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Social media accounts of Covid policy critics suspended in China

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China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government’s policies on the Covid-19 outbreak, as the country moves to further open up.

The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had addressed 12,854 violations including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts.

The company “will continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all kinds of illegal content, and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users,” Sina Weibo said in a statement on Thursday.

Criticism has largely focused on open-ended travel restrictions that saw people confined to their homes for weeks, sometimes without adequate food or medical care.

Anger was also vented over the requirement that anyone who potentially tested positive or had been in contact with such a person be confined for observation in a field hospital, where overcrowding, poor food and hygiene were commonly cited.
Mass migration for Lunar New Year

The ruling Communist Party had largely relied on the medical community to justify its harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing, almost all of which it abruptly abandoned last month.

China is now facing a surge in cases and hospitalisations in major cities and is bracing for a further spread into less developed areas with the start of the Lunar New Year travel rush, set to get underway in the coming days.

While international flights are still reduced, authorities say they expect domestic rail and air journeys will double over the same period last year, bringing overall numbers close to those of the 2019 holiday period before the pandemic hit.

Nonetheless, China is forging ahead with a plan to end mandatory quarantines for people arriving from abroad beginning on Sunday.

Hong Kong also plans to reopen some of its border crossings with mainland China on Sunday and allow tens of thousands of people to cross every day without being quarantined.

The end to mass testing, a lack of basic data such as the number of deaths, infections and severe cases, and the potential emergence of new variants have caused international concern.

Governments elsewhere have instituted virus testing requirements for travellers from China, whiChina take risks on black market drugs as Covid-19 surgesle the World Health Organization has also expressed concern about the lack of data.

Chinese health authorities publish a daily count of new cases, severe cases and deaths, but those numbers include only officially confirmed cases and use a very narrow definition of Covid-related deaths.

Authorities say that since the government ended compulsory testing and permitted people with mild symptoms to test themselves and convalesce at home, it can no longer provide a full picture of the state of the latest outbreak.

(Source: TRT WORLD)

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Death toll from overnight US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital rises to 3

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Sanaa, April 10: The death toll from fresh US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa rose to three, with several others wounded, medics and health authorities told Xinhua.

The airstrikes targeted the Al-Nahdayn area which is surrounded by densely residential neighbourhoods on Wednesday late night.

Shrapnel hit many houses and shattered windows, causing damage and killing three residents. Several wounded civilians have been rushed to hospital.

This was the latest wave of US airstrikes on northern Yemen since the US military resumed airstrikes on the Houthi group on March 15 to deter the group from targeting Israel and US warships in the northern Red Sea.

The airstrikes also targeted several locations across other northern areas late on Wednesday, including the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and the Island of Kamaran, where no casualties have been reported so far.

The US military has yet to comment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on April 9, Yemen’s Houthis said that they had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 18th since the start of the war in Gaza, the military group said.

“Our air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Al-Jawf province, using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile,” the group’s spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

“This is the 18th US drone shot down by our air defences since October 2023,” Sarea said, referring to the timeframe when his group began launching attacks against Israeli targets to show solidarity with Palestinians a few days after the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The last MQ-9 was reportedly shot down by the Houthi forces on Thursday over the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

This type of drone has become well-known to Yemenis because it has been hovering overhead across northern Yemeni provinces almost daily since October 2023.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid their conflict with Israelis.

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IndiGo jostles with US-based Delta for most valuable airline tag

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New Delhi, April 10: India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, overtook US-based Delta Airlines to become the world’s most valuable airline with a market capitalisation of $23.24 billion for a brief period, according to Bloomberg data.

IndiGo’s share price soared to a peak of Rs 5,265 during the day on Wednesday, taking the airline’s market cap past Delta’s $23.18 billion. The lead was short-lived, and by market close, IndiGo’s valuation slipped to $23.16 billion to end up in the second spot, a wee bit below Delta’s.

On Thursday morning, IndiGo shares were trading at Rs 5149.9 on National Stock Exchange. Shares of IndiGo have gained around 13 per cent so far this year, even as the broader Indian market suffered a slump due to external uncertainties.

IndiGo is currently the market leader in India with a 62 per cent share of the market pie.

IndiGo Airlines has also emerged as the world’s second fastest growing airline in terms of seat capacity, which increased by 10.1 per cent year-on-year to over 134.9 million seats in 2024. India’s largest airline has been ranked next only to Qatar Airways, which clocked a 10.4 per cent growth in seat capacity over the previous year, according to the latest data from Official Airline Guide (OAG).

IndiGo has also been ranked as the fastest-growing airline in the world in terms of flight frequency growth at 9.7 per cent year-on-year in 2024. The airline recorded a flight frequency of 749,156 for the year, the figures show.

OAG has also recorded that IndiGo holds one of the world’s largest aircraft orders, with over 900 aircraft on order, and was the largest recipient of 58 new Airbus aircraft during 2024. However, it also states that the airline does have a large proportion (approx. 80 aircraft) inactive with MRO-related supply chain issues.

While 88 per cent of IndiGo’s capacity is allocated to domestic markets, international growth is a key part of the airline’s strategy, with expansion during 2024 focused on regional Middle East markets and Thailand.

Long-term ambition for IndiGo includes the development of long-haul low-cost services – the airline is apparently considering bringing forward launch plans with wet lease aircraft identified for 2025.

IndiGo reported a net profit of Rs 2,449 crore in the Oct-Dec quarter of the current financial year ending on March 31, 2025. This represented an 18 per cent decline over the corresponding figure for the previous financial year. However, the airline’s revenue from operations increased 14 per cent to Rs 22,111 crore during the quarter.

IndiGo’s total income for the quarter was Rs 22,992.8 crore, which was a 14.6 per cent increase from the same period in the previous year.

The airline’s total expenses for the quarter were Rs 20,465.7 crore, which was a 19.9 per cent increase from the previous year.

The airline’s Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose 0.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5,178.6 crore.

IndiGo’s load factor for the quarter stood at 86.9 per cent, which was higher than the 85.8 per cent in the same period in the previous year.

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India stands in solidarity with people of Myanmar: PM Modi

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New Delhi, March 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the catastrophic earthquake in Myanmar, which has resulted in the loss of over 1,000 lives.

In a post on X, PM Modi posted, “Spoke with Senior General H.E. Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar. Conveyed our deep condolences at the loss of lives in the devastating earthquake.”

Under its Act East policy, India has launched ‘Operation Brahma’ to provide urgent relief to Myanmar. On Saturday, more than 15 tonnes of essential aid were dispatched following a series of powerful tremors that wreaked havoc on Friday.

Highlighting India’s unwavering commitment to assisting its neighbours in times of crisis, PM Modi further added, “As a close friend and neighbour, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour. Disaster relief material, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue teams are being expeditiously dispatched to the affected areas as part of Operation Brahma.”

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the initiation of Operation Brahma, confirming that the first tranche of humanitarian aid had reached Yangon Airport on Saturday morning.

“Operation Brahma gets underway. First tranche of humanitarian aid from India has reached the Yangon Airport in Myanmar,” the EAM posted on X.

The Ministry of External Affairs emphasised India’s role as a first responder, stating that the relief consignment included tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators, and crucial medicines.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) transported the relief material aboard a C-130J aircraft from Air Force Station Hindon. The package comprises ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, solar lamps, generator sets, and vital medical supplies such as paracetamol, antibiotics, syringes, gloves, and bandages.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Bangkok is closely monitoring developments in neighbouring Thailand, where tremors were also recorded. Officials confirmed that there have been no reports of any Indian citizens being affected.

The Embassy advised Indian nationals in Thailand to contact emergency services if needed, assuring that all Embassy staff in Bangkok and the Consulate in Chiang Mai are safe.

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