Golden week for China as tourists spend US$21 billion, but recovery ongoing - South China Morning Post

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1. Golden week for China as tourists spend US$21 billion, but recovery ongoing  South China Morning Post
2. China tourism rebounds to pre-COVID levels during May Day holiday  CNA
3. Covid: China tourism rebounds above pre-pandemic levels  BBC
4. China’s first post-pandemic May Day holiday unleashes travel frenzy  South China Morning Post
5. Chinese tourist spending rebounds to pre-pandemic levels in boost to economy  Financial Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-05-04 08:57:52Z
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Russia says US was behind Kremlin drone attack, drawing quick denial - CNA

"This is also often dictated from across the ocean ... In Washington they must clearly understand that we know this," Peskov said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC television the Russian claims were false, and that Washington does not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

Russia has said with increasing frequency that it sees the US as a direct participant in the war, intent on inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Moscow. The US denies that, saying it is arming Ukraine to defend itself and retake territory that Moscow has seized illegally in more than 14 months of war.

CALLS TO KILL ZELENSKYY

However, Peskov's allegation went further than previous Kremlin accusations against Washington.

Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time, and security analysts have poured scorn on the idea that the incident was a serious assassination attempt.

But Russia has said it reserves the right to retaliate, and hardliners including former president Dmitry Medvedev have said it should now "physically eliminate" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Peskov declined to say whether Moscow saw Zelenskyy as a legitimate target.

He said Russia had an array of options and the response would be carefully considered and balanced. He said an urgent investigation was under way.

Putin was in the Kremlin on Thursday and staff were working normally, he said.

The incident took place less than a week before Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II - an important public holiday and an opportunity for Putin to rally Russians behind what he calls Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

Peskov said air defences would be tightened, and this was happening anyway for the military parade on Red Square, the centrepiece of the holiday, just over the Kremlin wall from the site of the alleged attack.

He said the parade would go ahead as normal, and include a speech from Putin.

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2023-05-04 12:05:00Z
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'Enough is enough': Johor Sultan speaks out against efforts to derail political stability in Malaysia - CNA

Following this, Mr Anwar said on Monday that the parties in his unity government are strong enough to defend against any plot to topple the government. 

“As far as we can see, the position (of the government) is quite strong,” Mr Anwar was quoted as saying by Bernama. 

He also told reporters that the four political coalitions in the unity government - BN, Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) - have expressed their commitment to defend the unity government. 

In March this year, local media reported Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang as saying that based on Malaysia’s democratic system, no one had the right to stop PN’s efforts to topple the government of the day. 

PAS is a component party of the PN coalition.

Mr Abdul Hadi said that such an attempt can be done either through a vote of no-confidence or via statutory declarations, according to Bernama.

Mr Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on Nov 24 last year after the 15th General Election failed to produce a clear winner.

He leads a unity government comprising his PH coalition and the previous ruling coalition BN, among other parties. Other parties and coalitions that currently back the unity government include GPS, GRS and Parti Warisan.

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2023-05-04 03:39:00Z
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China tourism rebounds to pre-COVID levels during May Day holiday - CNA

SHANGHAI: China's tourism business during the May Day holiday rebounded to pre-COVID levels, as the number of domestic trips rose by 70.8 per cent from a year earlier, government data showed on Wednesday (May 3).

If sustained, a recovery in the service sector could ease worries that China's post-pandemic economic recovery is loosing momentum as the property market remains soft, and exports face headwinds.

Travel-hungry Chinese made 274 million domestic trips during the five-day break that began on Saturday, a rise of 70.8 per cent from a year earlier, and 19 per cent more than during 2019, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on its website.

During these trips, Chinese tourists spent 148 billion yuan (US$21.42 billion) in total, a 128.9 per cent increase from a year earlier, and on a par with 2019 levels.

The figures from this year's May Day holiday - the first travel season since the pandemic without restrictions - are being monitored as a gauge of China's economic health.

Asset manager Vontobel said it believes China's recovery should accelerate, benefiting companies that cater to domestic consumers across leisure and e-commerce, as well as travel-focused businesses in China and across Asia.

The travel boom during the May holiday "can be seen as a turning point of China's tourism sector", official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.

The China Tourism Academy estimates that about 4.55 billion domestic tourist trips will be made this year, up 73 per cent from 2022, Xinhua reported.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday that it had launched a month-long campaign during the holiday to promote domestic travel and leisure, and local governments are also making efforts to boost consumption.

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2023-05-03 13:40:49Z
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Number of child marriages falling too slowly: UNICEF - CNA

"At current pace, we might have to wait 300 years to eliminate child marriage," Cappa warned, adding that the majority of these marriages involve girls aged 12 to 17.

And even that fragile progress is under threat - UNICEF also fears that the convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts and the growing impacts of climate change could reverse the hard-won gains.

COVID-19 alone could be responsible for an additional 10 million underage marriages between 2020 and 2030, it said.

"The world is engulfed by crises on top of crises that are crushing the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be students, not brides," said UNICEF boss Catherine Russell in a statement.

Such crises can see families feel forced to marry children off as a means of security.

"Although child marriage is a clear violation of children's rights, it is often seen by families as a 'protective' measure for girls, providing financial, social or even physical protection," the report notes.

It is also a way to have one less mouth to feed.

Geographically, South Asia is the driving force behind the decline in girls' marriages.

However, the region still accounts for about 45 per cent of the 640 million women today who were married as children. India alone accounts for a third.

UNICEF is particularly concerned about the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, which appears to be bucking the trend.

"Girls there now experience the highest risk of child marriage in the world, with one in three marrying before age 18," the report said.

It expects the number of child brides there to increase by 10 per cent by 2030.

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2023-05-03 03:47:00Z
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Hooked on heroin at 12: Worrying trend of young drug abusers in Singapore, says CNB - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - She took cannabis when she was 12 years old, attended drug parties for three years and got hooked on heroin after her boyfriend introduced it to her.

When she was 15, her aunt found heroin in her bag and called the police, saving her from a life of drugs.

Ms Carol Wee, now 42, knows how easy it can be for the young to get ensnared by drugs because three decades on, the drug situation in Singapore, while much improved, has not gone away.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has always been worried about young people and drugs.

A first-ever survey on drug prevalence conducted by the Institute of Mental Health found that the mean age of the onset of drug consumption among Singaporeans and permanent residents was 15.9 years.

Ms Wee spoke to The Straits Times on Wednesday at the CNB workplan seminar where the survey results were released.

Aimed at examining the prevalence of illicit drug consumption, the survey involved 6,509 Singaporeans and permanent residents between 15 and 65 years old.

It was carried out between April 2021 and July 2022 and was representative of Singapore’s resident population by age, race and gender.

Recalling how she took drugs as a child, Ms Wee said: “I lost my parents at a young age and mixed with the wrong group of friends in school. It started with playing truant, then glue-sniffing.

“Later came the drug parties, where we would take cannabis. My boyfriend at the time also encouraged me to try heroin, and I did.”

When she was 15, her aunt looked through her bag and found heroin.

“She called the cops on me and I felt so angry and betrayed. It was only years later that I realised she did it for my sake, to save me,” said Ms Wee.

She now volunteers at The Turning Point, a non-profit organisation that helps women overcome drug addiction.

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2023-05-03 08:39:17Z
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Zelenskyy was not warned of US secret documents leak: Report - CNA

WASHINGTON: Washington did not warn Kyiv about the top-secret documents leaked to internet chat rooms - containing sensitive information about Ukraine's war effort - before the news broke in the media last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Washington Post.

The embarrassing security breach revealed US unease about a coming counteroffensive by Kyiv's forces against Russian troops as well as concerns about Ukrainian air defences.

"I did not receive information from the White House or the Pentagon beforehand," Zelenskyy told the newspaper in an interview in Kyiv on Monday (May 1).

"We did not have that information. I personally did not. It's definitely a bad story," he said, calling the situation "unprofitable".

Speaking on CNN, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder would not confirm or deny Zelenskyy's claim, saying only that Washington remains "committed to working very closely with Ukraine and our international allies to ensure that they have the security assistance they need to be able to defend their country."

Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old IT specialist with the US Air Force National Guard, is accused of posting classified material online in the most damaging government leak in a decade.

Last month, he was arrested and charged on two counts over the breach, which the Pentagon has said poses a "very serious risk" to national security.

"It is not beneficial to the reputation of the White House, and I believe it is not beneficial to the reputation of the United States," Zelenskyy told the Post.

The documents also contained information on Russian and Ukrainian troop casualties and equipment losses, details about NATO observation flights over the Black Sea, and accounts which point to American surveillance of close partner Ukraine.

"Anything that informs our enemy in advance in one way or another is definitely a minus for us," Zelenskyy told the Post, while refusing to confirm or deny the veracity of any of the exposed material.

According to the newspaper, Zelenskyy said he must prioritise the larger war effort over his personal feelings on the lack of communication by the United States, which has contributed billions of dollars in support since Russia's invasion in February 2022.

"I cannot risk our state," he told the newspaper.

"Where I can speak frankly, I do it. But there are high risks," he added.

Teixeira is suspected of posting the documents, some dated as recently as early March, to a private chat group on the social media platform Discord over a period of months.

Some of the documents later appeared on other sites, including Twitter, 4Chan and Telegram, with some also showing Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea.

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2023-05-03 00:53:00Z
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