INDONESIA
Quake hits off west coast
A strong earthquake hit off the western coast in the Indian Ocean yesterday, but there were no immediate reports of damage. The US Geological Survey reported that the magnitude 6.2 earthquake was centered in the sea at a depth of 20km about 16.7km southwest of Sinabang town of Aceh Province. Rahmat Triyono, who heads the earthquake and tsunami center at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said there was no risk of a tsunami from the quake and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Residents in Sinabang felt a moderate tremor for a few seconds, while people in Aceh provincial capital of Banda Aceh did not feel the earthquake. The national disaster agency said it was gathering information on any damage that might have been caused by the quake.
SINGAPORE
Baby found in garbage chute
Garbage collectors rescued a baby from a bin at the bottom of a trash chute yesterday, a lawmaker and media said, a rare case in the wealthy city-state. Refuse workers found the baby in a bloody plastic bag while clearing the garbage chute, the Straits Times said, quoting one who said the baby was crying when discovered. Photographs from the scene showed a man cradling a baby, cleaners inspecting a bin and police cordons at the block. Police said in a statement that the child, found in a stable condition with no visible injuries, had been taken to hospital. They did not identify the area where he was found, and said they were investigating the matter. “A baby was found alive by one of our town council cleaners in the bin chute,” politician Pritam Singh said, adding that he had been told by the town council.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese