The world As It Is
14102013
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Updated on : 14-10-2013 12:01 AM
Visa Exemption to Boost China-Thailand Tourism
BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhuanet) –Both tourists and tourism industry insiders are expressing optimism about the possibility of bilateral visa exemptions between Thailand and China.
On the heels of the original proposal by Thai authorities, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has told the Thai Parliament in Bangkok his government is willing to hold talks about bilateral visa exemptions for tourists from the two countries.
Li Keqiang says visa exemptions for regular passport holders will offer Chinese and Thai tourists more convenience and promote more people-to-people exchanges.
Thailand is the first country within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to enter discussions with China on this issue.
The China National Tourism Administration contends China has become Thailand’s largest tourism market.
About 3-million people traveled between the two countries last year.
That number is expected to rise to 5-million if visa exemption policy comes into effect.
Applying for a Thai visa takes between three to five days and costs about 240 yuan for Chinese citizens.
For most Chinese tourists, the cost is not the issue.
“It’s not only about saving time and energy. Visa-free travel means we can simply pack our bags and take off at any time. It’s a new holiday-making experience.”
Travel agencies are seemingly equally optimistic about the visa-free policy.
Wang Pengju, from U-Tour, one of China’s largest travel agencies, says he looks forward to seeing this development go through.
“It will definitely bring huge benefits to Thailand as a travel destination if the policy takes effect. First of all, there will be a remarkable increase of tourists. It will also boost the travel market.”
The proposed visa waiver is likely to change Chinese travel patterns.
Wang Wei with the Thailand Tourism Administration Office in Beijing says instead of joining packaged tours, Chinese tourists are more likely to create a “Do It Yourself” trip.
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Moscow tightens up security
Russian capital city of Moscow have stepped up security in the downtown areas in the wake of an unrest in the city’s southern part that led to the detainment of more than 200 people Sunday.
Live footage from the Russia-24 TV station showed that the entrance to the Manezhnaya Square outside the Kremlin complex, downtown Moscow, was closed and the square was cordoned off with metal fences. Also, special police forces and more police cars were patrolling the streets.
Russian Interior Ministry on Sunday confirmed that the police of Moscow were placed on alert and an additional police unit were dispatched to the city’s south district of Biryulyovo, where angry demonstrators earlier in the day stormed a vegetable warehouse to press for handover of suspects involved in a murder case.
The demonstrators threw stones, bottles and metal rods at the warehouse before they broke into the venue to search for the ones whom they alleged to be responsible for killing Yegor Shcherbakov, a 25-year-old local man, the Interfax news agency reported.
The situation seemed to deteriorate after the police detained some of the demonstrators and more people were waved in to forcibly free the detained but to no avail.
At least 12 Catholic pilgrims die in Amazon boat capsize
At least a dozen people have died and 6 remain missing after a boat carrying Roman Catholic pilgrims capsized on Brazil’s Amazon River. Authorities say that the search is ongoing for a group traveling to Amapa state to participate in the Our Lady of Nazare festival. Authorities are investigating the causes of the accident, including the loading capacity of the vessel.
17:59
Argentinian President discharged from hospital after surgery
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been discharged from a Buenos Aires hospital, days after successful surgery to remove a blood clot from the surface of her brain.However, Fernandez, 60, cannot resume public duties yet and has been advised to take 30 days of strict rest while her health will continue to be closely monitored, the government said, as cited by Reuters.“She’s still in an excellent mood and still in an ongoing recovery, and sends you a big kiss and lots of affection to all those who have prayed for her here and in the world,” said spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro.
17:22
France to increase troop presence in Central Africa to help prevent chaos
France will increase the number of its troops in the Central African Republic by the end of 2013 as part of a forthcoming UN resolution to help prevent the country from descending into chaos, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday, reports Reuters. Fabius and the EU’s aid chief, Kristalina Georgieva, arrived in the CAR, France’s former colony, to push for more global action. “The situation in one word: desperate,” Georgieva said, adding that “the entire population is impacted by the conflict,” cited AFP. One of the poorest countries on the planet, the CAR has been in deep crisis after rebels ousted President Francoise Bozize in March. Since the beginning of the conflict, over 400,000 people have been driven from their homes by acts of violence such as murder and rape. “We need to do humanitarian (work) but also restoring the state, because if the state is gone, warlords are going to take over,” said Georgieva. France currently has around 500 troops in the country.
Eiffel Tower evacuated after phone threat
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated Sunday evening after police received a terror threat by telephone, a police source told AFP, without going into further details. Evacuations are carried out regularly at the Paris landmark, usually after bomb threats. The previous two evacuations were on March 30 and April 9 this year.
India detains US maritime security company ship
Officers from India’s Coast Guard have seized a ship belonging to a Virginia-based security firm that specializes in combatting piracy, accusing the ship’s crew of lacking the authorization to carry weapons and ammunition in Indian waters.Anand Kumar, the Coast Guard Commandant, said that the ship, along with 10 crewmembers and 25 armed security guards, was being held in the southern port of Tuticorin until the ship’s owners provided authorization documents. Last year, two Indian fishermen were shot dead by Italian marines working as security guards on an Italian-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Kerala in southwest India. The incident highlighted the practice of loosely-regulated mercenaries who guard ships against attacks by pirates.
Detention of deposed Egyptian president Morsi extended
An Egyptian judge has extended the detention of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi for 30 days pending an investigation into his escape from the Wadi El-Natroun prison during the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, Ahram Online reports. Morsi, who was ousted from power by the military on 3 July following nationwide protests, has been held in detention ever since. A trial date for Morsi and 14 other members of his Muslim Brotherhood movement is slated for November 4.
Israel Arrests Palestinians suspected in Settler murder
Israel has arrested three Palestinians suspected in the brutal murder of a Jewish settler in the West Bank, AFP reports Shin Bet, the country’s domestic security service, as saying. Shin Bet said Odeh Farid Harub, 18, and Bashir Ahmed Harub, 21, had confessed to the killing of retired army colonel Sarya Ofer at his isolated Jordan Valley home. Police initially suspected the killing was perpetuated by Palestinian militants, but media reports later said the crime could have been the result of a botched burglary or a personal dispute. Shin Bet said they are still attempting to establish a motive for the crime.
American found hanged in Egyptian jail
An American has been found hanged in his cell at a police station in the Egyptian city of Ismailia, AFP reports. James Henry, 55, is believed to have committed suicide, Egyptian security officials say. Henry was detained in August after breaking a curfew imposed after the Egyptian military took power this summer. The man, who told authorities he was a retired US military officer, was stopped on the road between El-Arish and Rafah in North Sinai and said he was on his way to the Gaza Strip. Officials say US embassy representatives visited Henry in his cell last week. His dead body was found a day after he was told that his period of detention had been extended for a further 30 days.
Israel uncovers tunnel dug from Gaza, suspends building supplies to region
The Israeli Army says it has discovered an underground tunnel dug from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel, AP reports. The Israeli military has said that Palestinian militants were planning to use the tunnel to attack or kidnap Israeli citizens.According to the military, the 2.5 kilometer long structure appears to have been recently dug and was in use until its discovery last week. In response, Israel froze shipments of building materials to the Gaza Strip. “Due to security reasons, [the army] decided to stop for now the transfer of building materials into Gaza,” Guy Inbar, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told AFP. He did not clarify how long the ban would remain in force.Meanwhile, a Hamas military spokesman in Gaza, Abu Obeida, was defiant over the issue, writing on his Twitter page that “thousands” more tunnels would be dug out.
Iran to send second monkey into space
Iran is planning to send “another bio-capsule” with a monkey onboard into space next month, the country’s Press TV reported, citing Hamid Fazeli, the deputy head of Iran’s Space Agency. “Iran will send the second monkey … on board a liquid fuel carrier,” he said. The preparations for the flight are complete, Fazeli said, adding that the Islamic Republic plans to send other species into space during the next stages of the project, which is intended to result eventually in a manned space mission. Last month, Fazeli announced that Iran also plans to send three satellites into orbit by March 2014. In January, Tehran said it had successfully launched a monkey into space on board a craft called Pishgam (Pioneer).
Egypt to complete new draft constitution by mid-November
Egypt’s 50-member constitutional committee will vote on a new draft constitution in the first half of November, committee spokesman Mohamed Salmawy told Al-Hayat on Sunday. The draft constitution, which includes some 200 articles after the committee excluded and amended articles from the 2012 constitution and added new ones, will be discussed by the committee in the coming few weeks, Salmawy said. “Each article must receive at least 75 percent of the committee members’ votes in order to be passed,” he said. Regarding the controversial Sharia articles, Salmawy said the committee agreed not to amend Article 2 which states that Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation. However, the committee has not yet reached agreement on Article 219, which states to what extent Sharia law must be applied in judicial practice, he added.
Hundreds of students riot in Washington State
Police in riot gear used pepper balls, smoke and flash-bangs to disperse a crowd of 300 to 400 college students who rioted late Saturday in the town of Bellingham, Washington. Students turned violent after police broke up a block party at an apartment complex in the area. Students occupied an intersection, throwing beer bottles and cans at officers. Police moved in after the students refused to disperse. The extent of damage or injuries is unknown. At least for people were arrested during the riot
At least 31 killed in attacks across Iraq
A deadly wave of attacks across Iraq has killed at least eight and injured dozens more, health and medical officials told AP on condition of anonymity. In the deadliest attack, 8 people were killed and 22 more wounded when back-to-back car bombings hit a commercial market in the southern city of Hillah. Other attacks struck at outdoor markets and bus stations in the cities of Diwaniyah, Basra, Kut, Samarra, Madain and Mahmoudiyah, killing a total of 23 people.
Three injured in attack on Egyptian police bus
Three Egyptian police conscripts have been injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen on a bus in Sheikh Zuwayed city in North Sinai. Militant attacks on security forces in Egypt have been on the rise since the country’s military unseated Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July. The army has launched a campaign in the Sinai Peninsula, where the militants’ influence is strong.
Key Syrian opposition group to boycott peace conference, threatens split
The Syrian National Council said it will not attend the US and Russia-backed peace conference in Geneva, AFP reports. The group is the biggest member of the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, a broad alliance of politicians and activists opposing the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. “This means that we will not stay in the Coalition if it goes” to the peace talks, said Council president George Sabra, adding that the group would not negotiate before the fall of the Assad regime.
US soldier shot dead by Afghan man in uniform
An Afghan man donning a national army uniform shot at US soldiers in eastern Paktika province, killing at least one serviceman, local officials and the NATO-led coalition said. The so-called green-on-blue attack is the fourth in less than a month and is likely to strain tensions further between coalition trips and their allies. According to a Reuters tally, Sunday’s incident was the tenth of its kind this year, with the death toll of foreign personnel in such attacks standing at 15.
5 shot at Hmong festival in Oklahoma
Five people were injured after a gunmen opened fire at a Hmong New Year’s festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A police helicopter that happened to be near the Tulsa events center where the shooting took place Saturday night spotted a suspicious vehicle leaving the scene, which led to the arrest of two suspects, authorities said. All five victims were Hmong, an Asian ethnic group primarily from Laos. Two of the victims were shot in the torso and the other three were shot in the arms or legs, Police Capt. Mike Williams told AP. He said one of those shot in the torso was in critical condition, and another victim could lose a leg.
Egyptian fighter jet crashes near Luxor, kills 1
A Mig-21 military fighter jet used for pilot training crashed Sunday morning near Luxor in southern Egypt. The pilot ejected and was not harmed in the incident, but the jet burst into flames on landing, killing one local resident and injuring three others. The crash site has been cordoned off by security forces. The cause of the incident is unknown.
17 dead in Nigeria bus crash
Seventeen people were killed and 10 others injured when two buses traveling from Lagos to the northern Nigerian state of Katsina collided with an empty tanker truck, officials said. Two of those injured in the accident are reportedly in critical condition. The crash, which occurred in a village outside the city of Ilorin, is currently under investigation. Local officials believe that driver fatigue might have played a role in the incident. Nigeria has one of the worst road accident records in Africa, with poorly maintained roads and vehicles playing a major role in the accidents.
13 killed in bus crush in Russia
A collision between a minibus and a truck left 13 people killed and three injured in central Russia on Saturday evening. The bus, carrying 14 passengers, swerved into oncoming traffic due to a flat tire and hit the truck head-on, police reported. Both drivers and one passenger survived the collision and have been taken to hospital in serious condition. The majority of the passengers were Uzbekistan nationals.
07:50
China pledges to close 2,000 coal mines in safety push
China has announced it will close 2,000 coal mines by the end of 2015 in a bid to improve flagging safety standards. The new push to make the industry safer will target those mines that have an annual output less than 90,000 tons and have failed to comply with regulations. China’s mines are the world’s deadliest with over 1,300 people killed in incidents this year, according to figures from the Xinhua state news agency.
Media agencies
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