NEWS

Around Asia Pacific in seven stories…

FOOD & DRINK

DOMINO’S DRONE DELIVERY EXPANSION

GLOBAL PIZZA CHAIN Domino’s says that it is preparing to extend its drone delivery service in New Zealand and reassures its employees that delivery driver jobs are not in danger.

The company achieved its first drone-delivered pizza order back in 2016, and has now made a deal with SkyDrop, a drone delivery company, for further trials in the country. SkyDrop has developed a faster, safer and quieter drone that can carry up to 3.5 kilogrammes in its payload.

According to Domino’s, drones will be key to the future of pizza deliveries, however it would not come at the expense of company drivers who are integral to the business.

TRANSPORT

CHINA UNVEILS HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PROTOTYPE

CHINA HAS UNVEILED a prototype high-speed Maglev train that can reach top speeds of 620 kilometres (385 miles) per hour.

China is the current leader when it comes to the largest high-speed rail network (over 37,000 kilometres) with its first Maglev train having begun operation in 2003.

The new sleek 21-metre-long vessel was revealed in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in January and runs on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power that makes the train seem as if it is hovering across the magnetised tracks.

According to experts who worked on the prototype, the train may be “operational” within 10 years’ time.

SPORTS

CONTROVERSY OVER THE BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS

THE BEIJING WINTER Olympics 2022 is underway, having started on 04-February. The Games will go on until 20-February, with around 3,000 athletes competing in 109 events.

The government and businesses in China are spending almost $4 billion on the Games, however, the event has caused controversy in a variety of ways.

Among worries regarding COVID-19 there are environmental concerns, such as China’s use of 1.2 million cubic metres of artificial snow across the Games, and even claims of poor performance conditions from athletes.

A number of countries have declared a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics due to concerns regarding China’s human rights record, meaning that some top officials will not attend the Games.

AEROSPACE

US APPROVES MISSILE DEFENCE SALE TO TAIWAN

THE US HAS approved a potential $100 million missile defence sale to Taiwan. The sale includes military equipment and engineering services to support the Patriot missile defence system.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposed sale “serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability”, as well as to “help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic balance in the region.”

Taiwan “highly welcomes” the proposed deal, and has expressed gratitude towards the US for its commitment towards Taiwan’s national security.

TRAVEL

AUSTRALIA TO REOPEN TO VACCINATED TRAVELLERS

AUSTRALIA IS TO reopen to fully vaccinated international travellers from late February, as announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The country has been slowly easing restrictions since its closure to the majority of travellers that started in early 2020, working through travel programmes in collaboration with New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Japan.

At present, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families, backpackers, migrant workers and international students are permitted entry to the country, although they must show proof of two approved vaccine doses.

TECHNOLOGY

India plans to launch digital currency

INDIA IS PLANNING to launch a digital version of the rupee that will make the country the latest to join the global stage of state-backed virtual currencies.

India’s central banks are expecting to introduce the digital rupee utilising blockchain and alternative technologies in the new financial year.

Digital payments have risen substantially across the country since 2016, when the largest of the rupee bank notes were banned in an attempt to combat corruption and money laundering.

Some of the largest global tech companies, including Google and Meta, have joined India’s online payments space.

FOOD & DRINK

All aboard New Zealand’s ‘winery airline’

THE WORLD’S FIRST ‘winery airline’ is to be launched by beverage company Invivo, based in Auckland, New Zealand.

The ‘Invivo Air’ route will operate from the North Island to Queenstown, in the South Island, during 2022, with its maiden flight chartering a 34-seater Swedish Saab plane. The flight will allow visitors to try a range of Invivo wines during their journey.

The two-hour flight is only one part of the 24-hour experience, that includes a visit and tour of Invivo’s Central Otago growers and a hotel stay at The Hilton Queenstown once visitors have arrived in the South Island.

The launch is a celebration of Auckland reopening its borders in December, and a bid to promote domestic tourism in the country.