Fear of contagion: Coronavirus toll rises ahead of Chinese New Year travel

After a Chinese "spy balloon" was sighted over the United States, another was spotted over Latin America. DW sums up what know about them so far.

The US State Department said the balloon that had flown over the US for days was part of a bigger surveillance program targeting 40 countries.

The Pentagon says the suspected spy balloon downed off the US coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for "several years," affecting countries across five continents. China says the craft was just a weather balloon.

Missing Chinese investment banker Bao Fan was preparing to move some of his fortune from China and Hong Kong to Singapore in the months leading up to his disappearance, according to four people with knowledge of his plans.

The Chinese Communist Party is expected to unveil its lowest economic growth target in decades amid an ongoing slump in the country's real estate market. Also on the show: Mexico plans food tariff cuts to confront high inflation, and Franco-Angolan business ties take centre stage as President Emmanuel Macron visits Luanda.

Since February 4th when the "Chinese spy balloon" was shot down in American airspace, several videos have emerged claiming to show "unidentified flying objects" in many international skies. We spoke to a UFO and sky anomalies expert about how Beijing's balloon sparked this type of misinformation, in this edition of Truth or Fake with Vedika Bahl.

Canadian media had reported that China preferred to see Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party retain power leading Beijing to work against the Conservative Party in federal elections.

FTX crypto exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to be arraigned on the new indictment on Thursday, where he will likely plead not guilty. He now faces 13 charges in total after the November collapse of FTX.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is making a stopover in the United States on her way to Central America. China has vowed to fight back if she meets any top US officials.

As the West cracks down on Chinese tech, video surveillance firms are also facing increased scrutiny. But global demand for Chinese surveillance cameras isn't waning, despite fears they could be used for spying.

This device is named MUA - after the sound people commonly make when blowing a kiss. It was invented by a Beijing startup, Siweifushe, to stimulate long-distance kissing. Zhao Jianbo, the inventor, said he was inspired to create the device because he couldn’t meet his girlfriend during the lockdown.

China's military advances come after Beijing condemned the meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.