BEIJING — China has declined the World Health Organization’s (WHO) proposal to participate in the second phase investigation of the Covid-19 origin study, a top Chinese official informed on July 22. The announcement was made after the possibility of the virus leaking from a Wuhan lab included in the proposal. “Beijing has been surprised to see a lab leak listed as a research objective under the second phase of the investigation,” said Zeng Yixin, Chinese Deputy Head of the National Health Commission. “In some aspects, the WHO’s plan for the next phase of investigation of the coronavirus origin doesn’t respect common sense, and…
Author: zenger.news
NEW DELHI — Model Sagarika Shona Suman claimed that she has been getting several threats following her allegations against Raj Kundra on July 22, 2021. Actor Shilpa Shetty’s husband Kundra was arrested on July 19, 2021, by the Mumbai Police for allegedly creating pornographic films and publishing them through some mobile applications. The Mumbai Police, earlier on July 20, 2021, informed that the Property Cell of its Crime Branch had so far arrested a total of 11 people, including Kundra, for their alleged involvement in the crime. After this incident, several models and actors have come forward to reveal their personal experiences with Kundra’s pornography web…
NEW DELHI — Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh remembered his late legendary grandfather — singer Mukesh on his 95th birth anniversary on July 22, 2021. Taking to his Twitter handle, he shared a monochrome picture of his grandfather and, along with it, penned a heartfelt note for him. Quoting an evergreen song of the iconic singer “Kal Khel Me Hum Ho Na Ho” from the cult classic — “Mera Naam Joker,” Neil said that he feels blessed to carry on his grandfather’s legacy, and even though he has passed away, his iconic songs are still popular. “Kal Khel Mein Hum Ho Na Ho Gardish…
MUMBAI, India — A day after celebrating her birthday, actress Priyanka Chopra treated fans with glimpses of her “quiet birthday” celebrations, thanking them and her husband Nick Jonas for making her day special. Taking to her Instagram handle, the 39-year-old shared a series of pictures of herself celebrating her special day in London. “Photo Dump. Thank you to everyone who sent me so much love and affection this birthday,” the “Fashion” star captioned the post. “So many wonderful texts, calls, stories, tweets.” Continuing with her note of gratitude, Chopra shared a lesson she had learned from life as she stepped into the next…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian Labor Party wants welfare recipients living in lockdown areas automatically bumped onto higher Covid-19 disaster relief payments. It also wants the federal government to automatically move people back onto JobSeeker and waive the waiting period when the lockdown ends. “Financial help if you are between 22 and Age Pension age and looking for work,” said JobSeeker on their official website. “It is also for when you are sick or injured and cannot do your usual work or study for a short time.” Currently, people receiving the dole or other government payments are not eligible for disaster relief and have to…
SYDNEY — A former University of Technology Sydney dean of science has been found guilty of sending fake threatening letters to herself including one which read “chop our future we chop yours”. Dianne Jolley, after three days of deliberations, was found guilty of 10 charges of conveying information likely to make a person fear for their safety, knowing that it was misleading, over the material sent to the University of Technology Sydney and her home between May and November 2019. In the five months from July through November, she received various letters one of which suggested she had been poisoned, a…
A family planning to eat a fresh fish that they bought in a local market almost missed out on the meal after their little boy stole it when he realized his grandmother was going to kill it. The incident was filmed in Handan in the northern Chinese province of Hebei on July 19. According to the boy’s father, identified only by his surname Cheng, he bought the live fish from the wet market that morning. Wet markets are popular in China and Southeast Asia where they sell fresh meat and fish, with many of them selling live animals like this…
SYDNEY — Keeping warm down has become more expensive as coal-fired power outages take a toll on Australia’s energy market. Prices rebounded significantly between April and June because of outages and colder-than-average weather, said the Australian Energy Market Operator. Wholesale electricity prices, or those paid by retailers before they supply to customers, averaged AU$95 ($70.07) per megawatt-hour. This compared with AU$37 (27.29) per megawatt-hour in the first three months of 2021. “The start to winter tested power system resilience, with generator outages contributing to tightening supply conditions and significant electricity price volatility over the quarter,” said Violette Mouchaileh, chief markets officer of Australian…
MELBOURNE, Australia — All Year 12 students of the southeast Australian state, Victoria, will get special consideration for their final Victorian Certificate of Education scores due to another year of Covid-19 lockdown. The Victoria Certificate of Education is the senior secondary school qualification awarded to students who successfully complete years 11 and 12 in Victoria. It is the preferred choice for students who want to pursue tertiary education. The class of 2021 statewide has had to study remotely for the second year in a row, and important assessments have been put off. Under normal circumstances, students have to apply for special consideration individually,…
CANBERRA, Australia — A coalition of Australian charities has appealed to the United Nations after a row with the federal government over new regulations they say are a bid to silence them. Under the planned changes, charities risk losing their tax-deductible donation status if their resources are deemed to promote offenses such as trespass or property damage. The AU$100 billion ($73.71 billion) sector is usually funded by donors who do not have to pay tax on the money they give. Charities have expressed concerns that the changes will mean they are unregistered for things like staff members blocking a footpath at a public…