Death toll rises to 14 after Vanuatu earthquake, rescue efforts ongoing

19.12.2024, 18:42 2831

Trains collide near Russia's Murmansk, number of injured people rises to 31

Images | Transport Prosecutor’s Office/TASS

The number of injured people in the collision of freight and passenger trains in the Kandalaksha district of the Murmansk Region has increased to 31 people, including five children, the Russian Railway’s press office said in a statement on Thursday, TASS reports.

According to the statement, "31 people sustained injuries, including five children. Fourteen people are hospitalized with four out of them in serious condition," the statement reads.

Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis stated earlier in the day that one of victims in the trains’ collision died in a hospital bringing the death toll to two people.

Dmitry Panychev, a deputy governor of the Murmansk Region and the regional health minister, told TASS earlier that five people, including two 14-year teenagers, requested medical assistance at local hospitals on their own, while two more people declined hospitalization.

The collision involved a freight train and a passenger train, which was en route from Murmansk to St. Petersburg. According to Russian Railways, there were 326 passengers on board the passenger train. The accident derailed 19 train cars, including 15 freight cars. A criminal investigation has been opened into a violation of safety rules.

An emergency management services representative said a malfunction of the freight train was suspected as the cause of the collision. Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said he would personally supervise the provision of medical assistance to the victims.

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19.12.2024, 12:37 2356

44 dead, 76 injured in two road accidents in east Afghanistan

Images | Marjankhil/Xinhua

At least 44 commuters have been confirmed dead and 76 others were injured in two separate road accidents in east Afghanistan's Ghazni province on Wednesday night, a local official reported Thursday, Xinhua reports.

The mishaps took place on the outskirts of Ghazni city and in the Andar district of the province, along the highway linking the capital Kabul with the southern Kandahar province, said Mullah Hamidullah Nesar, provincial director of information and culture.

According to Nesar, all the injured have been shifted to health centers for treatment, but most of their conditions were reported as critical.

Road accidents due to reckless driving on congested roads and lack of traffic signs on dilapidated highways are leading causes of death in the war-ravaged country.

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19.12.2024, 11:25 2556

Shenzhou-19 crew completes record-breaking nine-hour spacewalk

Shenzhou-19 crew members aboard China's orbiting space station successfully completed a record-breaking nine-hour spacewalk at 9:57 p.m. Beijing Time on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), CGTN reports.

This extravehicular activity (EVA) was not only the longest by Chinese astronauts but also included the first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut born in 1990.

Astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong carried out the EVA, while Wang Haoze supported the mission from inside the station. Cai and Song installed space-debris protection devices, with assistance from the station's robotic arm and ground-based teams.

At the end of the mission, before closing the hatch, the Shenzhou-19 crew expressed their joy at completing the mission and their gratitude to the ground team.

Congratulations to 02 (Song Lingdong) for completing your first spacewalk and moreover, for becoming the first Chinese astronaut born after 1990 to carry out EVAs. My appreciation also goes to the full collaboration of 03 (Wang Haoze) inside the module, and to the extensive support of Shuguang and the entire technical team," said Cai, commander of Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission crew.

From the assigned tasks to the more flexible assignments, we feel greater and greater confidence in conducting extravehicular activities. China's space station will always remain something to look forward to," Cai added.

It marked Cai's second EVA in space, following his initial EVAs during the Shenzhou-14 mission two years ago. Song became the first Chinese astronaut born in 1990 to carry out EVA.

The Shenzhou-19 crew is set to carry out a slew of scheduled space-science experiments and technical tests, while they will also undertake additional extravehicular activities and install payloads outside the space station, the CMSA added.

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18.12.2024, 19:47 2171

China visa-free transit policy boosts tourism and business: experts

Images | CFP

China introduced an update to its visa-free transit policy on Tuesday, extending the allowed stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours, or 10 days, up from the previous 72 to 144 hours. The move, aimed at attracting more international visitors, took effect immediately, according to an announcement by the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on its official website, CGTN reports.

The policy applies to travelers from 54 countries, including Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, who transit through China en route to a third country or region. Eligible individuals can now enter China without a visa via any of the 60 open ports across 24 provincial-level regions, provided their stay does not exceed 240 hours within the specified areas.

China has been continuously optimizing its transit visa exemption policies since July 2023. To date, the country has established comprehensive visa-free agreements with 26 nations, unilaterally exempted visas for travelers from 38 countries, including France and Germany, and implemented transit visa exemptions for 54 countries. Additionally, China has mutual visa-free agreements with 157 countries and regions worldwide.

According to NIA, from January to November 2024, 29.2 million foreign visits to China were recorded, an 86.2 percent year-on-year increase. Of these, 17.4 million benefited from visa-free entry, marking a 123.3 percent rise. Notably, the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy has gained immense popularity domestically and internationally, with a 132.9 percent year-on-year increase in such visits.

Experts have underscored the broader impact of these measures. Chen Zhanming, vice dean of the School of Applied Economics at Renmin University of China, highlighted that the enhanced visa-free transit policy will improve ease of access for foreigners visiting China for tourism, business, or family purposes. He said, "the growing influx of international tourists will create more opportunities for China's tourism and other industries, injecting new momentum into its economic growth."

Ester Baiget, global president of Danish biotechnology firm Novonesis, emphasized the practical significance of the visa-free policy. "Although it may seem like a small detail, it will greatly facilitate travel to China. With smoother mobility, our connections will strengthen, fostering closer relationships," she said.

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04.12.2024, 11:55 38991

Unknown disease kills 79 in southwestern DR Congo

At least 79 people died from "a disease of still unknown origin" that is raging in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kwango province, health authorities said in a statement early Wednesday, Xinhua reports.

The statement said a specialized response team had been sent to the field to identify the nature of the disease, urging the public to avoid mass gatherings.

The disease often causes symptoms including fever, headache, breathing difficulty, and anemia.

Remy Saki, the province's vice governor, was quoted by local media as saying that between 67 and 143 deaths had been recorded as of Tuesday.

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04.12.2024, 10:51 39201

Some 280 martial law troops storm into Nat'l Assembly after martial law declared: official

Around 280 martial law troops broke into the National Assembly after President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law, the parliament's secretary-general said Wednesday, Yonhap reports.

Kim Min-ki made the remarks during a press conference, saying that defense officials and police officers will be banned from entering the National Assembly starting this day.

This is an urgent measure to protect the safety of the lawmakers and ensure the function of the National Assembly," he said.

Kim explained that police closed the gates of the National Assembly and blocked lawmakers and other parliamentary officials from entering the compound from 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, shortly after Yoon's announcement.

The defense ministry sent around 230 martial law troops into the premises of the Assembly through 24 helicopters from 11:48 p.m. to 1:18 a.m. early Wednesday, he said.

At 12:40 a.m., around 50 additional troops entered the National Assembly by jumping over the wall of the compound.

Kim released a CCTV video of the armed troops landing on a soccer field in the compound from helicopters before breaking into the Assembly compound and the main hall.

He said the secretariat will also look into damage caused by the declaration of martial law and hold those responsible for the "unlawful acts."

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11.11.2024, 20:26 79726

China launches commercial Lijian-1 Y5 carrier rocket, 15 satellites

Images | Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua

China on Monday launched the Lijian-1 Y5 commercial carrier rocket with 15 satellites onboard, Xinhua reports.

The rocket blasted off at 12:03 p.m. (Beijing Time) from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China and sent the 15 satellites, including satellites from the Jilin-1 Gaofen series, Yunyao-1 series, Xiguang-1 series and a remote-sensing satellite launched for Oman, into their planned orbits.

The Lijian-1 carrier rocket was developed by CAS Space, a commercial spaceflight company established by the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This rocket series completed its maiden flight on July 7, 2022, and has now launched a total of 57 satellites in the course of five flight missions.

With a length of 30 meters, a takeoff weight of 135 tonnes, and a takeoff thrust of 200 tonnes, Lijian-1 can send a payload of 1.5 tonnes to a 500-km sun-synchronous orbit, or a payload of 2 tonnes to low Earth orbit.

The Lijian-1 Y5 carrier rocket uses a payload fairing with a diameter of 3.35 meters to accommodate the larger space required by satellites. Payload fairing configuration can be adjusted according to the payload capacity and space requirements of satellites in future missions.

The Yunyao-1 series onboard the rocket consists of six satellites, which are primarily designed for atmospheric detection or monitoring environmental hot spots.

The remote-sensing satellite launched for Oman utilized artificial intelligence to calculate its load. The intelligent operating system of the satellite can conduct in-orbit processing and analysis, and it can be applied in detailed land surveys, urban planning, forest surveys and disaster monitoring.

This mission marks the first time for Chinese commercial space enterprises to provide launch services to international users, highlighting that the Lijian-1 carrier rocket has officially entered the international commercial space market, said Shi Xiaoning, chief designer of the rocket.

Shi noted that the cost performance and product reliability of the rocket have been recognized by the international market.

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08.11.2024, 19:17 55176

2 dead, 12 missing after fishing boat sinks off South Korea's Jeju Island

Two people died and 12 others remained missing after a fishing boat sank off the southern island of Jeju on Friday, with a search under way, the Coast Guard said, Yonhap reports.

The 129-ton Geumseong was carrying 27 crew members -- 16 South Koreans and 11 Indonesians -- when the Coast Guard received a distress call at 4:31 a.m. that the boat was sinking 24 kilometers off Jeju's Biyang Island.

Of the 27, 15 were rescued by a nearby vessel, including two who were found in a state of cardiac arrest, and taken to nearby hospitals. The two, both South Koreans, were later pronounced dead.

The 12 missing are 10 South Koreans and two Indonesians.

The Coast Guard said an underwater search for the missing began at around 1 p.m. involving 27 divers from multiple special rescue teams.

The rescued crew members said they were transferring their catch to another vessel when the boat suddenly capsized and began to sink, according to the Coast Guard. The boat is now completely underwater.

President Yoon Suk Yeol was briefed on the sinking and instructed relevant agencies, including the Coast Guard and the defense and oceans ministries, to mobilize all available resources and personnel to rescue the missing, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon.

He also called for ensuring the safety of the rescue workers.

The Coast Guard has sent 18 vessels and five aircraft to the scene to take part in search and rescue operations. Six Navy vessels -- including a destroyer, a frigate and a salvage ship -- were also mobilized, along with the Navy's P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and Lynx helicopter.

The Geumseong, which catches mackerel and sardines, left Seogwipo harbor on Jeju's south coast shortly before noon Thursday. At the time of the accident, two people, including a cook, were inside the boat, while most of the other crew members were working on the deck, presumably without wearing life vests, the Coast Guard said.

The Jeju Coast Guard plans to hold a press conference on the sinking at 2 p.m.

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Death toll rises to 14 after Vanuatu earthquake, rescue efforts ongoing

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