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Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories
An outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China. It has since spread across the world and the World Health Organisation has declared a global pandemic. Seeking to distinguish the virus from the disease it causes, the virus has been named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease Covid-19.
UK Reform leader Nigel Farage and Nadhim Zahawi. Photo: dpa
Britain

Former British finance minister defects to Reform UK, backing Farage for PM

Nadhim Zahawi declares the Conservative Party a ‘defunct brand’ as he joins a growing exodus of Tories joining Nigel Farage’s party.

US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

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US-China relations

Mistrial in case of ex-top aide to New York governor charged as China agent

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Banking & finance

China to hide bad debt records for pandemic-hit borrowers who repay small loans

New policy by the People’s Bank of China applies to one-off debts up to 10,000 yuan incurred since 2020, aiming to help people rebuild credit.

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The People’s Bank of China has unveiled a credit-rehabilitation policy to help individuals who defaulted on small loans rebuild their financial standing. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Outside In | Six years on, are we better prepared for the next pandemic?

Preparedness plans remain a work in progress while health budgets have been sliced by urgent demands and US withdrawal weakens global coordination.

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US-China relations

Chinese city sues Missouri for US$50 billion in tit-for-tat Covid-19 litigation

Wuhan’s government is one of three parties accusing the US state of using the virus to stigmatise China.

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Britain

UK ex-PM Johnson hits back at ‘incoherent’ Covid inquiry report

Boris Johnson defends his Covid-19 pandemic response, saying he regrets errors but insists his government acted to save lives.

Then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives a news conference about the ongoing situation with the coronavirus outbreak inside 10 Downing Street in London in 2020. Photo: AP
Coronavirus UK

‘Too little, too late’: former UK government slammed for initial Covid response

Inquiry concludes the failure to implement restrictions a week earlier led to one of Europe’s deadliest outbreaks.

Wellness

He lost over 40kg in 7 months after pandemic food binge led to panic attack

Meir Ben Tovim used food as a coping mechanism during the pandemic and topped the scales at 126kg. Here’s how he’s now at peak fitness.

Open Questions series

Open Questions | China’s weak consumption and how economist Lu Feng would fix it

With 15th five-year plan promoting consumption, Peking University expert spells out imbalances and contradictions in Chinese economy and ways to resolve them.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

Ex-New York governors’ aide Linda Sun on trial for acting as Chinese agent

Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, are accused of making millions from their illicit conduct and reaping other rewards, like Nanjing-style ducks.

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Linda Sun and her husband, Christopher Hu, leave Brooklyn Federal Court after their arraignment in September 2024. Photo: AP
Apple

Apple’s new iPhone 17 outsells previous generation by 14% in US, China

Counterpoint Research analysts attribute the boost to an improved display, more storage and Apple’s upgraded A19 chip.

Science

Top biomedical scientist Hu Ye quits US to take up founding role in China

Hu has been appointed founding dean at the new school of biomedical engineering at his alma mater, Tsinghua University.

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Open Questions series

Open Questions | Yan Lianke, Chinese novelist and Nobel Prize contender, on a writer’s role

Author of multiple books, some of them banned, considers Chinese literature’s place in the world and China’s soft power projection.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
US-China relations

Opinion | Why US-China health and drugs cooperation must top Trump-Xi agenda

The years-long impasse harms both nations and the world, and the stakes in global health security could not be higher.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Wellness

Rare cancer then divorce: entrepreneur’s amazing recovery from rock bottom

A rare bone cancer and his marriage’s end left Douglas Bray in despair. Now, he competes in some of Hong Kong’s toughest fitness events.

United States

RFK Jnr’s family members say he’s a threat to Americans’ health

Trump’s health secretary is facing scrutiny over his firing of CDC officials and efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations.

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United States

RFK Jnr defends CDC shake-up, as Democrats call for his resignation

The firing of director Sue Monarez, several high-level resignations and hundreds of earlier lay-offs plunged the health agency into turmoil.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing in washington on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Medicine

Trump plans hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher US prices and shortages

US move is part of a wider effort to secure critical medical supply chains and reduce reliance on countries like China and India.

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Science

HKU virologist says next pandemic inevitable and world may not be ready

Respiratory origin such as for Covid-19 is a particular concern amid a higher risk of new viruses jumping from animals to humans.

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China-EU relations

How Chinese investors quietly transformed Athens – one visa at a time

Chinese citizens hold nearly half of first-time visas linked to property purchases – and over 60 per cent of renewals.

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Residential buildings in Athens, Greece. Photo: Getty Images
Gun violence in the US

US CDC shooter believed Covid vaccine made him suicidal, father says

Patrick Joseph White was armed with five guns and tried to get into the health agency headquarters before being stopped by guards.

Police block a road near Emory University and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention after a shooting incident on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees surge in ‘bleisure’ travellers

A rise in international travellers is breathing new life into the city’s luxury hotel sector, HSH CEO Benjamin Vuchot says.

Wellness

No drugs, no diets: how an influencer in China lost 60kg in 5 years

‘Eat better, be more conscious and move more,’ says Shanghai-based German influencer Thomas Derksen, who weighed around 140kg five years ago.

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China travel

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports break pre-Covid records

Domestic and international traffic up, as air travel in Greater Bay Area goes from strength to strength – but analysts warn of challenges ahead.

Image of a Cathay Pacific aircraft taking off from the Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok. Photo: SCMP/Felix Wong
US-China trade war

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, hate crimes – but tariffs pose new threat

The streets brim with life after a challenging pandemic – but business owners warn tariffs threaten profit margins.

Oakland Chinatown variety store draws shoppers on July 9, 2025. Photo: Ralph Jennings
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong public healthcare on right path: outgoing Hospital Authority chief

Dr Tony Ko, who will retire at the end of July, steered organisation through anti-government protests and Covid-19 pandemic.

Hong Kong courts

Hong Kong doctor jailed for issuing Covid jab exemptions without medical checks

Dr Wong Ping-leung gets nine months in prison, as court hears how he made more than HK$4.6 million from those wanting to avoid vaccinations.

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