Record early start again for Tokyo's cherry blossoms - CNA

TOKYO: Japan announced the official start of Tokyo's cherry blossom season on Tuesday (Mar 14), 10 days earlier than usual and tied with a record early start seen only twice before.

In past years the country's meteorologists have linked the increasingly early blooms to climate change, and temperatures in Tokyo have been unseasonably mild in recent days.

Tokyo's official cherry bloom records go back 70 years and the delicate white-pink flowers have only appeared this early in 2021 and 2020, according to the weather agency.

Japan's sakura or cherry blossom season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike, and the announcement of the Tokyo season start was alerted by major news agencies and covered live on television.

The blooms are traditionally celebrated with hanami, or viewing parties, with picnics - and sometimes boozy festivities - organised beneath the trees.

But the public had been asked not to throw the parties during the pandemic, and the tourists that usually flood into the country for the season were kept out with strict border closures.

Borders reopened last October, and Tokyo parks have announced blossom revellers will be allowed to gather freely for the first time since 2019.

The season is announced underway based on the progress of blossoms on a signal tree at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency stood before media and onlookers to make the announcement.

"Today, on Mar 14, we hereby declare the sakura blossoming in Tokyo," he said, in an announcement that came six days earlier than last year.

"We've seen many warm days in March," the official said, adding: "Climate change may also have played a part."

The blooms of the ubiquitous somei-yoshino strain, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of the cherry trees planted in Japan, last only around a week and tend to emerge simultaneously in a given region because the trees are clones of a single specimen.

"Congratulations on the blooming!", an onlooker shouted after the official announcement, to a round of enthusiastic applause.

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2023-03-14 10:48:35Z
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Public holiday in Malaysia after Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win? Fake news, say government officials - CNA

No public holiday was announced for Wednesday (Mar 15) in Malaysia following Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win.

This clarification from government officials came after a manipulated image of a news article was widely shared online. 

The image, misusing the identity of Malaysian news outlet The Star, showed Yeoh giving her acceptance speech after she was named the Academy Award winner for Best Actress.

The spoofed news article was also headlined: "PM Anwar declares public holiday on Wednesday: 'This is the pride of a nation!'"

"The information shared through screenshots of news that went viral on social media is false," the Prime Minister's Department said on Monday evening. It also urged members of the public to not spread or share false or unconfirmed information. 

Star Media Group, which owns The Star's online portal, also alerted the public to the fake image on Monday evening. 

"It has come to the company's attention that a picture, depicting a manipulated image which misuses The Star's identity, is making the rounds on social media," it said.

The company added that the image was a misrepresentation of The Star's actual news coverage.

"A check on the Lifestyle section of The Star’s portal, which houses the Entertainment category, confirms that no such article was carried amid the slew of news on Yeoh’s historic Best Actress win at the 2023 Oscars," said the company. 

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2023-03-14 03:56:00Z
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China to reopen borders to foreign tourists for first time since 2020 - CNA

BEIJING: China said that it will reopen its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in three years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic by restoring the issuance of all types of visas from Wednesday (Mar 15).

The removal of this last cross-border control measure imposed to guard against COVID-19 comes after authorities last month declared victory over a recent surge in the virus.

The boost to the tourism sector should help rekindle a US$17 trillion economy that last year suffered one of its slowest rates of growth in nearly half a century.

Areas in China that required no visas prior to the pandemic will revert to visa-free entry, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. This will include the southern tourist island of Hainan and cruise ships passing through Shanghai port.

Visa-free entry to the southern manufacturing hub of Guangdong for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao will also be resumed.

The ministry also said foreigners holding visas issued before Mar 28, 2020, that are still within their validity dates will also be able to enter China.

The updated policy will also allow for the resumption of visa-free travel for those arriving on cruise ships to Shanghai as well as for certain tourist groups from Hong Kong, Macau and countries within the ASEAN regional grouping, according to a notice posted on Tuesday on a social media account affiliated with the foreign ministry's consular affairs bureau. 

The move would "further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel", it added.

The Chinese Embassy in Singapore said late on Monday that it would "resume the review and issue of all types of visas for foreigners to China", including for tourism and medical purposes.

"Resuming applications for all types of visas removes another significant barrier in the resumption of normal travel between the UK and China," Tom Simpson, managing director of China-Britain Business Council, told Reuters.

"The (council) has already seen business travel applications and arrivals begin to increase since January, however, this news should lead to a significant increase in visits in particular for tourism."

OUTBOUND TRAVEL

China, which withdrew its advisory to citizens against foreign travel in January, also added another 40 countries to its list for which group tours are allowed, bringing the total number of countries to 60.

Inbound and outbound international flights in the week of Mar 6 rose more than 350 per cent compared with a year earlier to nearly 2,500 flights, according to Chinese flight tracking APP Flight Master, though the number was still just 17.4 per cent of 2019 levels.

In 2022, just 115.7 million cross-border trips were made in and out of China, with foreigners accounting for about 4.5 million.

By contrast, China logged 670 million overall trips in 2019 before the arrival of COVID, with foreigners accounting for 97.7 million.

Beijing abandoned its zero-COVID policies in December and in January cancelled quarantine requirements for incoming travellers.

New Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that China took less than two months to achieve a "smooth transition" in its response to COVID-19 and that the country's strategies and measures had been completely correct. 

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2023-03-14 05:31:05Z
CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1yZW9wZW4tYm9yZGVycy1mb3JlaWduLXRvdXJpc3RzLWNvdmlkLTE5LXZpc2FzLWlzc3VlLTMzNDQ3MjHSAQA

Gary Lineker to return on-air with BBC after tweet row - ESPN

6:17 PM GMT

The BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on Saturday as presenters refused to work in solidarity with Gary Lineker. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The BBC has said sports presenter Gary Lineker will return on air after the corporation agreed to review its social media guidelines to settle an escalating row over its impartiality.

They were forced to axe much of their sports coverage over the weekend after presenters, pundits and commentators refused to work in a show of solidarity with Lineker, who criticised the government's immigration policy.

The publicly funded BBC had suspended Lineker for breaching its impartiality rules by comparing the rhetoric of Britain's home secretary Suella Braverman to the language used in 1930s Germany.

It said on Monday it would hold a review over how presenters can use social media, including freelancers outside news and current affairs, such as Lineker, the former England football captain who presents flagship Premier League highlights programme Match of the Day.

Lineker tweeted as the news was released, thanking everyone for their support.

After a surreal few days, I'm delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming. 1/4

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023

"I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost three decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world," he said.

"A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn't compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It's heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you."

BBC Director General Tim Davie said in a statement on Monday that Lineker was a valued part of the BBC. "I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend," he said.

Lineker said: "Also, I'd like to thank Tim Davie for his understanding during this difficult period. He has an almost impossible job keeping everybody happy, particularly in the area of impartiality. I am delighted that we'll continue to fight the good fight, together."

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2023-03-13 10:04:48Z
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Michelle Yeoh wins best actress Oscar, first ever by Asian woman - Nikkei Asia

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michelle Yeoh has won the Academy Award for best actress and made history all at once.

The Malaysian-born actor became the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress on Sunday night for her multifaceted performance in the multiversal "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

"For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility. This is proof that dreams dream big and dreams do come true," she said. "And ladies, don't let anyone ever tell you you're past your prime."

Yeoh's victory comes almost 90 years after Luise Rainer, a white actor, won the same category for donning yellowface to play a Chinese villager in "The Good Earth."

As a nominee, Yeoh was the first in the category who identified as Asian. Merle Oberon, who was nominated in 1935 for "The Dark Angel" but did not win, hid her South Asian heritage, according to birth records.

Yeoh beat out past Oscar winner Cate Blanchett ("Tar"), as well as Michelle Williams ("The Fabelmans"), Ana de Armas ("Blonde") and Andrea Riseborough ("To Leslie").

The category also received notice for who was not nominated: In a year of strong performances from Black women like Viola Davis ("The Woman King") and Danielle Deadwyler ("Till"), they were shut out. Meanwhile, some criticized the grassroots campaigning by A-listers on social media for Riseborough.

Yeoh also used her speech to honor her 84-year-old mother.

"I have to dedicate this to my mom and all the moms in the world because they are really the superheroes and without them none of us would be here tonight," she said.

Janet Yeoh got to watch her daughter's win at a live Oscar watch party in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Yeoh appeared a lock after winning seemingly every award everywhere, including the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award, for her nuanced portrayal of Evelyn, an immigrant Chinese wife, mother and laundromat operator bracing for a tax audit.

Best Actress Michelle Yeoh, center, and Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, standing second from left, pose for a photo with fellow cast of the Best Picture Oscar winner "Everything Everywhere All at Once," in the Oscars photo room at the 95th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on March 12.    © Reuters

Her win was one of seven Oscars for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," including best picture and editing. Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan also won best supporting actor Oscars. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won for best directors and original screenplay.

Yeoh got her start in the kung fu cinema world but rose to stardom in 1992 as Jackie Chan's co-star in "Supercop." American audiences got to know her even better over the next decade with hits like "Tomorrow Never Dies" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."

When she first read the script for "Everything Everywhere," Yeoh thought it was "an independent film on steroids." She was ultimately swayed by the opportunity to give voice to immigrant mothers and grandmothers who go unnoticed. The multiverse movie was also a showcase across a bevy of genres - drama, comedy, sci-fi and fantasy.

At 60, Yeoh has been heavily in demand since her standout turn as a controlling matriarch in "Crazy Rich Asians." From there, she has done everything from a "Star Trek" spinoff to Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

Yeoh will be seen later this year in the Disney+ series "American Born Chinese." She is also preparing to reunite with "Crazy Rich Asians" director Jon M. Chu for the screen adaptation of the musical "Wicked."

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2023-03-13 03:58:00Z
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Both Russia, Ukraine report high casualties in Donetsk - CNA

Both Ukraine and Russia on Sunday (May 12) reported high casualties in Ukraine's Donbas region, the focus of Moscow's slow, long-running advance into its neighbour's territory.

Much of the fighting in the east has centred on Bakhmut, largely destroyed in months of attacks and shelling by Russia during the year-old conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had suffered more than 1,100 dead in less than a week of fighting near the city.

"In less than a week, starting from 6th March, we managed to kill more than 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, Russia's irreversible loss, right there, near Bakhmut," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

He said Russian forces had also sustained 1,500 "sanitary losses" - soldiers wounded badly enough to keep them out of further action. Dozens of pieces of enemy equipment were destroyed as were more than 10 Russian ammunition depots.

Russia's defence ministry said its forces were conducting further military operations in Donetsk region which, together with adjacent Luhansk region, makes up Donbas.

The ministry said Russian forces had killed more than 220 Ukrainian service members over the past 24 hours.

"In the Donetsk direction ... more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, three armoured fighting vehicles, seven vehicles, as well as a D-30 howitzer were destroyed during the day," the ministry said.

Ukraine said on Saturday that more than 500 Russian troops had been killed or wounded in a recent 24-hour period as they battled for control of Bakhmut.

Reuters could not independently verify the accounts of either side.

Russian forces and troops from the privately run Wagner group of mercenaries have captured territory in the eastern part of the city and outskirts to the north and south but have so far failed to encircle it.

Moscow says capturing Bakhmut would punch a hole in Ukrainian defences and be a step toward seizing all of the Donbas industrial region, a major target.

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2023-03-12 20:39:00Z
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Why China re-appointed US-educated 'sea turtle' Yi Gang as central bank chief - CNA

BEIJING: Yi Gang's surprise re-appointment as China's central bank governor on Sunday (Mar 12) means a pro-market mind of high international stature will continue to represent the world's second-largest economy on the global stage.

Yi, 65, was widely expected to retire as President Xi Jinping installs close allies in key roles in a sweeping government reshuffle at the start of his precedent-breaking third five-year term.

A new leadership team, formed mostly of homegrown talent loyal to Xi, raises concerns among the international business community amid rising tensions between China and the West over trade, technology, the war in Ukraine and other issues.

But Yi retaining his post as the governor of the People's Bank of China provides some relief as a familiar face, albeit at the helm of a diminished institution, focused mainly on monetary policy after the launch of a new financial watchdog.

The PBOC governor has high global exposure through institutions such as the Group of 20, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and others.

"Yi's core competitiveness lies in his professional quality and international background," Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the economic policy commission at the state-backed China Association of Policy Science, told Reuters.

"The central bank governor is not a job that can be easily taken over by someone else. We need someone like Yi who can communicate on the international stage, such as G20," added Xu, who has previously worked at PBOC.

Yi reached retirement age and was expected to be replaced after he was dropped out of the Communist Party's Central Committee in October. Veteran Chinese banker Zhu Hexin, who heads the state-owned CITIC conglomerate, was seen as the leading candidate for the top PBOC post.

Unlike Zhu, who built his entire career in China, Yi spent more than a decade in the United States, completing his doctorate at the University of Illinois and teaching at Indiana University, making him one of China's highest-ranking "sea turtles", as overseas returnees are called.

Still, he comes from a humble background, enrolling at the elite Peking University after spending several years in the countryside during Mao Zedong's "Cultural Revolution".

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2023-03-12 08:12:00Z
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