SHANGHAI: As many as 40 people were killed while 640 sustained injuries in an explosion that occurred at a pesticide plant in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, China, media reports said on Friday.
It occurred on Thursday at the Chenjiagang Industrial Park in the city of Yancheng while the fire was brought under control at 3 am today, according to state television.
Survivors were taken to 16 hospitals with 640 people being treated for injuries. Thirty-two of them were critically injured, it said.
The cause of explosion is not known yet. Authorities said the investigation into the incident is underway.
BEIJING: Chinese authorities have arrested around 13,000 “terrorists” in Xinjiang since 2014, reports said.
According to the Chinese government, Xinjiang has so far destroyed 1,588 violent and terrorist gangs and have arrested 12,995 terrorists.
Reports said authorities seized 2,052 explosive devices while punishing around 30,645 people for 4,858 illegal religious activities. The report said that Chinese authorities also confiscated 345,229 copies of illegal religious materials since 2014. (Agencies)
SHANGHAI: China’s anti-corruption watchdog, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said it would prosecute Nur Bekri over allegations of graft during his time as governor of Xinjian.
Nur, one of the highest-ranking ethnic Uighur officials, obstructed an investigation launched in September. The CCDI has alleged him of failing to tell the truth.
Nur, holding the second-highest position of power in the western region, was governor of Xinjiang between 2008-2014.
The CCDI said Nur ‘took advantage of his position’ to obtain a huge amount of wealth.
The anti-corruption body has also alleged him of receiving bribes. (Agencies)
NEW DELHI: Celebrities, politicians and sports stars descended on Mumbai to celebrate the wedding of the son of Asia’s richest man.
Akash Ambani, the son of oil and telecommunications tycoon Mukesh Ambani, is marrying Shloka Mehta, the daughter of Russell and Mona Mehta, at a ceremony in India’s financial capital on Saturday, according to the Press Trust of India.
Google LLC Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, actors Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar are among global policy makers, executives, politicians, Bollywood stars and sports personalities attending, according to a person at the function, who asked not to be identified.
Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih is making his second visit to India in less than three weeks to attend the wedding. Mukesh Ambani is Asia’s richest man, with net worth of about $50 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Estimates aren’t readily available for how much the celebrations are going to cost, but Akash Ambani’s sister’s marriage in December may provide a clue. At the time, people familiar with the planning of that event estimated the expense at about $100 million. A person close to the family said the amount wasn’t more than $15 million.
The guest list for her pre-wedding festivities ranged from Hillary Clinton and Henry Kravis to performers including Beyonce, according to the person. Akash Ambani also had a pre-wedding extravaganza in St. Moritz, Switzerland, according to press reports. The Chainsmokers and Chris Martin of Coldplay reportedly performed at the festivities.
SHANGHAI: China’s aviation regulator has said it had ordered Chinese airlines to suspend their Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft operations by 6 p.m.
The orders have been given following a deadly crash of one of the planes in Ethiopia on Sunday.
An Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 with 157 people on board, crashed minutes after take-off on Sunday.
This was the second crash of the 737 MAX, the latest version of the Boeing’s workhorse narrow-body jet. (Agencies)
India’s Gurgaon city is the world’s most polluted city, according to a data released by IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace. The non-profit organization report says India has 15 out of the 20 cities with worst pollution.
Likewise, Nepal’s capital Kathmandu is at number 99 on the pollution chart, according to the report.
The report says out of the 10 cities with highest pollution, seven are in India. Similarly, one city is in China and two are in Pakistan.
The Indian cities include Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Bhiwadi, Lucknow and Patna. The other three most polluted cities are Hotan in China and Lahore and Faislabad in Pakistan. Likewise, India’s capital Delhi is at number 11 on the chart.
According to experts, exposure to PM2.5 pollution increases the risk of stroke, lung cancer, heart attack or respiratory diseases.
According to the report, based on a study of 3000 cities, 64 percent of the cities exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual exposure guideline for PM2.5. (Agencies)
China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang says the country faces a tough struggle while he laid out plans to prop up the country’s economy.
Inaugurating the annual session of China’s parliament, Prime Minister Li forecast a slower growth of 6 percent to 6.5 percent this year, which is down from a target of around 6.5 percent last year, agency reports said.
China, which has been struggling with a slowing economy and trade war with the US, plans to boost spending. It also plans to increase foreign firms’ access to its markets, as well as cut billions of dollars in taxes, according to reports.
He said China now must be prepared for a tough struggle adding the country will face a “graver and more complicated environment”, risks and challenges. (Agencies)
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump is all set to end preferential trade treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for $ 5.6 billion worth of the country’s exports to the United States.
According to US tofficials, it would take at least 60 days for the country to scrap the concessions following notifications to Congress and the Indian government.
Trump Administration had been urging India to reduce the tariffs to cut the country’s trade deficits.
“I am taking this decision after India did not assure the United States that it would provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India,” Trump said in a letter to congressional leaders.
If US removed India from its participation in the GSP program, it would be the strongest action for the South Asian nation since Trump took office in 2017.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has said a few parties have started ‘hating’ India.
“Do not weaken the nation to strengthen your politics,” Modi said while speaking at a function at Kanyakumari of Tamil Nadu, Indian agencies said.
On the occasion, he also said every Indian is proud that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was released by Pakistan on Friday.
He went on to add that the recent events have demonstrated the strength of India’s armed forces yet again. “This has brought the nation closer,” he said. (Agencies)
KATHMANDU: Pakistan released Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as a “gesture of peace” on Friday, Indian media said on Friday.
He was released through the Wagah-Attari joint check-post two days after he was captured across the Line of Control after shooting down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet, according to reports.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had on Thursday announced that Abhinandan would be released on Friday.
Wing Commander Abhinandan was brought by Pakistani authorities from Rawalpindi to Lahore. He was handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) under rules of the Geneva Convention before bringing him to the check post. (Agencies)