10/06/2025

TUESDAY | JUNE 10, 2025

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Powerful earthquake shakes central Colombia

China requires hospitals to offer epidurals HONG KONG: China said by the end of this year, all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth, which would help promote a “friendly childbearing environment” for women. Tertiary hospitals, those with more than 500 beds, must provide epidural anaesthesia services by this year while secondary hospitals, those containing more than 100 beds, must provide the services by 2027, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement last week. Authorities are struggling to boost birth rates after China’s population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with experts warning that the downturn would worsen in coming years. Around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anaesthesia to relieve pain during childbirth, compared with more than 70% in some developed countries, the official China Daily said. The World Health Organisation recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely utilised in many countries around the world. The move would “improve the comfort level and security of medical services”, said the NHC. A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anaesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children. High childcare costs, job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family. In June, health authorities in China’s southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days to help create a “fertility-friendly society”. – Reuters Lee’s ruling Democratic Party, which controls parliament, is planning to pass a Bill this week that suspends ongoing trials for the incumbent president, local broadcaster KBS reported yesterday. – Reuters S. Korean presidential trial delayed indefinitely SEOUL: A court said yesterday it would indefinitely postpone a trial of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating election law in 2022. South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in May, before Lee was elected, that Lee had violated election law by publicly making “false statements” during his 2022 presidential bid, and sent the case back to an appeals court. The Seoul High Court, which had scheduled a hearing for the case on June 18, said it would postpone the hearing “to be decided later”, without providing a date, a court spokesperson confirmed. Lee’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court said its decision to postpone the hearing was due to “Constitution Article 84”, without elaborating. Article 84 of South Korea’s Constitution says a sitting president is “not subject to criminal prosecution while in office” for most crimes. However, legal experts are divided on whether that applies to ongoing trials that were prosecuted before a president was elected. The National Court Administration under the Supreme Court gave its opinion that judges of each court in which Lee’s trials are being held will have to decide whether to stop or proceed, according to its statement to a lawmaker in May. “The court in charge of hearing the case will determine whether Article 84 should be applied to a criminal defendant who was elected in the presidential election,” the statement said.

PARATEBUENO: Buildings swayed, sirens blared and panicked Colombians raced onto the streets on Sunday as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled the centre of the country. The quake struck at 8.08am about 170km east of the capital Bogota and was felt across much of the country. In the town of Paratebueno, not far from the epicentre, AFP reporters saw several partially collapsed buildings, including a church with one wall that was seriously damaged. Nearby residents picked through the debris of several collapsed zinc-roofed structures. There were no reports of serious injuries but authorities are investigating minor damage in several villages. In Bogota, a city nestled in the high Andes and home to eight million people, the lengthy jolt prompted sirens to go off and sparked widespread alarm. Tall buildings visibly moved from side to side, creaking and groaning for almost a minute, while furniture and fittings shook violently. Thousands of Bogotanos raced downstairs and out of buildings, still wearing their pajamas, and sought refuge in parks and other open spaces. Parents tried to calm terrified children while others looked for pets that had run away. Many were afraid to go back inside as several aftershocks were detected. “It was a big scare,” said 54-year-old Carlos Alberto Ruiz, who left his apartment with o No reports of serious injuries, authorities investigating minor damage in several villages

The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 9km. – AFPPIC

Hun Sen said adjusting forces through “mutual understanding” is “essential to avoid large-scale violent clashes”. Thailand and Cambodia have long been at odds over their more than 800km-long border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday the kingdom would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the border dispute. The ICJ ruled in 2013 that the disputed area belonged to Cambodia but Thailand says it does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction. – AFP conducting takeoffs and landings on deck, the ministry said. The carrier in September last year sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan and entered Japan’s contiguous waters, an area up to 24 nautical miles from its coast. At the time, Tokyo called the move “unacceptable”and expressed“serious concerns” to Beijing. Under international law, a state has rights to the management of natural resources and other economic activities within its EEZ, which is within 370km of its coastline. Last month, Tokyo accused Beijing of conducting un-notified maritime scientific research within its EEZ, near the remote Pacific atoll of Okinotori. – AFP sweep of the city to look for damage and provide assistance. Bogota mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said all disaster agencies have been activated. Central Colombia is in a zone of high seismic activity. A 6.2-magnitude quake there in 1999 claimed nearly 1,200 lives. The country is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide, stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin to South America. – AFP

his wife, son and dog. “It has been a while since we felt (earthquakes) this strong here in Bogota,” said lawyer Francisco Gonzalez, who also fled his home. The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 9km near Paratebueno. The impact was felt as far away as Medellin and Cali, close to the Pacific coast. Bogota’s security department said on X emergency workers were conducting a

Thailand and Cambodia to reposition troops BANGKOK: Thailand and Cambodia on Sunday reached an agreement to reposition their troops in a disputed border area where a Cambodian soldier was killed last month in a military clash, both sides announced. Sunday and agreed to reposition their soldiers. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she had spoken to the Cambodian government and talks had reached a “positive conclusion”.

“Both parties have agreed to jointly adjust military forces at points of conflict to reduce the atmosphere of confrontation,” she said, adding that further discussions are due on June 14. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said the two militaries met and “decided to adjust forces of both sides, to return to appropriate positions to reduce confrontations”. Influential former Cambodian prime minister

There has been sporadic violence on the Thai-Cambodia frontier since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths. A Cambodian soldier was killed in the most recent outbreak of clashes on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet. Following disputes in recent days over border controls and troops, the two sides met on

Chinese aircraft carrier enters Japan’s economic waters TOKYO: A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, Tokyo’s Defence Ministry said yesterday. The Liaoning carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed around 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. naval and air assets to press disputed territorial claims have rattled the United States and its allies in the Asia Pacific region. Tokyo’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters yesterday that the government has “conveyed an appropriate message to the Chinese side” without saying it has lodged a formal protest.

After the Liaoning and its accompanying vessels exited Japan’s EEZ, fighter jets and helicopters conducted takeoffs and landings on Sunday, the ministry statement said. Japan deployed its warship Haguro to the area to monitor the situation, it added. Last month, the Liaoning sailed between two southern Japanese islands within the EEZ, from the East China Sea into the Pacific while

It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesperson told AFP. “We think that the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas.” China’s growing military clout and use of