The testing requirement only applies to people flying to English airports, with the government saying that while there are no direct flights from China to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, it is working with the devolved administrations to ensure the policy is applied UK-wide. BBC
Department stores in Pyongyang are stocking up on counterfeit luxury goods imported from China to sell at high prices to North Korea’s wealthy elite in the run-up to holidays at the start of the new year, sources inside the country with knowledge of the situation said. Freight trains running between Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea, operate every day except weekends, bringing loads of fake luxury items into the country, said a source in North Pyongan province, which lies across the Yalu River from China and is a major trade…
In a down year for stocks, the 70 percent drop in Tesla’s share price stands out for the scale of wealth vaporized and the unorthodox behavior of its chief executive, Elon Musk. The collapse of Tesla’s stock price destroyed about $680 billion in market value. And Mr. Musk, once hailed as a genius who remade the car industry, appears increasingly distracted by his acquisition of Twitter and is using the social network to vent his frustrations. He insulted one of his critics this week by describing him as having “tiny…
TikTok has been banned on all federal government devices in the US, with limited exceptions, after Joe Biden signed a $1.7tn (£1.4tn) spending bill on Thursday containing a provision that outlaws the China-based app over growing security concerns. The ban – which was approved by Congress in a vote last week – is a major step targeting the fastest-growing social media platform in the world as opponents express worry user data stored in China could be accessed by the government. Various government agencies will develop rules for implementing the ban…
A Chinese military plane came within 10ft (three meters) of a US air force aircraft over the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace, the US military said. The close encounter followed what the US called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft. The incident, which involved a Chinese navy J-11 fighter jet and a US air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on 21 December, the US military said in a statement. “We…
The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi swore in the first cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to arrive in Vietnam since the Vietnam War, the embassy announced. The first nine volunteers, who came to Vietnam in October, have been trained to deliver English language lessons together with Vietnamese teachers. Each volunteer’s assignment is expected to last two years. “As the 143rd partner country of the Peace Corps, Vietnam is a welcome addition to our global community, and I look forward to seeing how volunteers and teachers work together to inspire the next…
Vietnam’s Communist Party dismissed two senior leaders from its Central Committee today amid a wave of scandals linked to the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Prime Ministers Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam were removed from their positions as members of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee, the state-controlled Vietnam News Agency reported. The dismissals were announced without specific reasons, but the moves come after each was involved in separate scandals related to authorities’ handling of COVID-19 outbreaks. The party is expected to hold a regular…
A prominent Tibetan writer who disappeared last year in Chinese custody was arrested for taking part in politically sensitive discussions about Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, Radio Free Asia has learned. Rongwo Gangkar, author of such popular works as The Knot and An Interview With Gendun Choephel, a collaboration with other writers, was taken into custody in western China’s Qinghai province more than a year ago, a source living in the region said. “He was arrested by the Chinese government for initiating a discussion about the Dalai Lama…
China said on Friday that it has been fully “transparent” about its COVID-19 reporting, amid criticism on social media over the government’s reporting of the outbreak and widespread pressure on funeral homes. “Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China has been sharing relevant information and data with the international community, including the World Health Organization, in an open and transparent manner,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing on Friday. “We shared the sequence of the new coronavirus at the first instance, and thus making important contributions…
Authorities arrested and later released a small group of villagers in central Laos who were protesting a 35-square kilometer potash mine being developed by a company linked to the Chinese government, which has made acquiring new reserves of the fertilizer feedstock a top priority. The residents of Nong Bok district in the Khammouane province say they haven’t been properly compensated by developer Sino Agri International Potash Co. for the loss of their homes and farms, a common complaint from locals who have been forced to give up residences and businesses…