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Says “maintaining peace in the region” is the “greatest common interest” (Eagle News) – China’s President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on Monday, Nov. 22, as he vowed China’s commitment to peace and stability in the region. President Xi, during the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations on Monday, Nov. 22, recalled how in the past 30 years, China have “cast away the […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Israel began rolling out Covid-19 vaccines for children aged five to 11 on Monday, becoming one of a handful of countries to inoculate children so young as it seeks to ward off another pandemic wave. Over the summer, the Jewish state experienced an upsurge in coronavirus infections, fuelled by the Delta variant, and launched one of the earliest campaigns for booster shots. As infections start to creep up again, Prime […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China’s test of a globe-circling hypersonic weapon in July included the unprecedented launch of a separate missile from the ultra-high-speed vehicle, according to the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal. The test showed China’s development of its strategic, nuclear-capable weapons as more advanced than any had thought, surprising Pentagon officials, the two newspapers said. Neither the United States nor Russia has demonstrated the same ability, which requires launching a […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The first case of Covid-19 identified in Wuhan, China and presented as such by the World Health Organization was actually days later than previously believed and at an animal market, a top scientist said in the journal Science Thursday. Rather than the original patient being a man who had never been to the Wuhan market where wild and domestic animals were sold, the first known case of Covid-19 turns out […]
SINGAPORE (AFP) — The boss of Asia-focused lending giant HSBC backed Hong Kong’s decision to mirror China’s zero-Covid strategy on Thursday despite rising concern within the finance industry over the business hub’s international isolation. Hong Kong has maintained some of the world’s harshest quarantine measures and travel restrictions during the pandemic. The strategy has kept infections low but ensured a business hub that dubs itself “Asia’s World City” has been cut off internationally for the […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Three athletes attending training events for the Beijing Winter Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19, Chinese officials said Thursday, with the country on high alert against the coronavirus ahead of the Games. Beijing 2022 organisers have left nothing to chance with the games set to start in February, restricting entry to the capital and insisting on daily virus tests for thousands of athletes who will be kept within a “closed-loop” […]
by Claire LEE SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — A hush fell over South Korea Thursday as more than half a million students sat the gruelling, high-stakes national university entrance exam, with authorities taking extraordinary measures to minimise distractions. The nine-hour test is crucial not only for securing spots in top universities, but is also considered key for elevated social status, lucrative careers and even marriage prospects. The enormous pressure on students in South Korea’s ultra-competitive […]
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli security forces shot dead a teenage assailant who stabbed and wounded two police officers in Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, Israeli police said. The officers suffered minor injuries during the attack by a 16-year-old east Jerusalem resident near a Jewish religious school, the police said. Emergency responders said the attack took place in the Muslim quarter and that the wounded included a man and woman, who were taken to hospital. […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Global delivery giant FedEx said Wednesday it was closing its crew base in Hong Kong and relocating pilots overseas because of the city’s strict anti-coronavirus measures. The move is the latest blow to Hong Kong’s reputation as a global logistics hub as strict travel curbs and mandatory quarantine rules keep the city cut off from the rest of the world. “As the global business environment continues to evolve and […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Strict new Covid-19 restrictions come into force in Beijing on Wednesday for visitors to the Chinese capital, requiring negative tests and dramatically cutting domestic flights as the city raises the drawbridge against the coronavirus ahead of the Winter Olympics. With less than 100 days to go to the games in February, China is bracing for a challenge to its zero-Covid strategy when thousands of international athletes descend on Beijing after months […]
by Dene-Hern CHEN / Jing Xuan TENG in Beijing BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Sporting neon hair and flawless skin, Bangkok Naughty Boo is one of a new generation of influencers in Asia promising to stay forever young, on-trend, and scandal-free — because they are computer generated. Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, these stars are hugely popular with teenagers in the region and will yield increasing power as interest grows in the “metaverse”, industry […]
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong customs officers seized nearly 900 kilograms of live lobsters on a speedboat on Monday night, as authorities step up a crackdown on the smuggling of Australian rock lobsters into mainland China. With relations between the two countries strained, China has restricted imports of several Australian products. Among them are lobsters, a sought-after delicacy in mainland China. Imports of Australian rock lobsters to Hong Kong — which has no […]
