In China they warn: a significant wave of corona is on the way

Ukraine

Russia tried to blackmail the US in a secret intelligence deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed this week that Russia tried to blackmail the US: Moscow offered to stop transferring intelligence to Iran on the condition that Washington stop sharing intelligence information with Ukraine. “Isn’t this blackmail? Absolutely,” said Zelensky in an interview with Reuters.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine has conclusive evidence that Russia is regularly flowing intelligence to Iran, one that has aided attacks on American military assets and its allies in the Middle East. Moreover, the Ukrainian president said that captured Iranian drones contained Russian components, which indicates close cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. Meanwhile, Moscow denies any involvement in the matter, and the White House also said that it had received a direct denial from the Russians.

Zelensky also said that Ukraine is deepening its security cooperation with the Gulf countries – Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Qatar – and is helping them deal with UAV attacks on their territory, but did not elaborate further. He indicated that these cooperations may turn into long-term deals that will finance the production of Ukrainian interceptors and the procurement of air defense systems.

Hungary

Orban lands a blow on Ukraine, and stops the gas supply
Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, announced this week an unusual step: a gradual cut in the supply of gas to Ukraine – up to a complete stop. The reason: Ukraine refuses to allow the continued flow of Russian oil through its territory towards Hungary, claiming that Russian drone attacks have damaged the Druzhba pipeline and are endangering the crew repairing it. Orban, who imports Russian oil and sees the break as “Ukrainian blackmail”, responds in his own currency: if you don’t get oil – you won’t get gas.

Economically, the impact on Kyiv could be significant. Ukraine imports about 40% of its gas consumption through Hungary, and any interruption will increase the pressure of the energy shortage on a country that is in its fourth year of war, and this after dealing with a severe winter.

Experts estimate that Orban, who is considered the Kremlin’s biggest supporter in the European Union, is leveraging the crisis in the domestic arena as well. On April 12, elections will be held in Hungary, when Orban is running against a center-right candidate who threatens his rule. The nationalist message: “Ukraine is Hungary’s enemy”, serves the current prime minister as an effective election card against his opponent.

Recently, Orban also blocked a huge loan of 90 billion euros from the European Union to Kiev, while at the same time his repeated refusals prevent another round of sanctions against Russia.

China

A new corona wave on the horizon? The warning of the expert from Hong Kong
An infectious disease expert from the University of Hong Kong turned on a red light this week – the region may face a wide spread of the corona epidemic. Ivan Hong Pan-Ngai explained that Hong Kong experiences outbreak waves at intervals of six to nine months – and since it has been almost eight months since the last wave, all signs point to the next one already on its way.

In the previous wave, which lasted from March to July last year, more than 170 severe infections and 90 deaths were recorded. Since January 2023, Hong Kong has gone through four outbreak waves, each lasting between two and four months – a consistent pattern that doesn’t leave much room for optimism.

The expert’s message is simple and sharp: complacency is the biggest enemy in dealing with a virus that the public has known for years. The next wave will not necessarily be a catastrophe, but preparations for it in Hong Kong should start now.

U.S

The hospital is suing a patient who turned the treatment room into a home
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Florida this week found itself in a situation that sounds like the plot of a comedy movie: a patient who was officially released in October last year refuses to leave room 373, and has been living there for five months even though she no longer needs medical treatment. The hospital lost patience, filed a lawsuit and are asking the court for an eviction order.

The hospital claims that the patient’s presence in the room prevents the admission of other patients who need urgent treatment, and diverts precious resources. According to the lawsuit, the hospital even offered her assistance, but to no avail.

The patient, who is representing herself without a lawyer, did not respond to media inquiries. A court hearing is scheduled for the end of the month, until then room 373 remains occupied.