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The Yemeni Houthis drove the government army out of Harad city in the Yemeni northern province of Hajjah on Saturday, killing more than 60 soldiers and wounding 140 others, an army source said.

HAJJAH, Yemen, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — “The rebels recaptured the al-Mihsam military camp and the range of high mountains from the army during today’s battle,” the source on the frontline told Xinhua.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

“The rebel snipers killed more than 60 soldiers who had infiltrated into the southern and western neighborhoods and wounded 140 others,” he said.

The Saudi-led coalition forces backing the Yemeni government army launched three airstrikes against the Houthi advance, the source said, adding that “the army now is out of this strategic city,” which borders Saudi Arabia.

The defeat is a major blow to the Yemeni government army which had recaptured most of the city in a fierce battle that began last week.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control over northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to exile.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

Xinhua

Published : February 13, 2022

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China’s gold consumption boomed during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, up 13 percent year on year, according to data from the China Gold Association.

BEIJING, Feb. 12 — Gold ornaments and bars were among the best-selling products during the holiday, a traditional peak season for gold consumption.

“Sales increased by double digits during the holiday,” said Wang He, an employee at the Caibai Jewelry Co., a leading gold retailer.

Winter Olympic gold and silver bars as well as commemorative gold and silver badges were also popular among consumers.

The country’s gold consumption totaled 1,120.9 tonnes last year, an increase of 36.53 percent from a year ago, or up 11.78 percent compared to that of 2019, the association said. 

Xinhua

Published : February 13, 2022

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Thanks to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, consumption related to the ice-snow industry has gained steam across China. The revenue of ice and snow tourism in the country is expected to exceed 320 billion yuan (about 50 billion U.S. dollars) from 2021 to 2022, according to the China Tourism Academy.

SHANGHAI, Feb. 12 — Shen Ying, a Shanghai native, developed a fascination for skiing seven years ago when she tried the sport for the first time in northeast China’s Changbai Mountain.

Since then her family would visit North China every winter to enjoy ice-snow sports, where she could hire professional instructors and train using advanced equipment.

“Skiing is addictive! We look for chances to go skiing when on business trips to the north,” said the 36-year-old bank clerk. Her son, who is only two years old, has already savored sporting activities in an ice rink in Shanghai.

While residents of northern provinces remain the main consumers of winter sports due to relatively favorable snow conditions and temperatures, data shows that such recreational activities are also increasingly sought after in southern Chinese cities.

Bookings for ice-snow tourism soared over 30 percent year on year in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, said the city’s administration of culture and tourism.

Ice and snow scenic spots in the cities of Xianning and Yichang, in central China’s Hubei Province, both received over 30,000 tourists during the holiday, up approximately 60 percent year on year respectively.

Shanghai and Guangzhou, boasting professional facilities and venues, have been listed among popular destinations for consumption involving the ice and snow industry, according to Mafengwo, a travel service, and social networking platform.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, consumers in southern China no longer go on inter-provincial ice and snow tours as before, and their repurchase rate of ice and snow sport activities in places nearby is higher, with more focus on the professionality of the equipment and venues, according to online platforms such as Trip.com Group and Meituan.

Though cities and provinces in southern China such as Shanghai, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guizhou have a temperate climate, their pursuits in the development of snow and ice sports remain unaffected.

The ice-snow industry has been all the rage in both northern and southern parts of China, said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy. “The country’s investment in this field has shifted from scale expansion to high-quality development, and new forms of ice and snow products can be seen in every province.” 

Xinhua

Published : February 13, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012269

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation Saturday over the situation in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW, Feb. 12 — During the call, which lasted for about one hour, the two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and related security issues, according to a White House statement and the Kremlin.

The White House said Biden made it clear to Putin “while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy,” it is “equally prepared for other scenarios”.

Direct engagements between the United States and Russia have yielded little substantial progress, with the Kremlin saying the White House failed to address its key security concerns and the Biden administration repeatedly warning Putin’s government of severe economic sanctions if it were to invade Ukraine.

Joe Biden mentioned possible anti-Russian sanctions. At the same time, this issue was not at the center of the fairly long conversation with the Russian leader.

Russia has not received a substantive response from the U.S. on security guarantees, Sputnik reported, quoting Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Russia will soon submit its response to the U.S. and NATO on security guarantees, Ushakov said, adding the two leaders agreed to continue contacts.

Speaking to reporters during a media briefing, Ushakov revealed that the talks were staged on Washington’s request with the US citing fears of an allegedly imminent ‘invasion’ of Ukraine by Russia. The Putin-Biden talks were originally scheduled to take place on Monday, the official added.

Putin has criticized Western efforts to militarize and “pump” Ukraine full of modern weaponry, and such policies effectively encourage Kyiv to try and resolve the conflict in the country’s east by force.

“At the backdrop of the allegations regarding the ‘invasion’, conditions are being created for possible provocative actions by the Ukrainian armed forces,” he said.

Russia’s president spoke with Biden about “destructive” policies pursued by the Ukrainian authorities to “sabotage” the Minsk agreements, a major 2015 multinational deal that outlined a roadmap out of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv forces face off the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. 

Russia’s president stressed that the Western countries do not put enough “pressure” on Kyiv to fulfill the deal.

Still, the sanctions talk was not the centerpiece of the Putin-Biden conversation, and all in all, it was constructive and “businesslike,” Ushakov noted.

Over the past few months, top Western officials and media have repeatedly accused Moscow of seeking to attack Ukraine, with the allegedly looming ‘invasion’ repeatedly described as “imminent.” No solid evidence to back up such claims, however, has ever emerged.
 

Published : February 13, 2022

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012264

“Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19; those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means,” read an updated advisory posted on the website of the U.S. State Department.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday urged Americans currently in Ukraine to leave the country “now,” citing what it said was “increased threats of Russian military action” against Ukraine.

“Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19; those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means,” read an updated advisory posted on the website of the U.S. State Department.

The United States has been releasing intelligence which it claims is proof that Russia is prepared to mount a military aggression against Ukraine any time now, but Moscow has accused Washington of “hysteria” over tensions near Ukraine.

Direct engagements between the United States and Russia have yielded little substantial progress, with the Kremlin saying the White House failed to address its key security concerns.

Multiple media outlets reported that U.S. President Joe Biden will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin over telephone on Saturday, moving up a Kremlin-proposed schedule from Monday. 

Published : February 12, 2022

By : Xinhua

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South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region reported 30 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, all in the city of Baise, the regional health commission said Saturday.

The region also reported two imported COVID-19 confirmed cases and five imported asymptomatic cases on Friday, bringing the total number of such cases to 99 and 153, respectively.

Guangxi currently has 250 locally-transmitted confirmed cases and two local asymptomatic carriers, the health commission said, adding that a total of 3,463 close contacts are currently under medical observation.

Published : February 12, 2022

By : Xinhua

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A Taliban spokesman has criticized U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision on splitting 7 billion U.S. dollars belonging to the Afghan central bank after Biden signed an executive order to free frozen Afghan assets in the United States.

ATaliban political spokesman has criticized U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision on splitting the frozen Afghan assets in the United States.

Mohammad Naeem, spokesman of the Taliban political office in Qatar, tweeted on Friday that “Stealing the blocked funds of Afghan nation by the United States and its seizure is indicative of the lowest level of human and moral decay of a country and a nation.”

U.S. President Biden signed an executive order on Friday to free 7 billion U.S. dollars out of more than 9-billion-U.S. dollar frozen Afghan assets, splitting the money between humanitarian aid for cash-strapped Afghanistan and a fund for 9/11 victims.

Displaced children play at an internally displaced persons camp in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Nov. 20, 2021. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

“Failure and victory in human history and life is a normal practice. But the biggest and most shameful defeat is the military and moral defeat,” Naeem added.

The Afghan economy following the Taliban’s takeover in mid-August last year has suffered after the U.S. freezing of assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, as well as a halt in funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Photo taken on Feb. 10, 2022 shows a displaced person camp in Nahr Shahi district of Balkh province, southern Afghanistan. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)

Published : February 12, 2022

By : Xinhua