Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor promised a hi-tech utopia. Will it deliver?
By Aidan Jones
Long billed as Thailand’s ticket to a brighter, tech-driven future, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) megaproject is finally gathering steam as billions of dollars pour in after years of delays.
Its backers say 2025 will be a blockbuster year for the sprawling industrial hub that aims to transform the nation’s economic fortunes with well-paid jobs in high-value industries. But concerns persist about whether the megaproject will genuinely benefit local communities or primarily enrich the Asian conglomerates likely to reap the greatest rewards.
At its launch in 2017, officials envisioned a hi-tech utopia: electric vehicles humming along the streets of communities powered by artificial intelligence, state-of-the-art medical facilities catering to an ageing society and tourists alike, and a cornucopia of new attractions to entice visitors.
“Our milestone for this project is to have 100 billion baht (US$2.9 billion) invested in the area each year,” said EEC Secretary General Dr Chula Sukmanop.
And the money is certainly needed. Thailand’s once-thriving economy, which grew an average of 5 per cent annually in the early 2000s, has been battered by two decades of political turmoil and coups, culminating in the pandemic. Southeast Asia’s former growth star now trails its neighbours, with the central bank projecting modest growth of 2.7 per cent this year, and 2.9 per cent in 2025.
Enter the EEC: designed to attract renewable energy, digital tech, advanced manufacturing and other industries, the corridor has been marketed as a solution to Thailand’s economic malaise – complete with a high-speed railway, data centres and port upgrades.
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By Aidan Jones
Long billed as Thailand’s ticket to a brighter, tech-driven future, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) megaproject is finally gathering steam as billions of dollars pour in after years of delays.
Its backers say 2025 will be a blockbuster year for the sprawling industrial hub that aims to transform the nation’s economic fortunes with well-paid jobs in high-value industries. But concerns persist about whether the megaproject will genuinely benefit local communities or primarily enrich the Asian conglomerates likely to reap the greatest rewards.
At its launch in 2017, officials envisioned a hi-tech utopia: electric vehicles humming along the streets of communities powered by artificial intelligence, state-of-the-art medical facilities catering to an ageing society and tourists alike, and a cornucopia of new attractions to entice visitors.
“Our milestone for this project is to have 100 billion baht (US$2.9 billion) invested in the area each year,” said EEC Secretary General Dr Chula Sukmanop.
And the money is certainly needed. Thailand’s once-thriving economy, which grew an average of 5 per cent annually in the early 2000s, has been battered by two decades of political turmoil and coups, culminating in the pandemic. Southeast Asia’s former growth star now trails its neighbours, with the central bank projecting modest growth of 2.7 per cent this year, and 2.9 per cent in 2025.
Enter the EEC: designed to attract renewable energy, digital tech, advanced manufacturing and other industries, the corridor has been marketed as a solution to Thailand’s economic malaise – complete with a high-speed railway, data centres and port upgrades.
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How has Hengqin helped Macau diversify its casino-dominated economy?
By Kandy Wong
Tech entrepreneur Tiago Lei started paying some attention to Hengqin when his alma mater – the University of Macau – leased a large piece of land there 15 years ago for campus expansion.
Around 12km (7.5 miles) west of Macau, the 106 sq km (41 square mile) island in the neighbouring mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai provided “more space to build new dormitories and faculties”, the 40-year-old from Macau said.
With more than three times the current land area of Macau – and almost twice that of Manhattan – it was rebranded as the Hengqin New Area in 2009 and designated in 2015 as a special zone where Macau law would be implemented and incentives offered to attract businesses.
But Lei said “people, including mainland Chinese, didn’t want to live and work in Hengqin back then because it wasn’t convenient”.
That impression of poor infrastructure and living conditions changed as more ambitious plans, including the integrated development blueprint for the Greater Bay Area development zone, covering nine cities in Guangdong province – Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing – plus Hong Kong and Macau, were released in 2019.
President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau this week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s reversion to Chinese administration. During his visit he toured Hengqin and the Macau University of Science and Technology, and witnessed the inauguration of Macau’s new government.
Highlighting the “huge success” of the “one country, two systems” model and hailing its entering of a new stage, Xi said both Macau and Hong Kong should work on maintaining their long-term prosperity while placing the nation’s development interests above all and upholding national security.
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By Kandy Wong
Tech entrepreneur Tiago Lei started paying some attention to Hengqin when his alma mater – the University of Macau – leased a large piece of land there 15 years ago for campus expansion.
Around 12km (7.5 miles) west of Macau, the 106 sq km (41 square mile) island in the neighbouring mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai provided “more space to build new dormitories and faculties”, the 40-year-old from Macau said.
With more than three times the current land area of Macau – and almost twice that of Manhattan – it was rebranded as the Hengqin New Area in 2009 and designated in 2015 as a special zone where Macau law would be implemented and incentives offered to attract businesses.
But Lei said “people, including mainland Chinese, didn’t want to live and work in Hengqin back then because it wasn’t convenient”.
That impression of poor infrastructure and living conditions changed as more ambitious plans, including the integrated development blueprint for the Greater Bay Area development zone, covering nine cities in Guangdong province – Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing – plus Hong Kong and Macau, were released in 2019.
President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau this week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s reversion to Chinese administration. During his visit he toured Hengqin and the Macau University of Science and Technology, and witnessed the inauguration of Macau’s new government.
Highlighting the “huge success” of the “one country, two systems” model and hailing its entering of a new stage, Xi said both Macau and Hong Kong should work on maintaining their long-term prosperity while placing the nation’s development interests above all and upholding national security.
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World must stand firm against blizzard of Trump tariff threats
By David Dodwell
What was initially described as the “amusing distraction” of Donald Trump is perhaps better called chaff – blizzards of metal, glass or plastic that fighter pilots spray out to confuse and deflect enemy pursuit. For the better part of a decade, Trump’s tactic of distraction has been pivotal, his stream of rapid-fire tweets and campaign-trail comments keeping him in the news and throwing adversaries off balance.
The explosion of chaff since his election victory has been both typical and effective in keeping world leaders and media, whether US or international, off balance and irresistibly focused on his agenda priorities.
Nowhere has this been clearer than in Trump’s tariff threats. First it was 60 per cent for imports from China, and 10-20 per cent for everyone else. Then it was 25 per cent for Mexico and Canada unless they reined in migration across the US border and cartel drug-smuggling – with an additional 10 per cent for China if it failed to staunch fentanyl exports. Then it was 100 per cent on Brics economies if they so much as thought about displacing the US dollar as the world’s primary trading currency.
Whether or how such tariffs will be imposed is impossible to predict. Even Trump probably has no clear idea. He has nominated so many tariff advocates to his inner circle that tariffs are highly likely to be central to his trade policy – but that is not the point.
Trump has succeeded in dominating the media narrative months before his arrival in the Oval Office, and triggered a frenzy among the world’s leading trade economists into earnestly – probably pointlessly – calculating the impact of such tariffs.
Alongside his mischievous tariff narrative, Trump’s blizzard of chaff includes vowing to end Russia’s war on Ukraine in a day, threatening to leave Europe in the lurch with Nato, inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to his January 20 inauguration and promising that “China and the United States can together solve all of the problems of the world”.
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By David Dodwell
What was initially described as the “amusing distraction” of Donald Trump is perhaps better called chaff – blizzards of metal, glass or plastic that fighter pilots spray out to confuse and deflect enemy pursuit. For the better part of a decade, Trump’s tactic of distraction has been pivotal, his stream of rapid-fire tweets and campaign-trail comments keeping him in the news and throwing adversaries off balance.
The explosion of chaff since his election victory has been both typical and effective in keeping world leaders and media, whether US or international, off balance and irresistibly focused on his agenda priorities.
Nowhere has this been clearer than in Trump’s tariff threats. First it was 60 per cent for imports from China, and 10-20 per cent for everyone else. Then it was 25 per cent for Mexico and Canada unless they reined in migration across the US border and cartel drug-smuggling – with an additional 10 per cent for China if it failed to staunch fentanyl exports. Then it was 100 per cent on Brics economies if they so much as thought about displacing the US dollar as the world’s primary trading currency.
Whether or how such tariffs will be imposed is impossible to predict. Even Trump probably has no clear idea. He has nominated so many tariff advocates to his inner circle that tariffs are highly likely to be central to his trade policy – but that is not the point.
Trump has succeeded in dominating the media narrative months before his arrival in the Oval Office, and triggered a frenzy among the world’s leading trade economists into earnestly – probably pointlessly – calculating the impact of such tariffs.
Alongside his mischievous tariff narrative, Trump’s blizzard of chaff includes vowing to end Russia’s war on Ukraine in a day, threatening to leave Europe in the lurch with Nato, inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to his January 20 inauguration and promising that “China and the United States can together solve all of the problems of the world”.
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Italian deputy PM Matteo Salvini acquitted of migrant kidnapping charges
By Reuters
A court on Friday acquitted Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of charges of kidnapping over 100 migrants aboard a boat he had blocked at sea for nearly three weeks in 2019, as part of a policy to curb irregular arrivals.
After a three-year trial, judges rejected a prosecutor’s request to hand a six-year jail term to Salvini, the leader of the far-right League party, who is serving as transport minister in Giorgia Meloni’s government.
“I’m happy. After three years, common sense won, the League won, Italy won,” Salvini told reporters, saying that protecting national borders “is not a crime, but a right”.
The verdict came against a backdrop of tensions between the government and the judiciary over migration, after a court questioned the legality of a flagship plan to send asylum seekers to Albania, in cases now pending with the European Court of Justice
Salvini had tried to prevent the Spanish charity Open Arms from bringing 147 asylum seekers to Italy in the summer of 2019, when he was interior minister, as part of his policy of closing Italy’s ports to migrant boats.
The not-guilty verdict was greeted with applause from League politicians who gathered in the courtroom to support their leader. Prime Minister Meloni said it showed the allegations were “unfounded and surreal.”
“Let us continue together, with tenacity and determination, to fight illegal immigration, human trafficking and to defend national sovereignty,” Meloni wrote on social media.
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By Reuters
A court on Friday acquitted Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of charges of kidnapping over 100 migrants aboard a boat he had blocked at sea for nearly three weeks in 2019, as part of a policy to curb irregular arrivals.
After a three-year trial, judges rejected a prosecutor’s request to hand a six-year jail term to Salvini, the leader of the far-right League party, who is serving as transport minister in Giorgia Meloni’s government.
“I’m happy. After three years, common sense won, the League won, Italy won,” Salvini told reporters, saying that protecting national borders “is not a crime, but a right”.
The verdict came against a backdrop of tensions between the government and the judiciary over migration, after a court questioned the legality of a flagship plan to send asylum seekers to Albania, in cases now pending with the European Court of Justice
Salvini had tried to prevent the Spanish charity Open Arms from bringing 147 asylum seekers to Italy in the summer of 2019, when he was interior minister, as part of his policy of closing Italy’s ports to migrant boats.
The not-guilty verdict was greeted with applause from League politicians who gathered in the courtroom to support their leader. Prime Minister Meloni said it showed the allegations were “unfounded and surreal.”
“Let us continue together, with tenacity and determination, to fight illegal immigration, human trafficking and to defend national sovereignty,” Meloni wrote on social media.
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With shutdown hours away, US Republicans mount 3rd bid to fund government
By Reuters
Republicans in the US Congress mounted a third attempt to avert a government shutdown on Friday with only hours to spare, after two previous plans were scuttled by US president-elect Donald Trump and members of their own party.
Republican congressman Ralph Norman told reporters that party leaders planned to hold a vote on a third spending bill, though he did not provide details.
Others said they would not try to win over Democrats whose support is likely to be needed to extend funding past midnight on Friday, when it is due to expire. “We’re not working with Democrats,” Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said.
If Congress does not pass a spending package, funding for everything from law enforcement to national parks will be disrupted and millions of federal workers will go unpaid.
Authorities warned that travellers during the busy Christmas season could face long lines at airports.
Sources said the White House has alerted government agencies to prepare for an imminent shutdown. The federal government last shut down for 35 days during Trump’s first White House term over a dispute about border security.
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By Reuters
Republicans in the US Congress mounted a third attempt to avert a government shutdown on Friday with only hours to spare, after two previous plans were scuttled by US president-elect Donald Trump and members of their own party.
Republican congressman Ralph Norman told reporters that party leaders planned to hold a vote on a third spending bill, though he did not provide details.
Others said they would not try to win over Democrats whose support is likely to be needed to extend funding past midnight on Friday, when it is due to expire. “We’re not working with Democrats,” Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said.
If Congress does not pass a spending package, funding for everything from law enforcement to national parks will be disrupted and millions of federal workers will go unpaid.
Authorities warned that travellers during the busy Christmas season could face long lines at airports.
Sources said the White House has alerted government agencies to prepare for an imminent shutdown. The federal government last shut down for 35 days during Trump’s first White House term over a dispute about border security.
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Canada’s Justin Trudeau shakes up cabinet as he faces Trump attacks, pressure to step down
By Agence France-Presse
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday shook up his cabinet, changing one-third of his team as political turmoil threatens his leadership and tensions erupt with incoming US president Donald Trump.
The move comes soon after a key Trudeau ally announced that he would vote to bring the prime minister down.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, said in a statement that his party “will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons”. If all opposition parties vote against Trudeau’s government, it will have to resign, triggering an election.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party does not have a majority in the House, and it has been relying on NDP votes to pass legislation and keep the government going. Singh and Trudeau had a formal agreement on that until September, when the NDP leader withdrew from the deal.
The developments on Friday come at the end of a chaotic week in Ottawa spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland following disagreement with her boss over Trump’s threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.
Her exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau’s side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.
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By Agence France-Presse
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday shook up his cabinet, changing one-third of his team as political turmoil threatens his leadership and tensions erupt with incoming US president Donald Trump.
The move comes soon after a key Trudeau ally announced that he would vote to bring the prime minister down.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, said in a statement that his party “will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons”. If all opposition parties vote against Trudeau’s government, it will have to resign, triggering an election.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party does not have a majority in the House, and it has been relying on NDP votes to pass legislation and keep the government going. Singh and Trudeau had a formal agreement on that until September, when the NDP leader withdrew from the deal.
The developments on Friday come at the end of a chaotic week in Ottawa spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland following disagreement with her boss over Trump’s threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian imports.
Her exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau’s side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.
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For thousands of Jews, Israel still doesn’t feel safe after the October 7 attacks. So they’re leaving
By Associated Press
Leaving Israel is easier, Shira Z. Carmel thinks, by saying it is just for now. But she knows better.
For the Israel-born singer and an increasing number of relatively well-off Israelis, the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety and along with it, Israel’s founding promise: to be the world’s safe haven for Jews.
That day, thousands of Hamas militants blew past the country’s border defences, killed 1,200 Israelis and dragged 250 more into Gaza in a siege that caught the Israeli army by surprise and stunned a nation that prides itself on military prowess.
This time, during what became known as Israel’s 9/11, the army did not come for hours.
Ten days later, a pregnant Carmel, her husband and their toddler boarded a flight to Australia, which was looking for people in her husband’s profession.
And they spun the explanation to friends and family as something other than permanent – “relocation” is the easier-to-swallow term – acutely aware of the familial strain and the shame that have shadowed Israelis who leave for good.
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By Associated Press
Leaving Israel is easier, Shira Z. Carmel thinks, by saying it is just for now. But she knows better.
For the Israel-born singer and an increasing number of relatively well-off Israelis, the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack shattered any sense of safety and along with it, Israel’s founding promise: to be the world’s safe haven for Jews.
That day, thousands of Hamas militants blew past the country’s border defences, killed 1,200 Israelis and dragged 250 more into Gaza in a siege that caught the Israeli army by surprise and stunned a nation that prides itself on military prowess.
This time, during what became known as Israel’s 9/11, the army did not come for hours.
Ten days later, a pregnant Carmel, her husband and their toddler boarded a flight to Australia, which was looking for people in her husband’s profession.
And they spun the explanation to friends and family as something other than permanent – “relocation” is the easier-to-swallow term – acutely aware of the familial strain and the shame that have shadowed Israelis who leave for good.
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How the launch of China’s GuoWang satellites differs from its US Starlink rival
By Ling Xin
The GuoWang internet satellites, launched this week as the first step in China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, featured notable differences from their US counterpart.
Not only are the Chinese satellites “huge” and “heavyweight”, but they were also arranged inside the launch vehicle in a unique double-decker type of layout, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which developed the Long March-5B rocket and the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage that delivered the 10 satellites into orbit on Monday.
Unlike the American Starlink satellites, which are stacked vertically within the rocket, the GuoWang satellites were mounted on two concentric tiers around a central support cylinder, optimising the use of vertical and radial space within the payload fairing, CALT said on its social media account.
The arrangement resembled a stationary two-level drop tower at an amusement park, with a load-bearing cylinder at the centre and “seats” evenly distributed radially on each level, according to a mission patch seen by the South China Morning Post.
The deployment process was just as distinctive. The GuoWang satellites were released in two separate groups, with the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage making precise adjustments between releases to minimise the risk of collisions, according to CALT.
“During the separation phase, the ‘passengers’ were divided into two groups to ‘disembark’ one after the other, with each group separating simultaneously,” CALT said. “After the first group disembarked, the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage adjusted its attitude, rotating to a specific angle to create favourable conditions for the separation of the next group.”
By contrast, a typical Starlink launch simultaneously releases dozens of satellites – probably smaller and lighter than the GuoWang satellites – using a spring-loaded mechanism. On-board thrusters are then used to spread out the Starlink satellites to reach their operational orbits.
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By Ling Xin
The GuoWang internet satellites, launched this week as the first step in China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, featured notable differences from their US counterpart.
Not only are the Chinese satellites “huge” and “heavyweight”, but they were also arranged inside the launch vehicle in a unique double-decker type of layout, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), which developed the Long March-5B rocket and the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage that delivered the 10 satellites into orbit on Monday.
Unlike the American Starlink satellites, which are stacked vertically within the rocket, the GuoWang satellites were mounted on two concentric tiers around a central support cylinder, optimising the use of vertical and radial space within the payload fairing, CALT said on its social media account.
The arrangement resembled a stationary two-level drop tower at an amusement park, with a load-bearing cylinder at the centre and “seats” evenly distributed radially on each level, according to a mission patch seen by the South China Morning Post.
The deployment process was just as distinctive. The GuoWang satellites were released in two separate groups, with the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage making precise adjustments between releases to minimise the risk of collisions, according to CALT.
“During the separation phase, the ‘passengers’ were divided into two groups to ‘disembark’ one after the other, with each group separating simultaneously,” CALT said. “After the first group disembarked, the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage adjusted its attitude, rotating to a specific angle to create favourable conditions for the separation of the next group.”
By contrast, a typical Starlink launch simultaneously releases dozens of satellites – probably smaller and lighter than the GuoWang satellites – using a spring-loaded mechanism. On-board thrusters are then used to spread out the Starlink satellites to reach their operational orbits.
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Xi’s speech tasks Macau and Hong Kong with ‘one country, two systems’ mission
By Willa Wu
The key takeaways from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech in Macau on Friday were that Beijing was committed to maintaining the “one country, two systems” governing principle, but the city and Hong Kong must reposition themselves to better implement the policy given challenges in the new era, political observers have said.
That repositioning included intensifying the cities’ industrial transformation and increasing their international influence to help the country better tap into the world market, they said.
Xi officiated at the inauguration of Macau’s sixth-term administration led by Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai at the Macau East Asian Games Dome, hours before he wrapped up his three-day visit to the city to mark its 25th anniversary of returning to Chinese administration.
In his 30-minute speech, the president stressed the one country, two systems principle was “a good policy” to maintain stability and prosperity, contribute to national rejuvenation and achieve coexistence among different social systems.
The principle should be safeguarded by the world since its core tenets of “peace, tolerance, openness and sharing” corresponded not only to China’s core values but also the world’s, he said.
“The current and coming period is a crucial time for comprehensively promoting the great endeavours of building a powerful country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernisation,” Xi told the attendees.
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By Willa Wu
The key takeaways from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech in Macau on Friday were that Beijing was committed to maintaining the “one country, two systems” governing principle, but the city and Hong Kong must reposition themselves to better implement the policy given challenges in the new era, political observers have said.
That repositioning included intensifying the cities’ industrial transformation and increasing their international influence to help the country better tap into the world market, they said.
Xi officiated at the inauguration of Macau’s sixth-term administration led by Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai at the Macau East Asian Games Dome, hours before he wrapped up his three-day visit to the city to mark its 25th anniversary of returning to Chinese administration.
In his 30-minute speech, the president stressed the one country, two systems principle was “a good policy” to maintain stability and prosperity, contribute to national rejuvenation and achieve coexistence among different social systems.
The principle should be safeguarded by the world since its core tenets of “peace, tolerance, openness and sharing” corresponded not only to China’s core values but also the world’s, he said.
“The current and coming period is a crucial time for comprehensively promoting the great endeavours of building a powerful country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernisation,” Xi told the attendees.
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Xi Jinping stresses projects in Hengqin zone must align with Beijing policies
By Kahon Chan
Chinese President Xi Jinping said projects in the Hengqin cooperation zone in Zhuhai must not be inconsistent with Beijing’s policy goals in an unusual warning made during his speech at the inauguration of Macau’s new leader on Friday.
In his speech conveying his hopes for the incoming Sam Hou-fai administration on Friday, Xi urged Macau to “pinpoint its focus” on creating a more diversified economy, improve industrial development planning, increase policy support and capital investment, while also striving to cultivate new industries that were competitive on a global scale.
Singling out the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone, which covers Hengqin island across from the gaming hub, Xi called on authorities to ensure its development was aligned with Macau’s economic goals and for “iconic” projects that supported diversification be included.
Xi also urged the government to help direct capital into businesses and industries that were scalable and could compete on an international level.
“The central government decided to develop Hengqin in order to promote the appropriately diversified development of Macau’s economy and bring convenience to the life and employment of Macau residents,” he said.
“This positioning must be grasped well, and projects that are inconsistent with this positioning cannot be developed.”
Newly sworn in economy minister Tai Kin-ip told reporters after meeting the president that the government was studying the advice on Hengqin development carefully.
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By Kahon Chan
Chinese President Xi Jinping said projects in the Hengqin cooperation zone in Zhuhai must not be inconsistent with Beijing’s policy goals in an unusual warning made during his speech at the inauguration of Macau’s new leader on Friday.
In his speech conveying his hopes for the incoming Sam Hou-fai administration on Friday, Xi urged Macau to “pinpoint its focus” on creating a more diversified economy, improve industrial development planning, increase policy support and capital investment, while also striving to cultivate new industries that were competitive on a global scale.
Singling out the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone, which covers Hengqin island across from the gaming hub, Xi called on authorities to ensure its development was aligned with Macau’s economic goals and for “iconic” projects that supported diversification be included.
Xi also urged the government to help direct capital into businesses and industries that were scalable and could compete on an international level.
“The central government decided to develop Hengqin in order to promote the appropriately diversified development of Macau’s economy and bring convenience to the life and employment of Macau residents,” he said.
“This positioning must be grasped well, and projects that are inconsistent with this positioning cannot be developed.”
Newly sworn in economy minister Tai Kin-ip told reporters after meeting the president that the government was studying the advice on Hengqin development carefully.
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8 dead off Greek island of Rhodes as speedboat carrying migrants capsizes
By Associated Press
A speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead, Greek authorities said.
The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous manoeuvres” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. Eighteen of the migrants were rescued.
Rescue workers on three coastguard vessels and a helicopter were working near the resort area of Afantou Beach in the northeast of the island.
It was unclear whether other passengers were missing, authorities said.
Eight of the survivors were hospitalised, local officials said, with one of them in critical condition, according to state-run television.
Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.
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By Associated Press
A speedboat carrying migrants capsized Friday morning off the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, leaving eight dead, Greek authorities said.
The coast guard said the incident occurred while the speedboat was carrying out “dangerous manoeuvres” to try and evade a patrol vessel, causing migrants to fall into the sea. Eighteen of the migrants were rescued.
Rescue workers on three coastguard vessels and a helicopter were working near the resort area of Afantou Beach in the northeast of the island.
It was unclear whether other passengers were missing, authorities said.
Eight of the survivors were hospitalised, local officials said, with one of them in critical condition, according to state-run television.
Rhodes, one of several large Greek islands located near the coast of Turkey, is on a busy illegal smuggling route in the eastern Mediterranean.
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British finance minister’s China trip may ‘test the waters’ for pragmatic approach
By Zhao Ziwen
The British finance minister’s plans to visit China next month may be the latest signal that the Labour Party wants to take a pragmatic approach that balances economic ties with concerns over security and human rights, analysts have said.
One said it may also be a way of “testing the waters” about whether this approach towards Beijing will work.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s delegation will also include leading financial figures, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The visit is also expected to restart a platform for economic and financial dialogue between the two countries which last met in 2019, and the talks are likely to cover issues such as capital markets, financial regulation, connectivity between financial and bond markets as well as clean energy.
Reeves will be the most senior British government figure to visit China since Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October. The following month Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to be “a predictable and pragmatic partner” when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Brazil.
Starmer said his approach would be rooted in Britain’s national interest but he wanted to deepen the trade relationship between the two countries.
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By Zhao Ziwen
The British finance minister’s plans to visit China next month may be the latest signal that the Labour Party wants to take a pragmatic approach that balances economic ties with concerns over security and human rights, analysts have said.
One said it may also be a way of “testing the waters” about whether this approach towards Beijing will work.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s delegation will also include leading financial figures, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The visit is also expected to restart a platform for economic and financial dialogue between the two countries which last met in 2019, and the talks are likely to cover issues such as capital markets, financial regulation, connectivity between financial and bond markets as well as clean energy.
Reeves will be the most senior British government figure to visit China since Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October. The following month Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to be “a predictable and pragmatic partner” when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Brazil.
Starmer said his approach would be rooted in Britain’s national interest but he wanted to deepen the trade relationship between the two countries.
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Hong Kong hospitals brace for surge in flu and Covid-19 cases
By Sammy Heung
Hong Kong is expected to see a surge in flu and Covid-19 cases next month, health authorities have said, with public hospitals launching special measures to brace for the rise in demand for services.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday that a slight increase in the number of flu and coronavirus cases had been recorded this month.
“Although the number of seasonal flu and Covid-19 cases remains at a low level, we have observed signs of a gradual increase,” the centre’s principle medical and health officer Dr Kung Kin-hang said. “With reference to past experience, seasonal flu and Covid-19 infections may become more active in January.
“In recent weeks, the weather has become cooler, and maybe this is associated with increased activity of both Covid-19 and also the flu.
“For Covid-19 … we have waves every four to six months, and the last peak was around July. It is not unexpected to have a recent increase.”
According to the centre, 1.09 per cent of 8,173 respiratory specimens collected by its laboratory tested positive for flu last week, compared with 0.52 per cent in the week of November 10.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Sammy Heung
Hong Kong is expected to see a surge in flu and Covid-19 cases next month, health authorities have said, with public hospitals launching special measures to brace for the rise in demand for services.
The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday that a slight increase in the number of flu and coronavirus cases had been recorded this month.
“Although the number of seasonal flu and Covid-19 cases remains at a low level, we have observed signs of a gradual increase,” the centre’s principle medical and health officer Dr Kung Kin-hang said. “With reference to past experience, seasonal flu and Covid-19 infections may become more active in January.
“In recent weeks, the weather has become cooler, and maybe this is associated with increased activity of both Covid-19 and also the flu.
“For Covid-19 … we have waves every four to six months, and the last peak was around July. It is not unexpected to have a recent increase.”
According to the centre, 1.09 per cent of 8,173 respiratory specimens collected by its laboratory tested positive for flu last week, compared with 0.52 per cent in the week of November 10.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
40 million in West and Central Africa struggling to feed themselves: UN
By Associated Press
More than 40 million people are now struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa with that number set to rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations food agency said Friday.
According to a new report released Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said 3.4 million people are currently facing “emergency levels of hunger” in the region, representing a 70 per cent increase in such cases since the summer.
The report said conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climate shocks are driving food insecurity. The ongoing conflict in the Sahel, as well as the Sudanese civil war, have forcibly displaced over 10 million people across the region.
Massive flooding in Nigeria and Chad earlier this year has made the situation acute.
Although the numbers are staggering, the new report reduces last year’s estimate of the number of people facing food insecurity by 7.7 million.
The WFP attributes the drop to better-than-average rainfall and marginal security improvements, which are unlikely to continue improving.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
More than 40 million people are now struggling to feed themselves across West and Central Africa with that number set to rise to 52 million by the middle of next year, the United Nations food agency said Friday.
According to a new report released Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said 3.4 million people are currently facing “emergency levels of hunger” in the region, representing a 70 per cent increase in such cases since the summer.
The report said conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climate shocks are driving food insecurity. The ongoing conflict in the Sahel, as well as the Sudanese civil war, have forcibly displaced over 10 million people across the region.
Massive flooding in Nigeria and Chad earlier this year has made the situation acute.
Although the numbers are staggering, the new report reduces last year’s estimate of the number of people facing food insecurity by 7.7 million.
The WFP attributes the drop to better-than-average rainfall and marginal security improvements, which are unlikely to continue improving.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
