India’s daily coronavirus infections are world’s highest but crowds gather for festival

Shares in tech giant Alibaba climbed more than six percent Monday as the ecommerce titan reassured investors that a record $2.78 billion antitrust fine imposed by China would have little impact on its operations. However, concerns that officials had not finished with a crackdown on the sector weighed on big-name firms including Tencent and JD.com. Ant Group, whose planned record-shattering $35 billion Hong Kong-Shanghai IPO was shelved late last year amid the Chinese crackdown on Big Tech, separately announced a restructuring plan but vowed to "ensure business continuity". Regulators slapped Alibaba with the penalty on Saturday after a months-long probe concluded it had been abusing its dominant market position. But in a conference call to investors on Monday, Alibaba's board suggested the fine marked the end of the investigation, with chairman Daniel Zhang saying the penalty  would not have a "negative impact" on business operations. The government has cracked down on major ... » Learn More about Alibaba shares soar as it plays down hit from record $2.78 billion fine

KOTA BARU: Kelantan is the latest state after Sabah to cancel Ramadan bazaars following a surge in Covid-19 cases. “We found that the infectivity rate has risen to 1.12 and this is regarded as serious, ” said Kelantan’s local government, housing and health committee chairman Dr Izani Husin. “We also foresee that the number will increase and three-digit cases will continue to be recorded in the following week, ” Bernama quoted him as saying. With the exception of important meetings, all official state government functions would also be cancelled during Ramadan, he told reporters after the state security council sub-committee meeting chaired by Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob at Kota Darulnaim Complex here yesterday. Following the cancellation of the official programmes, the Madinah Ramadan venue for terawih prayers at Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium might be used as a Covid-19 Low-Risk Treatment and Quarantine Centre. On March 29, Dr Izani said the Kelantan government would allow ... » Learn More about Kelantan cancels bazaars

BERLIN (Reuters) -Bavarian premier Markus Soeder put himself forward on Sunday to run as the conservative candidate for German chancellor in a September election and said he would settle the question soon and amicably with his rival, the Christian Democrat (CDU) chief. Pressure is mounting for a swift decision on whether Soeder, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), or the CDU's Armin Laschet should stand for the two-party bloc in the Sept. 26 election, making them the candidate to succeed Angela Merkel. "Markus Soeder and I had a long conversation before today. We declared our willingness to run for the chancellorship," CDU leader Armin Laschet told a joint news conference. Laschet lags Soeder in opinion polls but, as leader of the larger CDU, effectively has first refusal and enjoys the support of some powerful state premiers. With September elections nearing, conservatives are pressing for a decision on the candidacy to end speculation which is highlighting divisions. ... » Learn More about Bavarian leader joins race to run as German chancellor candidate

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) backed party chairman Armin Laschet on Monday to run for chancellor at a September election, and asked him to speak to his Bavarian rival to agree a single candidate for their conservative bloc quickly. Laschet said he would contact rival Markus Soeder, who lead's the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), later on Monday to settle on a candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel "very soon". After months of speculation, the candidacy question came to a head on Sunday when Soeder, Bavarian premier, put himself forward. Pressure is mounting for a swift decision on who should stand for the two-party bloc as the candidate to succeed Merkel, who has ruled out standing for a fifth term. "There is broad support for Armin Laschet as candidate for chancellor from CDU and CSU," CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak told a joint news conference with Laschet after a meeting of CDU party leaders. As the larger ... » Learn More about German CDU backs Laschet to succeed Merkel as chancellor

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Staff at the Russian prison holding hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are threatening to force feed him, his allies said on Monday, warning he had lost 15 kg since he arrived at the facility last month. Navalny, 44, a prominent opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced a hunger strike at the end of March in protest at what he said was the refusal of prison authorities to treat him properly for acute back and leg pain. They say they have offered him proper treatment, but that he has refused it, insisting that he wants to be treated by a doctor of his choice from outside the facility, a request they have declined. Navalny, whom the West says has been wrongly jailed and should be freed, was moved to a prison clinic earlier this month after complaining of a high temperature and a bad cough. On Monday, his Twitter account, which his allies use to provide updates based on information from his lawyers who regularly visit him, said he ... » Learn More about Russian prison threatens to force feed hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny: allies

GENEVA (Reuters) -The COVAX vaccine facility has delivered nearly 38.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 102 countries and economies across six continents, six weeks after it began to roll out supplies, according to a statement on Thursday. The programme offers a lifeline to low-income countries in particular, allowing them in the first instance to inoculate health workers and others at high risk, even if their governments have not managed to secure vaccines from the manufacturers. But there have been some delays, the GAVI vaccine alliance and World Health Organization said in a statement. Reduced availability of delayed some deliveries in March and April, and much of the output of the Serum Institute of India, which makes the AstraZeneca vaccine, is being kept in India, where daily infections surpassed 100,000 for the first time on Monday. The Caribbean island of St. Lucia became the 100th country to receive vaccines through COVAX. Iran, also battling a record rate of ... » Learn More about COVAX vaccines reach more than 100 countries, despite supply snags

Pattaya – A foreign couple got their pickup truck stuck when a portion of road near an under construction water drainage area gave way yesterday. Rescue workers were notified of the incident yesterday (April 11 th ) in North Pattaya. The Pattaya News arrived at the scene to find a white pickup truck stuck with both front wheels lodged in the road near a water drainage construction site. The road surface had been filled iin with some soil to make an entrance into a restaurant. The foreign couple told The Pattaya News they were heading to the restaurant during a rain storm yesterday. Their names were not released to the press. After the couple finished their meal, they were exiting from the restaurant in their pickup truck, when the road surface gave way. They came down from their pickup truck and called for help from emergency services. Law Enforcement officials said they will look into the cause of the collapse of the road and speak with the construction ... » Learn More about Foreign couple gets their pickup truck stuck after road gives way near under construction water drainage in Pattaya

ABU DHABI National Oil Company (ADNOC) and chemical producer OCI N.V. (OCI), which is backed by Egyptian businessman Nassef Sawiris, are weighing an initial public offering of their fertiliser joint venture Fertiglobe, two sources familiar with the matter said. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Fertiglobe was formed in 2019 after OCI and ADNOC combined their ammonia and urea assets, with the two companies currently holding ownership stakes of 58% and 42% respectively. ADNOC and OCI invited international and local banks to pitch for potential roles in Fertiglobe's public share-sale, said the sources, declining to be named because the matter is not public. The firms submitted bids last week for the deal, which could raise at least $1 billion, they said. ADNOC declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Monday. OCI and Fertiglobe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The business is expected to be next in line for a listing, after ADNOC completes the IPO of its ... » Learn More about Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC, Dutch-listed OCI weigh IPO of fertiliser joint venture