China
China discovers 16 new coronavirus cases in Xinjiang
A China’s western Xinjiang region saw a spike in coronavirus cases in the last one week, with 16 new cases reported by midnight Friday, according to China’s National Health Commission. Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang and home to 3.5 million people, has been on lockdown since Thursday after one patient tested positive midweek and four were found to be asymptomatic, according to Chinese news outlet ‘The Paper’. Since then, a handful of cases have emerged. Transportation, including flights and trains in Urumqi, has also been suspended, the Paper said. China has largely brought the coronavirus pandemic under control, but a small number of infections continue, according to official government figures. There are currently 252 active cases nationwide, according to the NHC. The new cases in Xinjia...
China criticizes US joint carrier drills in South China Sea
China on Monday accused the U.S. of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea by conducting joint exercises with two U.S. aircraft carrier groups in the strategic waterway. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the exercises were performed “totally out of ulterior motives” and undermined stability in the area. “Against such a backdrop, the U.S. deliberately dispatched massive forces to conduct large-scale military exercises in the relevant waters of the South China Sea to flex its military muscle,” Zhao said at a daily briefing. The U.S. Navy said over the weekend that the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan along with their accompanying vessels and aircraft conducted exercises “designed to maximize air defense capabilities, and extend the reach of long-range precision ...
Trump Administration Considering Banning TikTok in the US
TikTok’s days in the US could be numbered, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said the Trump Administration is considering banning the popular Chinese social media app due to security and privacy concerns. “I don’t want to get out in front of the President, but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo told Fox News on Monday night. He added that Americans should only download the app “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” The video sharing platform is estimated to have upwards of 65 million active users in the US and consistently ranks as among the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store. However, US government officials have expressed concern over the amount of data collected by TikTok comp...
Waymo inks deal with Volvo to develop self-driving electric cars
Agence France-Presse Waymo and the Volvo Cars Group have agreed to develop a self-driving electric vehicle designed for ride-hailing use, as part of a new global partnership, the companies said on Thursday. Waymo, a unit of Silicon Valley’s Alphabet, said it will be the exclusive global partner for Volvo Cars for developing self-driving vehicles capable of operating safely without routine driver intervention. Waymo will focus on the artificial intelligence for the software “driver.” Volvo will design and manufacture the vehicles. The companies said Waymo will work with Volvo’s global brands, including Polestar and Lynk & Co. Volvo, owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to ride-hailing company Uber that Uber will equip to operate as ...
China bans US chickens, shuts Pepsi plant
China banned imports from a top US poultry producer and ordered a Beijing Pepsi factory to close Sunday as authorities clamped down on food production and distribution amid a new coronavirus cluster in the capital. Health officials also reported 22 new virus cases in Beijing, where they have tested more than two million residents as they seek to contain a wave of new infections linked to a wholesale market in the capital. Imports of frozen chicken from Tyson Foods have been “temporarily suspended”, the General Administration of Customs said, after a virus outbreak was found at one of the company’s production facilities in the US. Products from the firm that have already arrived in China will be confiscated, the statement said. US food and drinks giant PepsiCo was also ordered to shut down ...
Coronavirus Antibodies Vanish a Few Months After Patients Recover, New Study Finds
According to a study published in the Journal of Nature Medicine, recovered COVID-19 patients may rapidly lose antibodies – the blood proteins necessary to stave off virus infections and the cornerstone of vaccinology. The finding raises new questions about the idea of immunity passports (a way for people considered immune to the virus to move around freely and not need to wear facemasks) and could be cause for concern about the development of an effective vaccine. Researchers in the study tested for antibodies in 37 people who had fallen ill and recovered from the virus in the Wanzhou district of China. They also tested 37 others who had tested positive for the virus but never showed symptoms – what is known as asymptomatic cases. This was in order to address two key questions that will i...
Singapore ends two-month virus lockdown
Singapore on Tuesday began allowing activities that “do not pose a high risk of transmission” to resume after two months of lockdown. Despite reporting the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in East Asia, the government chose to stick to its plans of easing restrictions from June. Asides China, Singapore has recorded more coronavirus cases than any country in East or South-East Asia. Yet, offices, factories, schools and worship centres are now opened. Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, had said on Monday that the relaxation will likely prove “a big relief to all’’ but one that is “certainly not without its risks’’. Some restrictions will, however, remain for several more weeks. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online....
Nigerian government receives coaches, locomotives for Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna railways
The Federal Government on Monday announced that it had received some coaches and locomotives to be deployed on key rail lines in Nigeria. It said the coaches were the last set which were ordered in March. It was also gathered that the locomotives and coaches, which arrived Nigeria from China, would be deployed once operations begin. The government disclosed this via a tweet by the Nigerian Railway Corporation through its official Twitter handle, which was also confirmed to our correspondent by the NRC’s spokesperson, Yakub Mahmood. The corporation said, “Some days ago, Nigeria took delivery of the last dozens of train coaches ordered in the month of March. “The coaches have been transported to Nigerian train base in Papalanto, Ogun State and will be used on the Lagos-Ibadan railway when op...
US: Malta seizes $1 billion in counterfeit Libyan money
Maltese authorities have seized counterfeit Libyan money worth $1.1 billion that was printed by a Russian firm and worsen the north African country’s economic problems, the US State Department said. There was no official statement on Saturday from Valletta although Malta Today newspaper had published a report about $1.1 billion in counterfeit money seized in Malta on its Facebook site that was no longer available. “The United States commends the Government of the Republic of Malta’s announcement May 26 of its seizure of $1.1 billion of counterfeit Libyan currency printed by Joint Stock Company Goznak – a Russian state-owned company – and ordered by an illegitimate parallel entity,” the State Department said. “The Central Bank of Libya headquartered in Tripoli is Libya’s only legitimate cen...
268 Nigerian nationals arrive Abuja from China
.responsive_ad { width: 300px; height: 250px; } @media(min-width: 768px) { .responsive_ad { width: 468px; height: 60px; } } @media(min-width: 1019px) { .responsive_ad { width: 640px; height: 80px; } } @media(min-width: 1140px) { .responsive_ad { width: 696px; height: 86px; } } At least 268 Nigerians evacuated from China have arrived in Abuja. .responsive_adz { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 768px) { .responsive_adz { width: 468px; height: 60px; } } @media(min-width: 1019px) { .responsive_adz { width: 640px; height: 80px; } } @media(min-width: 1140px) { .responsive_adz { width: 696px; height: 86px; } } The flight that conveyed the evacuees landed at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport on Saturday afternoon. Get more stories like this on Twitter .responsive_ad { width: ...
301 Chinese nationals evacuated from Nigeria
At least 301 Chinese citizens have returned home from Nigeria. The nationals were evacuated on Thursday night through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The about 20 hours flight is expected to arrive at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China on Friday evening barring any technical or logistics hitches. “Air Peace on Thursday, May 28, 2020, operated its second flight to China as we evacuated 301 Chinese nationals back to their country. “The flight departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at exactly 22:05 yesterday to arrive at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China,” the airline said in a statement on Friday. Although the Federal Government had shut all airports in the county in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, it allowed essent...
Shanghai Shenhua ready to allow Odion Ighalo remain with Manchester United on one condition
Shanghai Shenhua are reportedly considering Odion Ighalo to stay at Manchester United beyond May, provided he sign a new contract with them. Ighalo’s currently six-month loan is set to expire in the next few days and the Premier League side are keen to keep the for another six months following his impressive performances. The Chinese side initially was only interested in discussing 20 million pounds of permanent transfer for the player, a price tag that United considered too excessive. However, the latest reports claimed Shanghai Shenhua is now ready to allow the player remain in England for the next six months but must sign a new deal that will tie him to the club for the next four years. Ighalo’s current deal in China is up in December 2022. The offer on the table is reportedly worth £40...
