Asian nations yet to contain Covid-19 as 2020 ticks to an end
South Korea reported a record number of coronavirus deaths on Thursday (Dec 17) as its biggest wave of infections strained hospital resources and sparked panic buying in anticipation of a harsh new lockdown. Japan’s capital Tokyo was also suffering from a severe strain on its healthcare system, raising its virus alert level to the highest of four stages as the daily number of new Covid-19 cases rose to another record high. In Australia, authorities scrambled to trace the source of new cases after a small cluster was detected in the country s largest city of Sydney.
China sends sanctioned official to AmCham dinner in Beijing
Beijing sent a top official sanctioned by the United States to an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) China dinner in a show of defiance that could feed criticism of the business group in Washington. Mr Wang Chen, a member of the Communist Party s Politburo, was Beijing’s representative at the annual event on Thursday (Dec 10), even though he was one of the 14 officials sanctioned by the US on Monday over the body s role in constraining freedoms in Hong Kong.
In other news.
HK media tycoon Jimmy Lai charged under national security law: Hong Kong democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been charged under the city s national security law on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces and endangering national security. Lai, who was due to appear in court on Saturday (Dec 12), has been charged with two offences, including a call for sanctions against Hong Kong.