Hong Kong authorities said supplies of vegetables and chilled poultry to the global financial hub may be temporarily disrupted after some mainland goods vehicle drivers preliminarily tested positive for Covid-19. Hong Kong imports 90% of its food, with the mainland its most important source, especially for fresh food. Consumers have already seen a shortage of some foreign imported goods, including premium seafood, due to stringent flight restrictions. “The mainland authorities and the (Hong Kong) government are working closely together to firm up the detailed arrangements to expedite the logistics of…
Day: February 12, 2022
Australian embassy in Ukraine evacuated amid fears of Russian invasion
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has ordered the evacuation of the Australian embassy in Kyiv, warning the situation in Ukraine has reached a dangerous stage. Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, says the government has directed the departure of embassy staff to a temporary office in Lviv, with the buildup of Russian troops on the border. “The situation is deteriorating and is reaching a very dangerous stage,” Morrison said on Sunday. “I want to send a very clear message on behalf of Australia … that the autocratic, unilateral actions of…
With Valieva, Doping Concerns Extend to a New Generation of Olympians
The announcement that Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skating star, had tested positive for a banned substance echoed another dark Olympic era. And it sent a chilling reminder that female athletes in certain sports have long been considered disposable in countries that support state-sponsored doping. From the late 1960s until the late 1980s, East Germany, a country of fewer than 17 million people, kept pace in the Olympic medal chase with the United States and the Soviet Union with systematic doping known by the bland euphemism “Supporting Means.” The…
China conditionally approves Pfizer’s Covid treatment pill Paxlovid
China’s medical products regulator has conditionally approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 drug Paxlovid, making it the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease cleared in the country. The National Medical Products Administration said Paxlovid had been approved to treat adults who have mild to moderate Covid-19 and who are at high risk of progressing to a severe condition. Further study on the drug needed to be conducted and submitted to the authority, it said. It is not immediately clear if China is already in talks with Pfizer to procure the…
Blinken Says U.S. Has a ‘Long-Term Future’ in the Pacific Islands
NADI, Fiji — As the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Fiji in 36 years, Antony J. Blinken wanted to make clear that jetting here to meet with Pacific island leaders was just the start of an expanding American presence. “We see our long-term future in the Indo-Pacific,” Mr. Blinken said at a news conference on Saturday night, standing next to Fiji’s acting leader. “It’s as simple and basic as that.” Mr. Blinken said the United States would soon open an embassy in another Pacific nation, the Solomon Islands.…
As Argentina signs up to China’s belt and road, Beijing finds itself on a new path in Latin America
Argentina’s entry into the Belt and Road Initiative is a significant advance in Beijing’s bid to strengthen ties with Latin America, according to experts.During a high-profile visit to Beijing last week for the opening of the Winter Olympics, Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez signed his country up for China’s sweeping infrastructure programme, paving the way for investments worth more than US$23 billion.Fernandez was one of the few leaders from South America – considered to be “America’s…South China Morning Post
US plans to reopen Solomon Islands embassy in push to counter China
The United States plans to re-establish an embassy in Solomon Islands, a senior US state department official said, as Washington seeks to beef up its presence in a region where China is rapidly expanding its influence. Secretary of state Antony Blinken is set to announce the opening of a new embassy on the Pacific island state during a visit to nearby Fiji – 29 years after the United States downgraded its diplomatic presence in Honiara. The move comes just a few months after riots in the island chain of 800,000…