Vietnam’s Communist Party ended last year’s anti-corruption drive with 2022’s highest-profile dismissals, removing two senior leaders from its Central Committee. Some commentators expressed surprise and regret over the Dec. 30 decision, which effectively ended Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam’s roles as deputy prime ministers. Minh was also excluded from the Politburo, the Party’s most powerful body. Germany-based lawyer Nguyen Van Dai told RFA: “People consider these two men to be the last two decent people in the current Vietnamese Communist regime.” He said he didn’t see their removal…
Day: January 2, 2023
Asia Fact Check Lab: Did a Pfizer executive die from COVID?
In Brief As COVID cases increase across China, Paxlovid – an oral antiviral drug manufactured by Pfizer specifically to treat COVID – has been sold for exorbitant prices on the black market, even as people began to question the efficacy of the “Western medicine.” An article initially posted online and reprinted on major news sites stated that a “Pfizer executive” and “Paxlovid promoter” named Chan died recently of COVID in his 40s, casting doubt on how well Paxlovid treated the disease. Asia Fact Check Lab found the information to be…
Born in captivity, bred for diplomacy: The dark side of China’s ‘pandanomics’
In honor of the World Cup, the Middle East received its first giant pandas — “Jingjing” and “Sihai” — sent by China as a diplomatic gift honoring the host nation Qatar in November 2022. The animals — named “Suhail” and “Thuraya” in Arabic — have been housed in a lavish, air-conditioned building in Al Khor Park and Zoo where they can lounge on manicured lawns and eat freshly harvested bamboo while being photographed by crowds of tourists from above. Just two days after their arrival, Taiwan’s panda Tuan Tuan —…
Hong Kong risks reopening mainland border at the worst moment
Admittedly, this was not an easy situation for anyone to predict. Nevertheless, the Hong Kong government must take prompt action to minimise the impact. Hong Kong still faces a severe Covid-19 situation. Last month saw a record-high number of imported cases. Meanwhile, following the relaxation of Covid restrictions in the mainland, the number of cases is also believed to have soared to record highs. Residents on both sides of the border have been scrambling to get pain relief and fever medicine. Empty shelves are seen where cold and flu medicine…
Belgium to Test Wastewater on Airliners From COVID-hit China
Belgium will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID variants as part of new steps against the spread of the coronavirus as infections in China surge, the government announced Monday. “This will be an additional monitoring objective to verify that the data we receive from China is accurate,” Steven Van Gucht of the Sciensano national public health institute told Reuters. He said Belgium was aware that some COVID-infected passengers might not use the toilet during their flights, and therefore the new measure was “not meant to track…
Why China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is at best a pyrrhic victory
To justify China’s dynamic zero approach after the highly contagious Omicron became the main variant, state media vigorously promoted the dangers of the virus and denounced the alternative approach of “living with the virus” as “lying flat”. The Chinese people were deprived of a chance to prepare for the reopening. In Hong Kong, where independent expert views were still heard, the city has avoided the unintended consequences of pursuing zero-Covid through universal testing. Dr Li Wenliang was one of the first to raise concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan,…
Your Tuesday Briefing: A Major Ukrainian Strike
Ukraine kills dozens of Russians Ukraine launched a major attack against a building housing Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region on New Year’s Day. A full picture of the casualties is still emerging. Ukraine claimed that “about 400” had died, while Russia said yesterday that 63 service members had been killed. But even with the lower figure, the attack was one of the deadliest strikes against Russian forces in Ukraine since the war began. Mistakes by Russian forces may have contributed to the toll. One Russian military blogger said that…
Tesla Car Sales Rose 18% in Last Quarter
Tesla said Monday that it delivered 405,000 electric cars during the last three months of the year, an 18 percent increase from the previous quarter that fell short of analyst estimates and may reinforce investor fears that the electric car company is losing momentum. Wall Street analysts had predicted that Tesla would sell around 420,000 vehicles from October through December, up from 343,000 vehicles in the third quarter. The company sold a total of 1.3 million cars in 2022, a 40 percent increase from the year before. That was short…
Floods in Philippines Leave 51 Dead, Over a Dozen Missing
MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of people in the Philippines remained in emergency shelters in the wake of devastating Christmas flooding, as the death toll climbed to 51 with 19 missing, authorities said Monday. Images showed residents in southern Misamis Occidental province sweeping away thick mud from the floors of their homes. In the seaside village of Cabol-anonan, coconut trees were uprooted and huts made of light material were nearly flattened. The Northern Mindanao region bore the brunt of the disaster, reporting 25 deaths, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction…
Global economic forecast for 2023? A stormy start followed by a ray of hope
Investors should brace for another turbulent year in the financial markets, economists have warned as central banks fight inflation, China reopens its economy after Covid-19 restrictions and the Ukraine war pushes the global economy towards recession. The first half of the new year is likely to be choppy, according to Wall Street predictions, after global markets suffered their biggest fall since the 2008 financial crisis last year. But the US S&P 500 is still expected to end 2023 a little higher than it began the year. The average target of…