The United States expanded Ebola-related travel controls on Wednesday, adding new restrictions on Americans returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are currently working together on a DO NOT BOARD (DNB) process with regard to the DRC, DHS said in a post on X.
American citizens who are departing from the DRC may be subject to a DO NOT BOARD (DNB) order. Americans are able to return to the United States 21 days after leaving the DRC, it added.
The latest announcement came one day after the CDC announced temporarily restricting U.S. entry for all travelers who were recently in DRC and certain travelers who were recently in Uganda or South Sudan.
Since May, the DRC has been fighting an outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC has reached 2,011, including 754 deaths.
US renews travel controls for citizens leaving DR Congo over Ebola concerns
China's construction of the world's largest high-speed rail network and its philosophy of improving connectivity as a means of enabling its citizens to enjoy a higher standard of living shows how unfounded Western criticisms are over the reliability of the country's large-scale infrastructure investments, according to a former member of the UK parliament.
George Galloway, who is now leader of the Workers Party of Britain, gave his assessment on an episode of the CGTN discussion program "Beyond Borders", when he offered his take on whether China's railway construction is really "a waste of money" as some claim.
It's a question that has long been raised by many Western observers whenever news reports surface about China investing billions in large-scale infrastructure projects, such as those of the Belt and Road Initiative -- but the pace of development of China's domestic railway construction strongly suggests otherwise.
China's high-speed rail journey began in 2008 and in less than two decades, these bullet trains have come to completely transform the country's domestic transportation network, making inter-city travel across this vast country possible in a matter of hours, with trains regularly hurtling along at 350 kilometers per hour.
Last year, the country expanded its total operational mileage beyond 50,000 kilometers, while high-speed rail services are now accessible in 97 percent of Chinese cities with populations exceeding 500,000.
Speaking with CGTN, Galloway noted that China, which adheres to a people-centered philosophy in its socialist system, operates under an entirely different logic.
"Of course, those who can't hear the music think the dancers are mad. And you're playing a different tune in China. I had a conversation recently with a man who runs the railways in a country I won't specify. And he told me, 'China's wasted so much money on these railways, they've got trains going to every part of the country, everyone's linked by a railway. It's just not economic'," said Galloway.
"But of course, that depends on what you think economic means. China has a belief system that every part of the country needs to be connected with each other, that every citizen in the country has to be the equal of each other. Trains are not just for the wealthy. Railways are not just a method by which the biggest cities can be connected. So if you look at economics as being only something that makes a select number of people money, rather than an economy being a way in which everybody has their life chances and their life standards lifted -- well, you're going to come to a different conclusion, aren't you?" he continued.
China's railway expansion is backed by a long-term blueprint. According to the outline of the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the country's operational railway mileage is expected to reach 180,000 kilometers by 2030, including about 60,000 kilometers of high-speed rail.
From the snow-covered plateaus of western Sichuan to the hinterlands of the Central Plains, railway construction sites across China have been buzzing with activity throughout the year.
The country's railway development strategy prioritizes connecting every region and ensuring that the benefits of modernization reach all citizens, reflecting a development philosophy that measures success not merely by profit margins but by the lifting of living standards across the board.
Former UK MP highlights governance logic behind China's large-scale infrastructure projects
