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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.
People stand in a queue with water cans to collect drinking water at subsidized rates amid an ongoing water crisis, at a water dispensing center in Bengaluru, India, March 11, 2024. /CFP
India's glitzy IT hub of Bengaluru is facing a water shortage, causing delays at work and at industry delivery points. The shortage, caused by weak southwest monsoon rains that failed to replenish groundwater and river basin reservoirs, has forced residents to ration water use and pay almost double the usual price to meet their daily needs. Some restaurants are considering using disposable plates to save on washing-up, while others are putting up advisories in restrooms and training staff on how to operate with less water.
Reuters reported that Microsoft is using tap aerators to control water flow and recycling water in the washrooms at its offices in the city. The report added that "Walmart, which implemented similar water conservation measures well before the crisis, said it was also encouraging landlords to use recycled water for landscaping and gardening." On Wednesday, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board issued an order banning the use of potable water to fill swimming pools. The use of drinking water for washing cars, gardening, construction and maintenance had previously been banned.
26 die in Indonesian floods
The wreckage of a car swept away by flash flooding is seen by a river bank in Pesisir Selatan Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia, March 9, 2024. /CFP
Flooding and landslides in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra have killed 26 people and at least six are missing, authorities said on Monday. Bridges, schools, 113 hectares of farmland and nearly 700 homes were damaged by torrential rains that have pounded down since Thursday, according to the country's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB).
At least 39,000 people have been affected, the BNPB said in a statement on Monday. Footage from the region showed homes and stores damaged by the inundation, and sections of muddy road that had collapsed into an adjacent river, or were strewn with fallen trees. The BNPB's chief arrived in the provincial capital of Padang on Monday to lead coordination and evaluation efforts as well as distribute emergency relief funds.
South Korean doctors want ILO intervention
An elderly woman waits in a wheelchair outside a hospital in Seoul, March 14, 2024. /CFP
South Korea's trainee doctors on Thursday asked the International Labor Organization (ILO), which works under the United Nations, to intervene in their stand-off with the government. They claim the back-to-work orders forced on them constitute a breach of international norms against forced labor.
The government said on Monday it had started procedures to suspend the medical licenses of 4,900 junior doctors who resigned to protest government medical education reforms. The walkout, which started last month, is over government plans to increase the number of doctors, which the government says is needed to meet shortages and serve the country's aging population. Medics argue the increase will erode service quality. Nearly 12,000 junior doctors – 93 percent of the trainee workforce – were not in their hospitals at the last count, despite back-to-work orders and threats of legal action. South Korea has turned to military doctors and spent millions of won to stabilize the situation.
Zardari returns as Pakistan president
Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa (R) administers the oath of office to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari (L) at the President House in Islamabad, March 10, 2024. /CFP
Pakistan's former President Asif Ali Zardari won a second term on Saturday, supported by the ruling coalition in a vote by parliament and regional assemblies, the election presiding officer said.
Zardari got 411 votes, defeating Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who was backed by opposition leader Imran Khan, who got only 181. Presiding officer Justice Amir Farooq announced the winner in a live TV broadcast.
Japan's Space One rocket explodes on takeoff
A small rocket that Japan's Space One launched for its inaugural flight exploded shortly after takeoff on Wednesday.
The rocket Kairos exploded mid-air within seconds after blasting off from Wakayama Prefecture in central Japan. Tokyo-based start-up Space One did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate reports of injuries.
(Cover: The parched banks of Nallurahalli Lake, located on the eastern edges of India's tech hub of Bengaluru that is facing water shortages, February 21, 2024. /Reuters)