Drawing on COVID Lessons, China Passes Law to Improve Emergency Response https://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5185391-drawing-covid-lessons-china-passes-law-improve-emergency-response%C2%A0
Drawing on COVID Lessons, China Passes Law to Improve Emergency Response
Vehicles travel on a flyover bridge in Beijing, China, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP)
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Drawing on COVID Lessons, China Passes Law to Improve Emergency Response
Vehicles travel on a flyover bridge in Beijing, China, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP)
China's top lawmakers on Friday passed a bill to quicken public health emergency responses by empowering individuals and allowing them to report emergencies, bypassing the government's usual hierarchical structure.
The law will take effect from November 1, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The Chinese city of Wuhan, original epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, was accused of dragging its feet on reporting the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus in late 2019.
An ophthalmologist at a hospital in Wuhan shared information about the disease in early 2020 but was reprimanded by local police for "spreading rumors". He died a month later, triggering a wave of public mourning and anger.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing has required faster local action for public health emergencies and improved early detection and containment.
Any individual or unit who discovers a public health emergency can bypass intermediate levels to report the incident to the local government or the disease prevention and control agency, according to a draft of the law.
After a public health emergency occurs, the county government where the incident takes place should immediately initiate response efforts and can report to an even higher authority if needed, the draft says.
During an emergency response to a public health event, local governments at or above the county level should provide basic medical services, offer special care and ensure medical care, it says.
According to the World Health Organization, as of the end of 2023, up to 21 million people might have died of COVID-19 worldwide, exceeding the official tally of around 7 million.
Cypriot Fishermen Battle Invasive Lionfish and Turn Them into a Delicacyhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5223597-cypriot-fishermen-battle-invasive-lionfish-and-turn-them-delicacy
A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
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Cypriot Fishermen Battle Invasive Lionfish and Turn Them into a Delicacy
A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
Photis Gaitanos’ rough fingers adroitly untangle the venomous spikes of a lionfish from a net, throwing the exotic-looking creature into an ice-filled rubber bin along with other fish from the day’s catch.
Unlike a few years ago when he would have mostly caught local staples as sea bream, red mullet or bass, the veteran fisherman now hunts for the invasive species that made its way from the Red Sea to the warming waters of the Mediterranean,
Lionfish, with their red and orange-hued stripes and antennae-like barbs that menacingly ward off enemies, threaten to decimate indigenous fish stocks, wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of the roughly 150 professional fishermen in Cyprus.
The prickly fish has even made its way as far north as the Ionian Sea, where Italian authorities have asked the public to photograph and report sightings.
The East Mediterranean has also seen another invasive Red Sea fish in the last decade: the silver-cheeked toadfish. Known as an eating machine whose powerful jaws cut through fishing nets, decimating fishermen’s catch, it has no natural predators off Cyprus, allowing its population to explode.
That toadfish also produces a lethal toxin, making it inedible.
Warmer waters are the culprit
Gaitanos, the 60-year-old fisherman, has fished for years in an area a few kilometers off the coastal town of Larnaca, once famous for its fishing bounty. Now, he says, it’s been more than two years since he’s caught a red mullet, a consumer favorite.
"I have been practicing this profession for 40 years. Our income, especially since these two foreign species appeared, has become worse every year. It is now a major problem (affecting) the future of fishing," he said. "How can it be dealt with?"
Europe’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean says with the sea warming some 20% faster than the global average, the presence of invasive species "is progressively increasing in the western basin."
Models show that warmer seas as a result of climate change could see lionfish swarm the entire Mediterranean by the century’s end. Warmer waters and an expanded Suez Canal "have opened the floodgates" to Indo-Pacific species in general, according to Cyprus’ Fisheries Department.
Lionfish, center, are seen at Stefanios restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
The European Union’s Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis, a Cypriot himself, told The Associated Press that more frequent and intense extreme weather, often linked to climate change, could make the Mediterranean more hospitable to invasive species.
And that’s taking a heavy toll on Europe’s fishing industry as fishermen’s catches diminish while their costs shoot up as a result of repairs to fishing gear damaged by the powerful intruders.
"The native marine biodiversity of a specific region, as in the case of Cyprus, faces heightened competition and pressure, with implications for local ecosystems and industries dependent on them," said Kadis.
Fishermen cry for help
Gaitanos, who inherited his father’s boat in 1986, is not sure the fishermen’s grievances are being handled in a way that can stave off the profession’s decline.
"We want to show the European Union that there’s a big problem with the quantity of the catch as well as the kind of fish caught, affected by the arrival of these invasive species and by climate change," he said.
Some EU-funded compensation programs have been enacted to help fishermen. The latest, enforced last year, pays fishermen about 4.73 euros ($5.5) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to catch toadfish to control their number. The toadfish are then sent to incinerators.
Another project, RELIONMED, which began in 2017, recruits some 100 scuba divers to cull lionfish around wrecks, reefs and marine protected areas. The Cyprus Fisheries Department says surveys show that frequent culls could buy time for native species to recover, but it’s not a permanent fix.
Some try eating the problem
What local fishermen are hoping will catch on with the fish-loving public is a new campaign to serve lionfish as a delicacy after its poisonous spines are carefully removed.
Kadis, the EU Fisheries commissioner, said a social media campaign that began in 2021, #TasteTheOcean, had top European chefs and influencers plugging invasive species as a tasty alternative to the more commonly consumed fish. Renowned Cypriot chef Stavris Georgiou worked up a lionfish recipe of his own.
For most Cypriots, local taverns with their rich meze menus that feature numerous plates different fish is the way to go. Although eating lionfish has been slow to catch on, many tavernas and fish restaurants have started to introduce it as part of their menu.
The bonus is that lionfish is now priced competitively compared to more popular fish like sea bass. At the Larnaca harbor fish market, lionfish cost less than half as much as more popular fish like sea bass.
"By incorporating invasive species such as lionfish into our diet, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity for the fisheries sector and at the same time help limit the environmental threat caused by these species," Kadis said
Stephanos Mentonis, who runs a popular fish tavern in Larnaca, has included lionfish on his meze menu as a way to introduce the fish to a wider number of patrons.
Mentonis, 54, says most of his customers aren’t familiar with lionfish. But its meat is fluffy and tender, and he says it can hold up against perennial tavern favorites like sea bream.
"When they try it, it’s not any less tasty than any other fish," he said.
Massive Crash on Highway in Japan Kills 1 Person, Injures 26 as Holiday Season Startshttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5223595-massive-crash-highway-japan-kills-1-person-injures-26-holiday-season-starts
Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Massive Crash on Highway in Japan Kills 1 Person, Injures 26 as Holiday Season Starts
Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
A massive crash in snowy weather killed one person and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its end-of-the-year holiday season.
The Gunma prefectural highway police said Saturday that the pileup on the Kan-etsu Expressway started with a collision between two trucks in the town of Minakami, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Tokyo.
A 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died, police said. Out of the 26 injured, five were reported to be in serious condition.
The crash of the trucks blocked parts of the expressway, and cars coming from behind them were unable to brake on the snowy surface. More than 50 vehicles were involved in the pileup, police said.
A fire erupted at the far end of the pileup, spreading to more than a dozen vehicles, some of which were completely burned. Nobody was injured from the fire, which was extinguished about seven hours later, police said.
A warning about heavy snow was in effect late Friday, when many Japanese started their year-end and New Year holidays.
Parts of the expressway remained closed for police investigation, removal and cleaning of the wreckage.
Times Square to Feature Patriotic Crystal Ball for New Year's Eve, Kicking Off US's 250th Birthdayhttps://english.aawsat.com/varieties/5223463-times-square-feature-patriotic-crystal-ball-new-years-eve-kicking-uss-250th
FILE - The 7-foot tall "2026" numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)
Times Square to Feature Patriotic Crystal Ball for New Year's Eve, Kicking Off US's 250th Birthday
FILE - The 7-foot tall "2026" numerals are displayed at an illumination ceremony in Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)
After the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve in New York City, it will rise again, sparkling in red, white and blue to usher in 2026 and kick off months of celebrations for the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday.
The patriotic touches at this year's Times Square gathering, including a second confetti drop, will offer an early glimpse of what’s ahead: hundreds of events and programs, big and small, planned nationwide to mark the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
“I’m telling you right now, whatever you’re imagining, it’s going to be much more than that,” said America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who oversees the bipartisan commission created by Congress in 2016 to organize the semiquincentennial anniversary. “It’s going to be one for the ages, the most inspirational celebration this country and maybe the world has ever seen.”
According to The Associated Press, Rios and her group worked with the Times Square Alliance business district and One Times Square, the building from where the ball is dropped, to make the changes to this year's ceremonies.
They're also planning a second ball drop event on July 3, the eve of the nation's birthday, “in the same beautiful style that Times Square knows how to do it," Rios said.
It will mark the first time in 120 years there will be ball drop in Times Square that doesn't occur on New Year's Eve, she said.
A New Year’s Eve ball was first dropped in Times Square in 1907. Built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, the 700-pound (318-kilogram), 5-foot- (1.5-meter-) diameter ball was made of iron and wood and featured 100 25-watt light bulbs. Last year, the Constellation Ball, the ninth and largest version, was unveiled. It measured about 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter and weighs nearly 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms).
The only years when no ball drop occurred were 1942 and 1943, when the city instituted a nightly “dimout” during World War II to protect itself from attacks. Crowds instead celebrated the new year with a moment of silence followed by chimes rung from the base of One Times Square.
This year, the stroke of midnight will also mark the official launch of America Gives, a national service initiative created by America250. Organizers hope to make 2026 the largest year of volunteer hours ever aggregated in the country.
On the following day, America250 will participate in the New Years Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, with a float themed “Soaring Onward Together for 250 Years." It will feature three larger-than-life bald eagles representing the country’s past, present and future.
“We want to ring in this new year from sea to shining sea. What better way to think about it than going from New York to California,” Rios said. “This has to be community-driven, this has be grassroots. We’re going from Guam to Alaska, from Fairbanks to Philadelphia, and everything in between.”
President Donald Trump has also announced the “Freedom 250” initiative to coordinate additional events for the 250th anniversary.
Rios said she sees the wide range of celebrations and programs planned for the coming months, from large fireworks displays and statewide potluck suppers to student contests and citizen oral histories, as an opportunity to unite a politically divided nation.
“If we can find something for everyone ... having those menus of options that people can pick and choose how they want to participate," she said. “That’s how we’re going to get to engaging 350 million Americans.”
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