Connect with us
- An underwater tunnel in Bangladesh built by a Chinese company has marked the completion of the civil works of its southern tube.
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in South Asia, is located on the Kanapuri River estuary in the city of Chittagong and connects the east and west banks of the Kanapuri River.
Constructed by China Communication Construction Co Ltd, the tunnel is 9.3 km long with a design speed of 80 km per hour. The project was supported by the Export-Import Bank of China with preferential credit.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming celebrates the successful completion of civil works for a tube of the China-funded river mega tunnel in Chattogram, Bangladesh on November 26, 2022 at a ceremony.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined a celebration on Saturday virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka, thanking all the efforts involved in building the project.
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said that this tunnel will significantly optimize local transportation and facilitate connectivity between Bangladesh and neighboring countries, demonstrating Bangladesh's pivotal role in regional connectivity and a hub among the Strip countries. and the Route.
The project is also the first large-diameter submarine shield tunnel by a Chinese company abroad.
- The Israeli ministerial coalition has signed an agreement to abandon bilateral peace accords signed under international auspices, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, told reporters that the agreements and understandings declared in Israel "constitute a flagrant defiance of international resolutions and set a new stage in violation of international law."
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and the far-right Noam party signed a coalition agreement on Sunday, bringing Netanyahu one step closer to forming what is expected to be the most right-wing government in Israel's history.
On Friday, Netanyahu signed an agreement with Itamar Ben-Gvir for the latter to take over as Homeland Security Minister. The post will be an expanded version of the public security minister, under whom Ben-Gvir will be in charge of police and the paramilitary Border Police that operate alongside army soldiers in Palestinian-populated areas.
Spokesman Abu Rudeineh said that any Israeli attempt to legitimize settlements built on Palestinian land "is rejected and condemned, and these attempts will not give legitimacy to anyone."
He said that "UN Security Council Resolution 2334 clearly stated that all forms of settlement are illegal in the occupied Palestinian territories."
Abu Rudeineh also called on the United States "to clearly define its position on these Israeli understandings, which challenge international legitimacy and the positions of the international community, including the official US one." ■
-- Al-Shabab militants launched an attack on the heavily fortified Villa Rosa Hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, police said. Casualties are unknown.
A huge bomb exploded at the busy hotel, which is frequently used by government officials, local police and witnesses said.
"The forces rescued government officials and members of the public who were trapped in the building," Sadiq Dudishe, a Somali Police spokesman, told the Somali National News Agency without disclosing the number of casualties.
The police operation was underway to end the siege at the hotel, Dudishe added.
Witnesses said the extremist group set off the explosion at the gate of the hotel near the presidential palace.
"Government forces arrived at the scene to rescue people and they are still fighting the militants inside the hotel. We can hear gunshots from the hotel," a resident who asked not to be named said by phone.
Al-Shabab militants, who have been fighting to topple the government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying they attacked a meeting of officials at the hotel.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia strongly condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the Somali government and people, saying it "applauds the Somali security forces for the swift response to prevent further casualties and property damage. ". ■
- Disney and Marvel Studios' superhero film "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" led the North American box office charts for the third consecutive weekend with an estimated three-day take of $45.9 million, figures from measurement firm Comscore on Sunday.
The blockbuster has earned $367.7 million in North America to date.
Directed by African-American filmmaker Ryan Coogler, the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster "Black Panther" stars Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Florence Kasumba, among others. The film follows the heroes of the fictional kingdom of Wakanda as they fight to protect their nation from world powers that intervene after the death of King T'Challa.
Overseas, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" grossed $32.1 million over the weekend. The film has grossed an estimated $308 million internationally for a global total of $676 million. ■
- A landslide killed at least 14 people during a funeral in Cameroon's capital on Sunday, the region's governor said.
Rescue operations were underway for other people who may have been swept away in the disaster, Naseri Paul Bea, governor of Cameroon's Center region, told reporters at the scene.
The victims had gathered on top of a hill for a memorial service when the ground caved in, witnesses said.
Bea told state broadcaster CRTV that the area where the landslide occurred in Yaoundé's Damas neighborhood was a "very dangerous place," and asked people to leave before authorities entered. to clear it.
Yaoundé is one of the wettest cities in Africa, with dozens of steep hills. Heavy rains have caused several devastating floods across the country this year. ■
Pakistan's Ministry of Health announced on Sunday the launch of the third polio vaccination campaign of the year from Monday to vaccinate 13.5 million children under the age of five in 36 districts of the country.
Under the schedule, the vaccine would be administered in nine districts in the eastern Punjab province, eight districts in southern Sindh and six districts in the southwestern province of Balochistan, the ministry said in a statement.
A total of 20 cases of polio have been reported in Pakistan this year. All reported cases were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. However, the presence of poliovirus has also been detected in other parts of the country.
According to the ministry, more than 100,000 trained and dedicated health workers will take part in the vaccination campaign to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep. ■
- The energy situation will be even worse next winter in Sweden, an expert from the Swedish Energy Agency warned on Saturday.
The Swedes, who have already experienced exceptionally high energy prices, can expect even higher prices next winter, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) reported, citing Anders Wallinder, the agency's head of security of supply.
As a consequence of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe is trying to minimize its energy dependence on Russia. Before the conflict, 40 percent of the natural gas consumed in Europe was imported from Russia.
A citizen rides a bicycle on a road in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 21, 2022. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/)
Therefore, before the winter of 2023/2024, Europe will be dependent on shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and the Middle East.
In addition to being considerably more expensive than natural gas, there are practical challenges, such as the fact that the current system relies heavily on imports from the east, which would have to be replaced by terminals for shipments coming from the other direction, he reported. DN.
"This will be resolved, but not without problems," Wallinder said.
This photo taken on October 28, 2022 shows a pedestrian looking at Hogberg's lighting store in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Patrick Ekstrand/)
Unlike many other European countries, Sweden's dependence on gas is very small, according to the Swedish Energy Agency. Natural gas only accounts for 3 percent of the total energy used.
However, since the Swedish electricity grid is connected to the rest of Europe, Sweden, especially the southern regions of the country, is also affected by high energy prices, according to the DN report. ■
- The energy situation will be even worse next winter in Sweden, an expert from the Swedish Energy Agency warned on Saturday.
The Swedes, who have already experienced exceptionally high energy prices, can expect even higher prices next winter, the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) reported, citing Anders Wallinder, the agency's head of security of supply.
As a consequence of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe is trying to minimize its energy dependence on Russia. Before the conflict, 40 percent of the natural gas consumed in Europe was imported from Russia.
A citizen rides a bicycle on a road in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 21, 2022. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/)
Therefore, before the winter of 2023/2024, Europe will be dependent on shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and the Middle East.
In addition to being considerably more expensive than natural gas, there are practical challenges, such as the fact that the current system relies heavily on imports from the east, which would have to be replaced by terminals for shipments coming from the other direction, he reported. DN.
"This will be resolved, but not without problems," Wallinder said.
This photo taken on October 28, 2022 shows a pedestrian looking at Hogberg's lighting store in the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Patrick Ekstrand/)
Unlike many other European countries, Sweden's dependence on gas is very small, according to the Swedish Energy Agency. Natural gas only accounts for 3 percent of the total energy used.
However, since the Swedish electricity grid is connected to the rest of Europe, Sweden, especially the southern regions of the country, is also affected by high energy prices, according to the DN report. ■
- "We hope to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and Madagascar through Chinese songs, so that more Malagasy youth can discover China and appreciate Chinese culture," Chen Lijuan, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Antananarivo, said on the sidelines on Saturday. of the final of a Chinese song contest in the capital of Madagascar.
The final of the second edition of the Chinese singing contest titled "The Most Beautiful Voice of Madagascar", co-organized by the University of Antananarivo and Jiangxi Normal University, was held on Saturday with the participation of 23 candidates from all over the world. Indian Ocean island.
"Compared with the first edition, the second edition registered a larger number of registrations and we received more than 70 registrations in total. And the overall level of the candidates also improved compared to the previous edition," Chen said.
Andimalaza Elfinia, a third-year student at the Confucius Institute at the University of Antananarivo, won the outstanding prize, first place in the competition. "Despite the difficulty of the Chinese language, I put a lot of effort and perseverance to succeed," she said after the competition.
"I almost gave up on the song a few times because it's hard to get to that octave, and the rhythm and melody are hard to follow, but my friends encouraged me and I finally made it," she said.
Elfinia has hinted at plans to return to her home region in the northeast of the country after graduating in Chinese next year, to work as an interpreter.
For Ratovonjanahary Onisoa Melodie, who came second in the competition, the Chinese language is complicated in terms of pronunciation and writing. "But the song helped me a lot to learn the Chinese language."
"Our students especially like Chinese songs when they learn the Chinese language," Chen said, "We hope that through this contest, more Malagasy youth will find joy in learning the Chinese language, and more Malagasy youth will communicate with the youth. Chinese through music and songs, building bridges of cultural communication between youth in China and Madagascar".
On the same occasion, Zhang Wei, Minister Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar, stressed that "music is a popular form of cultural expression that knows no borders, conveys people's identification with their national culture and can strengthen understanding mutual and promote human exchanges. "
Recalling that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Madagascar, Zhang hoped that the Chinese song contest, as a "brand project of the Confucius Institute and exchange platform for youth," "can strengthen and expand the bridge of friendship between China and Madagascar, while bringing our two peoples closer through song and music."
For her part, Sendra Nirina Rajaonarison, Director of Development and Coordination of Associations at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Madagascar, stressed that language and culture are "inseparable."
"The song is one of the most important elements of a country's culture, we can say that the song will reflect the soul of a country," he added. ■
The Indonesian government plans to rebuild hundreds of houses on new, safer ground for victims of the earthquake that struck the country's West Java province, the head of the country's disaster agency said on Sunday.
The head of the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency, Suharyanto, told a press conference that the construction of new houses will begin next week on a two-hectare plot, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing.
The relocation would give priority to victims whose houses were seriously destroyed by the tremors and located in areas whose reconstruction is prohibited by the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency, Suharyanto said.
A total of 200 housing units will be rebuilt at the new location, Herman Suherman, head of the Cianjur district administration, told the press conference.
For houses that suffered severe damage but are still eligible to be rebuilt on their original location, Suharyanto said the government will provide financial assistance of up to 50 million rupees (3,186 US dollars) for reconstruction.
The government would provide Rs 25 crore to quake victims whose houses sustained moderate tremor damage and Rs 10 crore to those whose houses suffered minor damage, according to Suharyanto.
As of Sunday, the death toll from the earthquake that struck West Java on Monday rose to 321 and another 11 were missing with 73,874 people displaced. The quake also destroyed 62,628 houses, Suharyanto said. ■
Volunteers deliver aid to villagers after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, on November 27, 2022. As of Sunday, the death toll from the earthquake that struck West Java on Monday rose to 321 and 11 others were missing with 73,874 people displaced. The quake also destroyed 62,628 houses, the head of the country's disaster agency said on Sunday. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/)
Rescuers work on the ruins after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck in Sukamulya village of Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, on November 27, 2022. As of Sunday, the death toll from the earthquake that struck West Java on Monday it increased to 321 and another 11 were disappeared with 73,874 people displaced. The quake also destroyed 62,628 houses, the head of the country's disaster agency said on Sunday. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/)
