Before the holiday that began Jan.27, people across China scrambled for tickets, traveled long distances from their work posts to their ancestral residences for family reunions. They had good days with family members, playing fireworks, going shopping and dining, visiting temple fairs or going to cinema.
Month: February 2017
Malaysians demonstrate against Trump’s xenophobia
CITIZENS of Muslim-majority Malaysia are banding together in solidarity with those affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s seven-country immigration ban , with several groups across different political affiliations staging a protest Friday at the U.S. embassy in the capital Kuala Lumpur . The protest dubbed #NoBanNoWall saw about 150 activists, politicians and student leaders gather at 2.30pm after the Muslim Friday prayers to deliver a memorandum to the embassy.
Zimbabwe introduces new bond notes as cash crunch persists
Zimbabwe’s central bank has introduced a 5-dollar bond note into circulation in a move to ease the persisting cash challenges, according to a statement on the central bank’s website. The new purple notes amounting to 15 million started circulating Thursday to bring the total amount of bond notes in circulation to 88 million dollars.
Pope gives delegate ‘all needed powers’ for Knights of Malta
” Pope Francis has named a top Vatican archbishop as his special delegate to the troubled Knights of Malta and given him “all necessary powers” to help the sovereign religious order reform its constitutions and elect a new leader. In a letter Saturday, Francis said Becciu would act as his “exclusive spokesman” with the order, confirming the marginalization of Cardinal Raymond Burke, the conservative American ” and a critic of Francis ” who technically is the papal envoy to the order.
Kurdish-led fighters launch offensive toward Syria’s Raqqa
” U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters in northern Syria have launched a new offensive that aims to capture towns and villages east of the Islamic State -held northern city of Raqqa. The new offensive by the Syria Democratic Forces was announced Saturday in a statement read by spokeswoman Cihan Sheikh Ehmed.
Musselburgh
LANDMARQUE , backed into favouritism here just over a fortnight ago, could do no better than come home in fourth spot. However, he travelled notably well for much of the contest and was ultimately let down by a round of fencing lacking fluency.
Louvre museums reopens as Egypt identifies machete attacker
The Louvre in Paris reopened to the public Saturday morning, less than 24-hours after a machete-wielding assailant shouting “Allahu Akbar!” was shot by soldiers. In drizzly weather, tourists filed by armed police and soldiers outside the central Paris museum, which had been closed immediately after Friday’s attack.
McDevitt quits as head of Australia’s anti-doping agency
Ben McDevitt has quit as chief executive of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, warning in his outgoing statement that the country faces continuing and more sophisticated threats of doping. McDevitt on Wednesday said he will step down in May, ending a three-year period in the job which included one of the most controversial periods in Australian sport.
Rejected ad
Perhaps more than any other time in history, politics appears to be playing a larger role than ever in the Super Bowl. Bill O’Reilly is set to interview President Trump in an interview that will air before the game; former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, will do the coin toss ; Lady Gaga may or may not deliver a political message in her halftime performance; and some of the ads will tackle controversial social issues such as immigration.
Reading fun returns
The weekly program is designed for children aged three to five years as a fun way to help children to develop vital skills to become better readers. It runs every Monday during school term from 10:00am until 11:00am and usually includes two stories, some songs and an organised craft.
More than a quarter of over-65s in Worcestershire haven’t had their winter flu jab
NHS bosses are reminding people that it is not too late to get the jab, which can help protect them from the flu and the complications it can cause. Figures released by NHS England show that 28.1 per cent of over-65s across Worcestershire have not had their jab.
UN Removes Afghan Warlord Hekmatyar From Terrorist List
A screen shows the broadcast of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar during a signing ceremony with Afghan government at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 29, 2016.
Sport24.co.za | Youngs eager to face French ‘generals’
After England coach Eddie Jones talked of a “war” against France on Saturday, scrum-half Ben Youngs said opposite number Baptiste Serin was the latest French rugby “general”. Jones may be Australian but he was happy to cite the long history of military conflicts between England and France as evidence of what fans could expect when his Grand Slam champions begin their Six Nations title defence against Les Bleus at Twickenham.
Lesser Flood Evacuees In Pahang And Johor
The flood situation in Pahang has further improved following sunny days, with the number of evacuees declining to 873 from 222 families by noon today from 953 in the morning. State Malaysia Civil Defence Force director, Zainal Yusoff said the number of evacuees in Pekan district dropped to 732 from 771 .
Fire Incident At Edra’s Jimah Power Plant Promptly Put Out
A fire at Edra Power Holdings Sdn Bhd’s Jimah Power Station at Jimah, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan on Feb 2, 2017 was promptly put out and the situation was under control with zero threats. In a statement today, Edra Power said, at 8.20am on Feb 2, the current transformer of Unit 1 at the plant’s switchyard burst and caught fire.
Virat Kohli becomes second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to feature on Wisden cover
Virat Kohli becomes second Indian cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to feature on the cover of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. The India captain gets the honour for playing a key role in leading his team to series wins in all three formats against England.
Canberra teams battle for minor placings at NSW under-16s water polo championships
It’s a matter of universities versus the rest as 19 of the 43 teams contesting the NSW under-16s water polo championships in Canberra this weekend have a university gracing their team’s names.Australian Catholic University Cronulla , UNSW Western Suburbs , UTS Balmain and Sydney University are fielding teams in boys and girls across A and B divisions in the championship. SHARE Share on Facebook SHARE Share on Twitter TWEET Pin to Pinterest PIN Link Goalkeeper Leo Tuckfield deflects another shot against the Balmain Tigers in their game which ended in a 3-3 draw.
Police: Koreans safe in NegOcc
TOP officials of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office led by Senior Superintendent William Senoron met with the leaders of the Korean community Friday afternoon to assure them that they are safe in the province. The meeting, held at Nocppo headquarters at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City around 4 p.m., came on the heels of the investigations on the kidnapping of a South Korean businessman who was eventually killed inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Army, police in – combat mode’ as Duterte ends truce with Reds
THE army and the police in Negros Island Region are back to their offensive operations after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Friday the lifting of the government’s unilateral truce. Brigadier General Francisco Delfin, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, said they are now in “combat mode” after Duterte lifted the ceasefire.
Pentagon chief advocates restraint in response to Iran, China
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday that the threat from Iran’s missile program does not currently require the realignment of U.S. forces in the Middle East, striking a note of restraint shortly after the White House issued a strong warning to Tehran. Mattis, on a three-day visit to South Korea and Japan, echoed statements from the White House identifying Iran as a chief danger to U.S. security after a recent ballistic missile test.
UN removed the name of a former warlord form its blacklist
KABUL, Afghanistan – The United Nations has removed the name of a former Afghan warlord from its Islamic State group and al-Qaida sanctions list. According to a statement posted Friday by the Security Council, a U.N. committee removed Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s name from the sanctions list.
Iraqi interpreter finally arrives in U.S.
Munther Alaskry first bonded with American Marines over a shared love of Metallica. He later cleared roads of bombs for U.S. troops and translated for them, helping the military navigate his war-torn country.
Canadian men drop to 1-1 at Sydney Sevens rugby tournament
John Moonlight’s try was too little too late in Canada’s 31-19 loss to the United States on Saturday on Day 1 of the Sydney Sevens rugby tournament. The Canadians will face Argentina in a must-win game to advance to the cup quarter-finals later in the day.
Al-Qaida says Trump has ignited – the flame of jihad’ with Yemen raid
President Trump is “foolish” and has ignited the “flame of jihad” with a raid in Yemen in which civilians were killed, al-Qaeda said Friday in its first official comments on the new U.S. administration. That the raid came only days after Trump’s vow to eradicate Islamist terrorism in his inauguration speech makes it “clear for us that the threat was not directed to the Islamic militants only, but to all the Muslims, men, women and even children,” al-Qaida’s al-Nafeer bulletin said, accusing the Trump administration of intentionally killing women and children.
Neymar ‘way better’ than Ronaldo technically, claims Pele
Minas Gerais [Brazil], Feb.4 : Brazil football great Pele has claimed that Barcelona star striker Neymar is ‘technically way better’ that Real Madrid talisman and four-time Ballon d’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was named the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth time in 2016.
Days after crackdown, Hafiz Saeed’s JuD is back, under a new name
Jamaat-ud-Dawa has rebranded under the new name of ‘Tehreek Azadi Jammu and Kashmir’, just days after its chief Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest and a crackdown launched on the organisation’s activities. The Mumbai attack mastermind had indicated about a week before his arrest that he might launch TAJK to “expedite the freedom of Kashmir”.
Five memorable Africa Cup of Nations finals
The Cup of Nations final with the most goals, and plenty of excitement as hosts Ethiopia equalised twice against title-holders Egypt before scoring two extra-time goals. Mengistu Worku was the Ethiopian hero before a 30,000 crowd crammed into the Haile Selassie Stadium in Addis Ababa.
Chennai oil spill clean-up ops: How it happened
A massive clean-up operation was launched in Tiruvallur, Chennai and Kancheepuram districts after two shipping vessels had collided outside the Kamarajar Port at Tamil Nadu, resulting in rupture in one of them which led to an oil spill. Here’s a timeline of how the mishap and the resulting clean-up operations unfolded.
Pentagon chief: US has no plans to increase Mideast forces
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday the U.S. cannot afford to ignore destabilizing moves by Iran, but has no plans to respond by increasing American military forces in the Middle East. Mattis spoke at a joint news conference in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada.
NATO Chief Urges Serbia, Kosovo To Ease Tensions After Failed Talks
The head of NATO urged Serbia and Kosovo to ease tensions and revive their efforts to normalize relations after talks aimed at mending ties collapsed amid mutual recriminations this week. “Not more rhetoric but we need dialogue, we need to reduce tensions to avoid incidents…and move forward normalizing the process between Pristina and Belgrade,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa in Pristina on February 3. Kosovo and Serbia, after an attempt at negotiations abruptly broke up without result late on February 1, have engaged in an escalating war of words, accusing each other of stoking ethnic tensions.
Pentagon chief: US has no plans to increase Mideast forces
In an explicit warning to North Korea, U.S. Defense Sec… . U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min Koo salute during a welcome ceremony for Mattis at Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017.
US-Japan alliance ‘cornerstone’ of stability: Mattis1 hour ago
US Defence Secretary James Mattis today told his Japanese counterpart that their alliance remained a “cornerstone” of regional stability as he wrapped up a visit aimed at reassuring key Asian allies about Washington’s commitment to their security. Japan and the US have a decades-long security alliance while US-South Korea military ties date back to the 1950-53 Korean War.
Punjab Polls: Voting begins across 22, 615 polling stations for 117 constituencies5 min ago
Patiala [India], Feb. 4 : Polling began in Punjab amid heavy security on Saturday morning, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats, and will conclude at 5 p.m. Key contests today feature a direct fight between chief ministerial aspirants Parkash Singh Badal, 89, and Captain Amarinder Singh, 75, of the Congress in Lambi and a mega battle in Jalalabad between Sukhbir Badal and Bhagwant Singh Mann, seen as AAP’s leading contender for chief minister if the party wins. It will be a three-cornered contest this time around.
Polling in Goa begins; Parrikar among early voters1 hour ago
Panaji, Feb 4 Polling for all 40 constituencies of the Goa Legislative Assembly that will decide the fate of 250 candidates began at 7 AM today with sparse queues outside booths. More than eleven lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the election being held across 1,642 polling booths in the state with para-military forces and state police guarding the venues.
PM Modi urges young voters to turn up in record numbers for Punjab, Goa polls18 min ago
New Delhi [India], Feb. 4 : As Punjab and Goa began voting on Saturday to decide on their next governments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in huge numbers and specially asked the youngsters to exercise their voting rights. “Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turnout in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections.
Battle for Goa: Parrikar casts his vote, says BJP will win with two-third majority18 min ago
Panaji [India], Feb. 4 : With the Assembly Election polling for 40 seats underway in Goa, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar cast his vote early on Saturday morning here and expressed his confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will sweep the polls with two-third majority. Speaking to the media here after casting his vote, Parrikar said that initial reports indicate a very good turnout by the electorate.
Key clash for Flat, Hawks
EAGLEHAWK and Kangaroo Flat will lock horns in a pivotal match for the finals aspirations of both sides in BBD midweek pennant on Monday. FIGHTING TO HOLD FOURTH SPOT: Eaglehawk’s Jan Robertson.
Hollande calls on EU leaders to refuse ‘pressure’ from US
Valletta, Feb 4 – French President Francois Hollande called on European Union leaders to refuse any pressure from the US administration and to reflect a complete independence on its future, particularly on defence, trade and its relations with Russia. Hollande did not rule out the possibility of a multi-speed Europe when addressing the press during the European Union informal summit here, Xinhua news agency reported.
Voting begins in Punjab amid tight security
Chandigarh, Feb 4 – Voting began in all 117 assembly constituencies in Punjab on Saturday to decide the next government in the state. Voting commenced at 8 a.m. and will continue till evening.
Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines Revived: Why Does It Matter?
On January 24, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum expediting review of the application to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Construction of the 1,172 mile, $3.7 billion pipeline that carries oil from North Dakota into Illinois is almost complete, except for a 1,100 foot section under North Dakota’s Lake Oahe , an important reservoir on the Missouri River.