China quake: Deadly tremor rocks Sichuan city in lockdown
At least 46 people have been killed after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China, state media said, BBC reported.
The quake struck at 13:00 local time (05:00 GMT) in Sichuan province at a depth of 10km (6 miles).
The impact severed telecommunications lines and triggered mountain landslides that caused "serious damage", local media reports say.
Some 21 million people in Sichuan's capital Chengdu were last week ordered to stay at home because of Covid rules.
The epicentre of the quake was at Luding, a town in a remote mountain region located about 226km southwest of Chengdu, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre. State broadcaster CCTV said 17 people died in the city of Ya'an, while 29 deaths were reported in the neighbouring prefecture of Ganzi.
"Another 16 people were missing and 50 were injured," CCTV said late on Monday.
Tremors shook buildings in Chengdu and the neighbouring mega-city of Chongqing, leaving roads blocked and cutting communication lines in areas home to more than 10,000 residents.
The shocks also forced some power stations to shut down in the areas of Garze and Ya'an, CCTV said.
More than 500 rescue personnel have been despatched to the epicentre, while workers laboured to clear roadblocks caused by landslides, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
Chengdu residents reported seeing people running out of their high-rise apartments in a panic after receiving earthquake alerts on their phones, according to BBC.
"There were many people who were so terrified they started crying," Laura Luo, an international PR consultant, told news agency Reuters.
"Some of my neighbours on the ground floor said they felt it very noticeably," Chen, a resident of Chengdu, told AFP news agency.
"But because Chengdu is currently under epidemic management, people aren't allowed to leave their residential compounds, so many of them rushed out into their courtyards."
On Friday, Chengdu became the latest city to be locked down by Chinese authorities, in an attempt to stem the rise in Covid cases.
The latest disaster comes months after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake tore through Sichuan in June. Sichuan is a earthquake-prone area, as it lies along the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, BBC reported.
The earthquake also called into memory an 8.0-magnitude quake which hit Wenchuan county in northwest Sichuan in 2008, which killed 70,000 and caused widespread destruction.
Asia Cup: Pakistan beat India by five wickets
Pakistan beat India by five wickets in their first Super Four game at the Asia Cup in Dubai, BBC reported. Chasing 182 to win, Pakistan reached the target with a ball to spare thanks to a 73-run partnership between Mohammad Rizwan, who top scored with 71, and Mohammad Nawaz, who added 42. After both were out, Khushdil Shah (14) and Asif Ali (16) saw Pakistan home. Earlier Virat Kohli’s 60 off 44 balls saw India reach 181-7 from 20 overs after being put into bat. The tournament in the United Arab Emirates is warm-up to the T20 World Cup next month in Australia, according to BBC. India and Pakistan still have to play Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the Super Four round robin stage, with the top two teams reaching the final on 11 September.
Novak Djokovic unable to travel to New York for US Open
Novak Djokovic says he will be unable to travel to New York for the US Open, which begins on Monday, BBC reported.
Djokovic did not defend his Australian Open title in January because his Covid-19 vaccination status led to him being deported from the country.
Since October 2021, the United States has banned non-vaccinated visitors.
Serb Djokovic had hoped to compete, but wrote on Twitter on Thursday: "Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open."
The 35-year-old won his 21st major title with victory at Wimbledon in July, leaving him one behind Rafael Nadal's all-time men's record, but will miss out on another chance to add to his tally.
"I'll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again," Djokovic added.
"See you soon tennis world!"
Djokovic was on the US Open entry list as recently as Monday and, in a social media post on 30 July, wrote "I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete".
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - the nation's health protection agency - had reviewed some of its rules for unvaccinated citizens in recent weeks, but Djokovic's apparent withdrawal suggests travel restrictions will continue to apply, according to BBC.
His absence at Flushing Meadows may benefit Spain's Nadal, who seeks a 23rd Grand Slam title, with world number one Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, looking to defend the title he won for the first time in 2021.
The US Open draw will take place later on Thursday.
China to send troops to Russia for joint military exercises
Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises that will start at the end of the month, Beijing’s defence ministry has said, Aljazeera reported.
Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” (East) military drills from August 30 to September 5, saying some foreign forces would also take part without naming them.
Beijing and Moscow have close defence links and China has said it wants to push bilateral relations “to a higher level,” even as Moscow faces international sanctions and widespread condemnation over its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. “The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” the Chinese defence ministry said in a statement. India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries will also participate, it said. Relations between Russia and China have grown increasingly close under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and Beijing has been under pressure for its opposition to sanctions imposed by many Western countries over the war. Shortly before the invasion, Moscow and Beijing agreed on a “no limits” partnership. Beijing said its decision to participate in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”. A year ago this month, Russia and China held joint military exercises in north-central China involving more than 10,000 troops. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu praised the drills in China’s Ningxia and suggested they could be developed further, according to Aljazeera. In October, Russia and China held joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan. Days later, Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the western Pacific. The following month, South Korea’s military said it had scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese and seven Russian warplanes intruded into its air defence identification zone during what Beijing called regular training. The Vostok drills are the second joint military exercise conducted by Chinese and Russian troops this year. Bombers from the two countries conducted a 13-hour drill close to Japan and South Korea in May, forcing those countries to scramble jet fighters, as United States President Joe Biden was visiting Tokyo. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that while warming ties between China and Russia undermined global security, Washington did not “read anything” into the drills, Aljazeera reported. “Most of the participating countries also routinely participate in a wide array of military exercises and exchanges with the United States as well,” he told a press conference. Russia’s eastern military district includes part of Siberia and has its headquarters in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.
