English News
Beijing kicks off mass testing after spike in Covid cases
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu- The Chinese capital Beijing has kicked off mass testing for millions of residents after a spike in Covid cases. The Chaoyang district reported 26 cases over the weekend - the highest number so far in Beijing's latest surge. Long queues outside supermarkets and shops were seen despite government assurances there is sufficient food. It comes amid fears that Beijing could face a similar situation to Shanghai, which has seen some 25 million people shut in t....
Tourist boat missing off Japanese coast
Sunakhari News/Kathmandu- A tourist boat is missing off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the country's coast guard says. Authorities lost contact with the vessel, which had 26 people on board, after it sent a distress signal saying it was taking on water at 13:15 local time (04:15 GMT) on Saturday. Four people have since been found and have been taken for medical attention. The boat, Kazu 1, is believed to have been on a three-hour sightseeing voyage around the Shiretoko P....
Shanghai escalates Covid lockdown restrictions
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - uthorities in Shanghai have said they will tighten the enforcement of lockdown measures, as a Covid surge continues in China's financial capital. New measures include placing electronic door alarms to prevent those infected from leaving, as well as evacuating people to disinfect their homes. Earlier this week, hundreds were forcibly evacuated from their homes to allow for buildings to be disinfected. The restrictions will take Shanghai's lockdown into ....
Shanghai lockdown: China spending and employment hit
Sunakhari News/Kathmandu - China's consumer spending fell and unemployment rose last month as Covid lockdowns confined millions of people to their homes, official figures show. Joblessness reached the highest level since the early part of the pandemic. However, overall the country's economy grew at a faster pace than expected in the first three months of this year. A surge in infections has triggered lockdowns in several major cities - including the financial, manufacturing and shipping hu....
Tropical Storm Megi: Rescuers race to find survivors as death toll rises
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - At least 53 people have been killed in landslides and floods after Tropical Storm Megi devastated the Philippines. Rescue crews were still seeking to find survivors in flooded villages on Wednesday, digging through mud and wading through chest-high water. However the death toll from Sunday's natural disaster is only expected to climb, officials say. Villages around Baybay city in the central Leyte province are worse hit. There, hillside av....
Ukraine: Johnson pledges aid to Zelensky in Kyiv meeting
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has held talks in Kyiv with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. No 10 said the visit was a "show of solidarity" with the Ukrainian people. Following the meeting, Downing Street said the UK would send 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missile systems to support Ukraine. Senior officials in Mr Zelensky's team praised the UK for support during its conflict with Russia. Mr Johnson's visit to Kyiv was not announced in adva....
Ukraine war: Sharing space with the dead – horror outside Chernihiv
Sunakhari News/Kathmandu- On the white, damp wall of the Yahidne school basement is a crude calendar, drawn in red crayon. It marks a period of unimaginable trauma - from 5 March to 2 April - for the people of this village. Yahidne, 140km (80 miles) north of Kyiv and just outside the city of Chernihiv which is close to the borders with Belarus and Russia, was occupied by Russian soldiers for nearly a month. When they entered, they took men, women and children from their homes at ....
Ukraine war: Russian troops leave Chernobyl, Ukraine says
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu - Russian troops occupying the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl have left, the plant's staff say. According to Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom, staff at the plant said there are currently no "outsiders" at the site. Earlier, it said some Russian forces had set off towards the Belarusian border, leaving a small group behind. The announcement appears to confirm reports by senior US defence officials on Wednesday of a withdrawal. ....
Oil prices drop as Biden considers releasing reserves
Sunakhari News/Kathmandu- Oil prices have fallen sharply after reports that the US is set to take new steps to bring down high fuel costs. The Biden administration is reportedly considering the release of up to 180m barrels of oil in the coming months from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. If confirmed, this will be the largest-ever release since the reserve was created in 1974. The war in Ukraine has rocked global energy markets in recent weeks over concerns that suppli....
Will Smith hits Chris Rock on Oscars stage
Sunakhari News/ Kathmandu- Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars after the comic made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith. "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2," he said, in an apparent reference to her shaved hairdo - which is a result of the hair loss condition alopecia. Smith walked on stage and struck Rock before returning to his seat and shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your [expletive] mouth." He later apologised on stage. "I wa....