A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck China's remote Himalayan region of Tibet close to Nepal last week. The epicentre of the quake was located 28.63 degrees north latitude and 87.42 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. Tremors were felt in Tingri county of Xigaze city in Tibet near Mount Everest. No casualties or damage have been reported. Meanwhile, tremors were also felt in Nepal's capital city Kathmandu and surrounding districts. The earthquake measuring 6.2 magnitude was recorded at National Seismological Centre in Kathmandu. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at Quilling in Tibet, according to the National Seismological Centre of Nepal. Five days ago, western Nepal's tourist hub Pokhara was hit by a 5-magnitude earthquake.
17 Afghan forces killed in insider attack
At least 17 police and army personnel were killed in an apparent insider attack at a joint military and police base in Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. The defence ministry statement said the Taliban carried out the attack, but with the assistance of Afghan police and army personnel inside the base. It said 11 soldiers and six police were killed. No one immediately took responsibility, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said he would look into the allegation
Curfew in Lanka to stem virus spread
Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide curfew to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus that has claimed over 14,000 lives globally, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office has announced. The curfew announcement comes a day after the country’s Election Commission announced the postponement of the parliamentary election which was scheduled for April 25. Rajapaksa has refused to lockdown the entire country, citing economic hardships for the poor. There are 60 confirmed cases in Sri Lanka.
Nepal suspends international flights
Nepal has suspended all international flights from March 22 to 31 to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed over 14,000 lives globally. PM K P Oli announced the suspension of all long-distance bus journeys indefinitely from March 23, apart from the closing of airports for international flights. Except essential services all government offices will be closed from March 22 to April 3. All schools and colleges have been closed and examinations postponed. Meanwhile, the country contributed nearly $1million to the Saarc Corona Emergency Fund, which was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gabbard ends 2020 prez bid, backs Biden
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is suspending her presidential campaign, ending fear among Democrats that she would mount a third-party 2020 bid. She offered her full support to former vice-president Joe Biden. “I feel that the best way I can be of service at this time is to continue to work for the well-being of the people of Hawaii and our country in Congress,” she said.
I’m not a ‘czar': Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed comparisons to a czar arguing he “works every day” and listens to what people want. “Well, this is not true,” Putin said when asked about being described as a Russian imperial-era ruler. “Maybe someone else can be called a czar. But in my case, I don’t reign, I work every day,” he told media. An amendment approved last week would allow Putin to run for another six years in the Kremlin in 2024 and again in 2030.
Putin kin launches political party
One of President Vladimir Putin’s relatives, Roman Putin, son of President Putin’s cousin Igor, has launched a political party and said he wants to contest parliamentary elections next year. His People of Business party was a rightwing conservative project aimed at supporting small businesses, Putin junior claimed. His party would support the ruling pro-Putin United Russia party. Like the president, Roman, 42, is a former employee of Russia’s FSB security service. He said he had not discussed his political plans with the president, but did not anticipate problems.
13 US journalists facing expulsion from China
At least 13 American journalists stand to be expelled from China in retaliation for a new visa limit imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese state-owned media operating in the US. The Chinese government announced that Americans working at three major US newspapers would have to surrender their press cards within 10 days. It would be by far the largest expulsion of foreign journalists from China in recent memory. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang described the move as “necessary countermeasures that China is compelled to take in response to the unreasonable oppression the Chinese media organizations experience in the US." The US earlier this month said that five of China's state-controlled media outlets would be restricted to 100 visas, the de facto expelling of about 60 journalists.
New Zealand passes law to decriminalize abortion
The New Zealand has become the latest country to decriminalize abortion. The country passed a law in this regard. The law, while updated in 1977, had not fully reflected that change corresponding to women reproductive rights, requiring women to prove to a doctor that their pregnancy presented a danger to their physical or mental health before they could get an abortion. The new law removes those obstacles, allowing women who are up to 20 weeks pregnant to get an abortion and those over 20 weeks to get one with approval from a health practitioner.
Distillery now produces hand sanitiser
The gin stills of the Listoke Distillery have been repurposed in the fight against the coronavirus, producing precious hand sanitiser currently in vanishingly short supply across Ireland. Staff at the distillery and gin school in Tenure, in eastern Ireland north of Dublin, originally began production of sanitiser with 64% alcohol, with the same aroma of juniper botanicals as their artisanal spirit, for in-house use. But as the Covid-19 emergency escalated, they started selling bottles to the public for 10 euros ($11) each.
Bangladesh reports first virus death
A patient who was suffering from COVID-19 died in Bangladesh last week, said healthcare officials, marking the first fatality from the disease in the South Asian country. The patient, aged 70, was also suffering from diabetes, kidney ailments and hypertension, Meerjady Sabrina, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, said. Bangladesh also confirmed four more confirmed COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally in the country to 14.
Biden victories increase pressure on Sanders to quit
Joe Biden swept to victory in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, increasingly pulling away with a Democratic presidential primary upended by the coronavirus and building pressure on Bernie Sanders to abandon his campaign. Still, Biden's quest for his party's nomination now seems well within reach. His wins doubled his delegate haul over Sanders, giving the former vice president a nearly insurmountable lead. Top Democratic leaders and donors have also increasingly lined up behind Biden as the best option to square off against President Donald Trump in November. With the exception of North Dakota and the Northern Mariana Islands, Sanders hasn't scored a victory since Super Tuesday on March 3.
Muslim pilgrims ignore virus risk
Thousands of Muslim pilgrims from across Asia gathered in Indonesia, despite fears that their meeting could fuel the spread of a coronavirus, just two weeks after a similar event in Malaysia caused more than 500 infections. Organisers and regional officials said the event in the world's fourth most populous nation had begun, although the regional police chief said he was making a last ditch-effort to persuade organisers to call it off. Administration estimated that 8,695 people had already assembled in Gowa, near the provincial city of Makassar, adding that the numbers would make it hard to put a halt to the proceedings. The Malaysian event, held from February 27 to March 1, drew 16,000 followers.
Philippines declares cease-fire with rebels
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a unilateral cease-fire with communist guerrillas this week to focus on fighting the coronavirus outbreak that prompted him to place the northern third of the country under quarantine. Duterte ordered the military and police to stop offensives against New People’s Army guerrillas during the cease-fire, which will end on April 15. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano ordered the national police to shift to a defensive posture. He urged the Marxist guerrillas to respond with their own cease-fire. The insurgency has raged for more than half a century, making it one of Asia’s longest-running rebellions.
Amazon bans, then reinstates Hitler manifesto
Amazon quietly banned Adolf Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf” late last week, part of its accelerating efforts to remove Nazi and other hate-filled material from its bookstore, before quickly reversing itself. The firm is under pressure to keep hate literature off its platform. But Amazon doesn’t want to be seen as the arbiter of what people are allowed to read, which is traditionally a hallmark of repressive regimes. An Amazon spokeswoman said that the platform provides “customers with access to a variety of viewpoints” and noted that “all retailers make decisions about what selection they choose to offer”.
US cops hunt thieves who tried to drag away ATM
Authorities in North Carolina are searching for at least two suspects who were captured on CCTV footage chaining an ATM to a stolen pickup truck and attempting to drag it away, according to officials. Chapel Hill police officers said they found the fallen ATM damaged. Police said it didn’t appear any money was taken.
Bangladesh to release former PM Khaleda
Bangladesh has initiated a process to "conditionally" release jailed former prime minister Khaleda Zia for six months amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country, Law Minister Anisul Huq said. The 74-year-old opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief is serving a 17-year prison term in two graft cases since 8 February 2018. "The decision has been taken on humanitarian ground," Huq said. He said the decision was taken in line with Prime Minister Shekh Hasina's directives and considering the age of the former prime minister. "...Zia will be released for a period of six months and she must stay in her own house," the minister said. He declined to elaborate immediately but officials familiar with the process said the home ministry would take subsequent steps for the former premier's temporary release under a criminal procedure code (CRPC). Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said his office would take steps for the release of Zia, who is being treated for old-age complications at the prison cell of a state-run specialized hospital, "as soon as" they receive the file from the law ministry. Home ministry officials, however, said the law ministry proposal reached them by now while they were now exhausting the legal procedures to be approved "finally by the prime minister".