Chinese hospitals were under intense pressure as a surging wave of Covid-19 infections strained resources in the last major country to move towards treating the virus as endemic. In an abrupt change of policy, China earlier this month began dismantling the world’s strictest Covid regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year. The move, which came after widespread protests against the restrictions, means Covid is spreading largely unchecked and likely infecting millions of people a day, according to some international…
Day: December 27, 2022
Police in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province detain religious rights campaigner
The police in Dak Lak province detained religious freedom campaigner Y An Hdrue and a fellow worshiper as they tried to attend a Christmas service at the Evangelical Church of Christ. The Protestant church is not one of the country’s approved religions and does not belong to the State-linked Vietnam Fatherland Front. According to the Montagnard Stand for Justice Facebook page, early on Sunday morning, Y An Hdrue, 52, and fellow worshiper Y Pok Eban, 37, traveled to Cuor Knia 2 village in Buon Don district’s Ea Bar commune to…
North Korea’s Kim Unveils New Military Goals, State Media Says
Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled new goals for the country’s military for 2023 at an ongoing meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media reported on Wednesday, hinting at another year of intensive weapons tests and tension. On the second day of the Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the party’s 8th Central Committee, Kim reviewed the “newly created challenging situation” on the Korean Peninsula and the broader political landscapes, the report said. The third-generation leader set the direction for the “anti-enemy struggle” and goals…
US Weighs New COVID Rules for Travelers from China, Officials Say
The U.S. government may impose new COVID-19 measures on travelers to the United States from China over concerns about the “lack of transparent data” coming from Beijing, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. The move comes after Japan, India and Malaysia announced stepped up rules on travelers from China in the last 24 hours, citing a rise in infections there. Japan has said it would require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travelers from China. Malaysia put in place additional tracking and surveillance measures. “There are mounting concerns in the…
Mark Dreyfus approves extradition of former US marine over charges of training Chinese pilots
The federal government has approved a request to extradite former US marine corps aviator Daniel Duggan to the US, where he faces charges of training Chinese military pilots. An unsealed indictment, filed in a Washington district court earlier this month, alleges that Duggan broke American arms control laws by teaching fighter pilots to land on aircraft carriers. The naturalised Australian is also accused of having provided military training to Chinese pilots through a test flying academy in South Africa between 2010 and 2012. Duggan was arrested by Australian federal police…
Families of Passengers on Missing Rohingya Refugee Boat Keep Hopes Alive
The United Nations refugee agency said Sunday in a statement that about 180 Rohingya were feared to have drowned at sea after their boat left Bangladesh for Malaysia earlier this month. When a boat carrying 174 Rohingya washed ashore Monday in Indonesia, many people speculated that they were the ones the refugee agency had assumed to have drowned. However, some Rohingya in Bangladesh and Malaysia, who managed to speak to the refugees rescued Monday, confirmed that those 174 were not related to the 180 refugees still missing and feared dead.…
Easing of Quarantine Sparks Surge of Interest in China Travel
Washington — Chinese and international airlines are reviewing schedules and coping with a flood of inquiries about travel to China following this week’s announcement that strict quarantine requirements for arriving travelers will be dropped early next month. According to the Chinese state-run media the Beijing News and Cailian Press, data from the Chinese travel website “Ctrip” shows that searches for popular cross-border destinations, including Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the United States, increased tenfold within a half-hour after Monday’s announcement. Searches related to outbound and group tours…
China’s air industry told to prepare for surge in travel after borders reopen
On Tuesday, the Chinese immigration authority said it would resume issuing passports and visas for mainland residents to travel overseas, including entry permits for Hong Kong. Data from multiple Chinese travel booking platforms also saw a surge in searches for international flights after China announced a reopening of its borders from January 8, scrapping Covid-19 tests and quarantine for inbound travellers, only requiring a negative pre-departure test taken within 48 hours. Ctrip.com, a leading Chinese online travel agency, saw a 10-fold increase in searches for top international destinations within 30…
Rohingya man recounts nightmare of being adrift at sea
Muhammad Taher knew he was risking his life when he decided to leave a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and board a decrepit-looking boat to Indonesia, but the father-of-four was desperate to work. He almost didn’t make it. A week after the boat carrying more than 180 people set off, its engine broke down. Those onboard erected a makeshift sail from plastic sheets. Soon, food and water ran out. Passengers had to drink sea water, he recalled. “Many died during the journey because of hunger and there was no food.…
What online-search data say about China’s latest covid wave
NO ONE OUTSIDE China knows how many people in the country have contracted covid-19 or died from it in recent weeks. The Chinese government, which recently abandoned the “zero-covid” strategy of strict lockdowns and isolation requirements that it had maintained since the start of the pandemic, is probably modelling the outbreak, but not sharing its estimates. Since December 1st it has reported an official death toll from the disease of just nine people. On December 25th the National Health Commission announced that it would stop publishing daily case counts (though…