Shanghai reports first Covid deaths from omicron

Published

4 years ago

April 19, 2022

Shanghai reports its first official Covid deaths linked to the Omicron outbreak engulfing the city

Among the first recorded deaths are three people aged between 89 and 91 who were reportedly unvaccinated.

The outbreak arose despite China’s ‘zero-Covid’ strategy that has confined residents in strict lock-downs with mass testing across the country.

China’s health commission says Shanghai reported around 2400 symptomatic cases and more than 19,000 asymptomatic infections on April 18, 2022.

However, there has been suspicion with many questioning the low death toll despite the high case numbers in a country with the largest population.

Since March 1, more than 370,000 people in Shanghai have been infected with the virus but officials say no one had died until Sunday.

Shanghai’s low death toll is partly due to how Covid deaths are counted. Mainland China’s Covid-19 cases and deaths are counted separately from Hong Kong, another administrative region under China.

Hong Kong faces a much larger outbreak with almost 9000 deaths and 1.1 million cases since omicron surged in January 2022.

Rijul Baath contributed to this report

Iran live updates: Trump claims Khamenei dead as Iran insists he remains in command

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Ahron Young

What’s happening in the Middle East?

President Donald Trump says Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed
Iran is entering a transitional period, with a three man leadership council temporarily taking control
The U.S. military confirms three American service members were killed in the joint Israeli U.S. operation
The White House says U.S. forces have destroyed and sunk nine Iranian naval ships
Israel and the United States continue strikes on Iranian targets, with Tehran launching missile and drone retaliation across Israel and Gulf states
Shipping, aviation and oil markets have been disrupted, with civilians fleeing major cities amid escalating tensions

News

Israel strikes Tehran anew as conflict escalates and global markets react

Israel strikes Tehran after Khamenei’s death; U.S. warns of prolonged conflict as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Israel strikes Tehran after Khamenei’s death; U.S. warns of prolonged conflict as tensions escalate in the Middle East.

Israel has launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran, following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned the campaign could last up to a month, framing the operation as a move to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities.

Iran has retaliated with missile attacks, while its Revolutionary Guards claim responsibility for assaults on oil tankers in the Gulf. The escalating hostilities are already disrupting global shipping lanes and air travel, sending shockwaves through international markets.

With reports of the first U.S. casualties emerging and Washington declaring the Tehran operation a success, tensions across the Middle East are intensifying rapidly. The question now is how far this conflict could spread — and at what cost.

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News

U.S. and Israel strike Iran as missiles hit Gulf bases and oil surges

U.S. and Israel launch major military operation against Iran; tensions rise as conflict escalates, impacting global markets.

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Ahron Young

U.S. and Israel launch major military operation against Iran; tensions rise as conflict escalates, impacting global markets.

The United States and Israel have launched a sweeping military operation against Iran, striking leadership targets and more than 500 military sites in what President Trump has dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

Explosions have rocked Tehran, with civilians fleeing the capital as U.S. sea and air assets carry out sustained attacks. Washington says the mission is designed to prevent a nuclear armed Iran and has even called on Iranians to rise up against the regime.

Iran has retaliated with a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the region, including in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. While many projectiles were intercepted, a U.S. base in Bahrain sustained damage.

Gulf states long seen as stable hubs for global business are now directly in the firing line, raising fears of a wider regional war.

Oil prices are climbing and tankers are diverting from the Strait of Hormuz as markets react to the escalating conflict. U.S. aircraft carriers, advanced fighter jets and missile destroyers remain in position, signalling more strikes could follow.

With global leaders scrambling diplomatically, the world is watching to see whether this spirals further or shifts back to negotiations.