German hospital treats US Ebola patient infected in DR Congo

The hospital said there was no risk to the ‌public or other patients, as the individual is being treated in complete isolation

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Exterior view of the main entrance of the University Hospital in Frankfurt. The ‌patient arrived at the hospital’s ​special isolation unit at around 3am local time after contracting the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus in DR Congo. Photo: dpa via AP

A United ⁠States citizen infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital early on Monday, officials said.

The ‌patient arrived at the hospital’s special isolation unit at around 3am local time after contracting the Bundibugyo variant of

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China joins US in reusable orbital rocket capability

China has become just the second country after the United States to achieve the controlled recovery of a reusable orbital space rocket.Friday’s successful capture at sea of the booster stage of a Long March-10B rocket after its maiden launch used a novel technique different from that of Elon Musk’s recently listed SpaceX and previous Chinese attempts.Instead of landing using extendable hydraulic legs, the rocket stage used its engines to position itself over a floating platform in the South...

Is China’s massive island-building push at Antelope Reef nearing the finish line?

New satellite images show China has built a long, reinforced quay on Antelope Reef’s lagoon. Photo: EU

New satellite images suggest China’s land reclamation at Antelope Reef in the South China Sea is nearly finished, according to researchers.
One image taken on June 22 showed that dredgers within the lagoon of the teardrop-shaped coral atoll in the Paracel Islands had been replaced by cargo barges, an indication that land reclamation was near completion, London-based research group the Open Source Centre (OSC) said on social media on Friday.

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Saudi Arabia’s reforms fail to halt abuse of Filipino helpers, Amnesty warns

Repatriated Filipino workers arrive in Manila from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on undocumented workers by Riyadh in 2013. Photo: AFP

Filipino domestic workers continue to endure widespread labour exploitation and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia , according to a new Amnesty International report.
The rights watchdog found conditions had barely improved despite years of promised reforms, including last year’s abolition of the kingdom’s notorious “ kafala ” sponsorship system.

The report, based on interviews conducted in March with 19 Filipino women who worked as domestic staff in Saudi Arabia, found consistent patterns of abuse,


The new space race: how China plans to break SpaceX’s launch monopoly with IPO push

The Long March-10B carrier that made history in China, pictured launching from Wenchang in the southern Hainan province on July 10. Photo: AFP

To challenge the global launch market dominance of Elon Musk’s SpaceX , Beijing is adopting a coordinated, multi-company “wolf-pack” strategy fuelled by recent engineering breakthroughs in reusable rocketry. The milestones come as a wave of aerospace firms push to secure the capital needed to scale operations and capture global market share.
According to exchange filings in Shanghai and Hong Kong, at least 15 commercial aerospace companies were now in the pipeline to

Ex-South Korea leader Yoon jailed 2 years over illegal polling

Yoon, 65, is already in detention while appealing against a separate life sentence over his 2024 martial law declaration

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A TV screen at the Seoul Railway Station shows former South Korea president Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday, Photo: AP

A South Korean court sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday to two years in prison for illegally receiving free opinion polls in exchange for political support, adding to his growing legal woes.

Yoon

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Dashcam row allegedly involving singer David Lui could be referred to police

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has received a complaint over a viral dashcam video of a heated dispute in a ride-hailing vehicle involving a passenger identified as singer David Lui Fong, warning that the case could be referred to police.

Assistant Privacy Commissioner Fiona Lai Ho-yan said on a radio programme on Monday that passengers had a higher expectation of privacy inside for-hire vehicles, which are considered semi-private spaces.

“The driver involved, by uploading an identifiable video to social media without the passenger’s


China’s historic sea-based rocket recovery puts spotlight on domestic shipbuilder

After China became only the second nation after the US to achieve the controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster , the spotlight has fallen on the domestic shipbuilder behind the design of the recovery platform.

Following the maiden launch of China’s reusable Long March-10B rocket on Friday, the vehicle’s first-stage booster returned vertically and was caught by the Linghangzhe recovery platform, China’s first sea-based rocket recovery vessel to use a net-capture system.

The platform was developed by


Off-duty Hong Kong firefighter turns himself in over viral shopping centre row

An off-duty firefighter has been arrested in Hong Kong after surrendering to police over alleged common assault, the South China Morning Post has learned, following a viral video showing him shoving and shouting at a young couple in a Mong Kok shopping centre.

A source familiar with the matter told the SCMP on Monday that the 48-year-old man, who said he works as a firefighter, turned himself in at Mong Kok police station on Sunday, accompanied by his wife.

“The arrestee admitted that he had


What happens when Indonesia’s top corruption buster is suspected of graft himself?

Rows of gold bars, stacks of US and Singapore dollars and seven suitcases found inside a locked safe have become the defining images of one of the biggest scandals to hit Indonesia ’s law-enforcement establishment in years.

Police said they recovered 74kg (160lbs) of gold, plus more than US$15 million in multiple currencies from a house linked to Febrie Adriansyah, who until last week served as Indonesia’s deputy attorney general for special crimes, and is now suspected of corruption.

Officials from the Attorney General’s Office prepare a pile of Indonesian banknotes totalling around US$587 million – recovered from various corruption cases and environmental fines – before a ceremony for its handover to the government on May 13. Photo: AFP