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Rescue workers gather around damaged carriages during search for survivors at the accident site on Saturday. With the rail routes still blocked, family members of deceased passengers are having to find their way by other means to the crash site, to help identify the dead. India’s extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, was built more than 160 years ago under British colonial rule. Decaying infrastructure is often cited as a cause for traffic delays and numerous train accidents in India. An ambitious National Rail Plan, announced in 2021, envisages that all major cities in north, west and south India should be connected by high-speed rail.

Persons: –, Ashwini Vaishnaw, ”, Dibyangshu Sarkar, Jaya Varma Sinha, ” Sinha, Mansukh Mandaviya, Mandaviya, Naveen Patnaik, Patnaik, “, Narenda Modi, Narendra Modi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Fumio Kishida, Antonio Guterres, Pope Francis, Modi, Modi’s, Albright Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Howrah, Bangalore . Rescue, Getty, Jaya, India’s Health, Sunday, Odisha’s, Public Relations Department, Indian, Rapid, Force, British, United Nations, National Crime Records, Group, Rail Plan, Bharat Locations: New Delhi, London, Hong Kong, Balasore, Odisha, Indian, Kolkata, Chennai, Bazar, Bangalore, AFP, Tamil Nadu, Russian, India, Jammu, Kashmir

☆ Tiananmen Square masacre anniversary: vigils go global as authorities in China and Hong Kong stamp out remembrance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I think it’s sad to say that what Beijing and Hong Kong are doing is trying to erase history and the memory,” said Kevin Yam, a former lawyer in Hong Kong, who will be attending a ceremony in Melbourne, Australia, where he now resides. “Hong Kong has been carrying the torch for commemorating the Tiananmen massacre, keeping the legacy alive. When the museum was shut down, with the Hong Kong alliance’s leaders in prison, we knew it was a critical moment,” he said. Thousands gathered at a candlelit vigil in Hong Kong on June 4, 2017, to mark 28 years since China's bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown. “It is true that the commemorations around June 4th have expanded and become more global since it has become impossible to do anything in Hong Kong,” he told CNN.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Hong Kongers, ”, Kevin Yam, Zhou, Zhou Fengsuo, Wang Dan, Hong Kong’s, “, Hong Kong, Isaac Lawrence, Chris Tang –, –, Louise Delmotte, Richard Tsoi, Catherine Henriette, Jens Galschiot, Anthony Kwan, Kongers Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, Reuters, CNN, Hong, People’s Liberation Army, Authorities, Getty, Victoria Park, Chinese Communist Party, Hong Kong Alliance, Police, . Police, of, Los, “, Britain –, London Locations: Hong Kong, China, Victoria, Beijing, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, United States, Canada, Melbourne, New York, York, “ Hong Kong, Hong, AFP, Tiananmen, Berlin, Danish, Germany, Los Angeles, Boston, Norway, Causeway, Britain, Nottingham, Manchester, London

☆ Hong Kong knife attack: City in shock as two women stabbed to death in mall
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Two women have been stabbed to death in a Hong Kong mall in a frenzied – and apparently random – attack that has shocked a city where violent crime is rare. Graphic video clips circulating on social media appear to show the attacker pinning one of the women to the floor and repeatedly stabbing her. “We found multiple knife wounds on (the two women) and they were bleeding profusely,” she said. The attack has shocked a city where violent crime of any sort is relatively rare, particularly so because of the apparently random nature of the incident. The city sees only a few dozen homicides each year, compared to several hundred in New York.

Persons: Elieen Chung Lai, yee, –, “, ”, Lai, John Lee, Lee, ” Lee Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hollywood, Police Locations: Hong Kong, Diamond Hill, New York, London

☆ ‘The Office’ gets an Australian reboot with a female boss
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —More than 20 years after British comedian Ricky Gervais gave insufferable middle-manager David Brent global fame, an Australian version of the hit show “The Office” is being made, this time with a female lead. Since its debut in 2001, “The Office” has won multiple awards and inspired local versions in countries including Chile, Israel, India, and Poland. The Australian series is the 13th adaption and the first to cast a woman in the lead role. The Australian edition is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon Studios. In a statement, Gervais, who co-created “The Office” with Stephen Merchant said he was excited about the Australian version.

Persons: Ricky Gervais, David Brent, Felicity Ward, Hannah Howard, Brent, Michael Scott, ”, Ward, she’d, Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kylie Washington, it’s Organizations: CNN, BBC, Wakefield ”, BBC Studios, Bunya Entertainment, Amazon Studios, BBC Studios ANZ Locations: British, Chile, Israel, India, Poland, BBC Studios Australia, New Zealand, Sydney

☆ Pterosaur bones found in Australia reveal world’s oldest flying reptile lived there 107 million years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pterosaurs, the world’s oldest flying reptiles, once flew in Australia’s skies as far back as 107 million years ago, according to a study published Wednesday. Palaeontologists came to that conclusion after examining two pieces of prehistoric bone extracted from Dinosaur Cove – a fossil-bearing site in the Australian state of Victoria – more than three decades ago. The samples turned out to be the oldest remains of pterosaurs ever recovered from the country, according to the study published in science journal History Biology on Wednesday. Experts from the Perth-based Curtin University and Museums Victoria, in Melbourne, examined bones from two individuals, including a wing bone belonging to the first juvenile pterosaur ever reported in Australia. The pterosaur bones discovered at Dinosaur Cove in Victoria, Australia.

Persons: Palaeontologists, Victoria –, Adele Pentland, palaeontologists Tom Rich, Pat Vickers, Victoria, ”, “, Rich Organizations: CNN, Curtin University, Museums Victoria, Museums Victoria Research Institute Locations: Australian, Victoria, Perth, Melbourne, Australia, Brazil, Argentina

☆ Snorkeler survives crocodile attack by pulling his head from its jaws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Australian man bitten on the head by a crocodile while snorkeling in the sea off far north Queensland escaped the unusual attack by prizing open the reptile’s jaws. McGowan was rushed to Haggerston, a resort island some 45 minutes away, before being helicoptered to a regional hospital. I’m just grateful it was me and not one of the kids or ladies in the group,” he said in the statement. Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six meters long and weigh up to 1,000 kilograms, according to Australia Zoo. Crocodiles were sighted on nine occasions in Cook Shire on Cape York since the start of this year, according to the Queensland government.

Hong Kong CNN —Cathay Pacific Airways said Tuesday it had fired three cabin crew members after a passenger complained of discrimination on a flight from mainland China, an incident that angered Hong Kong officials and underscored the pressure on the city’s flag carrier to please Beijing. In a statement late Tuesday announcing the dismissals, Cathay Pacific (CPCAY) CEO Ronald Lam said he would personally lead a task force to improve service and avoid similar incidents in the future. A passenger walking to a Cathay Pacific counter at Hong Kong's international airport in 2018. The airline made headlines this week over an incident of alleged discrimination with a passenger from mainland China. In an editorial, it said there was “a question mark on how far Cathay Pacific can fly if their old problems remain unchanged.”— CNN’s Nectar Gan and Chris Lau contributed to this report.

☆ This 15-mile, $6.7B bridge is a symbol of China’s ambitions, and its problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Greater Bay Area is home to 68 million people, covers 21,800 square miles and encompasses 11 cities: Hong Kong, Macao and nine others including Zhongshan and Shenzhen. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge project features artificial islands and an undersea tunnel. That bridge connects the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai with gambling hub Macao and leading financial center Hong Kong. An aerial view of the world's longest cross-sea bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, in Zhuhai city, south China's Guangdong province, 19 March 2019. The latest bridge would connect two mainland Chinese cities that were already under the same regulations, he pointed out.

☆ Japan: World's most expensive ice cream, by Cellato, costs $6,400
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Keep your hands steady: a scoop of this exquisite delight is probably going to cost more than all the ice cream you will have throughout multiple summers. Japanese ice cream brand Cellato calls white night a gelato on its website, and the name is a hint to its Italian origins. The ice cream is topped off by an edible gold leaf, two types of cheese and “Sakekasu,” a paste-like ingredient derived from the process of sake-making. The world's most expensive ice cream by Japanese maker Cellato is a conbination of luxury ingredients from Italy and Japan. They are advised to let the ice cream defrost at room temperature or microwave it at 500 watts for 10 to 20 seconds, if the texture is too hard.

☆ ‘Uncle Roger’ jokes about China and censors don’t see the funny side
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

By Saturday his account on China’s highly censored Weibo platform had been barred from creating new posts. ‘Don’t make him disappear’Ng, 32, shot to fame three years ago with a video of Uncle Roger – an outspoken middle-aged man who speaks with a thick Malay accent – making fun of BBC Food presenter Hersha Patel’s way of cooking Chinese-style egg-fried rice. The sketch Ng posted on Twitter last week was filmed at his recent stand-up tour, which broached more political subjects. In one clip, after learning that an audience member is from China’s southern Guangzhou province, Uncle Roger says China is a “good country.”“We have to say that now, correct? “Uncle Roger good comrades,” he quipped.

☆ Japan's G7 summit menu: World leaders have plenty on their plates, including beef, oysters and sea urchins
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —World leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima have been treated to a belt-expanding tour of local gastronomical delights with a host of menus showcasing the best of Japanese fine dining. Leaders were also served sea bream with Japanese matsutake mushrooms, simmered stonefish and slipper lobster. Next came famously marbled beef sourced from Hiroshima – known as hiba beef – served alongside red sea urchin and eggplants, complemented by a selection of sparkling sake and red wine. For the main, they will be served with homegrown chicken and locally sourced mussels, according to the menu seen by CNN. And for those still hungry, Sunak and other world leaders will have plenty more opportunities to sample Japanese cuisine before they begin to depart from Sunday.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked South Korea to provide non-lethal military hardware when she met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Tuesday, both countries have reported. But an official from Yoon’s office said Zelenska stopped short of asking for lethal weapons, acknowledging that South Korea would have found it difficult to oblige had any such request been made. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, South Korea has maintained its stance of not providing lethal weapons to a warring country, although Yoon has hinted at a possible major policy shift. The Ukrainian first lady handed Yoon “a personal letter and an invitation from the president of Ukraine” to visit her country, the Ukrainian side said. Last year, she met US first lady Jill Biden privately at the White House to discuss American support for Ukraine.

☆ The joke that cost $2 million: China imposes huge fine for comedian’s army-themed quip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

As the official backlash grew, Li canceled all his performances while the entertainment company that represents him, Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media, issued an apology. He went on to say that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight words, before he unleashed the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media is one of the biggest stand-up comedy show producers in the country. ‘Low form of art’Li had already apologized on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where he has 136,000 followers. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media previously said it had suspended the comedian from all productions indefinitely.

☆ Chinese stand-up comedian forced to apologize after military joke angers officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

He went on to say that one day his two energetic canines gave chase to a squirrel, which reminded him of eight words, before he delivered the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo. “Fine style of work, capable of winning battles,” he said, flipping a well known Chinese Communist Party slogan referring to the PLA. Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media described the joke as “inappropriate” before offering an apology in a statement on Monday. Comedians make a name for themselves by taking part in these shows and often expand their careers to live shows – as Li did. Last May, former investigative journalist Luo Changping was sentenced to seven months in prison and ordered to offer a public apology for calling Chinese soldiers portrayed in a blockbuster movie about the Korean war “stupid.”Li’s sense of humor divided users on Chinese social media.

☆ Teacher feared dead after shark attack off South Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Emergency services were called to reports of a shark attack at Walkers Rock Beach, on the west coast of South Australia, on Saturday, South Australia police said in a statement. Authorities have not identified the man, but local CNN affiliates have named him as Simon Baccanello, a 46-year-old teacher at nearby Elliston Area School. Baccanello started his stint at the Elliston Area School in January, according to his LinkedIn profile. Shark attacks are relatively rare off South Australia – according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, there were 20 shark encounters in 2022, resulting in 14 injuries and one death. South Australia only contributed one case that did not involve any injury.

CNN —Western Myanmar is being battered by strong winds and heavy rain after Cyclone Mocha made landfall on the Bay of Bengal coastline Sunday. Local residents check the damages after Cyclone Mocha's crashed ashore in Kyauktaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state on May 14, 2023. Two children stand under a roadside shelter to protect from rain before Cyclone Mocha hits in Sittwe, Rakhine State, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. APTropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to the equivalent of a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. Most live in bamboo and tarpaulin shelters perched on hilly slopes that are vulnerable to strong winds, rain, and landslides.

Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, tropical Cyclone Mocha has intensified to a high-end Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, with sustained winds of 240kph (150mph). Tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms depending on ocean basin and intensity), feed off ocean heat. They need temperatures of at least around 27 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit) to form, and the warmer the ocean, the more moisture they can take up. The waters in the Bay of Bengal are currently around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit Fahrenheit), about 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than average for May. Climate-change fueled sea-level rise adds to the risks, worsening storm surges from tropical cyclones and allowing them to travel further inland.

Koume, a 5-year-old mongrel, was handed an official letter of appreciation by local fire officials at a special ceremony last month for her valiant work at a horse riding club in Wakaba-ku, Chiba City. According to the horse riding club, a man in his fifties collapsed at the riding park on February 25. Koume, a usually placid pup, raised the alarm with her barks which then allowed people to rush to the man’s aid. “Koume is usually quiet and barks only under rare circumstances,” Yuna Maruo, a 23-year-old riding instructor who took part in saving the man that day, said. “But when an emergency arises, Koume does bark.”The Wakaba Fire Department said life saving treatment can be given to heart attack victims if people are alert to “the slightest change.”The appreciation letter given to Koume by Wakaba Fire Department to recognize her life-saving effort.

☆ ChatGPT: Chinese police detain man for allegedly using it to spread rumors online
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

According to a statement from police in the northwest province of Gansu, the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate a bogus report about a train crash, which he then posted online for profit. ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it. State broadcaster CGTN says it was the country’s first arrest of a person accused of using ChatGPT to fabricate and spread fake news. Formally known as deep synthesis, deep fake refers to highly realistic textual and visual content generated by artificial intelligence. The new legislation bars users from generating deep fake content on topics already prohibited by existing laws on China’s heavily censored internet.

☆ He smelled something strange in his Tibetan hotel room. It was a dead body under his bed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —When a tourist at a Tibetan hotel noticed a foul smell in his room and asked to move, little could he have guessed he would get caught up in a murder investigation. The traveler spent half a day in the room wondering where the smell was coming from and initially suspected either the bakery downstairs or perhaps his own feet. But he was later informed it came from a dead body under the bed. So I asked them where,” he told Shangyou News. Recounting his experience to Shangyou News, Zhang said he had left Tibet as soon as he helped the police with their investigation.

In Shanghai, over seven million tourists arrived in the city for the weekend, according to Shanghai Travel Data. Also known as the May Day holiday, the Labor Day break is one of three major annual holidays in China. Tourists visit Nanjing Confucius Temple ahead of the May Day holiday on April 27, 2023 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China. Visitors walk past the Casino Lisboa, operated by SJM Holdings, during Labour Day holiday in Macau, China, April 30, 2023. “The unscrupulous practice of these bed-and-breakfasts is ugly,” said an opinion piece posted on the social media platform by state media People’s Daily.

☆ These strange-looking turtles in Hong Kong could soon be extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Hong Kong CNN —One of the world’s most densely populated cities might seem an unlikely refuge for endangered wildlife. While in Hong Kong, the unlikeliness of the setting has enabled them to fly largely under poachers’ radar. Professor Sung Yik-hei with a Big-headed turtle at a lab at Lingnan University in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. Courtesy Sung Yik-hei Professor Sung Yik-hei monitors an area near a river in Hong Kong on April 13, 2023. A few hundred are left in Hong Kong, and perhaps even fewer in its other homes of Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

☆ Australian police sift through 3,000 tons of trash for missing woman’s remains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Lesley Trotter was reported missing by her family in Brisbane in late March. Queensland PoliceOn April 18, officers partially cordoned off one of those sites and have been sifting through rubbish for Trotter’s body, or any clues to her whereabouts. At the time, Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Massingham described the search area as “quite enormous.” “There is some 3,000 tons of general waste that we need to sort through,” he said. On Thursday, police said less than 13% of the search area had been covered, and the entire process could take several weeks. “Whether that’s created some angst amongst the tenants, we’re working through that at the moment,” Massingham said.

The cause of death was not immediately known and authorities will perform a post-mortem to find out more, the outlet reported. Uday – who was named by Indian citizens in a contest – was among 20 cheetahs airlifted to India over the past few months from Africa. The news of the deceased 6-year-old cheetah came just three weeks after his fellow feline, Sasha, died from a kidney infection. Laurie Marker, founder of the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which also helped with transferring the animals, said re-establishing a population is very difficult. In late March, the country welcomed four newborn cheetahs for the first time since the species disappeared from India more than 70 years ago.

☆ Cyclone Ilsa threatens to hit Western Australia as strongest storm in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tourists staying along the portion of coast between Broome and Port Hedland have been told to move from the projected path of the storm. Broome and Port Hedland are relatively small towns with a combined population of around 30,000 people. Many people employed by the iron ore mines live and work in Port Hedland. On Tuesday, the Pilbara Port Authority said it was clearing boats from all berths in the inner harbor of the Port Hedland port, and urged recreational boat owners to secure their vessels. Darren Klemm, Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner of Western Australia, said it had been 10 years since a cyclone of that size had hit the WA coast.

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