The requirement for travellers from China to England to provide a negative Covid test before departure could have been avoided if Beijing was “upfront” about its data, the chair of the Commons health committee has said. Rishi Sunak announced a major U-turn on Friday by imposing checks on travellers from China from 5 January, after criticism from a growing number of Conservative MPs over his “dithering”. The prime minister’s latest reversal was welcomed by the chair of the Commons health and social care committee, Conservative MP Steve Brine, who said…
Year: 2022
Australia and Elsewhere Shake Off COVID to Ring In 2023
SYDNEY — Australia is gearing up to celebrate its first restriction-free New Year’s Eve after two years of COVID disruptions, with more than a million revelers expected to flock to Sydney’s harbor front and watch an elaborate fireworks display. Sydney is one of the world’s first major cities to welcome in the New Year and draws huge TV audiences around the world, with a public countdown and fireworks display over its iconic Opera House. “This New Year’s Eve we are saying Sydney is back as we kick off festivities around…
The world in 2023: what our writers say you should watch out for
A near-inevitable global recession sparked by a lengthening war in Europe’s frozen east; an energy crisis coupled with soaring inflation; Covid-19 finally running rampant in China – predictions for 2023 are grim. Still, there are reasons to be hopeful. That same energy crisis has spurred an unprecedented demand for renewables, which are expected to boom, while in Brazil, a new president has sworn to protect the Amazon. Repressive regimes, meanwhile, will be nervously looking at Iran, where hardline clerics are locked in a struggle with a formidable pro-democracy uprising that…
New Year Eve Spurs Hope in China Even as Censors Target Online COVID Content
WUHAN/BEIJING — New Year’s Eve in China prompted an outpouring of reflection online, some of it critical, about the strict zero-COVID policy the country adhered to for almost three years and the impact of its abrupt reversal this month. The sudden change to live with the virus has prompted a wave of infections across the country, a further drop in economic activity and international concern, with Britain and France the latest countries to impose curbs on travelers from China. Three years into the pandemic, China this month acted to align…
Australian doctors call for more Covid data as UK and France join list of countries testing China travellers
The Australian government is standing firm on its policy to not require incoming travellers from China to test negative for Covid, despite the UK and France joining the list of countries imposing such restrictions. The Australian Medical Association president, Steve Robson, backed the position on Saturday, saying there was not enough data yet to show that testing every passenger would be beneficial. But he called for more transparency, here and overseas. “I think we’re in a situation where Australians are looking to understand the federal government’s decision-making around arrivals from…
How World Responded to China’s Human Rights Record in Xinjiang in 2022
Washington — Only a few months into his job as the newly appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Tuerk said he is “determined” to personally continue engaging with Beijing on the findings of his predecessor about human rights concerns in China’s Xinjiang region. “The report that was issued on the 31st of August is a very important one,” Tuerk told reporters at a press conference in Geneva in early December. “It has highlighted very serious human rights concerns and my focus is on following up on…
Above and beyond: key events in 2022 that shaped space exploration
The year has been a blast in space exploration, from Nasa’s big step in returning to moon missions, to glimpses at the origins of the universe and hope that humanity could survive the doomsday scenario of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth. These are the events that shaped 2022 in space advances: Back to the moon Nasa hadn’t sent a crew-capable spacecraft to the moon for half a century when Artemis 1 blasted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in November. Atop the mighty Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket…
Why did the US just ban TikTok from government-issued cellphones?
The US government has approved an unprecedented ban on the use of TikTok on federal government devices. The restrictions – tucked into a spending bill just days before it was passed by Congress, and signed by Joe Biden on Thursday – add to growing uncertainty about the app’s future in the US amid a crackdown from state and federal lawmakers. Officials say the ban is necessary due to national security concerns about the China-based owner of the app, ByteDance. But it also leaves many questions unanswered. Here’s what you need…
WHO urges Covid data ‘transparency’ as China prepares to open borders
The World Health Organisation again urged China’s health officials to regularly share specific, real-time information on the country’s Covid surge, as the UK joined other countries in bringing in travel restrictions, citing a lack of data as the reason. WHO Covid experts met Chinese officials on Friday and “again stressed the importance of transparency and regular sharing of data to formulate accurate risk assessments and to inform effective response”, said the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In particular, WHO requested more genetic sequencing data, data on hospitalisations, intensive care unit…
More Countries Tighten COVID Rules for Chinese Travelers
France and Britain on Friday became the latest in a growing list of countries requiring COVID-19 tests from travelers arriving from China following a surge of infections in the Asian nation. Britain said Friday that Chinese travelers would need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within two days of departure. The measures will take effect January 5. France announced a similar policy Friday, saying its new rules are set to go into place on Sunday. It also said that passengers on flights from China to France will be required…