World News

Soaring Covid cases shine light on China's healthcare gap

Understaffed and underfunded clinics stand half-empty in parts of the Chinese countryside even as hospitals in major cities heave under an unprecedented Covid wave -- an illustration of the stark disparities in the country's healthcare system.. In one of the world's most unequal economies, China's centralised healthcare system drives money and resources towards urban hospitals at the expense of rural ones, a disparity that has become all the more intense as cases surge.

Fri, Jan 6, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Colombia government weakened by 'truce' mishap: analysts

In announcing a "bilateral" ceasefire before it existed, Colombian President Gustavo Petro may have weakened his government in ongoing peace talks with armed groups, experts say.. But then on Tuesday, the ELN said it had "not discussed any bilateral ceasefire with the Gustavo Petro government, therefore no such agreement exists."

Fri, Jan 6, 2023 3 mins read

World News

New Indonesia capital imperils ancient Eden with 'ecological disaster'

The twisting road that leads to Indonesia's future capital is lined with dense rainforest and pockets of plantations, punctuated every so often with monkeys enjoying a laze out on the tarmac.. "When the new capital comes, where else can we go?"

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 5 mins read

World News

'A person has a limit': elderly languish in war-hit east Ukraine

He has lived in fear of heavy shelling for months, but it was only on Thursday that 73-year-old Vladislav Victorovych first considered fleeing his home near Ukraine's front line.. - 'All the young people left' - Across the street, 88-year-old Yulia Tuskova, wearing a down coat and pink beanie hat, waited in line to receive sheets of clear plastic tarp handed out by city authorities -- a temporary fix for shattered windows.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 3 mins read

World News

'More the merrier': Asia tourist hubs ready for China influx

In Tokyo's Asakusa tourist district, caricaturist Masashi Higashitani is dusting off his Chinese as he prepares for an influx of travellers after Beijing ends inbound quarantine rules.. "We're looking to hire and preparing to stock up," the 24-year-old told AFP in Seoul's popular downtown Myeongdong district.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Hong Kongers await border reopening with mixed feelings

Shanghai engineer Roy Wang has a pressing task now that the border between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland is being reopened -- rekindling his long-distance relationship after a painful separation.. Mainlanders have long made up the vast majority of visitors to Hong Kong, with some 51 million arriving in 2018, nearly seven times Hong Kong's total population.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Suriname's Bouterse admits hearing shots but denies ordering opponents killed

Former Suriname leader Desi Bouterse on Thursday admitted in court that he heard gunshots on the day 15 political prisoners were murdered in 1982, but again denied that he ordered their executions.. Bouterse first took power in a 1980 coup and in December 1982 allegedly rounded up 15 political opponents -- including lawyers, journalists and businessmen -- for execution at the military barracks at Fort Zeelandia in the capital Paramaribo.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 2 mins read

World News

'Sacred goal': Russia paints Ukraine assault in spiritual terms

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a powerful ally of President Vladimir Putin, is embracing the rhetoric of the mediaeval crusades in urging support for Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine.. Nearly 10 centuries later, Kirill has called on believers to support pro-Russian "brothers" during Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Half of world's glaciers expected to vanish by 2100: study

Half of the Earth's glaciers, notably smaller ones, are destined to disappear by the end of the century because of climate change, but limiting global warming could save others, according to a new study.. - 'Up to the policy makers' - Under the worst-case scenario -- global temperature rise of 4.0C -- giant glaciers such as those in Alaska would be more affected and 83 percent of glaciers would disappear by the end of the century.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 3 mins read

World News

US diplomats go cold turkey on Turkey name, switch to Turkiye

The US State Department said Thursday it will largely stop writing the word Turkey and instead call the Eurasian country Turkiye, agreeing to a request by the Turkish government which resents the inadvertent association with poultry.. "The Turkish embassy did request that we use this spelling in our communications," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Thu, Jan 5, 2023 1 mins read