Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials on Monday to take steps to protect lives in his first public remarks on Covid-19 since Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged officials on Monday to take steps to protect lives in his first public remarks on Covid-19 since Beijing dramatically loosened hardline containment measures this month.

Having mostly cut itself off from the rest of the world during the pandemic, China is now experiencing the planet’s biggest surge in infections after abruptly lifting restrictions that torpedoed the economy.


Studies have estimated that around one million people could die over the next few months. Many in the population are now grappling with shortages of medicine, while emergency medical facilities are strained by an influx of under-vaccinated elderly patients.


“At present, Covid-19 prevention and control in China are facing a new situation and new tasks,” Xi said in a directive, according to state broadcaster CCTV.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ZURICH: Winning the World Cup was not enough to lift Argentina atop the FIFA world rankings with arch-rivals Brazil keeping the No. 1 position, the global governing body announced on Thursday.

Image
  ZURICH: Winning the World Cup was not enough to lift Argentina atop the FIFA world rankings with arch-rivals Brazil keeping the No. 1 position, the global governing body announced on Thursday. Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Croatia but built enough rankings points from results over recent years that feed into FIFA’s calculation. Argentina climbed one place to second and beaten finalists France also rose one to third, while the tournament’s surprise package Morocco were big movers and are on the verge of cracking the top 10. Argentina skipper Lionel Messi scored two goals and netted again in the shootout as he led his country to an emotional 4-2 win on penalties over France on Sunday, with the title clash ending 3-3 after 120 minutes of breathtaking action. A win in normal or extra time would have propelled Argentina to the top of the rankings but they sit second behind five-time world champions Brazil who now have a slender lead in points. Belgium are still fourt...
Read more

Imran throws Punjab, K-P gauntlet PTI chief announces dissolution of two provincial assemblies on Dec 23 at Liberty Chowk address via video link

Image
Date 17/12/2022 LAHORE: Announcing his much-awaited final date to dissolve the two provincial assemblies where his party is at the helm of affairs, PTI chief Imran Khan on Saturday revealed that the party will dissolve assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on December 23 (Friday), staking his hard-earned political ground on a bid to trigger early elections. "We will sacrifice both assemblies... we are sacrificing them for this nation... there will elections in 66 per cent of Pakistan," Imran announced. The former prime minister -- flanked by Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan -- made the announcement during his address to party supporters and workers at Lahore's Liberty Chowk via video link from his residence in Zaman Park. Imran said he had thoroughly consulted PTI lawyers before pulling off the provincial power play to spur polls and emphasised that the Constitution did not allow elections to be delayed beyond 90 days of an ass...
Read more

Moscow is ready to resume gas supplies to Europe through the Yamal-Europe Pipeline and it can also send supplies to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the long term, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told state TASS news agency.

Image
 Moscow is ready to resume gas supplies to Europe through the Yamal-Europe Pipeline and it can also send supplies to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the long term, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told state TASS news agency. “The European market remains relevant, as the gas shortage persists, and we have every opportunity to resume supplies,” TASS cited Novak as saying in remarks published by the agency on Sunday. “For example, the Yamal-Europe Pipeline, which was stopped for political reasons, remains unused.” The Yamal-Europe Pipeline usually flows westward, but has been mostly reversed since December of 2021 as Poland turned away from buying from Russia in favour of drawing on stored gas in Germany.
Read more