Page 29 - China

China's lack of Covid transparency ignites fear of new virus variants

Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country's track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere. The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information, including the genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country. Wang Pi-Sheng, the head of Taiwan's epidemic command centre, said on Thursday that uncertainty about the situation in China has his government worried. Authorities will start testing everyone arriving from China on January 1 ahead of the expected return of about 30,000 Taiwanese for th

China's lack of Covid transparency ignites fear of new virus variants

Passengers arriving in India from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand will be mandatorily required to provide negative Covid reports from January 1, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. They will have to upload the negative Covid reports from RT-PCR tests on the Air Suvidha portal prior to their departure. The tests have to be conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey to India, Mandaviya said. This requirement is in addition to the random two per cent tests of all international passengers in all incoming international flights on their arrival in India irrespective of their port of departure, the minister said. Amid a spike in coronavirus cases in some countries, the government has sounded an alert, tightened Covid guidelines and asked states and Union territories to prepare for any eventuality. India recorded 268 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,552, according to the Union Health Ministry dat

Medical techs like iris scanning, DNA profiling ignites fears, says report

Inclusion of modern medicine tools like DNA profiling at mass levels in China has given rise to fears of China using tools to further promote country's inhuman business of forcibly harvested organs

LIVE: Lack of information on China's Covid outbreak stirs global concerns

Live news updates: The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information

Oil plunges as China's Covid-19 spike dampens global demand outlook

Brent futures for February fell 79 cents, or 1.0%, to $82.47 a barrel by 0730 GMT, while US crude fell 80 cents, or 1.0%, to $78.16 a barrel

India may emerge as China's alternative for telecom solutions, say experts

5G is expected to account up to 2 per cent of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030

Experts express worry as China opens air travel amid Covid-19 surge

As CAAC announces to lift Covid-19 travel restrictions from January 8, experts have warned that this can be the worst situation for the world, as Covid is still spreading in the country

US to sell Taiwan anti-tank system amid rising China military threat

The US State Department has approved the sale of an anti-tank mine-laying system to Taiwan amid the rising military threat from China. The department on Wednesday said the Volcano system and all related equipment would cost an estimated USD 180 million. It's capable of scattering anti-tank and anti-personnel mines from either a ground vehicle or helicopter, the type of weapon some experts believe Taiwan needs more of to dissuade or repel a potential Chinese invasion. To advertise that threat, China's military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the self-ruled island it claims is its own territory, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Monday. China's military harassment of Taiwan has intensified in recent years, along with rhetoric from top leaders that the island has no choice but to accept eventual Chinese rule. That has seen the ruling Communist Party's increasingly powerful military wing, the People's Liberation Army, send planes

Lack of information on China's Covid outbreak stirs global concerns

Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country's track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere. The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information, including the genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed a similar concern about a lack of information when he announced a testing requirement for passengers from China earlier this week. More broadly, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently that the WHO needs more information

Police looking for Chinese woman suspected to be a spy in Bihar's Gaya

Police in Bihar's Gaya are looking for a Chinese woman suspected to be a spy and had also been illegally residing in various parts of the country, including Bodh Gaya.

Asia's tourist hotspots prepare for boom as China relaxes Covid rules

International flights to and from China are at just 8% of pre-pandemic levels, shows data

Airlines worldwide keep capacity tight despite boom in Chinese demand

Bookings for outbound flights from China surged by 254% on Tuesday morning versus the same period the day prior, data shows

US will require Covid testing for travellers from China as infections surge

The US announced new COVID-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for all travellers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation's strict anti-virus controls. China's "zero COVID" policies had kept China's infection rate low but fuelled public frustration and crushed economic growth. Beginning Jan. 5, all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older. Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China's borders. Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China. Lunar New Year, whi

Japan registers 415 new Covid deaths, highest ever tally in a single day

Japan said it had 216,219 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, which marks a rise of 4 per cent from a week earlier

Global arms sales: Change is underway

There are signs of a significant shift away from the world's major weapons-producing region, with impressive gains for China, and to an extent, India

Oil drops 2% in light trading on China demand concern amid Covid surge

Brent crude futures fell $1.82, or 2.2%, to $82.51 a barrel by 11:23 a.m. EST [1623 GMT], while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell $1.60, or 2%, to $77.93 per barrel.

RT-PCR report likely to be mandatory for Chinese arrivals from next week

The government is likely to make it mandatory for passengers arriving from China and five other places to have negative RT-PCR reports from next week, official sources said on Wednesday. They also cautioned that the next 40 days will be crucial as India may see a Covid surge in January. Even if there is a wave, deaths and hospitalisation will be very low, the Health Ministry sources said. "Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia.... This has been a trend," an official said. The sources said filling up of 'air suvidha' forms and 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing may be made mandatory from next week for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. The sources said 39 international passengers were found positive for COVID-19 out of the 6,000 tested on arrival in the last two days. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit the airport in Delhi on Thursday

Hong Kong to scrap mandatory Covid-19 test for international travellers

This comes two days after China announced an end to the coronavirus quarantine rule for inbound travellers from January 8

China job prospects, incomes plunge to new lows amid economic slowdown

But while economic activity is expected to eventually rebound, it's unclear how quick that will happen given the spread of infections and the weakness in confidence

Tesla touches a 2-year low: Twitter may not be Elon Musk's biggest trouble

Tesla share price: The prices fell rapidly on Tuesday after a Reuters report said that the company is planning to reduce its production at the Shanghai plant in January