The portable PCR testing booth dangled in the air over a dark Beijing street, captured on camera as it was winched away by a crane in the middle of the night. The image spread rapidly across Chinese social media, the perfect symbol of the bewilderingly rapid end of a draconian era. In the face of … Read more
Good morning. After days of escalating protests across China unprecedented since Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, the state hit back on Monday night. “There was a massive police presence [at the expected protest sites] in Shanghai and Beijing questioning passers-by,” the Guardian’s Helen Davidson, covering the story from Taipei, told me this … Read more
Protests have broken out in China’s far western Xinjiang region, in the latest demonstration of public anger towards the country’s zero-Covid policy and strict lockdown rules. Crowds chanted ‘End the lockdown’ at hazmat-suited guards following a fire in a high-rise building that killed 10 people in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. According to users on Chinese social … Read more
Protests have broken out in China’s far western Xinjiang region, with crowds shouting at hazmat-suited guards after a deadly fire triggered anger over their prolonged Covid-19 lockdown as nationwide infections set another record. Crowds chanted “End the lockdown,” pumping their fists in the air as they walked down a street, according to videos circulated on … Read more
A missile of unknown origin has killed two people in the Polish village of Przewodow near the border with Ukraine, which has come under heavy Russian bombardment. Here is a summary of what we know about Tuesday’s incident: – What happened? – Two men aged about 60 were killed when a missile hit the southeastern … Read more
The UN’s human rights chief on Monday attacked a surge in civilian casualties in Somalia, largely due to attacks by Al-Shabaab jihadists, saying more than 600 civilians had been killed this year. Volker Turk said the toll had worsened an already grim situation for people in Somalia. At least 613 civilians have been killed and … Read more
Here’s your morning news update: An easy-to-read selection of our top stories. Stay up to date with The Citizen – More News, Your Way. African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) member Lindiwe Sisulu says the criteria she will use in supporting and electing someone is the track record of the person in the … Read more
A leading cardiologist at the BC Children’s Hospital has helped uncover a link between electronic gaming and a possibly fatal heart rhythm in susceptible children. The peer-reviewed report published this week documented an uncommon but distinct pattern among kids who lost consciousness suddenly while playing video games. It found cardiac arrhythmias triggered by the activity … Read more
A number of the South African Air Force’s front-line aircraft and helicopters are equipped with dispensers which can fire off flares as a way to divert heat-seeking missiles. In a similar vein, government spokespeople are equipped with verbal ammunition they use to attack journalists and deflect attention from the horrifying story of the ongoing collapse … Read more
Kathy Edge was always a social drinker, but didn’t think she had a problem with alcohol. In the early days of the Covid lockdown, she thought she was coping well and that her drinking was no worse than usual. “What the hell, I’m not going out, nothing’s open, I’m not seeing anybody,” she thought. But … Read more