Category Archives: Macau

The Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau (ISAF) is conducting research and working on a draft bill for a new regulatory regime for small-scale medical devices and cosmetic products suited to Macaus situation, to support the development of the Big Health industry, the ISAF president, Choi Peng Cheong, said during a meeting of ISAF officials with a delegation of the Macau International Big Health Industry Association.

Addressing the theme of the promotion and continuous development of the Big Health industry, Choi noted that is necessary to update the rules in such fields as well as to continue to improve the existing drug management regime, promoting the sustainable development of the pharmaceutical sector under the premise of equal emphasis on traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

The development of the Big Health Industry was a topic started by the government, which is said to have the goal of promoting the sector until 2025, according to the plan drafted in the Second Five-Year Plan for Socio-Economic Development of the Macau Special Administrative Region (2021-2025).

According to the same official, this work includes efforts towards the promotion of the development of economic diversification and cultivating emerging industries, as well as improving the legal regime closely related to socio-economic development and the life of the population.

It is not currently clear which amendments the ISAF proposes to make, but they are related to the use of medical devices most commonly in use in beauty centers and alternative medicine clinics, among others. Likely, such a regime could also include regulations concerning the application and use of traditional Chinese treatments as well as alternative medicine such as acupuncture, cupping therapy, and others, that are very popular in Macau and Asia in general.

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MACAU DAILY TIMES ISAF working on a new regime for small-scale medical devices and cosmetics - Macau Daily Times

President Joe Biden issued forceful warnings to China and Russia on Sunday and expressed optimism over the US economic rebound, but surprised many by hedging on whether hell seek reelection.

In a rare, wide-ranging interview with the CBS 60 Minutes program, Biden went back on repeated assertions by the White House that he is sure to run in 2024.

Biden, who turns 80 in November, told interviewer Scott Pelley that reelection is his intention.

But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen, he said.

Its much too early, Biden said, calling himself a great respecter of fate.

Surveying the state of the worlds largest economy, Biden was optimistic.

He declared the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States over and predicted that his administration would tame inflation the main reason for his weak approval ratings and the reason Republicans believe they can take control of Congress in the upcoming November midterms.

Were going to get control of inflation, he said.

In another surprise moment, Biden once again appeared to challenge decades of US policy on Taiwan with a vow that he would send troops to defend the self-ruled island if China tried to invade.

Yes, he said, adding that this would happen if there was an unprecedented attack possibly referring to something beyond the frequent saber rattling conducted by Chinese military forces around Taiwan.

Under the US policy known as strategic ambiguity, Washington recognizes Chinese sovereignty but opposes any forceful attempt to end Taiwans de facto self-rule. While Washington does arm Taiwan, there is no clear promise of direct US military support.

The White House said that Bidens latest remarks do not indicate a change.

After the interview, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sincere gratitude for Bidens support.

In the face of Chinas military expansion and provocative actions, our government will continue to strengthen self-defense capabilities to firmly resist the expansion and aggression of authoritarianism, and at the same time deepen the close Taiwan-US security partnership, the ministry said in a statement.

In another tough message to the United States biggest economic and geopolitical rival, Biden said he had warned President Xi Jinping not to support Russia militarily in its invasion of Ukraine.

He said he told Xi that US and other foreign investment in China would be disrupted and to think otherwise would be a gigantic mistake.

He also said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses nuclear or other non-conventional weapons against Ukraine the US response will be consequential.

When asked what he would tell Putin if the Russian leader was mulling such a move, he said: Dont. Dont. Dont.

Biden praised the Ukrainians for their gritty fight against the huge Russian invasion and said theyre defeating Russia.

Asked how to define victory for Kyiv, he said winning the war in Ukraine is to get Russia out of Ukraine completely.

But given the scale of human suffering and destruction inflicted in resisting the Russian onslaught, its awful hard to count that as winning, he added.

Despite his poor ratings and polls showing Democrats likely to lose control of at least one chamber of Congress, Biden said he is upbeat.

Noting that employment is booming and the economy is strong, Biden said we hope we can have, as they say, a soft landing.

On whether at his age he is physically and mentally able to continue in the grueling job, Biden said: watch me.

Its a matter of, you know, that old expression the proof of the pudding is in the eating.'

When asked his source of inspiration when times get tough, Biden mentioned his son Beau who died in 2015 but also his parents exhortation to just get up.

Biden said he had a lot more to give.

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Biden warns China and Russia, hedges on seeking reelection - Macau Business

Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest on Monday, after a state funeral attended by leaders from around the world and a historic lastceremonial journeythrough the packed streets of London.

After queueing all night, the final members of the public filed through parliaments cavernous Westminster Hall to see the queens coffin lying in state before the doors closed at 6:30 am (0530 GMT).

Chrissy Heerey, a serving member of the Royal Air Force who joined the marathon queue twice, was the last person through the doors and described the experience as amazing.

When they came to me and said, right, youre the last person, I said, really?! she told AFP, before heading off to join the crowds for the coffins procession through central London.

A long day but very well worth it. Its nothing compared to what the queen has done for the country.

The longest-serving monarch in British history died aged 96 at Balmoral, her Scottish Highland retreat, on September 8 after a year of declining health.

She was succeeded by her 73-year-old eldest son, King Charles III, who late Sunday said he and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, had been deeply touched by the publics flood of messages.

As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you, he said.

Britain last held a state funeral in 1965 for the countrys wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

Then, the cranes that once unloaded the spoils of Britains vast empire that Elizabeth inherited were lowered in respect as his coffin was borne up the River Thames by barge.

In the six decades since, Britains global reach has been much diminished and its place in the modern world has become less certain.

But the country will still dig deep into its centuries of tradition to honour the only monarch that most Britons have ever known.

Many people have camped out for days to witness the elaborate spectacle of pageantry and to pay their final respects.

Auto engineer Jamie Page, a 41-year-old former soldier, stood on Whitehall to observe the procession after the funeral, wearing his military medals from service in the Iraq war.

Sixteen years old, I swore an oath of allegiance to the queen. Shes been my boss. She means everything, she was like a gift from God, he said.

But on Charles, the oldest person yet to ascend the British throne, Page added: Who knows, time will tell.

Royal Navy sailors will haul the flag-draped coffin, topped with the majestic Imperial State Crown, on a gun carriage from Westminster Hall to the adjacent abbey.

The funeral starts at 1000 GMT. After just under an hour, a bugler will play The Last Post, before two minutes of silence and the reworded national anthem, God Save the King.

Former Archbishop of York John Sentamu said the queen, who headed the Protestant Church of England founded by king Henry VIII in the 16th century, did not want a boring send-off.

Youre going to be lifted to glory as you hear the service, he told BBC television.

Afterwards, the coffin will be taken west by road to Windsor Castle, with many thousands expected to line the route.

She will be buried alongside her father king George VI, her mother queen Elizabeth the queen mother and sister princess Margaret, reuniting in death the family who once called themselves us four.

The coffin of her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, will also be transferred to lie alongside her.

Elizabeths funeral could not be more different from Philips at St Georges Chapel, Windsor, in April last year.

Coronavirus restrictions limited mourners to just 30, led by the queen, a solitary figure in mourning black and a matching facemask.

But now, more than 2,000 people, including heads of state from US President Joe Biden to Japans reclusive Emperor Naruhito, will pack Westminster Abbey, the imposing location for royal coronations, marriages and funerals for more than 1,000 years.

All the people of the United Kingdom: our hearts go out to you, and you were fortunate to have had her for 70 years; we all were. The world is better for her, Biden said after signing a book of condolence.

Charles will lead mourners, alongside his three siblings and his heir, Prince William.

In the abbey pews will also be Liz Truss, whom the queen appointed as the 15th British prime minister of her reign just two days before her death.

All of Trusss living predecessors will be there too, plus her counterparts and representatives from the 14 Commonwealth countries outside Britain where Charles is also head of state.

Whether they remain constitutional monarchies or become republics is likely to be the defining feature of Charless reign.

The queens death has prompted deep reflection about the Britain she reigned over, the legacy of its past, its present state and what the future might hold, as well as the values of lifelong service and duty she came to represent during her 70-year reign.

Select members of the public won invitations to the abbey for the funeral after outstanding service to the community.

Among them was lawyer Pranav Bhanot, 34, who gave free legal advice and delivered meals during the Covid pandemic.

I feel completely out of place because all the headlines are saying there are going to be world leaders and presidents, he said, having first dismissed the call from a government official as a hoax.

But it will give me a really nice opportunity to pay my respects to someone I hugely admired.

Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have queued, sometimes for up to 25 hours and overnight, to file past the queens coffin since it was taken to liein state last Wednesday.

Some 6,000 military personnel have been drafted in to take part in the solemn procession to and from the abbey, on the route to Windsor and the committal service at St Georges Chapel.

After the abbey service, Charles and other senior royals will again follow in procession past hushed crowds to a waiting hearse and the final journey to Windsor.

Throughout, Big Ben, the giant bell atop the Elizabeth Tower at one end of the Houses of Parliament, will toll and guns will fire at one-minute intervals.

A vast television audience is expected to watch the funeral worldwide and live online, in a sign of the enduring fascination with the woman once described as the last global monarch.

But those lining the streets of London already jammed at sunrise on Monday said they had to bear witness.

I want to take part in history, said Jack Davies, 14, camped out for the procession with his parents at Hyde Park Corner, where the coffin will be transferred from the gun carriage for the drive to Windsor.

I will talk about this moment to my children. Ill say: I was there!'

At Windsor, the queens crown, orb and sceptre will be removed and placed on the altar.

The most senior officer of the royal household, the lord chamberlain, breaks his wand of office and places it on the coffin, symbolising the end of her reign.

The lead-lined oak casket, draped with the queens colours, will then be lowered into the Royal Vault as a lone bagpiper plays a lament.

A private interment ceremony will take place at the adjoining King George VI Memorial Chapel at 1830 GMT.

by Jitendra JOSHI / Phil HAZLEWOOD

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Britain and the world say farewell to Queen Elizabeth II - Macau Business

Las Vegas used to be the worlds favorite gambling hub, but Macau is swiftly taking over as a hotspot for casino tourism. Indeed, the number of people who visit the region every year is increasing rapidly. In 2016, there were just over 30 million tourists, and that shot up to 39 million in 2019.

For the millions of people who play casino games worldwide, a holiday to Macau could be the dream. Before you travel, there are a few things you need to know about the Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China.

Macau attracts a vast number of online casino playersInterestingly, the emergence of Macau as a global gambling destination coincided with the rise of the online casino industry. Internet gambling helped raise awareness of classic games, and then it seems that more people were influenced to seek them out on their holidays.

Nowadays, theres actually no need to travel anywhere to find live games. When you play blackjack online at Paddy Power, youre faced with a wide array of options that are all hosted by real-world dealers via streams. You can even scroll through and see who is hosting what game so that you can pick a dealer that you relate to. Some of the choices that come with live dealers include Lightning Blackjack, All Bets Blackjack Live, and Speed Blackjack.

Playing these titles can give people a taste of the glitz and glamour theyll experience in a casino. They can then be persuaded to take casino holidays to destinations that are going to provide this in abundance. Just as history lovers go to famous historical locations to expand their interests, online casino lovers can check out gambling resorts to enjoy their favorite internet games from another perspective.

Things to know before travelling to MacauMacau certainly represents a destination for more adventurous travelers. After all, Vegas has been portrayed in mainstream entertainment so many times over the years that most people who go there have a good idea about what to expect. Macau doesnt have that notoriety, though, and you may need to do a bit of research before you visit.

Macau is a region under the administration of China, but most people there dont speak traditional Mandarin. Instead, the main languages are Cantonese and Portuguese. Only a small fraction of the population speaks English, but Holidify says that English is common among people who work in the tourism industry.

According to an article in The Culture Trip, the best way to get to Macau is to fly to Hong Kong and then take a ferry to the island. There are two options and they both come regularly. There is also an international airport in Macau, but most of the flights are from local countries around Asia.

While this is one of the best places in the world for gambling, the pastime isnt the only thing to do in Macau. Indeed, the most populated region on the planet has plenty of other attractions to keep people busy. One of the best things for tourists to do is to look around at all the traditional Portuguese architecture that remains from the 400 years that the region existed as a colony. Theres also the stunning Macau Tower, which provides panoramic views of the city.

Photo by Jimmy Woo Man Tsing on Unsplash

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Is Macau now the number one place in the world for gamblers to visit - Travel Daily News International

If all goes according to plan over the next 14 hours or so, flight TR905 will begin its take off roll along the single runway of MFM Macau International Airport at 7:55pm this evening.

That flight, one of three per week on the humble Scoot airline, will almost certainly take off to the north (as almost all flights out of Macau do), then shortly turn 180 degrees to the south, and begin its over three-hour journey to Singapores Changi airport. Singapore is now the epicenter of Asian air travel having long eclipsed COVID-zero decimated Hong Kong. It also represents the main practical route out of Macau to the wider world.

Assuming all goes to plan, flight TR905 at 7:55pm this evening will represent my own salvation, my getaway car, my escape from the incarceration that has been Macau over the past 933 days since 23 February 2020. It was on that day I arrived from London via Zurich and Hong Kong, mere days before the proverbial door was slammed shut behind me courtesy of a little mishap known as the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps youve heard of it?

How Macau has changed in those 933 days.

In that time, I have barely left a tiny patch of just a few square kilometers the longest continuous period in a single city in my entire life including my childhood right back to birth. I havent even been able to go to Zhuhai, much less the pipedream of visiting Hong Kong. For someone who loves travel to the point of averaging one flight a week in 2019, its been quite the torment.

18 years of MacauI first set foot in Macau in 2004, shortly after Sands Macao opened its doors. After living in Hong Kong for a few years and visiting Macau regularly, I finally took the plunge and relocated permanently in 2009, to make my home in what was then a wonderful melting pot of east-meets-west. I lived, I loved, I learned. I worked, I played. I even completed a masters degree at the University of Macau. The casino gaming industry thrived, Macau became king of the world, we all know the story.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. We wobbled in 2014, fell to our knees in 2015, but then dusted ourselves off and recovered through to 2019. Things were looking good until well, again, we all know the story. There is no need to repeat it.

The pandemicThrough 2020 and 2021 the world suffered COVID together. But in 2022 it is different. The rest of the world has moved on, recovered, started to put their lives, their businesses and their economies back together again. They talk of COVID-19 in the past tense. When Macau people reference their own pandemic plight, overseas friends and colleagues answer in a bewildered tone, Are you guys still doing that?

I run a business called Inside Asian Gaming, not Inside Macau Gaming. As long as Macau was the center of the Asian gaming world it made sense to be based in Macau, and to visit the rest of Asia and the world regularly. But Macau is no longer the center of Asian gaming. As explained in the cover story of the August issue of IAG, that center of gravity has now slipped away from Macau and is being picked up by other APAC jurisdictions like the Philippines, Singapore and Australia.

While IAG will remain a Macau company, our office will remain in Macau and our Macau-based staff will continue to do their work right here in Macau, much of the business of the Asian gaming industry is now outside Macau. While networks and relationships built up over the past three decades (and the past decade in particular) stood IAG in good stead through 2020 and 2021, that is simply no longer the case. In order to keep our business afloat its imperative for me visit a host of countries as quickly as possible. To name just a few: the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, the US and the UK. I hope to visit all of them and more over the next 12 months.

It is with terribly mixed emotions I leave Macau, on what I am describing to anyone who asks as a very, very long business trip. On the one hand I leave the place I have grown to love over the past 13 years and leave our wonderful hard working IAG team behind to hold the fort. But on the other hand, I simply must venture out from the cave to hunt the mammoth given the lack of gaming industry business in Macau. There are some interesting non-gaming opportunities in Macau, particularly in the CSR space, and our parent company O MEDIA is pursuing them. But for IAG, the well is running very dry in the SAR.

Brain drainIt would be remiss of me not to mention the persistent and disquieting brain drain occurring right now in Macau, for in departing Macau I am certainly not the lone ranger. Over the past six months there has been a veritable cavalcade of goodbye drinks, parties, farewells and messages announcing departures from Macau, mainly of foreigners and even quite a few Macau people lucky enough to have links to countries outside Macau.

I put this brain drain down to three quite obvious reasons: the relentless COVID-zero policy of the Macau and central governments with no end in sight, the rising opportunities for skilled industry professionals in other parts of the world, and the general emotional malaise hanging over Macau. Awfully, that malaise is expressing itself in Macau through increased suicide rates, heightened prevalence of domestic violence and all manner of mental health issues.

The situation is even worse for foreigners and the more worldly locals, who are coming to the realization that Macau will likely never return to its former economic glory, even post COVID-zero. There is also and this is a very touchy subject, but since when have I shied away from touchy subjects a quite obvious undercurrent of anti-foreigner sentiment in Macau. Some would even call it xenophobia.

For just one piece of evidence of this sentiment, one need merely look at the statistics on new residency applicationsin Macau. In the 2021 year the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) processed 33 such applications, rejecting 32 of them! In a place boasting a population of around 677,000 (down by around 20,000 since the start of the pandemic, mostly through foreign workers losing their jobs), just a single person had their residency application approved. For 2022 Q1, a mere five applications were processed with all five being rejected. Statistics are only available for the first quarter of this year, despite Q2 finishing over 10 weeks ago. It seems it takes quite some time to count to a single digit number.

It was just last month that Macau lawmakers considered a bill to attract internationally recognized, high-quality and highly qualified personnel and senior professionals to Macau. But talk is cheap. I would contend that actions speak louder than words.

Will I be back?Absolutely. As referenced above, this is merely a very, very long business trip, not a complete departure. Officially, I remain based in Macau, as does IAG. But I suspect it may be more than a few months on the road given the many destinations around Asia and the world which must be visited to reconnect with a host of senior industry executives who havent had an in-person meeting with IAG for almost three years. One can only do so much by zoom, and ours is an industry built on relationships and human connections that can only really be cemented in person.

To those of you outside Macau, Im excited to be heading your way and Ill see you soon.

For those inside Macau, I guess its zoom meetings for the foreseeable future, and I will leave you with those beautiful words sung by Dame Vera Lynn, over 80 years ago:

Well meet again,Dont know where, dont know when,But I know well meet again,Some sunny day.

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After 18 years visiting Macau, 13 years living in Macau and 933 days trapped in Macau, it's time to go - Inside Asian Gaming

By Chen Yu-fu / Staff reporter

The Mainland Affairs Council is closely monitoring if the authorities in Macau would try to force three remaining Taiwanese officials in the Office of Macau Affairs to sign a pledge to recognize the one China principle as a condition for them to receive a visa extension.

The three officials have all applied to extend their visas. Their applications have yet to be approved, the council said.

The last Taiwanese official is allowed to stay in Macau until Oct. 30 when their visa expires.

Since 2019, Taiwanese officials and contractors working in the Office of Macau Affairs have been asked to sign an affidavit recognizing Beijings one China principle as a precondition for a visa, council sources said.

Those refusing to comply would be denied entry to Macau or their visas would not be extended, they said.

As China is getting ready to celebrate its National Day on Oct. 1, the government in Macau is very likely to try to force the three Taiwanese officials to sign the one China pledge, council sources said.

The post of director at the office in Macau has remained vacant since Chen Hsueh-huai () retired in 2019.

As the requirement to sign a one China pledge has made it impossible to appoint a new director, the council had asked the Taiwanese officials whose visas have yet to expire to serve as acting directors since then.

In June last year, former acting director of the Office of Macau Affairs Chen Chia-hung () returned to Taiwan after refusing to sign the one China pledge.

The office would be left with only Macanese employees if the three Taiwanese officials in Macau are forced to leave, the council said.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Mei-hui () yesterday said that the council does not need to wait until the final day to vacate the office in Macau.

The one China principle is designed to destroy the Republic of China and force Taiwanese to recognize the Peoples Republic of China as the suzerain. Taiwan and China are two nations separated by the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese officials will never sign such a pledge. Instead of waiting until the last day, the council needs to prepare for the possible outcome in advance, because there is no way that Taiwanese officials can be stationed in Macau without a visa, Wang said.

Meanwhile, the council is considering selling the Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial House in Macau if Macau refuses to extend the visas of the three remaining officials.

The council has full ownership of the memorial house, a property of the government registered under the name of a Singaporean firm.

The property with an area of 439.67m2 is valued at about NT$140 million (US$4.54 million), the council said, adding that it is the only place in China where Taiwans national flag can be displayed.

The council is leaning toward selling the property in case Beijing confiscates it after the last Taiwanese officials leave.

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Council monitoring situation in Macau after three officials apply to extend visas -

A shipping container loaded with products of New Zealand and Pacific Island nation Vanuatu left Port of Tauranga, the largest port in New Zealand, on Saturday for the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2022 to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10.

More than 200 companies from New Zealand have participated in the previous four editions of the expo in China, which is by far New Zealands largest trading partner.

Chen Zhiyang, economic and commercial minister-counselor of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, said China encourages more New Zealand companies to embrace the business opportunities presented by the CIIE.

CIIE is a key event in Chinas opening-up. It is a world-class forum for cooperation and a great opportunity for innovation and exploring market potentials, Chen told Xinhua.

During the past years, New Zealand companies have been actively participating in the CIIE, which provides a platform for the vast Chinese consumers to appreciate the high-quality New Zealand products such as agricultural products of dairy products, wine, meat products, honey, and health products and high-quality consumer products, he said.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand. We encourage New Zealand companies to fully avail themselves of the CIIE platform to further pragmatic cooperation and enjoy the shared economic development opportunities, Chen added.

The COSCO SHIPPING container, which was heading to China on Saturday, carried a wide range of products from New Zealand and Vanuatu, such as dairy products, honey, juice, and art crafts. The container is expected to arrive at Shanghai Port in early October.

Kang Xiaoyu, managing director of COSCO SHIPPING Lines New Zealand, told Xinhua that her team in New Zealand had been preparing for the shipment for quite a long time.

We collaborated with local companies so that we worked out individual shipping plans for them to make sure the products from New Zealand and Vanuatu arrive in Shanghai safe and sound and on time, she said.

David Song, managing director and CEO of Yashili New Zealand Dairy, said he was looking forward to the new products that the company would launch at the fifth CIIE, and highlighted the support from COSCOs New Zealand team.

Under the challenging circumstances where the global supply chain is at constant risk of disruption, it is great that COSCO supports us with high-quality services, said Song.

YTABC, a New Zealand company participating in the CIIE for the first time, said it has been preparing for the exhibition for months ahead to understand relevant policies and customs clearance procedures. The company is looking forward to showcasing its products at the CIIE.

COSCO SHIPPING is the official international shipping service provider for the CIIE.

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Products of New Zealand, Vanuatu shipped to China for import fair - Macau Business

The UN General Assembly is back in person after the pandemic disruption but in a world as full of crises as ever, with the war in Ukraine set to pit the West against Russia.

Some 150 world leaders will descend on New York for a week of diplomacy, with all required to come in person to speak save one Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, granted an exception as he leads the fight against Russian invaders.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking ahead of the summit that formally begins Tuesday, said that the worlds divisions are the widest they have been since at least the Cold War.

Our world is blighted by war, battered by climate chaos, scarred by hate and shamed by poverty, hunger and inequality, Guterres said.

As fractures deepen and trust evaporates, we need to come together around solutions.

For the two previous years, the annual meeting that jams traffic through Midtown Manhattan had been a more subdued affair with leaders allowed to send in videos.

The General Assembly voted Friday to let Zelensky speak by video. Seven nations voted against including Russia, saying that the right should be extended to all leaders, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping, not planning to travel to New York.

Several US adversaries are expected, however, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, defying loud protests from their opponents in the United States.

Richard Gowan, who follows the United Nations for the International Crisis Group, said that Zelenskys speech will get 1,000 times more attention than most in-person speeches by other leaders.

But Zelensky has to be careful.A lot of non-Western politicians are resentful of the Wests focus on Ukraine and worry that the war is distracting international attention from issueslike the global food crisis, he said.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, acknowledged the concerns, saying that despite discussions on Ukraine, it will not be the only thing that were dealing with.

We cannot ignore the rest of the world and what is happening in the rest of the world, the impact of climate change, the impact of the pandemic, conflicts elsewhere in the world, she said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday will co-chair a summit on food security with the African Union, European Union and Spain as high global prices worsened by the invasion of major grain producer Ukraine bring new hunger around the world.

French President Emmanuel Macrons office said that he will seek dialogue with our partners from the South to avoid planting this idea that its the West against the rest.

Despite the shift toward normalcy, the schedule of the General Assembly was scrambled by the death of Queen Elizabeth II. US President Joe Biden, who traditionally would have been one of the first speakers Tuesday and who would have led the food summit, will instead speak Wednesday.

And with Covid concerns lingering, the United Nations is still limiting the size of delegations and requiring the wearing of masks in the towering headquarters on the East River.

Prime Minister Liz Truss, who took office two days before the death of Britains longest-reigning monarch, will fly after the funeral to the United Nations on her first foreign trip since taking office.

The UN summit will also mark a fresh occasion to build momentum on global action on climate change, amid mounting signs that the planet is descending into dangerous levels of warming.

We have run out of time to waste, said Ambassador Walton Webson of Antigua and Barbuda, heading the Alliance of Small Island States.

Our islands are being hit with more severe and more frequent climate impacts and recovery comes at the cost of our development, he said.

Guterres said he will use the week to speak frankly with leaders amid guarded hopes for further progress on climate during the next climate summit, COP27, in Egypt in November.

by Amelie Bottollier-Depois

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UN summit returns in person to world of divisions - Macau Business

Fifty or so migrants sent to the wealthy island of Marthas Vineyard in the northeastern United States as part of a political battle over immigration will be temporarily housed at a military base not far from there, the governor of Massachusetts said Friday.

The migrants, mostly Venezuelans and including children, arrived Wednesday at Marthas Vineyard, a Democratic stronghold and popular vacation spot for the countrys political elite.

They had been put on board flights from Texas which the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, says he chartered.

Despite local mobilization to help the new arrivals, the island is not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation, and state officials developed a plan to deliver a comprehensive humanitarian response, said a statement from the administration of Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican.

State authorities on Friday offered to move the migrants, on a voluntary basis, to temporary accommodation at the nearby Joint Base Cape Cod.

Families will not be separated, the statement said, noting that the base had previously served as an emergency shelter and that the migrants would have access to care and legal services.

According to local media, the migrants were on their way to the base by midday Friday.

Some of them had said they had not known they were being sent to an island.

Local Democrat legislator Julian Cyr called for an investigation.

Whether or not this meets the legal threshold for human trafficking, this meets the moral threshold of human trafficking, he told local television, adding that he hoped the Department of Justice would look into the incident.

Sending migrants to Democratic strongholds has become a political cudgel for the American right as a means of denouncing President Joe Bidens immigration policy, which they say has allowed undocumented migrants to cross the border with Mexico in large numbers.

It is also a way to try to place immigration at the center of the campaign for the midterm elections in November.

On Thursday morning, two buses carrying migrants arrived near the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, a place chosen on purpose because she is overseeing the explosive issue of immigration for the White House. They had been sent by Texass Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

The White House on Friday again slammed the Republican governors tactics towards people who have fled the socialist regime in Venezuela.

These were children. They were moms. They were fleeing communism. And what did Governor DeSantis and Governor Abbott do to them? They use them as political pawns, treating them like chattel in a cruel, premeditated political stunt, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.

These are the kinds of tactics we see from smugglers in places like Mexico and Guatemala. And for what? A photo op? she said.

But DeSantis shot back by mocking the fact that the migrants had been transferred off the wealthy island.

By the way, they already bussed them out. They said, We want everyone. No ones illegal. And theyre gone within 48 hours, he said.

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Migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard moved to US military base - Macau Business

The number of active drilling rigs in the United States increased to 763 this week, up by four from the previous week and 251 from this time last year, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes.

These active drilling rigs included 599 oil rigs operating in U.S. oil fields, up by eight from the previous week; 162 gas rigs, down by four from last week; and two miscellaneous rigs, the same as last week.

The rigs included 744 land drilling rigs, four inland water drilling rigs, and 15 offshore drilling rigs.

Of them, 45 were directional drilling rigs, 695 were horizontal drilling rigs and 23 were vertical drilling rigs.

So far, the Permian Basin in western Texas and eastern New Mexico has been the largest source of shale oil production growth in the United States, having become an engine of supply growth outside the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in the past years.

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Number of active U.S. drilling rigs up this week - Macau Business