عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Chinese City Deploys Drones to Keep People Inside

Property management workers in protective suits deliver goods to residents at a compound under lockdown due to the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Guangzhou. Reuters
Property management workers in protective suits deliver goods to residents at a compound under lockdown due to the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Guangzhou. Reuters
TT
TT

Chinese City Deploys Drones to Keep People Inside

Property management workers in protective suits deliver goods to residents at a compound under lockdown due to the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Guangzhou. Reuters
Property management workers in protective suits deliver goods to residents at a compound under lockdown due to the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Guangzhou. Reuters

A fleet of 60 drones has been deployed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to keep people indoors and remind those going out to wear masks.

China has largely stamped out cases of local COVID-19 transmission, but Guangzhou has seen a flare-up of the more infectious delta variant of the virus, initially discovered in India.

China reported 34 new COVID-19 cases on June 12, down from 35 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday.

Of the new cases, six were local transmissions, versus eight the previous day, the National Health Commission said. All of the local cases were in southern Guangdong province.

The six new cases reported in Guangzhou brought the number in the city’s outbreak to more than 100.

The police-operated drones carry cameras and broadcast messages to people venturing outdoors that they and others are best protected by staying inside.

The flying unmanned vehicles add to an already dense layer of monitoring including cellphone health confirmations, temperature checks and quarantines for those living in or travelling to areas where the risk of infection is considered high.

Gungzhou has isolated several neighborhoods, restricted travel out of the city and the surrounding province and shuttered cinemas and other indoor entertainment venues.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 91,428, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Pakistan Security Forces Kill 12 Militants, Thwarting Attempted Hostage-taking in Southwest

File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
TT
TT

Pakistan Security Forces Kill 12 Militants, Thwarting Attempted Hostage-taking in Southwest

File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD
File photo: Pakistani Army and security officials stand guard as the opposition party Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaft (PTI) continue their protest for the third day demanding release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 06 October 2024. EPA/SOHAIL SHAHZAD

Pakistani security forces killed at least 12 militants and thwarted an attempted hostage-taking in southwestern Pakistan after assailants attacked a police station, the military said Friday.

In a statement, it said the attackers also targeted two banks and looted millions of rupees (dollars) during the assault in Kharan district of Balochistan province a day earlier. The militants attempted to seize hostages at the police station, but a swift response by security forces forced them to retreat, it said.

The military identified the assailants as “Fitna al-Hindustan,” a phrase the government uses for the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, and other separatist groups. It claimed the attackers, including those killed in the shootouts with security forces, were backed by India, though it provided no evidence. India has repeatedly denied Pakistan’s accusations that it supports separatists in Balochistan or Pakistani Taliban fighters.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement praised the security forces for killing the militants and foiling the attacks by the insurgents in Kharan, reported The Associated Press.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has long been the scene of insurgency by separatist groups, along with attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The BLA, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has been behind numerous attacks targeting security forces and civilians across the province in recent years.

World

Massive Fire at a Shopping Mall in Southern Pakistan, Kills 3 People

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
TT
TT

Massive Fire at a Shopping Mall in Southern Pakistan, Kills 3 People

People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)
People gather as firefighters try to control a massive fire that broke out in a multi-story shopping mall, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Farooq)

A massive fire swept through a multistory shopping mall in Pakistan’s largest southern city of Karachi late Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring about a dozen others, police and rescue officials said.

Firefighters and rescue workers rushed to the Gul Plaza shortly after 10 p.m. local time following reports of the blaze, police and rescuer officials said. According to the local media, most shop owners were closing their stores or had already left when the fire broke out and spread quickly, The Associated Press said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Police said an investigation would be launched once the blaze was extinguished. However, most structures in Karachi, and other parts of the country, lack fire prevention and firefighting systems, which often results in damages and casualties.

TV footage showed firefighters in protective gear battling the flames. Several fire trucks used ladders, water cannons and hoses to douse the building’s floors, where flames shot out of windows and balconies. Thick black smoke billowed into the night sky and was visible from several blocks away, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

Authorities said the fire spread rapidly after erupting in an area of the mall where shopkeepers had stored imported garments, clothing and plastic household goods, which helped fuel the flames.

Karachi is the capital of southern Sindh province, where such incidents are common. In November 2023, a fire tore through a shopping mall in the city, killing 10 people and injuring 22 others.

World

Flash Flooding Eases in Australia's Largest City Sydney

Some of the more than ten cars washed into the surf by the flood at the Cumberland River Caravan park after flash flooding near the Wye River, Australia, 16 January 2026. EPA/MICHAEL CURRIE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
Some of the more than ten cars washed into the surf by the flood at the Cumberland River Caravan park after flash flooding near the Wye River, Australia, 16 January 2026. EPA/MICHAEL CURRIE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
TT
TT

Flash Flooding Eases in Australia's Largest City Sydney

Some of the more than ten cars washed into the surf by the flood at the Cumberland River Caravan park after flash flooding near the Wye River, Australia, 16 January 2026. EPA/MICHAEL CURRIE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
Some of the more than ten cars washed into the surf by the flood at the Cumberland River Caravan park after flash flooding near the Wye River, Australia, 16 January 2026. EPA/MICHAEL CURRIE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

Australian authorities on Sunday downgraded a flood alert for a suburb of the country's largest city Sydney, after residents were evacuated due to rising waters sparked by torrential rains, said Reuters. 

Flooding was "receding and ‌no further ‌significant rise ‌in flood ⁠levels is expected," ‌State Emergency Services said on Sunday afternoon, referring to the suburb of Narrabeen, a beachside area with a population of around 8,000. 

Residents and holidaymakers in the low-lying area ⁠of New South Wales capital Sydney had ‌been told late on ‍Saturday to evacuate to ‍higher ground due to dangerous ‍flash flooding, according to state authorities. 

Climate change is causing heavy short-term rainfall events to become more intense in Australia, the country's science agency said last year. 

Emergency crews responded to more ⁠than 1,700 incidents in New South Wales since the heavy rain hit on Saturday, the state authorities said. 

A woman died on Saturday amid the wild weather after being hit by a falling tree branch near Wollongong, about 66 km (41 miles) south of Sydney, the Australian ‌Broadcasting Corporation reported.