2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Australia joins US diplomatic boycott - BBC News

Reuters

Australia has said it will join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was in response to "human rights abuses" in China's Xinjiang province and "many other issues that Australia has consistently raised".

Athletes would still attend, he added.

China has condemned the US announcement and threatened to retaliate, without giving further details.

On Monday, the US said it would not send diplomats to the Games in Beijing over concerns about China's human rights record.

• US will pay price for Olympics boycott, China says

Mr Morrison said it was "no surprise" that Australia had joined the boycott, given relations with China had deteriorated in recent years.

"I'm doing it because it's in Australia's national interest," he said on Wednesday. "It's the right thing to do."

He accused China of rejecting opportunities to improve relations, insisting Australia remained open to bilateral talks.

The Chinese embassy in Australia responded by saying: "Mountains cannot stop the river from flowing into the sea. Australia's success at the Beijing Winter Olympics depends on the performance of Australian athletes, not on the attendance of Australian officials, and the political posturing by some Australian politicians."

It added that the blame for the current state of China-Australia relations "lies squarely on the Australian side".

Meanwhile at a media briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused the US of violating "political neutrality in sport" and said the proposed boycott was "based on lies and rumours".

Tensions are high between the two countries. The US has accused China of genocide in its repression of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority in the western region of Xinjiang - an allegation China has strongly denied.

Relations are also strained over China's suppression of political freedoms in Hong Kong, and because of concerns for the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who was not seen for weeks after she accused a top government official of assault.

Canberra has increasingly come to view China as a security threat amid allegations that Beijing has interfered in Australian politics and society.

It has also raised concerns over two Australian citizens who remain imprisoned in China.

Pro-democracy writer Yang Hengjun has denied charges of espionage and allegedly faced torture since his arrest in January 2019. Journalist Cheng Lei has been held without charge since August last year.

Other countries - including Canada and Japan - are also said to be considering diplomatic boycotts of the Games. New Zealand has confirmed it will not send officials due to Covid concerns.

The Australian Olympic Committee said it supported its government's move but was keen to ensure safety for its approximately 40 athletes.

More on the Australia-China row:

• Australia's big gamble on the US over China
• 'I'm Australian - why do I need to prove my loyalty?'

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2021-12-08 07:19:33Z
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Biden warns Putin of 'strong measures' amid Ukraine invasion fears - BBC News

Reuters

The US says it is preparing "strong economic and other measures" over fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, after Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin spoke.

In a video call, President Biden voiced worries over Russian troop build-ups near the border with Ukraine and called for a de-escalation of tensions.

Russia says it will not attack.

President Putin accused Ukraine of provocation, and sought guarantees against eastward Nato expansion and deployment of weapons close to Russia.

More than 90,000 Russian troops are believed to be massed near Ukraine's borders. The movement has strained already tense relations between Russia and the US.

• ANALYSIS:AIs Russia preparing to invade Ukraine?

After Tuesday's call, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Biden administration was preparing specific robust responses in the weeks ahead if they were required.

The measures included economic sanctions and other actions such as additional troop deployments to Nato allies in the region and defence equipment for Ukraine.

Mr Sullivan refused to be drawn on what the economic measures might be. But he said Nord Stream 2, a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which is not yet in operation, provided "leverage" for the US and its allies.

"If Vladimir Putin wants to see gas flow through that pipeline, he may not want to take the risk of invading Ukraine," he told journalists. Earlier reports said US officials had reached agreement with Germany to shut down the pipeline in the event of an invasion.

Reuters

Other possible measures include restrictions on Russia's banks converting roubles into foreign currencies, or even disconnecting Russia from the Swift global financial payment system, reports say.

"Things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now," Mr Sullivan added, referring to Western responses to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

He also said there was "a lot of give and take" in the call and "no finger-wagging" but that President Biden was "crystal clear where the United States stands on all of these issues".

Video footage of the opening moments showed friendly greetings between the US and Russian leaders, before the talks continued behind closed doors.

The call was held on a secure video link set up under previous administrations but never used before. President Putin spoke from his residence in the southern resort of Sochi and President Biden from the White House.

What form Russia's military option could take

By Jonathan Marcus of the Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter

Russia's military option could take a variety of forms from a large incursion, to a significant invasion of the eastern part of Ukraine. One aim would be to bring the main fighting elements of the Ukrainian army to battle and to inflict such a defeat upon them that the Kyiv government has to rethink its position.

Invading territory amidst a hostile population has significant risks. Ukraine's armed forces have had some Western weaponry and training and are much improved since 2015. However, Russian forces have also improved over recent years. The firepower Russia is building up is impressive. For all the talk about Ukrainian sovereignty Nato cannot and will not come to Ukraine's aid.

And additional weapons supplies might simply contribute to Russia's justification for war.

Moscow's calculation of the costs of conflict may also be influenced by previous military deployments. While the West currently sees military engagements through the prism of the strategic defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia may take a very different view. Its operations in Georgia, its seizure of Crimea, its combat in eastern Ukraine - not to mention its involvement in Syria - may all be seen by President Putin as relative victories.

Of all the military contingencies, Michael Kofman, of the US Centre for Naval Analyses, still thinks that if it happens it will be big. "I think Russia is in the best position since 2014 economically, politically, and militarily to execute such an operation, which is not to say it will happen, but simply to suggest that there are the fewest constraints relative to other periods when it has conducted offensive operations."

Read the full analysis

Russia seeks 'reliable guarantees'

Meanwhile, a Kremlin statement said President Putin had stressed that Russia should not be held responsible for tensions because Nato was making "dangerous attempts to take over Ukrainian territory and increasing its military potential" on Russia's borders.

"Therefore Russia is seriously interested in getting reliable guarantees fixed in law to rule out the eastward expansion of Nato and the location in countries neighbouring Russia of offensive weapons systems," the statement added (in Russian).

The White House said President Biden did not make any guarantees to limit Nato expansion.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said that, while the talks brought "no sensations", he was grateful for President Biden's "unwavering support".

Ukrainian authorities have said Moscow could be planning a military offensive at the end of January, although US officials say it is not yet clear whether President Putin has made a decision.

Presidents Biden and Putin last met in person in Switzerland in June, but made little progress other than to agree to send their ambassadors back and begin a dialogue on nuclear arms control.

In a conference call on Monday night, the White House said the leaders of the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy had formed a joint strategy "to impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy" should Russia launch an invasion.

President Biden spoke to the four European leaders again after his talks with President Putin.

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A large part of the recent Russian military build-up is in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine and then annexed in 2014.

Troops are also gathering near Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, parts of which are under the control of Russian-backed separatists.

More than 14,000 people have lost their lives in seven years of conflict since Russian-backed forces seized large areas of Ukraine's east.

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2021-12-08 04:50:34Z
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Five challenges for Olaf Scholz's new German government - Financial Times

The new German government being sworn in on Wednesday amounts to an unprecedented political experiment. The three coalition parties — Social Democrats, Greens and liberal Free Democrats — have never governed together before. And a host of urgent issues, not least a sharp escalation of the coronavirus pandemic, could subject their alliance to immediate strain. How they cope with the challenges outlined below will shape history’s verdict on their coalition.

1 — Overcoming coronavirus

Olaf Scholz’s cabinet takes power with Germany in the grip of a fourth Covid-19 wave that has dwarfed previous surges. Infection rates are soaring and hospitals reaching the limits of their capacity. Faced with an inoculation rate that is far lower than in countries such as Spain, Denmark and Belgium, the new chancellor has advocated mandatory vaccinations for all. But even those willing to get a jab face hurdles: lengthy queues form every day outside vaccination centres and doctors’ practices have complained of a shortage of shots. Meanwhile social tensions are growing: last week anti-lockdown protesters held a torch parade outside the home of a regional health minister, a protest widely condemned by politicians in Berlin.

2 — A sputtering economy

Scholz faces a much grimmer economic outlook than when his SPD narrowly won the election in September. Data released on Monday showed a far larger slump in factory orders than analysts had predicted. Industry has been plagued by shortages of raw materials and products such as microchips, which have led to delivery bottlenecks and production problems in the automobile industry. Meanwhile, inflation hit 6 per cent last month, its highest level since the early 1990s. Experts now believe Germany could take longer to return to pre-pandemic levels of economic growth than the eurozone overall. Business groups also fear that tough new restrictions on the unvaccinated, introduced last month, could suppress consumer activity in the run-up to Christmas.

3 — Meeting climate goals while keeping the lights on

Nowhere are the new government’s ambitions so clearly in evidence as in its plan for fighting climate change. It wants to massively ramp up renewables capacity, exit coal power by 2030 — eight years earlier than originally planned — phase out petrol and diesel cars and have 15m electric vehicles on Germany’s roads by the end of the decade. But some experts have questioned how the country will be able to keep the lights on once all its coal and nuclear power stations are closed. It will need to build thousands of new wind turbines and solar panels, extensive new electricity grids and a swath of gas-fired power stations. Indeed, talk is of a looming “electricity gap”, with industrial and residential consumers facing a potential energy shortfall and rising prices. The new government will have to figure out how to bridge this gap and achieve its green targets without endangering Germany’s export-driven economy.

4 — Foreign policy challenges

Days before Germany’s new government took office, US president Joe Biden warned US allies that Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine. Germany, along with others in Nato and the EU, now accepts this assessment and will probably sign up for hefty new sanctions should the Russians do so. But that could prove to be one of the first big tests of the coalition’s cohesion. Many in the SPD are inclined to go easy on Vladimir Putin, in contrast to the more hawkish Greens. There is likely to be a row over what to do about Nord Stream 2, the gas pipeline from Russia across the Baltic, which the Greens oppose and the SPD backs. Faultlines over how to punish Russia could end up casting a dark shadow over what should have been the new coalition’s honeymoon period.

5 — Investment versus debt

Scholz last month promised the “biggest industrial modernisation of Germany in more than 100 years”, and his coalition seems determined to invest billions in greening Germany’s economy and upgrading its infrastructure. But the FDP insisted it would also abide by the country’s strict fiscal rules — in particular its constitutional cap on new borrowing, the so-called debt brake. Squaring this circle could become one of the coalition’s biggest challenges. Its 177-page agreement offers hints of a solution: much investment will be carried out by KfW, a state development bank, Deutsche Bahn and a federal property agency that will be used to build new flats. There will also be one last borrowing binge next year while the debt brake — which was temporarily waived during the pandemic — is still suspended. But rows between the pro-investment Greens and the pro-fiscal rectitude FDP over spending priorities seem preprogrammed.

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2021-12-08 05:01:00Z
1091307089

Covid: Early signs Omicron spreads more easily, says No 10 - bbc.co.uk

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Early signs suggest the Omicron Covid variant is more transmissible than the current Delta strain, No 10 has said.

But the prime minister's official spokesman added it was still too early to draw conclusions - and any impact caused by Omicron would also depend on whether it caused severe illness.

There are currently 437 confirmed cases of Omicron in the UK, figures show.

Earlier, Wales' health minister said they were expecting a significant wave of Omicron that would peak in January.

In Scotland, Covid rules are going to be reviewed daily as Omicron cases rise, and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged employers to let staff work from home until at least the middle of January where possible.

Scientists believe Omicron could spread more easily than Delta, and could out-compete Delta to become the dominant variant in the UK.

But much is still unknown, and it could still take weeks to understand how severe illness from the variant is and what it means for the effectiveness of vaccines.

• How worried should we be about Omicron?
• What is Omicron - and will vaccines work?
• Follow our live Covid updates

The variant is currently spreading in the community in multiple areas of England, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday.

The government's cabinet was given an update on the pandemic on Tuesday morning.

Giving an account of the meeting afterwards, the PM's spokesman said: "The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta."

But he said there was "no hard agreement on the level of transmissibility", and it was "too early to tell" the effect on vaccine evasion or seriousness of the illness it would cause.

The spokesman also said ministers did not discuss whether to introduce the government's "plan B" for winter - which could involve more restrictions if the pressure on the NHS becomes too much.

Officially there have been just over 400 Omicron infections. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

It is based on positive tests sent to labs to check for variants, which only happens in a minority of cases.

Because of a quirk in the way Omicron shows on PCR tests it is possible to identify suspected cases too.

Using this data, researchers at the University of East Anglia believe there could have been five to six times as many Omicron cases as the official total shows.

This data is what is behind suggestions the number of cases is doubling every three days or so and the conclusion that it is more transmissible than Delta.

What is not clear is why. To what extent is it down to Omicron's ability to get past immunity, greater infectiousness or because it has a shorter incubation period?

The answer to that could have a big bearing on how quickly and how far infection levels will climb.

Another unknown is what that will mean for serious illness. You would expect reinfections or infections post-vaccination to be milder.

If that is the case, the proportion of cases ending up in hospital will drop.

But even if it halves, if infection rates more than double, pressure on the NHS will still increase.

The threat of hospitals being overwhelmed is now back on the table.

Earlier, Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan also said it was clear the Omicron variant spreads rapidly.

Although there have been only five cases in Wales - compared with 333 in England and 99 in Scotland (and none in Northern Ireland) - Ms Morgan said people should act with caution.

"We are expecting a significant wave of Omicron to hit Wales," she said.

"The modelling suggests that that will reach its peak by around the end of January, which is why there is an urgency in terms of getting people vaccinated and boosters done as soon as possible."

Ms Sturgeon said about 4% of cases in Scotland appeared to be the Omicron variant, adding: "Our estimate at this stage is that the doubling time for Omicron cases may be as short as two to three days, and that the R number associated with the new variant may be well over two."

Although it is an early estimate based on limited data, a fast doubling time means cases can get high quickly. For example, three day doubling means going from 1,000 cases a day to about 100,000 cases a day in one month.

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Omicron is the most heavily mutated version of coronavirus found so far.

It was first identified in South Africa, where there is now a surge in the number of people catching Covid multiple times.

This suggests the variant might be better at sidestepping some of the protection offered by vaccines, or past infection.

However, there is not definitive proof. Even if Omicron is more infectious, there is no evidence yet that it causes more serious illness.

The government is urging people to take up their booster jab when offered - or be vaccinated if they have not yet done so.

Speaking during a visit to a prison on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said the UK had now delivered more than 20 million boosters."I would certainly say to people, now is the time to get it," he added.

On Tuesday the government announced there had been another 45,691 Covid cases and a further 180 people had died.

• 'HE LIVED FOR HIS MUSIC': The extraordinary story of Freddie Mercury and his battle with AIDs
• WHAT'S SUPERMAN LIKE AS A DAD? Even as a parent, a superhero is never off duty

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2021-12-07 17:11:03Z
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COVID-19: UK records 101 new Omicron variant cases in past 24 hours taking total to 437 - Sky News

Another 101 Omicron COVID variant cases have been recorded in the UK, taking the total across the country to 437.

This compares with 90 new cases reported on Monday.

The latest daily data from the UK Health Security Agency shows 72 cases were in England, 28 in Scotland, and one in Wales.

So far, no confirmed Omicron cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland.

Live COVID-19 updates from the UK and around the world

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It comes as the UK reported a total of 45,691 new COVID cases in the latest 24-hour period.

A further 180 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.

More on Covid-19

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Currently, 7,317 COVID patients are in hospital in the UK, including 901 in ventilation beds.

According to the latest government data, 19,979 more people have had a first vaccine dose in the last 24 hours, another 25,012 have received a second jab, while a further 329,165 have had a booster or third dose.

Omicron 'more transmissible'

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said early indications suggest Omicron is more transmissible than the Delta variant.

He made the comment as he updated ministers on the COVID situation at a cabinet meeting.

Giving an account of the meeting, the PM's spokesman said: "The prime minister said it was too early to draw conclusions on the characteristics of Omicron but early indications were that it is more transmissible than Delta."

Downing Street also warned that it is still unclear what impact the vaccines have on the new variant.

The warning comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs that Omicron cases have been identified in people without any travel history - meaning it is now being contracted within the community.

'There could be 1,000 Omicron cases a day in UK'

On Monday, a leading scientist told Sky News that the Omicron variant is already causing up to 1,000 infections a day in the UK.

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, said the outbreak was now well under way, doubling every three to four days.

Meanwhile, British drugmaker GSK has announced that its antibody-based COVID-19 therapy with US partner Vir Biotechnology is effective against all mutations of the Omicron variant.

The unpublished data shows that the companies' treatment, sotrovimab, is effective against all 37 identified mutations to date in the spike protein, GSK said in a statement.

Another pre-clinical data showed that the drug had worked against key mutations of the Omicron strain.

Last week, it was approved for UK use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Also on Tuesday, pre-departure COVID testing for people arriving in the UK was reintroduced, with travellers also required on arrival to take a day two PCR test and isolate until they receive a negative result.

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2021-12-07 15:33:45Z
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Public health expert Karl Lauterbach named Germany’s health minister - Financial Times

Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor-designate, has appointed the MP and epidemiologist Karl Lauterbach as his health minister, putting a prominent voice of caution and a strong advocate of mandatory vaccinations in charge of the country’s pandemic response.

Over the past year-and-a-half Lauterbach has emerged as one of Germany’s best-known and most-trusted experts on public health, and became renowned for his strong support of lockdown measures to fight the spread of Covid-19.

He has backed stricter restrictions on the unvaccinated and called for the closure of all bars and clubs until the fourth wave of infections is over.

Lauterbach’s appointment comes at a time when infection rates have been hitting levels not seen since the start of the pandemic. German authorities have signalled they will introduce obligatory vaccinations next year to tackle the stubbornly low inoculation rates.

Scholz is due to be elected chancellor by the Bundestag on Wednesday, nearly 11 weeks after his Social Democrats (SPD) narrowly won national elections that brought the curtain down on Angela Merkel’s 16-year reign. He will lead an unprecedented three-way coalition with the Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

The FDP and Greens have already announced their nominees for cabinet posts, and on Monday it was the SPD’s turn. The SPD and FDP at the weekend overwhelmingly approved the 177-page coalition accord between the three parties. The Greens will announce the results of a membership vote on the deal later on Monday.

Lauterbach, who has been adjunct professor of health policy at the Harvard School of Public Health since 2008, said the country would “win the fight against the pandemic and we will be better equipped for further pandemics”. Vaccinations would “play a central role”, he added.

Asked about the prospects for the Christmas period, he said a key aim would be “to bring the case numbers down so far that we can recommend travel without endangering people”.

Confirming Lauterbac’s appointment, Scholz said Germans wanted a health minister who was a specialist in that field and someone who could do the job well.

Naming a trio of women to head the interior, defence and development ministries, Scholz said: “In this government, security will be in the hands of strong women.” It means that for the first time in German history, it will have women foreign, defence and interior ministers.

Nancy Faeser, a lawyer who leads the SPD in the southern state of Hesse, will become Germany’s first female interior minister, overseeing the federal police force and domestic intelligence.

She told reporters that her focus would be “the fight against rightwing extremism” which she described as the “greatest threat that our democratic system currently faces”.

Christine Lambrecht, outgoing justice minister, will move to the defence ministry, while Klara Geywitz, a Social Democrat legislator from the eastern state of Brandenburg, will become minister of construction.

Hubertus Heil will stay on as minister of labour and social affairs, and Svenja Schulze, outgoing environment minister, will move to the ministry of economic co-operation and development, which is in charge of overseas aid.

Scholz’s close aide, Wolfgang Schmidt, who was previously a state secretary at the finance ministry, will become chancellery minister — effectively Scholz’s chief of staff.

The Greens and FDP have already named their nominees to cabinet posts. Green co-leader Annalena Baerbock will become foreign minister, co-leader Robert Habeck is to head the economics ministry and Christian Lindner, FDP leader, will be Germany’s next finance minister.

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2021-12-06 12:47:14Z
1091307089

Covid-19: Italy tightens restrictions for unvaccinated - BBC News

Reuters

Italy has introduced tougher restrictions for unvaccinated people amid concern over the Omicron variant and a potential spike in infections.

Many public activities will be off limits to anyone without a so-called Covid Super Green Pass from Monday.

The pass shows proof of vaccination, or recovery from the virus within the last six months.

It will be needed to enter theatres, cinemas, music venues, sports events, restaurants and bars until mid-January.

The new measures strengthen the existing Covid green passes, which can be obtained following a negative test. The basic green passes will now be required to use public transport, as well as to access places of work.

Italy is grappling with a spike in coronavirus infections, which have been rising gradually since mid-October.

There is also concern around Europe about the spread of the Omicron variant, which experts fear may be more transmissible and evade some immunity to Covid.

Italy was ravaged by infections in the early stages of the pandemic and has one of the highest death tolls at more than 134,000.

But the country's vaccination rate is higher than many of its neighbours. About 73% of the total population have been fully vaccinated and 11% have had booster shots, according to the latest data.

Even so, several Italian cities have imposed rules obliging people to wear facemasks, even in outdoor settings such as crowded shopping streets.

Italy introduced green passes in August for access to cultural and social venues before extending them to workplaces in October.

• Italy requires all workers to show green pass
• Germany puts major restrictions on unvaccinated
• Omicron variant in Netherlands earlier than thought

The passes were initially intended to make travel within the EU more efficient, but several countries have widened their use to limit infections and encourage vaccine up-take.

France requires a health pass for access to restaurants, bars, planes and trains, while Austria and Cyprus are among other EU countries to have used similar schemes.

In recent weeks, European countries have placed stricter restrictions on unvaccinated people in response to rising infections as winter approaches.

In mid-November, Austria imposed a lockdown for the unvaccinated.

Germany's leaders, meanwhile, have agreed to bar unvaccinated people from many public venues, and Greece announced monthly fines of €100 (£85; $113) for anyone over 60 who remains unvaccinated.

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2021-12-06 12:45:26Z
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