Beijing, July 6 (IANS): Authorities in China have stepped up precautions after suspected bubonic plague cases were reported in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the media reported on Monday.   According to China's state-run Global Times newspaper, the first case was reported as suspected bubonic plague on Saturday at a hospital in Urad Middle Banner, in Bayannur city.   It is not yet clear how or why the patient might have become infected, reports the BBC.

Leh, July 6 (IANS): Around 30,000 troops of Indian Army are in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LoC) in Ladakh, following the additional deployment of three brigades since the violent face-off last month.   Highly placed sources told IANS that in normal times six brigades, that is two divisions are maintained along the LAC in Ladakh, even as troops are deployed in and out on a rotation basis. However, after the June 15

SYDNEY/SINGAPORE, July 3 (Reuters): Many Hong Kong residents are scouring for new jobs and homes overseas, fearful that a new national security law imposed by Beijing will crush coveted rights not enjoyed on the mainland and herald a new authoritarian era for China's freeest city.   Beijing bypassed the city's legislature to approve the law directly this week, heightening anxiety over its impact on the former British colony of 7.4 million people that is a global

HONG KONG, July 3 (Reuters): A Hong Kong man who carried a sign saying "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" as he drove a motorcycle into police during a protest this week has become the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new security law.   Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong late on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China's freest city and one of the world's most glittering f

LONDON, July 2 (Reuters): Hong Kong pro-democracy activists are discussing a plan to create an unofficial parliament-in-exile to keep the flame of democracy alive and send a message to China that freedom cannot be crushed, campaigner Simon Cheng told Reuters.   Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, was convulsed by months of often violent pro-democracy, anti-China protests last year against Chinese interference in its promised freedom

TAIPEI, July 2 (Reuters): Taiwan citizens should avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China after the passing of an "outrageous" national security law for the former British colony, a Taiwan government official said on Thursday.   The law, imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing, targets crimes like secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It has been widely condemned in C

SAN FRANCISCO, JULY 1 (IANS): Apple has reportedly stopped updating thousands of mobile games on the China App Store under the pressure from the Chinese government to comply with the law of the land, the media reported on Wednesday.   According to a report in The Financial Times, Apple has blocked updates on tens of thousands of revenue-generating iPhone games on its App Store in China.   "Apple has frozen updates for tens of thousands of mobile games on its

BEIJING, July 1 (Reuters): China has asked four U.S. media organisations to submit details about their operations in the country, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday in what it described as retaliation for U.S. measures against Chinese media outlets.   The Associated Press, UPI, CBS, and National Public Radio are required to provide information about their staff, financial operations and real estate in China within seven days, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian t

HONG KONG, July 1 (Reuters): Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets in defiance of sweeping security legislation introduced by China that critics say is aimed at snuffing out dissent.   Beijing unveiled the details of the much-anticipated law late on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China's freest city and one of the world's most glittering financial hubs on to

BRUSSELS/TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters): China's passage of a national security law for Hong Kong drew international condemnation on Tuesday, with the United States, European Union, Britain and Japan criticising measures that set the stage for radical changes to the former British colony.   The law approved earlier by China's mostly rubber-stamp parliament follows months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which was guaranteed freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland

WUHAN, China/BEIJING, June 30 (Reuters): Six months after the World Health Organization learned of "viral pneumonia" cases that would become the COVID-19 pandemic, life in Wuhan, the city where it emerged, is returning to normal, although masks remain ubiquitous and emotional scars linger.   A city of 11 million, Wuhan was locked down for two months starting in late January in a draconian measure that helped stamp out the virus at its initial epicentre. Hubei

SHANGHAI, June 30 (Reuters): A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to humans and needs to be watched closely in case it becomes a potential "pandemic virus", a study said, although experts said there is no imminent threat.   A team of Chinese researchers looked at influenza viruses found in pigs from 2011 to 2018 and found a "G4" strain of H1N1 that has "all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus",

SHANGHAI, June 28 (Reuters): Beijing has ramped up coronavirus testing efforts and has tested about a third of the Chinese capital's population so far, a city official said on Sunday, as authorities seek to control an outbreak stemming from a wholesale market in mid-June.   As of Sunday noon, Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing's municipal committee, told a press c

SHANGHAI, June 28 (Reuters): China's lawmakers have reviewed a draft of the national security bill for Hong Kong during a meeting held by the standing committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), state media Xinhua reported on Sunday.   In the meeting, Shen Chunyao, director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC's standing committee, presented a report on the bill, Xinhua said.   The NPC's Standing Committee usually meets ever

Beijing, June 27 (IANS): Beijing on Saturday issued fresh guidelines on COVID-19 containment, calling on its residents to continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash hands frequently in the wake of a fresh outbreak in the Chinese capital's wholesale food market.   Masks have been made compulsory in hospitals, crowded scenic spots and public transports, according to Beijing's disease control and prevention centre.   The guidelines stipulate

BRUSSELS, June 25 (Reuters): The United States and European Union need a shared understanding of China to resist it, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, calling Beijing a threat and accusing it of stealing European know-how to develop its economy.   Pompeo said he had accepted a proposal by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to create a formal U.S.-EU dialogue on China and would travel to Europe soon to host the first session.   "The

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, June 24 (Reuters): China's appetite for salmon and other seafood has crashed this month, after a resurgence in coronavirus infections in Beijing was traced to chopping boards for imported salmon in a wholesale food market in the capital.   Exporters all the way to Europe are feeling the pinch as the virus scare prompts supermarkets and e-commerce players such as Taobao, JD.com and Meituan in China, the world's top consumer of frozen and fresh s

HONG KONG, June 23 (Reuters): Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she will not select judges to preside over cases brought under the city's new security law, an apparent attempt to assuage concerns about the controversial legislation.   Lam said that, as chief executive, she would instead appoint a panel of judges for all courts based on recommendations from a judicial body.   "When one day there is national security cases, the responsib

BEIJING, June 23 (Reuters): China on Tuesday successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to challenge the U.S.-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).   The idea to develop Beidou, or the Big Dipper in Chinese, took shape in the 1990s as China's military sought to reduce its reliance on GPS, which is run by the U.S. Air Force.   Coverage was limited to China when the firs

BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters): The European Union told China on Monday to make good on a promise to open up its economy and warned of "very negative consequences" if Beijing goes ahead with a new security law on Hong Kong that the West says will curtail basic rights.   Speaking after video calls with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the EU's chief executive and chairman said they had repeated accusations that Beijing has spread disinforma