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Roque bares Duterte, China agreement to respect status quo in WPS
Roque bares Duterte, China agreement to respect status quo in WPS.....»»
Roque: Xi, Duterte agreed to keep West Philippines Sea status quo
The Philippines under former president Rodrigo Duterte had a “gentleman’s agreement” with China to keep the status quo in the West Philippine Sea, a former Cabinet official said yesterday, as fresh tensions surround the WPS due to recent incursions by Beijing that targeted a Filipino resupply mission and a research team......»»
Philippines lodges strong protest with China over water cannon attack in disputed South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): In the wake of accusation by the Philippines that the Chinese Coast Guard wounded three of its soldiers during a water cannon attack in the disputed South China Sea, Manila on Monday summoned Beijing's envoy to lodge its strong protest, Al Jazeera reported. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement said that Manila conveyed its "strong protest against the aggressiv.....»»
Philippines lodges strong protest with China over water cannon attack in disputed South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): In the wake of accusation by the Philippines that the Chinese Coast Guard wounded three of its soldiers during a water cannon attack in the disputed South China Sea, Manila on Monday summoned Beijing's envoy to lodge its strong protest, Al Jazeera reported. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement said that Manila conveyed its "strong protest against the aggressiv.....»»
DFA summons Chinese envoy over latest sea confrontation
The DFA said in a statement that the agency summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy to protest “aggressive actions” by the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia against a civilian boat supplying troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. .....»»
From the Newsrooms: March 3 to 9, 2024
THIS WEEK the news followed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he traveled to Australia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia summit from March 4 to 6. The Australian government hosted this year's special summit in the city of Melbourne, to underscore among other issues roiling the region, maritime and security concerns in the South China Sea, an area which has been re-named by the P.....»»
From the Newsrooms: March 3 to 9, 2024
THIS WEEK the news followed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he traveled to Australia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia summit from March 4 to 6. The Australian government hosted this year's special summit in the city of Melbourne, to underscore among other issues roiling the region, maritime and security concerns in the South China Sea, an area which has been re-named by the P.....»»
Gladys, Christopher 31 years nang magdyowa; nag-iiba ang mood pagsapit ng gabi
Isinabay na rin dito ang 18th birthday ng kanilang panganay na anak na si Christophe Sommereux. Naganap ito kagabi, January 27, sa Glass Garden Events Place sa Pasig City na dinaluhan ng mga kapamilya at malalapit na kaibigan ng pamilya in and out of showbiz. Ilan sa mga celebrities na um-attend sa event ay sina.....»»
Malta hosts fresh round of Ukraine-backed peace talks
A third round of Ukrainian-backed peace talks opened in Malta Saturday with representatives from more than 60 countries but without Moscow, which denounced it as a "blatantly anti-Russian event". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the first of two days of closed-door talks among national security and policy advisors, which he hopes will drum up support for his 10-point plan to end the war. In a statement on social media afterward, he said 66 countries had taken part in the talks, proof that his plan "has gradually become global". It follows similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen this summer, with the Ukrainians hoping to eventually hold a summit at the level of heads of state. "The meeting confirmed the broad interest and increasing support for the key elements of Ukraine's Peace Formula," an EU official said Saturday. Against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel war, it also showed "that restoration of just peace is important beyond Ukraine -- it is about a global plea for respect of international law". Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova however has dismissed the Malta talks as a "blatantly anti-Russian event". They had "nothing to do with the search for a peaceful resolution", she said on Thursday. "Obviously such gatherings have absolutely no perspective, they are simply counterproductive." China absent Participants in Malta included the United States, the EU, and Britain, staunch supporters of Kyiv following Russia's February 2022 invasion. Turkey, which has offered itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, was also represented, according to a list seen by AFP before the talks opened. So too were South Africa, Brazil, and India -- all members of the influential BRICS bloc, which also includes Russia. South Africa and India have not condemned Russia's invasion, while Brazil has refused to join Western nations in sending arms to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Moscow. China, which insists it is neutral and refuses to criticize the invasion, did not attend, despite being present in Jeddah in August, according to the EU official. Organizers were hoping for a joint statement from the Malta summit after both previous meetings ended without a final declaration. Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Telegram that the discussions on Saturday were "lively" and focused on five key areas, notably the issue of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Zelensky's peace plan calls for Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine's internationally recognized borders, including from the territory of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Russia, which claimed last year to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, has rejected any settlement that would involve giving up land. The Malta talks are also looking at nuclear security, notably the need to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and how to protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter approaches. The issue of food security was also on the agenda, as Russia blocks grain exports from Ukraine; and humanitarian issues, including the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to taken to Russia. "Russia will have to give in to the international community. It will have to accept our common conditions," Yermak said. Both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a grueling winter ahead, with Ukraine warning of renewed strikes on its energy infrastructure and Russia pushing back against Kyiv's counteroffensive. The post Malta hosts fresh round of Ukraine-backed peace talks appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
White House cancels B-52s’ performance
United States First Lady Jill Biden deemed inappropriate a performance by iconic American rock band the B-52s at the state dinner for visiting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, so she canceled it. “While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening,” Biden told reporters. The New Wave band, named after a US bomber aircraft but more famous for their beehive hairdos, will still attend the state dinner but as guests, she added. Presidential military bands will provide “instrumental music” instead. Albanese arrived at the White House on Tuesday ahead of a formal state visit on Wednesday when he is expected to discuss topics including China, Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The state dinner originally features a guest chef, dishes including sarsaparilla-braised short ribs and design featuring US and Australian elements, plus music from band best known for the 1989 hit “Love Shack.” The post White House cancels B-52s’ performance appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Rockers B-52s dropped from White House dinner due to Israel-Hamas conflict
Iconic rock band the B-52s will no longer perform at a White House dinner for Australia's premier due to the "sorrow" of the Israel-Hamas conflict, First Lady Jill Biden said Tuesday. The band, best known for the 1989 hit "Love Shack", was scheduled to play at the state dinner for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday hosted by President Joe Biden. "While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening," Jill Biden told reporters. The New Wave band, named after a US bomber aircraft but more famous for their beehive hairdos, will still attend the state dinner but as guests, she added. Presidential military bands will provide "instrumental music" instead. Jill Biden made the announcement during a preview for the dinner, which will feature a guest chef, dishes including sarsaparilla-braised short ribs and design featuring US and Australian elements. Albanese arrived at the White House on Tuesday ahead of a formal state visit on Wednesday when he is expected to discuss topics including China, Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The post Rockers B-52s dropped from White House dinner due to Israel-Hamas conflict appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
North Korean defectors meet world in ‘Beyond Utopia’
Earning your subject's trust is never easy for a documentary filmmaker -- but it is even harder when they think you want to kill them. That was the challenge faced by US director Madeleine Gavin, whose movie "Beyond Utopia" follows newly escaped North Korean defectors as they flee. These include the Roh family and their elderly grandmother, who Gavin met just weeks after they bolted from their deeply repressive, reclusive homeland, and lifetimes of being fed propaganda. "I'll never forget the way that she would look at me," Gavin told AFP. In their minds at the time, "Americans practically only exist to make North Koreans miserable and to kill and attack North Koreans. "We aren't even human beings... that's what they've been taught." Soon after the Rohs sneaked across the closely guarded border into China, a local farmer connected them to an "Underground Railroad" for defectors, run by a South Korean pastor whom Gavin happened to be filming. The pastor arranged for the family to travel in secret through Communist-ruled China, Vietnam and Laos, braving police checkpoints and a treacherous jungle border crossing. The movie uses footage shot in China by the pastor's "brokers," before Gavin was able to meet and film them face-to-face herself in south-east Asia. At first, Gavin felt "a deep distrust and suspicion" from the family. But despite the powerful brainwashing they had endured in North Korea, even the 80-year-old grandmother's attitude quickly began to shift as she saw the outside world with her own eyes. "She was having none of it... She'd always been told that relative to the rest of the world, North Koreans are the luckiest people on Earth," said Gavin. "Then to be seeing a world where there are animals, and life, and toilets, even! We were a piece of that puzzle." - 'The worst thing' - When Gavin first set out to make her film -- in US theaters Monday -- it focused on North Koreans already living for many years in South Korea. On arrival in the south, many defectors attend a "resettlement facility" where they are taught about the rest of the world, the lies of Kim Jong Un's brutal regime, and basic modern practices such as how to use an ATM. But after meeting Pastor Kim Sung-eun, a prominent South Korean missionary involved in the underground network that brings escapees to the South, Gavin restructured the film to chronicle two families as they flee the north. The documentary follows Soyeon Lee, a mother who has long since escaped North Korea, but is now trying to smuggle out the son she had to leave behind. Tragedy strikes as he is captured in China, and sent back to North Korea to face punishment. Filming the mother's anguish "was really the most difficult thing," said Gavin. "What she has gone through and continues to go through is the worst thing that anyone can go through." - 'Guilt' - The other part of the film follows the Roh family as they embark on their harrowing, 3,000-mile overland journey toward Thailand, and freedom. One slip-up could see them also repatriated to North Korea, lending the documentary a dramatic tension more associated with Hollywood thrillers. But Gavin also set out to make something "experiential and present tense," which gives a "voice to actual North Koreans," whose country is mainly known to the rest of the world for its nuclear arsenal and terrifying politics. Even as they flee, the Rohs express a complex mixture of emotions, from wonder and excitement, to anger at what they have long been deprived of, to shame. Despite witnessing prosperity unthinkable back home, the grandmother "did not let up on the idea that Kim Jong Un was this incredible person, with the most difficult job before him," said Gavin. "She had enormous guilt for leaving, and that anyone who defects is basically abandoning him, and how heartbreaking it is for him." Perhaps more powerful still is the family's homesickness for the friends, neighbors, traditions and land they left behind. The movie includes -- and ends with -- footage secretly shot inside North Korea and smuggled out by the pastor's network, showing everything from the country's barbaric gulags, to the bleakness of everyday life. "As Grandma says at the end of the film, 'we're so lucky, but it keeps me up at night thinking about the people who are still there,'" said Gavin. "And so I wanted to leave the film remembering those people. Because those people are there, and they need us to help bring their voices forward." (Andrew MARSZAL) amz/hg/md © Agence France-Presse The post North Korean defectors meet world in ‘Beyond Utopia’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden says Xi meeting in November ‘a possibility’
US President Joe Biden said Friday he may meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November as Washington and Beijing push to reset ties, but added that nothing is scheduled yet. The leaders of the rival powers have not met in person or spoken for nearly a year, and tensions have mounted as an increasingly assertive China and the United States vie for global influence. "There has been no such meeting set up, but it is a possibility," Biden told journalists after reports that they were set to meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. Biden is set to host leaders from across the region on November 16 and 17 in the California city, and speculation has mounted that it could be the venue for a rapprochement. The White House had begun making plans for a meeting on the sidelines of the summit in a bid to stabilize relations, The Washington Post reported, quoting one official as saying it "it's pretty firm." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit Washington at some point ahead of the APEC summit. Beijing however has not confirmed whether Xi will attend the summit or meet with his US counterpart. The White House has also declined to elaborate on a potential meeting with Xi. 'Disappointed' The last time Biden and Xi met was in November 2022 on the sidelines of a summit in Bali. Their talks were surprisingly cordial but relations then froze over again, and there has not even been a phone call since. Biden had said last month he was "disappointed" that Xi was not attending a G20 summit in New Delhi. He added that he was "going to get to see him," although he did not elaborate. Tensions between the United States and an increasingly assertive China have mounted as the world's two largest economies push for diplomatic, military and economic influence. Bilateral ties face a long list of problems, from trade disputes to Taiwan's future to the expansive Chinese presence in the South China Sea. But the United States has been working to restore a more effective working relationship, sending a series of senior officials to China in recent months despite continuing friction. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China's Wang met in the Mediterranean island nation of Malta in mid-September in the latest attempt to reach out. The APEC forum will be a key test of whether their efforts are working, as the Asia-Pacific region is one of the main theaters where Beijing and Washington are going head-to-head. Biden has also been pushing to show that international groupings like the G20 and APEC can still deliver on problems including the economy and climate -- even when China is not involved. The post Biden says Xi meeting in November ‘a possibility’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
S. Korean migrant’s tale to open Asia’s biggest film festival
The world premiere of Jang Kun-jae's "Because I Hate Korea" will open Asia's largest film festival Wednesday night as it looks to rally from a year marked by scandal and budget cutbacks. The South Korean director's tale of a disillusioned young woman who relocates to New Zealand is among 209 official entries from 69 countries set to unspool at the Busan International Film Festival, which runs until 13 October. Eighty will be making their world premieres in the southern port city. This year's edition comes as organizers grapple with the fallout from former festival director Huh Moon-yung's resignation in May amid accusations of sexual misconduct. The scandal saw BIFF's 2023 budget reduced by about 10 percent as sponsors withdrew in the wake of the allegations, according to organizers. Kang Seung-ah, now serving as acting deputy director, acknowledged they had endured a "difficult phase" before assembling a lineup she said was "more substantial than ever before". Opening night director Jang, who noted he'd attended BIFF far more as an audience member than a filmmaker, told a late afternoon news conference he had sought to address serious questions with his film. "I believe it's necessary to pay attention to the fact that many young people are finding it difficult to navigate through Korean society. I started questioning whether our society is providing a fair and equitable foundation for young people to pursue their dreams," he told reporters after a preview screening. Based on the best-selling Chang Kang-myoung novel, "Because I Hate Korea" received support from BIFF's Asia Project Market back in 2016. South Korea has transformed itself into a cultural powerhouse since then thanks to the explosive success of the Oscar-winning "Parasite" and the Netflix series "Squid Game". "Many people are now showing great interest in Korean content such as K-pop, K-movies, and K-dramas. Living in such an era, they might develop a certain fantasy about South Korea, I think," Nam Dong-chul, the festival's acting interim director, told reporters. But "I thought it might be good to consider these views from the perspective of people living in Korea and especially the youth in South Korea", he said of the opening night choice. "They might have different thoughts and experiences." Frequent Bong Joon-ho collaborator Go Ah-sung, who delivered a memorable performance as the protagonist of "Because I Hate Korea", was unable to attend the festival due to a back injury. 'Dear Jinri' Despite Go's absence, the festival will still feature serious star power, with acclaimed Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat scheduled to receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. Three of Chow's films -- "A Better Tomorrow" (1986), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000) and 2023's "One More Chance" -- will be screened in his honour. Other highly anticipated screenings include "Dear Jinri", a documentary that features late K-pop star Sulli's last and incomplete project. Sulli, born Choi Jin-ri, took her own life in 2019 after a long struggle with online bullying. The film includes her final media interview, which has not been disclosed previously. Korea's filmmaking diaspora will also be showcased with a special series of screenings that includes "Searching" (2018), starring John Cho, and director Celine Song's Sundance favorite "Past Lives". Netflix's highly anticipated "Yellow Door: 90s Lo-fi Film Club" will also have its world premiere at BIFF. The documentary spotlights South Korea's renowned cinephile generation of the 1990s, acclaimed "Parasite" director Bong among them. "The Movie Emperor", director Ning Hao's satirical take on the Chinese film industry starring Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, is set to close the festival. Ning's comedy "deftly captures the fine line between the film industries in Hong Kong and mainland China", as well as the "delicate relationship between Western film festivals and Asian filmmakers", according to the program notes. The post S. Korean migrant’s tale to open Asia’s biggest film festival appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biggest franchise expo rides on growth
Franchising is expected to earn an unprecedented P30 billion by the end of the year, based on industry projections. During the Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 International Expo briefing on Monday, Philippine Franchise Association chairperson Sherill Quintana said that franchising revenues has reached P27 billion in the year to date, already surpassing the pre-pandemic 2019 revenues of P25 billion. With the growing local market, Quintana said global franchise brands should consider the Philippines as their “launching pad” in Asia. “The future is Asia, and the Philippines will be the launch pad for what the Asian economy will be able to seize for the global market,” Quintana said in a press conference in Quezon City. In the next five years, she said her group is expecting to reap 10 to 13 percent revenues for the industry over the next five years. PFA president Chris Lim said the exposition will be the biggest franchise show that the country hosted in the past 10 years. Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 International Franchise Expo will run from 27 to 29 October and the meetings of the World Franchise Council and the Asia Pacific Franchise Confederation from 24 to 30 October 2023. “More than a decade ago was the last time that a similar event was held in the Philippines, so it is really a very momentous occasion. And what a great way to really celebrate and to really show that we’re back in business, that the franchise industry in the Philippines is as vibrant as ever,” Lim added. SMX Convention Center taken up Franchise Asia Philippines 2023 overall co-chair Richard Sanz said this will be the first time for a franchise event to occupy the entire SMX Convention Center in Pasay City to showcase 1,000 local and global franchise brands from 26 countries. Further, he said 39 percent of the expo participants are new exhibitors with new concepts such as breastfeeding center, agriculture supplies, automated retail and convenience store, vape store and kickboxing gym. “This speaks of the vibrancy of the franchise sector with new players joining the market,” he said. Sanz mentioned that also 20 percent of the participants are international brands from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Sinapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. More than 50,000 exhibitors are expected to attend the expo. “This highlights the continued interest among Filipinos in franchising as an investment option,” Sanz said. The post Biggest franchise expo rides on growth appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biden recognizes two Pacific nations in move to counter China
President Joe Biden said the United States officially recognized the Pacific nations of Cook Islands and Niue Monday, as he hosted regional leaders in a bid to wrest influence from China. The announcement came at the start of a summit with the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum, where US officials said the president was announcing a more assertive American stance in the region. Biden said in statements that Washington recognized the Cook Islands and Niue as "sovereign and independent" states and would establish diplomatic relations with both. The move would help maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific region," said Biden. Biden added that the deals to recognize the two nations would also help curb illegal fishing, deal with climate change in a vulnerable region and boost economic growth. The Cook Islands and Niue together have fewer than 20,000 inhabitants but constitute a sprawling economic zone in the South Pacific. Both are self-governing nations in "free association" with New Zealand, meaning that their foreign and defense policies are in varying degrees linked to Wellington. After decades of being treated as a relative backwater, the South Pacific has become an important arena for competition between the United States and an increasingly assertive China. China has dramatically ramped up its economic, political and military footprint in the strategic ocean region. 'Assertiveness' There is "no question that there is some role that the PRC has played in all this," a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity, referring to China by the abbreviation of its formal name. China's "assertiveness and influence, including in this region, has been a factor that requires us to sustain our strategic focus." The forum brings together states and territories scattered across the Pacific Ocean, from Australia to sparsely populated micro-states and archipelagos. But China's influence will be felt through the absence of the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, now closely aligned with Beijing. Manasseh Sogavare, who was in New York last week to attend the UN General Assembly, did not extend his stay in the United States. "We're disappointed that he's chosen not to come to this very special summit," another White House official said. Biden had been due to follow up last year's inaugural summit with a meeting of Pacific leaders this May, in Papua New Guinea. But he cut short an Asia trip and returned stateside to address a debt-ceiling crisis. For the Washington summit, Biden has prepared a full program, kicking off with an afternoon of American football on Sunday. The leaders traveled by train to Baltimore, where they were guests of honor at an NFL game between the port city's Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts. Monday's agenda features meetings and a lunch with Biden. On Tuesday, the leaders will meet with top officials on climate and the economy, and spend time with US lawmakers. The post Biden recognizes two Pacific nations in move to counter China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Biggest-ever Asian Games ready for liftoff in China after Covid delay
The biggest Asian Games in history, boasting about 12,000 competitors -- more than the Olympics -- will open on Saturday in the Chinese city of Hangzhou after a year's delay because of Covid. Athletes including world and Olympic champions will fight for medals in 40 sports from athletics, swimming and football to eSports and bridge. Nine sports, among them boxing, break dancing and tennis, will serve as qualifiers for next year's Paris Olympics. The Games were supposed to take place last September but were postponed because of China's strict zero-Covid rules, before China's ruling Communist Party abruptly abandoned the policy. The 19th edition of the Games, which were first held in New Delhi in 1951, throws together competitors from 45 countries and territories across Asia and the Middle East. For China, which hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics in a Covid-secure "bubble" in Beijing, it is a chance to show off its organizational, sporting and technological prowess after the pandemic years cut the country off from the sporting world. "We have overcome a lot of challenges but we are now fully conditioned to hold a successful Games," Chen Weiqiang, chief spokesperson for the Games, said on Wednesday. Sport meets politics The Games will be staged at 54 venues -- 14 newly constructed -- mostly in Hangzhou but also extending to cities as far afield as Wenzhou, 300 kilometres (180 miles) south. The centerpiece is the "Big Lotus" Olympic stadium with a capacity of up to 80,000 where athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies will be staged. President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and meet Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad there, along with other visiting leaders, Chinese state media says. Assad is making his first visit to ally China since the war erupted in Syria in 2011. Russian President Vladimir Putin likewise attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, along with Xi, and weeks later launched the invasion of Ukraine. Hangzhou, a city of 12 million people an hour's bullet train from Shanghai, is famed in China for its ancient temples, gardens and its beloved West Lake. It is also the unofficial home of China's tech industry, notably the birth place of Jack Ma's Alibaba. The Games will showcase some of the latest tech to come out of the city, including driverless buses, robot dogs and facial recognition. China medal dash Hosts China have topped the medals table at every Asian Games since 1982 and are expected to do so again by the time the curtain comes down on October 8. They should reign in swimming, with Qin Haiyang fresh from his heroics at the world championships, where he announced himself as the new undisputed breaststroke king. The 24-year-old swept all three men's events and set a new world record in the 200m. In athletics, another of the most closely watched sports, India's Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra will defend his Asian Games javelin crown. His nearest competitor should be world silver medalist Arshad Nadeem from arch-rivals Pakistan and the countries are also on a collision course in cricket and hockey. ESports, in what is seen as a step toward Olympic inclusion one day, will make its full Asian Games debut having been a demonstration sport five years ago. Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as "Faker", has god-like status in League of Legends and will lead the South Korean charge at the futuristic-looking China Hangzhou Esports Centre. There is an added incentive which has caused controversy in South Korea -- winning gold will exempt them from having to do military service. A feature of the Asian Games is that it includes sports that are a little more quirky than the Olympics. Xiangqi -- also known as "Chinese chess" -- the card game bridge and the ancient wrestling discipline of kurash are all on the menu. Although the Games officially open on Saturday, the sporting action began on Tuesday, when North Korea returned to major international competition for the first time since the pandemic with a 2-0 win over Taiwan in men's football. The post Biggest-ever Asian Games ready for liftoff in China after Covid delay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
All eyes on Gucci as Milan Fashion Week opens
Milan Fashion Week opened Wednesday, kicking off six days of shows by the top names in Italian fashion with expectations high for the debut by Gucci's new creative director. Almost 70 catwalk shows are scheduled in the northern Italian city, with Fendi, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Giorgio Armani among those showing their women's spring-summer 2024 collections. The hottest ticket in town is Friday's Gucci show, the first under new artistic director Sabato De Sarno. The Italian, who previously supervised the men's and women's collections at Valentino, was named in January to replace star designer Alessandro Michele. The legendary brand, owned by French luxury group Kering, has also seen the departure of long-time chief executive Marco Bizzarri this year as it grapples with stagnating sales. There are other new faces this week, with Tom Ford making its Milan debut under the leadership of Peter Hawkings and Simone Bellotti's first collection as design director at Bally. First up was Fendi, with a collection that mixed utility and comfort, pragmatism and playfulness, with masculine tailoring combined with more fluid silks and knits in a palette dominated by orange, brown, yellow and grey. Artistic director Kim Jones said he was inspired by "women who dress for themselves and their own lives... it's not about being something, but being someone". Off the catwalk, 76 presentations and 33 events are planned, including Moschino's 40th birthday celebrations. Moncler, known for its puffer jackets, was presenting Wednesday its new collection in collaboration with musician turned designer Pharrell Williams, who made his debut for Louis Vuitton in Paris in June. And Diesel was repeating an initiative trialled with success last year, with a show Wednesday to which ordinary members of the public were able to obtain tickets. According to data from Italy's national fashion chamber, industry sales were up seven percent over the first six months of 2023. "We estimate annual sales to increase by 4.5 percent compared to 2022, at more than 103 billion euros ($110 billion)," said chamber president Carlo Capasa. Exports are forecast to be up six percent over the year. Between January and May, exports to China and Japan were up more than 18 percent. Matteo Zoppas, head of Italy's trade and investment agency, said the "Made in Italy" brand remained strong. "Compared to general growth in Italian exports of 4.8 percent in the first five months of 2023, fashion exports rose 7.4 percent in the same period -- and female fashion was up 11.4 percent," he said in a statement. The post All eyes on Gucci as Milan Fashion Week opens appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The bar for making the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak. After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India. "Tomorrow, I will welcome credible first movers and doers to our Climate Ambition Summit," Guterres said Tuesday. Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy. US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- though Kerry won't be permitted to speak. "There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said. He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty. "But I think it's also the opposition in many of these countries from the fossil fuel industry and other powerful interests to the kind of transformational changes that are needed," said Meyer. Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables. "I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added. While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend. Growing anger The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN. Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York. Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world. The failure of advanced economies, responsible for the majority of historic emissions, to honor their promises to the worst affected lower-income nations has long been a sore point in climate talks. There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter. Wednesday's summit comes weeks ahead of the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, where goals include tripling renewable energy by 2030, and ending by 2050 the generation of fossil fuel energy that isn't "abated" by carbon capture technology. The post UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Women’s tennis returns to China after Peng Shuai boycott
Professional women's tennis tournaments return to China on Monday, less than two years after the WTA vowed to boycott the country out of concern for player Peng Shuai and risks to its players and staff. The WTA tournament opening Monday in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou will be the first in mainland China since 2019 -- and while no top-20 stars are expected to attend, it is set to attract plenty of attention. The WTA suspended activities in China in December 2021, when former world doubles number one Peng briefly disappeared after making -- and then withdrawing -- accusations of sexual assault against a senior Chinese leader. Saying the issue was "bigger than business", the tennis body insisted it would not hold events in China until Beijing guaranteed the safety of Peng. "Given the current state of affairs, I am also greatly concerned about the risks that all of our players and staff could face if we were to hold events in China," WTA chief Steve Simon said at the time. Peng published a long social media post in November 2021 saying she had been "forced" into sex during a years-long, on-and-off relationship with Zhang Gaoli, a married ex-vice premier of China 39 years her senior. She has since denied she accused anyone of sexual assault and described the situation as a "huge misunderstanding". Peng has not been seen outside China since the allegations were made. In April this year though, the WTA announced the resumption of tournaments, admitting its "principled stand... a powerful message to the world" had not been able "to bring about change". "It was, in my opinion, a complete capitulation, because it was pretty obvious to anyone who knows anything about China that China wasn't going to offer a free or fair investigation into the sexual assault claims," China-based sports expert Mark Dreyer told AFP. "I really do feel they've undone all that good will that they had gained by taking a principled stance." Dreyer added that the suspension had been largely symbolic as most international sporting events were put on hold during the pandemic under China's strict zero-Covid policy. - An economic choice - China is a crucial market for the WTA, given the quality of local infrastructure and investment as well as TV rights and sponsorship deals with mainland partners. "The choice to return is an economic one," Lionel Maltese, a former member of the executive committee of the French Tennis Federation, told AFP. "The income generated in China has a strong impact on the financing and income of all players." Before the pandemic, the WTA organized 10 tournaments in China each year -- with a total of $30 million in prize money -- out of more than 60 tournaments globally. These included the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, which in 2019 offered the largest tennis prize in history: $4.4 million. China is also home to five players on the world's top 100 list. They include 20-year-old Zheng Qinwen, world number 22 and recent quarter-finalist at the US Open, and 21-year-old Wang Xinyu, this year's French Open women's doubles winner. These stars have boosted the popularity of tennis in China, along with the market's economic potential. "If you have enough big names, the money will come, the tournaments will come," Dreyer told AFP. - 'Convictions' - The headliners in Guangzhou are likely to be world number 24 Magda Linette from Poland and Romania's Sorana Cirstea, currently world number 26. It is unclear if any players will be vocal about Peng, with Maltese saying there was "no leadership among players on ethical issues". "Very few athletes are taking a stand," he said. But France's Alize Cornet, ranked 99th globally, announced this week she would skip the tournament. "Staying true to my convictions and careful about my health, I decided that I will not be playing in China this year," she wrote on social media. Peng herself could make an appearance. After her initial disappearance from public view, she has made what appeared to be orchestrated appearances at multiple sporting events, including the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. ehl-tjx/reb/qan © Agence France-Presse The post Women’s tennis returns to China after Peng Shuai boycott appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»