China has placed a third city under lockdown today to tackle Covid-19 cases, with around six million people now under orders to stay home as Beijing chases zero cases before the upcoming Winter Olympics, AFP reports.

The resurgence prompted officials this week to lock down Lanzhou city — with a population of over four million — and Ejin in the Inner Mongolia region.

After confirming one new case, authorities in Heihe in Heilongjiang province followed suit today, ordering people to stay at home and forbidding residents from leaving the far northern city except in emergencies, according to a local government statement.

Opinion

Editorial

Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...
Fragile gains at risk
14 Mar, 2026

Fragile gains at risk

PAKISTAN is confronting an external shock stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran that few of the other affected...
Kidney disease
14 Mar, 2026

Kidney disease

ON World Kidney Day this past Thursday, the Pakistan Medical Association raised the alarm on Pakistan’s...
Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...
Soaring costs
13 Mar, 2026

Soaring costs

FOR millions of households already grappling with Ramazan inflation, the sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices...
Perilous lines
13 Mar, 2026

Perilous lines

THE law minister’s veiled warning to the media to “exercise caution” and not cross “red lines” while...