Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on disease control, CCP, South Korea, South America, Taiwan, Cambodia, Myanmar, airport management, Lithuania
News (1) to (5) / Sources : The Epoch Times, Hamodia, The Times of Israel
News (1)
Israel records first case of patient with both covid and flu, dubbed locally "flurona"
According to Israeli media Hamodia, the unnamed woman displayed mild symptoms of coviflu at Rabin Medical Center in the city of Petah Tikva on 30 December 2021. She was doing well and was expected to be discharged from the hospital later on Thursday, according to officials.
“She was diagnosed with the flu and covid as soon as she arrived. Both tests came back positive, even after we checked again,” said professor Arnon Vizhnitser, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist and the director of the hospital’s Gynecology Department. “The disease is the same disease; they’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract.”
Vizhnitser said he is seeing more and more cases of individuals who have contracted coviflu at the same time. Coviflu can present similar symptoms as covid such as a cough, sore throat, fever, muscle or body aches and fatigue.
“Last year, we did not witness flu cases among pregnant or birthing women,” Vizhnitser said. “Today, we are seeing cases of both coronavirus and the flu that are starting to rear their head.”
While the majority of people who contract the flu tend to recover within a few days or weeks, in some it can lead to life-threatening complications such as pneumonia, myocarditis (heart inflammation) and multi-organ failure, although this is rare.
News (2)
Israeli woman died from flu after giving birth
Last week, a 31-year-old pregnant woman died in Jerusalem after contracting the flu, The Times of Israel reported. The woman, who gave birth to a son via cesarian section at Hadassah Medical Center, passed away shortly after being placed on a ventilator due to respiratory complications. Her baby was said to be in a stable condition.
News (3)
Israeli professor stresses coviflu is not new
However, Elias Mossialos, professor of health policy at the London School of Economics, has said there is no reason to panic about the so-called “flurona,” although he acknowledged that we may see an increasing number of such cases appear across the globe.
“This is not a new disease, but simultaneous infections from covi and the flu virus. It happened to a pregnant woman in Israel, but it is likely we will see several such cases in many countries,” Mossialos wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
“So, vaccination with the flu vaccine is necessary, especially for our vulnerable compatriots. That’s what health authorities around the world emphasize,” Mossialos added. “There’s no reason to panic.”
News (4)
Fourth booster shots for cancer patients and organ transplant recipients
Israel is among the first in the world to introduce vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinations.
In December 2021, government officials approved a second covi vaccine booster shot for people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients.
The approval came almost a week after the country’s Pandemic Expert Committee recommended the fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for immunocompromised people, people older than 60, and health care workers.
News (5)
Paxlovid granted EUA in Israel, Israel ordered 100,000 pills
The Ministry of Health of Israel on 27 December 2021 also granted emergency approval to Pfizer's anti-covid drug Paxlovid. The pill is taken twice per day for five days in combination with a second medicine called ritonavir, a generic antiviral drug.
The drug is supposed to be for patients who are suffering from “mild-to-moderate” covid symptoms as a preventative measure to stop them from becoming so sick that they need to be hospitalized, officials and Pfizer have said.
Israel has ordered roughly 100,000 Paxlovid pills in an effort to help combat a new covid wave brought about by the fast-spreading Covi29.
According to official data in the database Our World In Data, despite this, 63.69% of the Israeli population is double vaccinated, while 6.91% is partially vaccinated.
News (6)
British nurse, diagnosed with covid in critical condition, saves her life with Viagra pills
Image : Viagra pills. (Photo: iStock)
A woman in the United Kingdom was infected with covi during work. After being given a large dose of small blue pills (Viagra), her condition gradually improved. After 28 days of unconsciousness, she miraculously regained consciousness.
According to the “Daily Mail” report, the 37-year-old Lincolnshire woman Monica Almeida is a specialist nurse. She was diagnosed with covid on 31 October 2021. She was admitted to hospital on 9 November.
The woman is the mother of two children and has received two doses of the vaccine. She suffers from asthma. She was unable to breathe normally a few days after being infected. As the condition worsened, she was transferred to the intensive care unit. Before putting her into a medical artificial coma, the hospital obtained her consent to accept an experimental treatment plan. In an emergency, the hospital decided to use this non-traditional coronary treatment method to help her expand the blood vessels and open the airway.
Just three days before the hospital decided to turn off the ventilator for her, her condition began to improve and she finally woke up after being in a coma for 28 days.
After she woke up in the backyard, she told her that they had given her a large dose of Viagra, and only then took her life back from death. This drug is used to treat erectile dysfunction by relaxing blood vessel walls to allow more blood to be transported to various parts of the body. This kind of treatment has allowed the woman's condition to improve significantly in just a week, so that she can go home and reunite with her family smoothly on Christmas Eve.
She said, "It must be Viagra that saved my life." She said that within 48 hours of taking the drug, the drug assisted in dilating blood vessels, opening the airway, and causing her lungs to start responding.
She also encourages the public to be vaccinated against covid and treat the disease seriously.
Ref: https://www.8world.com/world/england-nurse-wakes-up-from-28-day-coma-viagra-1691686
News (7) to (11) / Reporter : Stacy Libertore, Daily Mail / Image credit : Shutterstock / Scott Wilson Photography
While the U.S. government works to stop the spread of covid between humans, wildlife officials are working to understand how the virus SARS-CoV-2 (covi) is infecting wild white-tailed deer.
Although experts have not confirmed how these wild animals are contracting covid, the leading hypothesis is that deer are drinking contaminated water as their research shows the virus lingers in human feces and wastewater.
Hundreds of animals have tested positive in Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Ohio and researchers fear the entire U.S. population of some 30 million may soon be infected.
Penn State University found more than 80% of the white-tailed deer sampled in different parts of Iowa between December 2020 and January 2021 tested positive for covi, while another study shows 67 percent of those sampled in Michigan have traces of the virus.
The findings, according to experts, highlight the "critical need to urgently implement surveillance programs to monitor covi spread within the deer and other susceptible wildlife species and put into place methods to mitigate potential spillback."
It is known that animals can contract covid from humans, but most of the known cases are of those living in zoos where animals and humans are constantly in close contact.
However, there has not been any known cases of deer transmitting covi to humans.
A November study from Penn State University examined nearly 300 samples collected from deer across the state of Iowa during the peak of human covi infection in 2020.
Suresh Kuchipudi, associate director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Penn State, said in a statement, ‘We found that 80% of the sampled deer in December were positive for SARS-CoV-2, which proportionally represents about a 50-fold greater burden of positivity than what was reported at the peak of infection in humans at the time.
‘The number of covi-positive deer increased over the period from April to December 2020, with the greatest increases coinciding with the peak of deer hunting season last year.’
A separate study released earlier last month found similar results among white-tailed deer.
Conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, the team discovered 129 (35 percent) of 360 free-ranging deer tested positive through nasal swabs but showed no symptoms.
From six of the locations, the researchers were able to identify three variants of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.2, B.1.582 and B.1.596).
News (8)
Covi could mutate from deer to deer, potentially facilitate transmission to humans
Covi could mutate while passing between deer, potentially facilitating transmission of new strains to humans and other species, although there is no evidence to suggest this yet.
Worryingly, covi could also survive in deer unmutated while it simultaneously continues to evolve in humans, and at some point, when humans do not have immunity to the strains infecting deer, those variants could come spilling back to humans.
Study author Professor Andrew Bowman at the Ohio State University, said in a statement: "Based on evidence from other studies, we knew they were being exposed in the wild and that in the lab we could infect them and the virus could transmit from deer to deer.
‘Here, we're saying that in the wild, they are infected, and if they can maintain it, we have a new potential source of SARS-CoV-2 coming in to humans.’
News (9)
Covi antibodies found in 60% of deer sampled in Michigan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) conducted a larger study in July 2021 that included several states: in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania.
Covi antibodies were detected in 33 percent of the total specimens, but 60 percent of deer sampled in Michigan were found to have been exposed.
Illinois had the lowest with just 7%, then New York with 18% and Pennsylvania with 34%.
News (10)
The risk of animals spreading covi variants to people is low
"There is no evidence that animals, including deer, are playing a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people. Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low,' APHIS shared in a statement.
News (11)
The deer do not display symptoms of covid although they have covi antibodies
Although antibodies were detected, APHIS notes that "none of the deer populations surveyed showed signs of clinical illness associated with SARS-CoV-2."
News (12)
News (13) to (19) / Reporter : Chris Pleasance, Daily Mail / Image : Web Screenshots
News (13)
CCP China plots to "take over" Latin America in "growing threat" to the U.S.
China has inked a new deal with leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean to deepen ties across almost all areas of society in what one analyst likened to a plot to "take over" the region.
As part of the deal, Beijing has committed to supplying the region with "civilian" nuclear technology, helping to develop "peaceful" space programmes, building 5G networks of the kind Washington warns will be used to spy on people, and to pumping in cheap loans and financing for "elaborate development plans."
China has even pledged to build schools and fund classes teaching Chinese language and 'culture', though such institutions have been criticised elsewhere for pushing state propaganda and limiting academic freedom.
It comes off the back of decades of Chinese investment and development in Latin America and the Caribbean which has seen hundreds of billions of dollars poured into the region to build critical infrastructure such as ports, roads, and power plants in what many believe is an attempt to buy power and influence in America's back yard.
The agreement is just the latest in a long line of loans, trade deals, construction projects and other investments in Latin American and the Caribbean that has seen Beijing flex its growing economic muscle while America's strength wanes.
Since 2005, China's three largest state investment banks have loaned some $140billion to countries in Latin America to pay for everything from nuclear power stations to dams, roads to railways, ports and phone networks.
Billions more - nobody knows quite how many - have been lent via contracts with commercial banks, private finance initiatives and other deals which are opaque and hard to track, though researchers have found they sometimes dwarf deals done on-the-books.
News (14)
CCP Chinese trade with Latin America more than 25 times
Meanwhile Chinese trade with Latin America has shot up more than 25 times, rising from $12billion in 2000 to $315billion in 2020 as almost half of the countries in the region saw their largest trading partner flip from being the US to China - including three of the four largest economies: Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
All of which gives China leverage that it uses to get its own way on the international stage, from winning votes at the UN to isolating its enemies - most notably Taiwan, as Beijing often requires countries to cut diplomatic ties with the island before it will hand over money.
Still more countries have signed up to China's Belt and Road initiative, a global $1trillion construction project that aims to improve trade networks and infrastructure which will be beneficial to China in the long run.
Notable partners include Venezuela - which also has a large amount of debt to China - Ecuador and Panama, which contains the hugely valuable Panama Canal which was originally built using US funding.
Cuba is another country that has singed up to Belt and Road, and this week announced that it will accept Chinese help to upgrade its power network with a focus on renewables.
Carlos Miguel Pereira, Cuba's ambassador to Beijing, made the announcement following an energy conference for Belt and Road members, inviting Chinese companies and investors to get involved.
News (15)
CCP's ambition for dominance in Latin America
'There are absolutely ambitions for China to become the dominant influence in Latin America,' Mateo Haydar, a researcher at the Heritage Foundation said off the back of the latest deal.
'The challenge is comprehensive, and there's absolutely a security and military interest there. ... That threat is growing, and it’s a different kind of threat than what we saw with the Soviets,' he told the Washington Examiner.
Professor Evan Ellis, of the U.S. Army War College, added: 'The Chinese don’t say, "We want to take over Latin America," but they clearly set out a multidimensional engagement strategy, which, if successful, would significantly expand their leverage and produce enormous intelligence concerns for the United States.'
The deal, officially the 'Joint Action Plan for Cooperation in Key Areas', was signed last month between China and CELAC, an alliance of Latin American and Caribbean States that encompasses almost all the countries in the region including major players such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Uruguay and Chile.
While light on specifics, it sets out a broad roadmap for relations between China and countries in the region up to 2024 - committing them to deepening ties between governments, banks, companies and educational institutions.
Most of the commitments appear routine - such as pledges to preserve the environment, develop green tech, and promote equality and sustainability - but some will certainly give minds in the Pentagon pause for thought.
The first is a commitment to exchange nuclear technology and promote 'relevant practical projects' including the training of nuclear scientists to 'bring into play advantages offered by nuclear technology and nuclear energy.'
The deal specifies that this will be 'peaceful' and elsewhere commits the parties to pursuing 'nuclear disarmament', but will almost certainly cause concern because the technology used to enrich nuclear fuel can be repurposed to make weapons-grade material for use in bombs.
News (16)
Washington warns Latin America about CCP Chinese military assistance
Washington has also been issuing increasingly frequent warnings about Chinese firms providing assistance to the military in recent months, and is likely to fear that any civilian nuclear firms which establish themselves in South America are being used for a dual purpose.
Likewise, China's pledge to help develop space programmes for the 'peaceful exploration of space' is also likely to be a cause for concern.
In the past, Beijing has tried to pass off the launch of spy satellites as 'communication' craft, and recently pushed back on accusations that it had tested a hypersonic orbital nuke by saying it was actually a civilian spacecraft meant for the 'peaceful exploration of space'.
As part of the agreement, the two sides commit to cooperation in the 'construction of ground infrastructure' to support space programmes, raising the possibility that such technology could soon be launched, controlled or monitored from America's doorstep.
That is not the only area where Chinese and South American technology is likely to combine. The deal also pledges greater cooperation on 'digital infrastructure, telecommunications equipment, [and] 5G.'
The US has been locked in a proxy-war with China for years over the roll-out of 5G technology, ever since it emerged that Beijing was pulling ahead in the race to build the world's new information networks.
Mike Pompeo, former US secretary of state, pushed hard in the later years of the Trump administration to persuade western nations and US allies to ditch the technology, warning it would be used to spy on users.
News (17)
Latin American countries try to appease CCP and the U.S.
South American countries have been at the epicentre of the battle, trying to appease both Beijing and DC. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian president and close ally of Trump, at first pledged to exclude Huawei - one of China's biggest technology firms - from running part of its network, only to reverse that stance when Trump left office.
According to the text of the deal, it is a fight that look set to continue for some time longer.
China and Latin American states have also agreed to cooperate directly between their militaries, ostensibly for the purpose of fighting terrorism and taking down organised criminal networks.
The two sides said they will 'share knowledge, policies, technologies and experiences' in tackling the threats, suggesting some level of cooperation and intelligence sharing between their militaries and police forces.
Other pledges appear to be a continuation of infrastructure projects already underway in region, many of built as part of China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative.
These include the deepening of ties in trade and financial markets, including investment and loans for 'elaborate development plans', and helping with the 'transition towards green energy' by building new power plants.
China has also pledged to help with oil, gas a mining exploration, though claims green projects will be given priority over fossil fuels.
News (18)
CCP China to build "Confucius Institutes" to spread Communism in Latin America
However, the institutions have been accused of spreading false information and Chinese state propaganda, including by one of China's own officials - senior CCP leader Li Changchun - who once described the schools as 'an important part of China's overseas propaganda set-up'.
Washington has designated the headquarters of the Confucius Institutes in the US as a Chinese foreign mission - meaning it is owned or controlled by the state - with Mike Pompeo accusing the schools of "advancing Beijing's global propaganda and malign influence campaign".
News (19)
PLA plans Chinese bases in four more African countries and possible naval sites in Africa
According to Daily Mail's report, CCP China is considering four more possible sites for its People's Liberation Army (PLA) military bases in Africa. These possible sites include bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and the Seychelles. Possible PLA naval sites from the western to southern coasts of Africa are also under consideration.
CCP's PLA currently has the military base in Djibouti which can accommodate up to 2,000 troops from China. Vehicles include armoured troop carriers. mobile guns, patrol boats and feature helicopter landing pads and piers to dock aircraft carriers and warships.
The PLA's strategy in Africa is a challenge to the U.S. interests in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Ref: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10364663/China-plots-Latin-America-new-action-plan.html
Teresa Teng resolutely opposes the Communist Party before her death, CCP New Year's Eve party finds "virtual little Deng" to be sour
Reporters : Gao Jianlun and Zeng Xinmin / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/01/03/a103311348.html / Image : Video Screenshot
In the New Year's Eve concert of "Jiangsu Satellite TV" on the 31st, virtual projection was used to bring the late artist Teresa Teng who was popular in the Chinese circle back on stage. Some Chinese netizens were moved and said "make up for the regret of not being able to see her", but some criticized them, emphasizing that Teresa Teng advocated democracy and anti-communism. Such a performance did not respect the deceased.
More than 40 years ago, Teresa Teng held a concert at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. When the host asked about the feeling of the mainland invited to sing, she said softly and firmly.
The late singer Teresa Teng (1980.10.4): "I also saw it in the newspaper that I was invited to sing in the mainland, which means that no one has talked to me about this directly, no one is formal, but if I go to the mainland to sing Well, then the day when I sing in the mainland is the day when our Three People's Principles are implemented in the mainland."
Looking forward to seeing the realization of the Three People’s Principles in mainland China, in 1991 she also used the Kinmen Broadcasting Station to shout to the coastal areas of the mainland, "I am very happy to stand on the front line of the free motherland, Kinmen" and "I hope that the mainland compatriots can also enjoy the same democracy as us. free". And she wore a white T-shirt and tied cloth strips to gather with Hong Kong artists to sing for the Tiananmen Movement on June 4th.
The late singer Teresa Teng (1989.5.27): "Thank you for your enthusiasm. In Hong Kong, everyone gathers together and everyone works hard for democracy."
At the end of 2021, the CCP has been suppressing and escalating the entertainment industry. From March this year, it must pass examinations to obtain evidence. It stipulates that the entertainment industry must uphold the CCP’s constitution and possess the so-called "good political quality." However, at the same time, it has repeatedly hoped that democracy and freedom will return to China. Teresa Teng, forcing her to appear in the Chinese Communist Party’s New Year's Eve singing, is particularly ironic.
News (21)
Expert: The CCP has no plan B and is forced into a dead end by covi
Reporter : Xu Jian / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/1/3/n13479316.htm
Image : On 22 December 2021, security guards are patrolling a blockade in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The number of COVID-19 cases in Xi'an has soared recently. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
At the beginning of 2022, a British China expert wrote an article in the "Daily Telegraph" to analyze that the CCP had entered a dead end of "zeroing". The Omicron variant (Covi29) will put the CCP in deep trouble.
Charles Parton is an Associate Researcher at the Geostrategic Committee and the United Kingdom's Royal Defence and Security Joint Services Institute (RUSI). Below is his comment (edited).
The Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping seems to believe that he can control waves of covid but the covi variant Omicron might prove him wrong, which would greatly weaken his authority.
COVID has caused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to lose its reputation abroad, becoming a new notoriety for its persecution of Xinjiang people, threats to Taiwan, and abolition of Hong Kong's democracy.
The CCP refuses to jointly study the origin of SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus, covi), uses medical protective equipment for "bullying diplomacy", and gloats at the shortcomings of U.S. and European protection measures. All these have given the international community a better understanding of the nature of the CCP. Therefore, in addition to harming society, the new crown virus has also prompted countries to reassess their policies towards China. However, the CCP has achieved "success in fighting the epidemic" in its domestic propaganda-this (fooling the people) is more important to the CCP.
The CCP’s so-called “zero policy” is based on totalitarian blockade and population surveillance.
On the one hand, the "zero-covid policy" seems to have worked. Even though the true number of deaths and hospitalizations is ten times the CCP's claims, the disease seems to be under control in the early stage. Therefore, the policy seems to be correct in the early stage.
A Chinese researcher believes that if the CCP does not exercise extreme control of covi, like Western society, the number of cases per day will reach between 280,000 and 637,000, and China's relatively simple medical services will not be able to cope with it.
Even before the emergence of Omicron, this "zero policy" policy ran into trouble because China's vaccines were not effective enough; once the strict blockade and surveillance were lifted, covid is likely to spread rapidly in the absence of herd immunity. If it is Omicron, a virus that spreads so strongly, then even the most totalitarian tools cannot stop it.
So this "zero-covid policy" strategy will not work but the party cannot recognize it, nor can it allow Chinese experts to recognize it. Xi Jinping was touted by the propaganda in an attempt to convince the people that the CCP’s "zero-clearing policy" shows that its so-called "full-process democracy" is superior to the Western system.
Even the Chinese who have no complaints have limited patience. If Omicron becomes flooded, will they be angry because of the strict control that has been ineffective for two years? Totalitarians tend to not relax their power and control after the epidemic disappears. How would ordinary people react? What about the wealthy and well-educated people? The middle-class people's opium, foreign tourism and education, has been deprived of it. Will they continue to endure it?
Before the epidemic, the Chinese Communist Party’s economy was in turmoil, and the situation is worse now. Although exports are surprisingly strong, this cannot be sustained. Many Chinese companies have already laid off employees because of supply chain disruption, sluggish consumption, and foreign resistance to CCP technology. Global players like the CCP cannot remain in a semi-closed state.
What is Xi going to do? Any plan B is difficult to introduce, because it is tantamount to admitting mistakes. The CCP cannot even import foreign vaccines, so it must be Plan A.
The "zero-clearing policy" is also detrimental to international relations. At present, the CCP seems to intend to continue to isolate itself from the world to reduce the spread of covid. The reduction of business, academic, government, non-governmental and other exchanges means that there is more room for misunderstanding and distrust.
At home, Xi Jinping announced a "people's war" against covi. The CCP’s propaganda extended this belligerent stance to the world, but the CCP did not cooperate with foreign countries to find the origin of covi, did not openly support the WHO (especially including Taiwan), did not openly cooperate with Western scientists, but used the crisis to advance its own narrow interests. It may still pay a heavy price for the "politicization of the virus."
Phnom Penh municipal police arrested nine people on 31 December 2021
for holding an unauthorised demonstration in front of the local integrated
resort NagaWorld which they said affected security, public order and social
safety.
News (23)
Myanmar civilians: "Our Revolution Must Prevail!"
Source : The Irrawaddy
When the clock struck midnight on the last day of 2021, unlike people across the globe who shouted “Happy New Year!”, the people of Myanmar yelled “Our revolution must prevail!” in defiance of the junta, and cursed coup leader and junta boss Min Aung Hlaing.
Over the past 11 months Myanmar people have shown unwavering opposition to the regime that overthrew the elected civilian government and seized power in a February coup.
They demanded a restoration of democracy and the return of the rights stolen from them by staging street protests, launching a peaceful civil disobedience movement—a popular strike in which civil servants refuse to work under the regime and people boycott products and services from military-owned businesses to the state lottery, and refuse to pay taxes—as well as armed resistance as the junta continued its brutality against unarmed civilians around the country.
“Though it has been 11 months since the military coup, our people continue to demonstrate their rejection of the military dictatorship in different ways,” Ko Tayzar San, one of Myanmar’s most prominent anti-regime protest leaders, wrote on his Facebook account.
He added that the new year will be a revolutionary one in which the people of Myanmar seek to uproot the fascist army from the land.
“Our New Year’s commitment is nothing short of reaching a turning point, a vital historic milestone in our public revolution, in 2022,” he said.
The majority of Myanmar nationals both inside and outside the country share Ko Tayzar San’s New Year’s resolution. Their chants of “Our revolution must win!” when the new year began, despite the presence of junta forces in their neighborhoods, demonstrated their commitment to the struggle for democracy.
A Yangon resident said the slogan resounded around her neighborhood at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
“Nobody said ‘Happy New Year!’ as in previous years, as we are not in the mood for that. Our only hope for this year is to see victory in our revolution against the regime,” she said.
A civilian resistance fighter who joined the People’s Defense Force wrote that, “In the new year, I wish the people of Myanmar a just revolutionary war victory.”
Last year around 1,400 heroes lost their lives at the hands of the murderous junta forces while engaging in anti-regime activities, more than 11,200 people were arrested, and tens of thousands were displaced from their homes due to the junta’s terror campaign.
Dr. Sa Sa, the parallel National Unity Government’s minister of international cooperation, said that while the world celebrates the new year with the sights and sounds of fireworks accompanying their festivities, for the people of Myanmar, 1 January 2022 marks the 335th day of the coup, and the sight and sound of explosions signals only fear and danger.
“For almost a full year, we have witnessed the true horror of military brutality and dictatorship,” he said in a New Year’s video message.
However, the minister said that with the determination of the Myanmar people who have not given up no matter how fierce the junta’s oppression, the losses of last year will become gains this year.
News (24)
Israel will open entry for some foreigners from 9 January 2022, and Taiwanese are listed
Editor : Xu Rongyou
Israel said on 3 January 2022 that it will allow some foreigners, including Taiwanese, to enter its territories from 9 January. These people must come from countries deemed to be at moderate risk and are presumed to have COVID-19 immunity.
The Ministry of Health of Israel said today that passengers from 199 countries listed as the "orange" list (medium risk) will be allowed to enter the country, but they must prove in advance that they have been vaccinated or have recovered from covid and undergo PCR testing before and after arrival. The aforementioned countries include Australia, Italy and Ireland. According to the risk colour classification of the Israeli Ministry of Health website, Taiwan is also on this "orange" list.
The Ministry of Health of Israel also recommends that South Africa, Nigeria, Spain, Portugal, France, and Canada of the 16 countries currently on the "red" list (high risk) be included in the "orange" list. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey will remain on the country’s "red" list.
In response to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant / B.1.1.529 (Covi29), Israel implemented a restriction banning the entry of all foreign tourists at the end of November 2021. This measure lifted some of the restrictions.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated in a televised speech on 2 January 2021 that even if the number of cases caused by Covi29 surges, Israel will continue to loosen international travel restrictions this week. (Central News Agency)
Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/politics/1681124
News (25)
Dalian Airport Air and Land Combined Transport Service Center officially opened
Reporter : Yang Yi, China News Network / http://www.minhangshi.com/m/h5/detail/10384129
The Dalian Airport Air-Land Combined Transport Service Center was officially opened on 1 January 2022, and will provide exclusive flight services for self-driving passengers in different places, enabling passengers to realize "zero distance" transfers.
The air-land intermodal transportation center built this time is oriented to the service needs of self-driving passengers in different places, and passengers can be a "one-stop" travel service station. At the Dalian Airport Air-Land Combined Transport Service Center, passengers who come to Dalian by self-driving from a different place can directly check-in seats and check their luggage here. Passengers from other places can park their self-driving vehicles in the self-driving dedicated service area and enjoy free parking for 5 days. Preferential service.
The reporter saw at the air-land combined transport service center that the centre was built with strong marine cultural elements, and the hall was spacious, bright, simple and comfortable. In order to meet the diverse needs of passengers, the air-land combined transportation center also introduces multiple service functions such as free wifi, leisure massage, and maternal and child facilities to facilitate passengers' waiting. In addition, the center is also equipped with full-process self-service equipment including self-service baggage check-in, self-service check-in, and self-service packaging.
On the same day, He Tingyi, a passenger from Yingkou, parked his private car behind the gate of the Dalian Airport Air-Land Combined Transport Service Center and went directly to the center to complete the relevant check-in procedures. According to the original arrangement, he should take the high-speed rail to Dalian first, and then take a taxi to the airport. "Not only is it convenient, but it's also cheap." He Tingyi said. After the air-land combined transport service was activated, he drove the car directly to the airport. "You don't need to drag heavy suitcases, and you can save nearly 200 yuan in parking fees. It's really a bargain."
According to Wang Sisi, deputy manager of the city terminal security department of Dalian Airport, the Dalian Airport Air and Land Combined Transport Service Center is an "urban terminal" located in a parking lot. The new smart travel mode will greatly shorten the waiting time of passengers and bring them to life. An unprecedented new experience.
At the opening ceremony that day, Dalian Airlines announced the official opening of the Dalian-Hefei-Nanning route to meet the increasingly diversified travel needs of passengers.
Dalian Airlines stated that when the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP) came into effect, the opening of the new route will connect two domestic cities adjacent to RCEP member states, which will help accelerate the integrated development of the air transport industry and promote the development of aviation. The facilitation of freight transport is of great significance.
News (26)
Hainan outlying island duty-free shop sales exceed 60 billion RMB in 2021
Ref : Zhao Yeping, Guo Liangchuan, XinhuaNet, http://www.minhangshi.com/m/h5/detail/10384245
In 2021, Hainan’s duty-free shopping in the premises and post-immigration areas of Haikou Meilan Airport and Sanya Phoenix Airport shows rapid growth in duty-free sales, richer brands, optimized shopping environment, diversified marketing methods, improved shopping convenience, and continued enhancement of risk prevention and control.
Many international brands are actively deploying Hainan’s duty-free market, with new brands entering and new products on the shelves, constantly promoting Hainan’s outlying island’s duty-free brands, varieties, and prices with the international “three synchronizations”, becoming a new force attracting overseas consumption.
At present, there are 5 duty-free business entities in Hainan's airport districts, and the number of post-immigration duty-free shops has increased to 10. As the second phase of Haikou Meilan International Airport is put into use, the duty-free shops have an operating area of 220,000 square meters, and the number of duty-free shop brands exceeds 720. The variety is also dominated by fragrance products, jewelry, watches, brands of luggage, clothing, electronics and other products provide consumers with more choices.
In 2021, Hainan’s post-immigration duty-free shopping will add two pick-up methods: Postal delivery and return-to-island pick-up, which has boosted passengers’ enthusiasm for buying large commodities such as drinks and luggage.
In terms of risk control, Hainan has actively carried out a special campaign to combat the smuggling of tax-free “set purchases”, established a traceability management system for duty-free goods, and issued the "Hainan Free Trade Port Duty-Free Shopping Distrust Regulations" to establish a punishment mechanism for tax-free shopping dishonesty.
News (27) to (30) / Reporter : Zhong Yuan / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/1/3/n13478518.htm
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