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☆ EU recommends pre-flight testing of passengers from China, wastewater testing in airports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China plans to ease travel restrictions on Jan 8, despite a wave of new infections which has left Chinese hospitals and funeral houses overwhelmed. The IPCR also recommended that all passengers on flights to and from China should wear face masks, that EU governments introduce random testing of passengers arriving from China and that they test and sequence wastewater in airports with international flights and planes arriving from China. "The Member States agree to assess the situation and review the introduced measures by mid-January 2023," the IPCR said in statement. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) said last week it did not currently recommend measures on travellers from China, because the variants circulating in China were already in the European Union. The ECDC also said EU citizens had relatively high vaccination levels and the potential for imported infections was low compared to daily infections in the EU, with healthcare systems currently coping.

☆ Japan to toughen border control for travellers from China, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Japan will toughen its COVID-19 border control measures for travellers from China effective Jan. 8, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday. Additional measures will require pre-boarding negative coronavirus test results for passengers on direct flights from China, Kishida said, strengthening the existing emergency measures Japan started on Dec. 30. Japan will continue to ask airlines to limit additional flights from China, Kishida also told a nationally televised New Year news conference. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stellantis to build U.S. firm Archer's air taxi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Car maker Stellantis (STLA.MI) will help build Archer Aviation's (ACHR.N) electric aircraft Midnight eVTOL and increase its stake in the U.S. company, the two firms said on Wednesday. Industrial firms and new startups are flocking to invest in air taxis, which can take off and land vertically to ferry travellers to airports or on short trips between cities, allowing them to beat traffic. It is designed for back-to-back short distance trips of around 20 miles, with a charging time of approximately 10 minutes in-between. "The goal is for Stellantis to mass produce Archer’s eVTOL aircraft as its exclusive contract manufacturer," the companies said in a joint statement. Stellantis will also increase its existing stake in Archer through stock purchases in the open market.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization officials met Chinese scientists on Tuesday amid concerns over the accuracy of China's data on the spread and evolution of its outbreak. China reported five new COVID-19 deaths for Jan. 3, compared with three a day earlier, bringing the official death toll to 5,258, very low by global standards. British-based health data firm Airfinity has said about 9,000 people in China are probably dying each day from COVID. Bookings for international flights from China have risen by 145% year-on-year in recent days, the government-run China Daily newspaper reported, citing data from travel booking platform Trip.com. But there are signs that an increase in travel from China could further spread the virus abroad.

☆ German inflation surprise hits brakes on dollar's slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The euro nursed losses on Wednesday and has helped the dollar to make a strong start to 2023, after a surprise slowdown in German inflation rallied bunds and sent the common currency sliding. The euro fell 1% overnight, its sharpest drop in more than two months, and it hovered near three-week lows at $1.0550 early in the Asia session. Along with a nervous mood as U.S. stocks fell, the move gave the dollar a broader boost and stopped a rising yen in its tracks. The jump tapped the brakes on a three-month slide for the index. Headline German CPI fell to an annual 8.6% in December, from 10% the previous month, against expectations for 9.1%.

☆ Most EU countries back COVID pre-departure testing for flights from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Most European Union countries favour introducing pre-departure COVID testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said on Tuesday, as Beijing plans to lift travel restrictions on its citizens despite a wave of COVID infections. The common EU approach emerged after a meeting on Tuesday of the Health Security Committee, an EU advisory body of national health experts from the EU-s 27 countries and chaired by the Commission. "The overwhelming majority of countries are in favour of pre-departure testing," a Commission spokesman said. The spokesman said all EU countries agreed they needed a coordinated approach to the changing situation in China and to deal with implications of increased travel from China to Europe after China lifts its stringent pandemic polices on Jan 8th. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last week it did not currently recommend measures on travellers from China.

☆ EU offers China free vaccines as COVID-19 infections surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union has offered free COVID-19 vaccines to China, the EU executive said on Tuesday, as infections there surged following Beijing's relaxation of its "zero-COVID" policies. China has not responded to the offer yet, a spokesperson for the European Commission told journalists at a regular briefing. He did not specify the amount of vaccines the EU was offering or their manufacturers. "In view of the COVID situation in China, (Health) Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has reached out to her Chinese counterparts to offer EU solidarity and support," he said. Last month, Germany shipped 11,500 BioNTech (22UAy.DE) COVID vaccines to German companies and embassy and consulate locations in China for use by German nationals there.

☆ South Korea to require COVID tests for Hong Kong, Macau travellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - South Korea's health authorities said on Tuesday it will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travellers from Hong Kong and Macau, after Beijing's decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies. Effective Jan. 7, travellers from Hong Kong and Macau would be required to submit a negative result from a PCR test, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The decision comes after South Korea announced it will require travellers from China to take COVID tests before departure and upon arrival in South Korea, joining the United States, Japan and other countries in taking new border measures amid concerns over a new wave of infections and mutations. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Two British citizens among dead in mid-air helicopter collision near Australian theme park
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Two travellers from the United Kingdom were among four people killed in a mid-air helicopter collision near an Australian theme park that authorities say could have been much worse. Queensland state police say two helicopters collided about 300 meters in the air on Monday afternoon as one was landing and another taking off near Sea World on Australia's Gold Coast. The helicopter that was taking off crashed, killing four of the seven aboard, including 40-year-old pilot Ashley Jenkinson and two visitors from the United Kingdom. Sea World Helicopters, which operated the aircraft involved in the crash, is independent of Sea World owner Village Roadshow Theme Parks and is closed until further notice, according to a statement on its website. Sea World was open on Tuesday.

☆ China state media plays down severity of COVID wave before WHO meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The World Health Organization on Friday urged China's health officials to regularly share specific and real-time information on the COVID situation. The agency has invited Chinese scientists to present detailed data on viral sequencing at a meeting of a technical advisory group scheduled for Tuesday. The European Union has offered free COVID vaccines to China to help contain the outbreak, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. China has rejected criticism of its COVID data and said any new mutations may be more infectious but less harmful. Data on Tuesday showed China's factory activity shrank at a sharper pace in December as the COVID wave disrupted production and hurt demand.

☆ China calls entry restrictions targetting its travellers unreasonable
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Some countries' COVID-19 entry restrictions targetting China lack scientific basis and are unreasonable, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign minsitry said at a regular briefing on Tuesday. Mao Ning said that we are "firmly opposed to such practices" and will take corresponding measures accordingly. Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU agrees coordinated approach in wake of changing COVID situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 3 (Reuters) - The European Union Health Security Committee said on Tuesday EU member states agreed on a "coordinated approach" to the changing COVID-19 situation, adding that included implications for increased travel from China. EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said the committee worked on targeted measures including pre-departure testing for travellers from China, stepped up wastewater monitoring and increased domestic surveillance. Talks of the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) meeting continue tomorrow. Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Marine StraussOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China state media plays down COVID wave severity before WHO meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Belgium to test wastewater on airliners from COVID-hit China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 2 (Reuters) - Belgium will test wastewater from planes arriving from China for new COVID variants as part of new steps against the spread of the coronavirus as infections in China surge, the government announced on Monday. "This will be an additional monitoring objective to verify that the data we receive from China is accurate," Steven Van Gucht of the Sciensano national public health institute told Reuters. Belgium is also asking travellers from China to test themselves for COVID-19 if they show symptoms seven days after arriving, but will not enforce this measure. Authorities around the world are imposing or considering curbs on travellers from China, including mandatory testing for COVID, as infections there spread following Beijing's relaxation of "zero-COVID" rules. Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU to discuss coordinated response to China COVID situation on Wed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - European Union government health officials will hold talks on Wednesday on a coordinated response to the surge in COVID-19 infections in China, the Swedish EU presidency said on Monday, after December talks concluded with no decisions on the matter. At a similar meeting on Dec. 29, held online among over 100 representatives from EU governments, EU health agencies and the World Health Organisation, Italy urged the rest of the EU to follow its lead and test travellers from China for COVID, with Beijing poised to lift travel restrictions on Jan. 8. "There is a scheduled Integrated Political Crisis Response meeting on Wednesday, January 4, for an update of the COVID-19 situation in China and to discuss possible EU measures to be taken in a coordinated way," a spokeswoman for the Swedish presidency of the EU said. Kyriakides said the bloc should be "very vigilant" as reliable epidemiological and testing data for China were scarce, advising EU health ministers to assess their current practices on genomic sequencing of the coronavirus "as an immediate step". The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last week it did not currently recommend measures on travellers from China.

☆ Hong Kong eyeing Jan 8 to resume cross-border travel with mainland China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Xie Yu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Hong Kong is working to resume quarantine-free travel with mainland China by as early as Jan. 8, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said in a Facebook post on Sunday. The return of mainland visitors would be a major boost to Hong Kong's battered economy. China had kept its borders all but shut for three years and Hong Kong itself had maintained some of the world's strictest curbs until the second half of last year. The Jan. 8 date mentioned by Chan was the clearest indication yet that the Hong Kong government is aiming to restore quarantine-free, cross-border travel after a three-year hiatus due to COVID. Chief Executive John Lee said earlier the border with mainland China would reopen by mid-January.

☆ Flights to and from Philippine capital suspended due to technical issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport operator said on Sunday. As of 0800 GMT, "the system has been partially restored thereby allowing limited flight operations," the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement. It offered passengers due to fly on Sunday free rebooking or the option to convert tickets to vouchers. Philippine Airlines (PAL.PS) said a number of flights were diverted, cancelled and delayed, and travellers should check the status of their journey before proceeding to the airport. Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Neil Fullick and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chinese state media seek to reassure public over COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WUHAN, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of Chinese took to the streets to mark the New Year as authorities and state media sought to reassure the public that the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping across the country was under control and nearing its peak. China reported one new COVID-19 death in the mainland for Dec. 31, the same as a day earlier, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday. State media in the city of Guangzhou in southeastern China said on Sunday that daily cases peaked at around 60,000 recently, and now stand at around 19,000. On Sunday, Australia and Canada joined the United States and others in requiring travellers from China to provide negative COVID-19 tests when they arrive. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen offered on Sunday to provide China with "necessary assistance" to help it deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases.

☆ Australia to require negative COVID tests for travellers from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Australia said on Sunday that travellers from China will have to provide negative COVID-19 test results from Jan. 5, joining a growing number of nations that have implemented similar restrictions as cases surge in China. Citing a lack of epidemiological information and genomic sequencing data from China, Australian health minister Mark Butler said the government has decided out of an abundance of caution to require visitors to present a negative test taken within 48 hours of their departure. "I want to stress that the government welcomes the resumption of travel between Australia and China... I also want to stress that this is a temporary measure, reflecting the lack of comprehensive information right now about the situation in China," said Butler. read moreReporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 1 (Reuters) - France on Sunday urged European Union peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID after Paris decided to do so amid an outbreak sweeping the country. Only Italy and Spain also require tests in the 27-nation, largely border-free EU and health officials from across the bloc failed last week to agree on a joint course. From Sunday, France is requiring that travellers from China provide a negative COVID-19 test result less than 48 hours before departure and will randomly test those arriving. "France will push for this methodology to be applied across the EU," Health Minister François Braun said as he and Transport Minister Clement Beaune checked on the new procedures at Paris' Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport. Asked about the fact that a Chinese traveller with COVID could for the time being land in another EU country and then travel unchecked to France, Beaune said: "This is why we must coordinate (across the EU), to be more efficient."

☆ China Dec manufacturing contracts sharply as COVID infections soar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The data offered the first official snapshot of the manufacturing sector after China removed the world's strictest COVID restrictions in early December. Weakening external demand on the back of growing global recession fears amid rising interest rates, inflation and the war in Ukraine may further slow China's exports, hurting its massive manufacturing sector and hampering the economic recovery. The official composite PMI, which combines manufacturing and services, declined to 42.6 from 47.1. The official manufacturing PMI largely focuses on big and state-owned firms. The private sector Caixin manufacturing PMI, which centres more on small firms and coastal regions, will be published on Jan. 3.

☆ Morocco to ban arrivals from China over COVID surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RABAT, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Morocco will impose a ban on people arriving from China, whatever their nationality, from Jan. 3 to avert any new wave of coronavirus infections, the foreign ministry said on Saturday. Several countries have imposed restrictions on travellers from China due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Thousands of tourists visit Morocco from China every year, usually travelling on flights that come via the Gulf. In an abrupt change of policy, China this month began dismantling the world's strictest COVID regime of lockdowns and extensive testing, putting its battered economy on course for a complete re-opening next year. But the lifting of restrictions has led to COVID spreading largely unchecked and likely infecting millions of people a day there, according to some international health experts.

☆ Xi calls for unity as China enters 'new phase' of COVID policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Since the outbreak of the epidemic ... the majority of cadres and masses, especially medical personnel, grassroots workers braved hardships and courageously persevered," Xi said. Let's work harder, persistence means victory, and unity means victory." China's decision to abandon the zero-COVID policy aligned it with a world that has largely reopened to live with the virus. The step followed unprecedented public protests over the policy championed by Xi, marking the strongest show of public defiance in his decade-old presidency and coinciding with grim growth figures for China's $17 trillion economy. Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Alison Williams and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China censors COVID-related content online as New Year's Eve prompts reflection by some
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - New Year's Eve in China prompted an outpouring of reflection online, some of it critical, about the strict zero-COVID policy the country adhered to for almost three years. One Weibo hashtag about the video garnered almost 4 million hits before it disappeared from platforms around noon on Saturday. China has massively reduced its reporting of nationwide figures on COVID-19 infections. Cumulative infections in China likely reached 18.6 million in December, UK-based health data firm Airfinity estimated on Thursday. The infections have prompted international concern, particularly regarding the possibility of a new, stronger variant emerging out of China.

[1/2] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 7, 2022. In currencies, the dollar, a beneficiary of rising U.S. interest rates, fell on the day but was on track for a 2022 gain of roughly 8%, its biggest annual increase since 2015. The U.S. U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose on Friday and closed out the trading year with its biggest annual increase in decades, pushed higher by aggressive Fed rate hikes. U.S. crude oil futures registered a second straight annual gain after a wildly volatile year marked by tight supplies due to the Ukraine war and then sliding demand from China, the world's top crude importer. Gold was showing its biggest quarterly gain since June 2020, while the Fed's fast-paced tightening cycle had tempered bullion's progress for the full year.

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