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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.
Linda Sun arrives at US District Court in New York earlier this month. A mistrial was declared on Monday in the case of the former senior New York official charged with acting as a Chinese agent. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
US-China relations

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

Linda Sun, ex-deputy chief of staff to Kathy Hochul, walked free after jury was deadlocked on all 19 counts and could not reach a verdict.

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Banking & finance

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

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Diplomacy

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

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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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Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has described the Chinese lawsuit as “a stalling tactic”. Photo: AP
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.

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.

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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.

Meir Ben Tovim at 126kg (left) in 2020 and 85kg in June 2021. He describes how he lost 41kg in seven months and now does strength training, running and Hyrox. Photos: Instagram/run_with_me_ir
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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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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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.

A man shows boxes with newly bought iPhone 17 handsets inside the Apple Store in Beijing’s Sanlitun area. Photo: Reuters
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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Biomedical scientist Hu Ye has returned to China to become the founding dean of a new school of biomedical engineering at Tsinghua University. Photo: Handout
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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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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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.

Douglas Bray (centre) competes in the Hyrox challenge in Hong Kong in July 2025. Completing the gruelling race left the cancer survivor feeling “fully recovered” three years after his life-changing surgery. Photo: Douglas Bray
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.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jnr testifies during a Senate hearing on Thursday. Photo: EPA
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.

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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Illustration: Henry Wong
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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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.

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.

Benjamin Vuchot, the executive director and CEO of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels. Photo: Jonathan Wong
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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Thomas Derksen at around 140kg before his weight loss in 2019 and at 83kg in 2025. He lost weight by embracing a healthier lifestyle, focusing on balanced meals and regular exercise. Photo: Thomas Derksen
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.

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.

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.

Outgoing Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko has spent 35 years with the body. Photo: May Tse
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.

The District Court on Friday sentenced Dr Wong Ping-leung for his dishonest use of the government’s electronic health record system to generate the exemption certificates. Photo: SCMP
Italy

Chinese man fights US extradition in Italy, claims mistaken identity in Covid hack

Xu Zewei faces US charges for allegedly attempting to hack a Covid-19 vaccine project, but asserts his innocence, citing a stolen phone and common surname.

US-China relations

Ex-New York official facing China agent charge indicted for kickbacks

Former governor’s aide accused of steering healthcare contracts to favoured suppliers during coronavirus pandemic.

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