News (1) to (7) / Reports by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News (1)
Visitors to Tan Tock Seng Hospital wait for SARS-CoV-2 testing outside regional testing centre
Visitors who have been to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital or the public who have been to the same place with covid patients at the same time can go to the regional testing for free from 3 May 2021. Right outside the former Da Qiao Primary School, next to Chaoyang Primary School, there is a long queue of such visitors before the gate was opened for operation.
The old building of the former Da Qiao Primary School on Ang Mo Kio Street 54 is one of the regional testing centres. The centre was originally scheduled to start operation at 9 am but reporters discovered that the center has not yet opened by 10 am. It is estimated that 80 to 100 people are queuing outside. They include visitors from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the public who have been to the same location with covid patients, and employees who need to undergo periodic inspections in rotation.
Around 8.50 am, the centre first let the elderly, those who have made appointments before coming, and those who want to undergo periodic inspections to come in for testing.
News (2)
Non-TTSH visitors going for swab tests can enter regional testing centre smoothly
Members of the public that were arranged by neighbourhood clinics to visit the regional testing centre and who have not visited the Tan Tock Seng Hospital can enter another gate of the regional testing centre. The queue for covi testing for non-TTSH visitors is shorter than the Tan Tock Seng Hospital visitor queue.
News (3)
The TTSH visitor queue gets longer
According to the reporter's observation, after about an hour, the queue did not shorten, but got longer and longer, and it had reached the ground floor of Blk 550 about 300 metres away. It was visually estimated that there were about 200 people in line.
A Ms. Wang said that when she came here at 8.20 am, she was shocked to see many people line up. She decided to come for the test because she had been to the same place with the patient.
Mr. Wu's family of three arrived at the testing centre at about 9.20 am. They originally went to the clinic to make an appointment but the clinic recommended that they go to the regional testing centre for testing.
On-site staff also suggested to those in queue to go online to flu.gowhere.gov.sg to find clinics that can make appointments for testing. However, Ms. Fu reported that she had contacted many clinics but the clinic staff pointed out that there were patients in the clinics and she had no symptoms. So, she suggested that she go to the regional testing centre.
Ms. Fu came to the scene, saw a long queue, and found that the staff suggested that they make appointments to the clinic for testing. She told reporters that the coordination of the authorities needs to be strengthened.
News (4)
People in queue given number plates at regional testing centre
There was a long line outside the regional testing center on Ang Mo Kio Street 54 from 8.50 am to 12.50 pm. The staff of the center distributed number plates to the public and arranged for them to be tested in batches at the centre in the afternoon.
Visitors who have been to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital or the public who have been to the same location with covid patients at the same time can go to any regional testing centre for free testing from now on. See News (7) for the addresses.
In order to prevent crowds, the staff distributed number plates to the public in line and explained when they would return to the center for testing
News (5)
Centre extended operating hours for 3 May 2021
Some of the members of the public at the back had not been assigned number plates and were emotional. Some complained that they had queued for more than two hours under the scorching sun, and some of them were elderly, and some could not accept the need for another day of inspection, and pointed out that the authorities had not done a good job of planning.
To this end, the staff decided to distribute more number plates and arranged for a security guard to stand at the back of the line to prevent others from queuing. The last group of the public who lined up was scheduled to be tested at 4 pm.
The centre originally only operated until 4 pm but the staff said that it would extend its operating hours until all testing tasks are completed.
The staff also distributed chairs on site and provided bottled water to the public in line.
The staff of the regional testing center said that this testing activity will be carried out until 16 May 2021. So, everyone has a lot of time to be tested. So, they urged others to come to the testing centre for swab testing another day.
News (6)
Inside a former Da Qiao Primary School classroom
News (7)
Locations of Singapore's regional testing centres
The number of regional testing centres of Singapore has increased from four to six. They are Former Bishan Park Secondary School, Former Coral Primary School, Former Daqiao Primary School, Former Shuqun Secondary School, Former Woodlands West Neighbourhood Police Centre and Former Yishun Bus Interchange. The addresses are as follows:-
1. Former Bishan Park Secondary School (2 Sin Ming Walk, Singapore 575565)
2. Former Coral Primary School (20 Pasir Ris St 51, Singapore 518902)
3. Former Da Qiao Primary School (8 Ang Mo Kio St 54, Singapore 569185; near Blk 550, Ang Mo Kio Ave 10)
4 Former Shuqun Secondary School (450 Jurong East Street 21, Singapore 609604)
5. Former Woodlands West Neighbourhood Police Centre (9 Marsiling Lane, Singapore 739146)
6. Former Yishun Bus Interchange (1 Yishun Central, 20A, Singapore 768830)
News (8) to (12) / Source : 8world / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Waterway Point cosmetics shop locked down
A clerk at a cosmetics shop in Waterway Point, Punggol, visited Tan Tock Seng Hospital and was diagnosed positive. The shop has completed disinfection work on 2 May 2021 and will be temporarily closed until further notice.
8world News reported earlier that the Innisfree store in Waterfront Square had been visited by a confirmed covid patient many times.
In this regard, Innisfree confirmed in a Facebook post on 3 May that the confirmed patient was a clerk at the Waterway Point branch. She had visited the family of Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 25 April.
As a patient in the same ward of her family was diagnosed, she was required to undergo a coronary test on 30 April. The test result was positive on 26 April, confirming the infection. She had no symptoms before or after being tested.
Innisfree said that all colleagues who have been in contact with this clerk have also been tested, and the results have not yet been released.
In addition, the affected branches have completed a comprehensive disinfection work yesterday. The company will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Health and the store management to take any necessary preventive measures.
Innisfree also urges customers who have been to the store on 20, 23, 24, 26 and 29 April month to pay close attention to their health conditions, and to keep an eye on their joint tracking application and check latest news and notifications from the Ministry of Health.
News (9)
A clerk in a neighbouring store: Fear of infection
When a reporter from 8world visited the waterfront at about 1 pm today, he found that the door of the Innisfree store was closed, the lights were turned off, and no one came out, and there was only a notice on the door that said "The store is temporarily closed."
The notice reads: "Our waterfront store branch is undergoing deep cleaning work, and the reopening date will be notified separately."
A clerk in a nearby store who did not want to be named told reporters that she saw several Innisfree clerk hurriedly closing the shop on 1 May. After asking, she learned that they were going to the quarantine centre for isolation. She said, "I saw them closing the shop in a hurry, so I went up to find out the situation. It turned out that one of their clerk was diagnosed and all the colleagues need to go to the isolation centre."
When asked if she was worried that she might also be affected, the clerk admitted that although she had not been in contact with a confirmed patient, she was still worried that infected customers would spread the virus when they walked around in the mall, causing her to be indirectly infected.
The clerk also told reporters that after the news broke, the store also strengthened anti-epidemic measures.
A clerk at another nearby store told reporters that she learned about the situation from other people and was also worried.
News (10)
Woodlands hair salon locked down
Yesterday (2nd) it was announced that the barber shop of the Malaysian hairstylist who was diagnosed with COVID-19, Woodlands Metodo Studio, had closed its business as early as last Thursday. Five employees in the shop received a quarantine order and some customers were also quarantined.
The confirmed 53-year-old female hair stylist is the 62,760th case of covid in Singapore and is related to the Tuas South community nursing facility cluster of the Vietnamese cleaner.
The hair stylist lives in the same unit as the 62638th and 62629th cases diagnosed earlier. Mr. Hong, the owner of the hair salon, revealed that the 62629th case was her husband, and the 62638th case was their roommate working in a community nursing facility in Tuas South.
Hair salon closed last Thursday
Mr. Hong learned last Thursday that the employee’s husband has a fever and may contract covid. Therefore, he decided to temporarily close the barber shop at noon that day.
"My employee told me last Thursday that her husband had a fever and was suspected of being (coronary disease), so I closed the shop."
That night, the employee’s husband’s test results were released, confirming the diagnosis of covid.
The other five employees of Metodo Studio have received the quarantine order last weekend and have been transferred to the hotel for quarantine. According to Mr. Hong, some customers who have received services in the hair salon are also affected and need to be isolated.
Since Mr. Hong generally does not work in a barber shop, he usually just goes down to check the situation. The stay time is very short, so there is no need to be isolated.
Mr. Hong said that the 14-day quarantine period starts from the date of the last contact with a confirmed employee. So most employees only need to quarantine for 10 to 12 days.
Owner: Always follow epidemic prevention measures
Mr. Hong also said that the barber shop has been following the various standard operating procedures of the authorities to ensure that customers maintain a one-meter distance between customers, scan the SafeEntry QR code and temperature monitoring before entering the store, so he hopes that this incident will not affect the health of employees and customers health.
As for who will bear the quarantine fee and when the barber shop will be reopened, Mr. Hong said that he is still waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Health, but he is confident in the arrangement of the authorities and is currently more concerned about the health of the employees.
Mr. Hong said, “Now I am more worried about the health of employees. After all, this virus is not a joke. I don’t know how strong the second wave (epidemic) is. I look at the situation in India and many people have died, so I'm worried."
News (11)
Singapore's hospitals postpone non-emergency surgery and admission arrangements to cope with the epidemic
With the increase in the number of covid cases in the community and the infection group in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Ministry of Health requires all hospitals to postpone non-emergency operations and admissions, and to cooperate with other hospitals to increase the capacity to care for patients and ensure that patient care is not affected.
The Ministry of Health said that in order to reduce the risk of virus transmission, Tan Tock Seng Hospital has taken further measures and has also freed up more manpower to take care of existing patients. Starting 2 May 2021, Tan Tock Seng Hospital has gradually stopped admitting new patients until further notice.
All patients transported by the Civil Defense Forces ambulances will also be sent to other public or private hospitals to share the patient volume.
For patients who need specialist outpatient services, Tan Tock Seng Hospital will also transfer appointments of stable patients to other hospitals or arrange remote medical consultation or delivery services where appropriate.
News (12)
Some hospitals sent staff to support Tan Tock Seng Hospital
For patients who need personal care, Tan Tock Seng Hospital will arrange staff who are not related to the 62541 infection group to take care of them. Starting 3 May 2021, some hospitals have also sent doctors, nurses and medical staff to support the team of Tan Tock Seng Hospital to take care of the existing patients in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The Ministry of Health stated that this was done to allow Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases to focus on providing appropriate care for existing patients, as well as coping with the covi clusters in the hospital.
The Ministry of Health also hopes that the public will only go to the emergency department of the hospital for treatment in times of emergency. As the hospitals are supporting the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the waiting time for consultation will also be extended.
If the patient is not in a critical condition, he can go to a general clinic or consult a family doctor.
The Ministry of Health also reiterated that no hospital will refuse to provide medical services to patients in need.
News (13)
Financial difficulties in mainland China: The Communist Party is about to perish
Reporters : Xiong Bin and Li Peiling / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/05/03/a103109586.html / Direct translation
The P2P online lending platform, which the CCP once strongly supported in the name of financial innovation, began to explode in 2018, and the government was unable to supervise it. At the end of last year, it announced that it would be cleared, causing tens of millions to be deceived. For financial difficulties, there is no way to protect their rights. Recently, some desperate friends believe that the Communist Party will perish if it does not put the masses in its eyes.
Recently, a mainland financial troublemaker called the Central Inspection Team and asked for a response to the reported online lending platform. As a result, the other party responded that the patrol's work policy is not to give feedback, which made the difficult friend feel desperate.
An anonymous friend said, "Why do you mention the death of the party and the country? It is so severe and complicated. If you don't put the masses in your eyes, the party will perish. If you do something about Daqing, you will destroy the party yourself. It was to contact the masses, and was to speak for the masses. Now I confess to the masses, run away from the masses, and do not reply to the masses. The people are yelling. You are sitting in the office and dare not answer the questions of the masses, and then say that It's a rule, stipulating that you are not allowed to talk and move, who made it? That bastard official, when will your officials can lead good people?"
Fan Yinping, an ordinary worker in Zhengzhou, sent a video real-name report to Beijing Fujiu Company and its subsidiary Jiufu Puhui Company to defraud 340,000 lenders with Taiping PICC. The three parties falsely promoted the joint fraud, and the government acted as a protective umbrella. Jiufu's Wukong Wealth Management stopped paying back in August last year, and was still issuing new bids in November, earning more than 7 billion RMB from it, but it did not pay a cent.
Fan Yinping, a difficult friend from Zhengzhou, said, “The CCTV platform, the big star Hu Jun, spoke for the loss of our money. Afterwards, we hired a large number of Internet navy forces to confuse the lender to get off the bus, causing the thunderstorm in August 2020 to have no public prosecution. When I intervened in the investigation, the hard money I had for many years of joining the WTO has been in the Jiufu Group, which cannot be recovered, and life is unsustainable. The grassroots people have complaints and grievances."
In the name of financial innovation, the P2P online lending platform, which the CCP has strongly supported, began to explode in 2018. According to official information, as of mid-November last year, P2P had been cleared from 5,000 at its peak. So far, tens of millions of victims have no way to defend their rights, and they are still suppressed. On 20 April, Li Wen, the Shandong Zibo human rights activist representative of the lender of Silver Valley, was arrested by the police and detained for 7 days in administrative detention.
News (14) to (15) / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/5/2/n12919737.htm / Direct translation
News (14)
India's pandemic outbreak, experts analyze its impact on the international community
India, as an important ally of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, is in a situation where the epidemic is out of control, and the outside world is concerned about its impact on the international community. Recently, Taiwanese economist Wu Jialong told The Epoch Times that although India may not be able to cooperate with the U.S. to fight against the CCP due to the epidemic, the CCP faces serious internal problems while facing the U.S. siege. The U.S. alliance in the Indo-Pacific region except India, There is also close cooperation with Taiwan.
India is one of the member states of the "Four Nations Alliance" (the United States, Japan, Australia, India) and plays an important role in the military and economic aspects of the Indo-Pacific region. In March this year, the leaders of the "Four Nations Alliance" held a dialogue. Recently, India, Japan, and South Korea are also interested in cooperating in the industrial chain.
The recent epidemic in India has continued to spread, setting a record for the highest number of new confirmed cases for several consecutive days. The United Kingdom and Japan have successively cancelled and postponed their upcoming visits to India.
Since the US Biden administration took office, the outside world has generally believed that it has continued the Trump administration’s policy of confronting the CCP and has adopted multilateral strategies and alliances with global democracies to contain the CCP. However, the epidemic in India has caused concern from all walks of life as to whether the international community will be affected by it.
Scholar: India’s epidemic may become a breach, but the CCP’s internal problems are serious
Economist Wu Jialong said in an interview with Epoch Times reporters on 2 May that the international situation will be affected by the progress of the vaccine, but the serious spread of the epidemic in India may prevent India from cooperating with the U.S. strategy against the CCP politically and economically. It will indeed become a breach of the "quartet alliance", and there is such a possibility.
He said: "It is true that India may not be able to cooperate with the United States, Japan, and some military actions in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean because of the epidemic. This is possible and very possible."
Judging from the current situation, Wu Jialong said that either India should cooperate with the side attacks of the United States, Japan, and Australia. If India cannot cooperate, it will return to cooperation with the United States, Japan, Europe, and Taiwan, but only one less cooperation from India.
He said that India’s role is mainly in two aspects. One is the industrial economy on land. China and India successively announced last year that they would build dams on the Yarlung Zangbo River; the other is the Indian Ocean on the sea. He analyzed that the United States can take over the part of India's sea surface, and the land part seems to have no conflicts for the time being.
However, in terms of manufacturing, India’s severe epidemic may slow down the production lines of multinational companies from China to India. Coupled with the reduction in military and diplomatic strikes, India will now be temporarily affected by these.
And there are many problems within China. Wu Jialong said that no matter how beautiful the CCP’s superficial economic data are, it cannot conceal its internal economic difficulties, including the inability of domestic demand to absorb export capacity; serious employment problems and the resulting risk of loan suspension may cause real estate crises and financial problems. Will stand out and so on.
On 25 April, Xi Jinping personally went to the "Red Army Long March Xiangjiang Battle Memorial Garden" in Guangxi, where he said, "No matter how difficult the difficulty is, think about the Red Army Long March, think about the Xiangjiang bloody battle. What a miraculous victory!".
Wu Jialong said that Xi Jinping compared the current situation to a "blood battle on the Xiangjiang River", indicating that the current situation is not good and we cannot look at the superficial (economic) data.
After Xi Jinping made the above statement, the French wide quoted analysis and said that these remarks may reveal Xi Jinping’s current feelings of trouble. In addition to the pressure from the United States, the biggest challenge to him recently should be the Seventh Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China this fall. At that time, the leaders of the 20th CPC National Congress will be elected.
News (15)
The situation of the U.S. coalition democracies besieging the CCP will not change
After the outbreak of the Indian epidemic, mainland media reported negative reports on India and the United States. For example, they stated that “India’s biggest mistake is to treat China as an opponent”; after the United States promised to support India, the mainland media still accused the United States of being “selfish”; The website posted photos of China’s rocket launch and India’s cremation of the remains, mocking India’s “China VS India igniting”, and finally deleted the text amid the curse of the mainland people.
With regard to India, some recent analysts believe that India’s attitude towards the CCP will not change. First of all, despite the high-profile Chinese media claiming to aid India, the Indian prime minister thanked the United States for the first time, and Indian officials subsequently thanked more than 40 countries, but there was no China. The analysis believed that this was related to the source of the CCP virus, the CCP’s wolf diplomacy, and the CCP. State-owned enterprises suspended medical supplies flights to India and other practices.
In addition, in terms of trade, on 27 April, the Taxation Bureau of the Ministry of Finance of India issued an announcement stating that it would accept the final anti-dumping action of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of India on 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone originating in or imported from China. The ruling decided to impose an anti-dumping duty of US$4.89 per kilogram on the Chinese products involved in the case on the 27th.
A few days ago, the Indian Ministry of Industry and Commerce made a final anti-dumping ruling on copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products from six countries, including China, and proposed to impose a five-year anti-dumping duty on the products involved in the above-mentioned countries.
The United States, while raising the level of military defense in the South China Sea, is also cooperating with large companies in various countries to contain the CCP in terms of technology and economy.
For example, in April, the White House held an online summit on semiconductors and production chains, and expressed the hope that the 19 large international companies participating in the conference would support the US semiconductor policy. "Business Times" quoted analysis that the United States will form alliances with semiconductor companies outside of China. In addition to increasing the proportion of US manufacturing, it will also build higher technology and capacity thresholds in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and suppress global semiconductor industry investment in China scale.
On 28 April, Taiwan’s Central Broadcasting Station and the Chen Wencheng Foundation held a seminar on US-Taiwan-China relations. Su Ziyun, director of the Institute of Strategy and Resources of the National Defense Security Research Institute of Taiwan, said that the Biden administration has moved from the past "strategic vagueness" to "constructive clarity." The route, in addition to sending aircraft carriers into the South China Sea and other geo-strategic competition, there is also a miniaturized arms race, such as chips, which is also one of the reasons why the US government attaches importance to Taiwan.
News (16) to (19) / Reporter : Xu Jian / Editor : Li Yuan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/5/1/n12918496.htm / Direct translation
News (16)
Mississippi, Missouri, call multiple ministries and commissions of the Chinese Communist Party to be held accountable for the epidemic
At present, the two Republican states in the United States, Missouri and Mississippi are still actively advancing lawsuits against the CCP, demanding that the CCP must be responsible for the global covid pandemic, and they should make huge claims against it. One of the states has issued a subpoena to the CCP and several ministries and commissions.
The world has been ravaged by SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus) for more than a year. The pandemic has infected more than 33 million people in the United States and nearly 600,000 people have died. The United States is still trapped in the economic recession caused by the pandemic.
The previous Trump (Trump)administration has always accused the CCP as the initiator of the epidemic and said that it will be held accountable, but the Biden administration stated that it is unlikely to punish the CCP for the epidemic. Another legal expert said that these cases face obstacles because foreign governments usually have sovereign immunity.
In the face of these factors, Mississippi and Missouri have never given up on the CCP’s accountability, and have actively adopted various methods to advance the lawsuit.
News (17)
Mississippi issued subpoenas to multiple ministries and commissions of the Chinese Communist Party and the Wuhan virus lab
Fox News reported that Mississippi’s Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement this week, “Because of China’s (CCP’s) malicious and dangerous (spreading the epidemic) actions, families and businesses in Mississippi should receive financial compensation." "The lawsuit is currently undergoing judicial proceedings, and we look forward to justice for the people of Mississippi."
The local Mississippi media WLBT reported that the Southern District Court of Mississippi issued a subpoena to the Chinese Communist Party and various ministries and commissions on December 9th, and also issued a subpoena to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, because it is reported that the virus was transmitted from the institute.
According to reports, the people who received the subpoenas were the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China, the National Health Commission of the Communist Party of China, the Emergency Management Department of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Communist Party of China, the Hubei Provincial Government and the Wuhan Municipal Government. According to court records, the court also issued subpoenas to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to the law, these entities should respond within 21 days after receiving the subpoena. If they do not respond, the district court informs them that "it will judge you by default to seek relief in the complaint."
News (18)
Missouri: Acting on litigation as soon as possible
Missouri became the first state to file a lawsuit against the CCP in April last year. The state requires the CCP to take responsibility for the global spread of the epidemic and seek compensation to compensate for the "huge loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil" caused by the virus. .
The lawsuit stated that “after the Chinese authorities carried out shocking deception, concealment, malfeasance, and inaction, which led to a pandemic.”
"In the critical weeks of the initial outbreak, the CCP authorities deceived the public, suppressed key information, arrested whistleblowers, and in the face of more and more evidence, they still denied human-to-human transmission. (The CCP) destroyed critical medical research has exposed millions of people to the virus, and even hoarded medical personal protective equipment, leading to a global pandemic that could not have occurred but could have been prevented." The lawsuit added.
Missouri officials stated that in addition to making the CCP bear as much financial compensation as possible, the Missouri state government is also seeking to formally hold the CCP government responsible for its actions that exacerbated the virus epidemic, and find out more about how the CCP government handles the virus and the truth about the origin of the virus.
One year after the lawsuit was initiated, Missouri stated that it is still actively advancing the case. This week, Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmidt’s office told Fox News, “We are currently studying other methods of serving subpoenas and will take action as soon as possible on this case.” “The Attorney-General office is still committed to holding the Chinese (CCP) government responsible for the epidemic."
Schmidt once said, "Our allegations are very specific. We are full of confidence in the presentation of the facts, the long-term nature of the litigation, and the ability of our lawyer team."
News (19)
Global recovery, U.S. congressman asks Biden to send CCP to court
Due to the tragic epidemic, there are endless talks around the world holding the CCP to blame. Many countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Brazil, have reached a consensus on the CCP’s accountability.
In March last year, the states of Florida, Texas, Nevada and California initiated at least seven prosecutions against the Chinese Communist government.
In order to circumvent the restrictions in the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act (FSIA), the defendants in the Missouri and Mississippi lawsuits include the Chinese Communist Party. Because FSIA restricts Americans from suing foreign governments, these officials said that if they sued the CCP, which controls the government, they would not be hindered by FSIA.
The U.S. Congress is also working hard to remove obstacles to recovering from the CCP. On April 17th last year, US Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Dan Crenshaw introduced a bill intended to amend the "Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act" and deprive the CCP of its judicial immunity during the plague, allowing Americans to sue the CCP in federal courts to seek compensation for death, injury, and economic damage caused by the CCP virus.
In early April of this year, senior Republican Representative Jim Banks of the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Biden administration to take action to hold the CCP accountable for the CCP virus epidemic, demanding compensation for huge economic losses, and sue it to the Hague. International Court of Justice.
Image : US Rep. Banks advocated that Beijing should pay huge compensation for the epidemic. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for WS Productions)
Banks sent a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, asking him why he has not “committed to punish what China (the CCP) did during the epidemic”.
Banks said in an interview with the English Epoch Times’ Thought Leaders program last year that the CCP’s compensation can take many forms, including forcing Beijing to exempt some or all of the US government’s US Treasury bonds and imposing punitive measures on Chinese goods such as tariffs and requiring the CCP’s investment to withdraw from the U.S. National Retirement Pension Fund, etc.
News (20)
India calls for abandoning vaccine patents, U.S. trade representatives will participate in WTO negotiations
Reporter : Xie Jiaxuan / Editor : Li Yuan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/5/2/n12919679.htm / Direct translation
As the epidemic situation in developing countries such as India has risen sharply, an "anti-epidemic" proposal led by India and South Africa will soon be launched in the WTO for discussion. The proposal requires major pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Europe to abandon patents for SARS-CoV-2 (covi, CCP virus) vaccines and related intellectual property rights, which has attracted great attention from the market. At present, 60 countries have expressed their views to join.
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday (2 May) that the suspension and abandonment of vaccine patents are still subject to further discussion. At present, the Biden administration is seeking to distribute to India and other countries vaccines to help contain the epidemic.
Klein told CBS that the United States has sent to India treatment drugs, rapid diagnostic test tools, ventilators and protective equipment, as well as key raw materials for vaccine production. He said, "We are eager to provide assistance to India."
The first batch of critical relief medical supplies from the United States arrived in India on 30 April. Last week, the White House announced that it will immediately provide the raw materials needed for vaccine production in India.
When asked whether the Biden administration would relax vaccine patents in foreign countries, Klein said, “U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai will go to WTO headquarters next week to start negotiations to discuss how we can make this vaccine spread more widely, more widely licensed, and more widely shared."
Klein expects that the White House will provide more explanations on the matter in the next few days.
Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Biden also discussed the cancellation of patent protection for the CCP virus vaccine. Modi said that the relaxation of patents will allow governments to obtain life-saving doses faster and more affordable.
According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, India surged at a rate of 300,000 to 400,000 new diagnoses per day last week, bringing the country's cumulative number of cases to 19,557,457. Experts worry that this peak may be related to the "B.1.617" variant virus first discovered in India, which has also been found in other countries, including the United States.
In view of the continuing spread of the epidemic in India, the White House announced on Friday (30 April) that it will implement a travel ban on India from 4 May, stipulating that non-US citizens who have visited India in the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter the country but American citizens, humanitarian aid workers and legal citizens enjoy immunity.
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