#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010761

Amid current concerns of inflation and economic woes, half of the respondents expect 2022 to be a bad year for the U.S. economy.

The majority of Americans are more fearful and nervous about what the year 2022 holds in store for both their own country and the world, a recent poll showed.

The year-end Axios/Momentive poll showed 51 percent of respondents say they are more fearful about what lies ahead in the year 2022 for the United States and 54 percent feel the same about the world.

In addition, Americans are less hopeful about their own prospect in the New Year as well, as three in 10 say they are more fearful than hopeful about what lies ahead for them as individuals. That percentage reached an all-time high compared to the 25 percent who said the same in 2020 and 22 percent in 2018, the results showed.

People are seen in a cafe on Times Square in New York, the United States, Dec. 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

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While Republicans were more pessimistic than Democrats, both groups turned more negative about the coming year, the survey showed.

Finding themselves in an increasingly divisive and hostile political environment, Americans are quite concerned about politics, with 17 percent citing “democracy” as the most important issue, second only to “jobs and economy” at 31 percent.

Amid current concerns of inflation and economic woes, half of the respondents expect 2022 to be a bad year for the U.S. economy.

Published : January 05, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010759

Here’s a strange yet realistic fact: twins in Salinas, California, were born just 15 minutes apart, yet they don’t share the same birthday, birth month or even birth year.

Alfredo Antonio Trujillo was born at 11.45pm on December 31, 2021 followed by his twin sister Aylin Yolanda Trujillo, who entered the world exactly at midnight on January 1, 2022, making her the first baby born at Natividad Medical Centre in Monterey County this year.

Aylin weighed in at 5.14 pounds (2.3kg) while big brother Alfredo weighed 6.1 pounds (2.7kg).

There are about 120,000 twin births in the US every year, approximately 3 per cent of all births. The chance of twins being born with different birth years is rare. It is estimated that there is a one-in-2-million chance of this happening, Natividad Medical Centre said on its website.

Fatima Madrigal, the twins’ mother, expressed surprise that the twins were born on different days, months and years.

“I was surprised and happy that she arrived at midnight,” she said.
 

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“This was definitely one of the most memorable deliveries of my career,” said Dr Ana Abril Arias, a family doctor at Natividad.

“It was an absolute pleasure to help these little ones arrive here safely in 2021 and 2022. What an amazing way to start the New Year!”

Published : January 05, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010736

Southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region built 3,083 5G base stations in 2021, bringing the number of 5G base stations in the region to 6,660 in total.

The figure was released by Yan Jinhai, acting chairman of the regional government, in his government work report delivered Tuesday at the fifth session of the 11th People’s Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Based on the achievements, Tibet will accelerate the construction of the industrial Internet public service platform this year. Tibet will also promote 5G network applications and technologies in education, medical care, transportation, and logistics, Yan said.

The region’s digital economy is expected to rise 10 percent this year, said Yan.

Published : January 04, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010734

Thirty people have sustained minor injuries as of Tuesday noon after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Ninglang County in southwest Chinas Yunnan Province at 3:02 p.m. Sunday, local authorities said.

Thirty people have sustained minor injuries as of Tuesday noon after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Ninglang County in southwest China’s Yunnan Province at 3:02 p.m. Sunday, local authorities said.

All the injured are receiving treatment and are under medical observation, and none sustained life-threatening injuries, according to the county government.

The earthquake affected a total of 26,797 people in four towns, and 6,848 people from 1,546 households whose homes were damaged have been relocated.

Power supply, transport and telecommunication services in the quake-hit areas have been largely restored.

Meanwhile, thousands of tents, quilts, folding beds and overcoats have been delivered to those in need in the affected areas.

The epicenter was about 60 km away from the county seat of Ninglang in the city of Lijiang and 110 km from the Old Town of Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Published : January 04, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010710

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Sunday that he tested positive for COVID-19.

“Itested positive this morning for COVID-19,” Austin said in a statement, adding that he was experiencing mild symptoms and will be quarantined for the next five days.

“I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President,” Austin said. “My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.”

The secretary said he last met U.S. President Joe Biden on Dec. 21, 2021 and “tested negative that very morning.” He has not been in the Pentagon since Thursday, when he met briefly with a few members of his staff, during which they “were properly masked and socially distanced throughout,” the statement said.

Austin, 68, said he has been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot.

File photo taken on Oct. 20, 2021 shows U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) attending an official welcoming ceremony with Romania

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010708

On the first day of the year 2022, Indian devotees paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar of Indias northern state of Punjab.

Devotees queue to pay obeisance in the pre-dawn hours at the Golden Temple on New Year

Devotees queue to pay obeisance in the pre-dawn hours at the Golden Temple on New Year

A devotee prays as the first sun of the New Year rises in the backdrop of the Golden Temple in Amritsar of India

First sun of the New Year rises in the backdrop of the Golden Temple in Amritsar of India

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010704

The revenues of Egypts Suez Canal reached 6.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, the highest in the canals history, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie said on Sunday.

The waterway has also registered the largest annual net tonnages of 1.27 billion tons in 2021, compared to 1.17 billion tons in 2020, an increase of 8.5 percent, Rabie added in a statement.

The revenues of the Suez Canal during 2021 achieved a significant increase of 12.8 percent, said Rabie, noting that the revenues of the canal recorded 5.6 billion dollars in 2020.

A total of 20,694 ships passed through both directions of the canal, compared to the transit of 18,830 ships in 2020, an increase of ten percent.

Photo taken on July 7, 2021 shows the Ever Given container ship sailing on the Great Bitter Lake in Ismailia Province, Egypt.(Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
 

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The Egyptian official stressed that the records reflect the flexibility of the SCA in dealing with crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In November 2021, the SCA announced it will increase the toll fees for the ships transiting through the canal by six percent as of February 2022.

The Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km.

Some 12 percent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal, which is a major source of hard currency in Egypt.

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010702

The airport most affected by cancellations is Chicago OHare, where 273 flights — 26 percent of those planned — were shuttered on Sunday, as the surrounding Cook County grapples with a record number of coronavirus infections and a snowstorm.

More than 4,000 flights were cancelled globally on Sunday, more than half of which were in the United States, as new coronavirus infections driven by the Omicron variant continue to cause staff shortages at airlines and airports amid a busy holiday travel season.

Worldwide, 4,020 flights had been cancelled by Sunday afternoon, according to flight tracker FlightAware, with 2,393 of the cancelled journeys being within, into, or out of the United States. Another 4,519 U.S. flights were delayed on Sunday.

U.S. news portal Axios said that some 4,700 domestic flights have been canceled this weekend, with poor weather conditions contributing to delays already exacerbated by the Omicron variant in the United States, where the COVID-19 record was shattered again on Thursday with over 580,000 daily cases reported nationwide.

File photo taken on Nov. 25, 2020 shows travelers wearing face masks lining up for security checks at O

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“The airport most affected by cancellations is Chicago O’Hare, where 273 flights — 26 percent of those planned — were shuttered on Sunday, as the surrounding Cook County grapples with a record number of coronavirus infections and a snowstorm,” reported Forbes on Sunday.

Regional carrier SkyWest Airlines cancelled 510 flights Sunday, or 21 percent of its scheduled trips, while airlines like Southwest, JetBlue and Delta also reported more than 100 cancellations each.

“Snowstorms, freezing temperatures and severe weather across the country have also compounded airlines’ woes by preventing flights from operating as scheduled,” said the business magazine.

Mass flight cancellations were first reported in the days before Christmas as both air travel and COVID-19 infections gained momentum. Last week, Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to the White House, told MSNBC that the government should consider requiring coronavirus vaccines for domestic flights.

The surge of coronavirus cases reported in the United States has been driven by the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest is more transmissible with milder symptoms and makes up the majority of new infections in the country.  

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010700

Xian, an ancient city in northwest China, is taking efficient and comprehensive measures to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence and guarantee its normal function.

On Saturday, 122 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported in the city, bringing the total number of local cases in the latest resurgence to 1,573, according to the local health commission.

The viral genome sequencing of the new cases has identified them as strains of the Delta variant, which are highly homologous with imported cases from an inbound flight on Dec. 4, 2021.

Facing the Delta variant, which is highly contagious, Xi’an has launched several rounds of mass nucleic acid testing to screen for as many infections as possible since Dec. 21, 2021.

With the testing efficiency improved, the time of swabbing 10 million people has been shortened from 24 hours to seven hours, and it only takes 12 hours to get results of 3 million samples, which took 30 hours before, said Zhang Fenghu, deputy director of the city’s epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

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So far, Xi’an has organized 24 medical teams with 1,370 doctors and nurses to treat patients, with another 62 medical personnel for severe cases.

Besides, inside the quarantine zone are two hospitals to meet people’s medical demands for hemodialysis, prenatal examination and delivery, tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy, pediatrics and other emergency treatment.

In residential compounds in lockdown, heating companies have been sending workers to regularly check the heating system, ensuring that boiler, heat pump, natural gas, circulating pump and other facilities function well and people can get heat supply in freezing winter.

In the megacity, with a population of 13 million, free food items have been provided for residents in lockdown since Dec. 28, 2021. People can also make orders online, and all the daily necessities will be distributed and delivered to each household by community staff and volunteers.

“Under the lockdown, there may be pressure of supply in communities. The government will go all out to coordinate resources to provide people with daily necessities and medical services,” said Zhang Canyou, an expert with the State Council’s epidemic prevention and control team. 

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40010699

The protesters said a ban on Afghan assets was an act against the international laws and a violation of international principles.

Thousands of Afghans took streets in national capital of Kabul Sunday to protest against freeze of the country’s assets by the United States, calling the release of Afghans assets.

The Afghan economy, since the Taliban’s takeover in last August, has suffered from the freeze of over 9 billion U.S. dollars in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank by the United States as well as a halt in funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The demonstrators were holding placards that said “our seized money should be handed over!” and “Give us our frozen money!”

Afghans take part in a protest in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Jan. 2, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

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“The special demand of Afghan people and my demand is to unfreeze our money, it is our rights, they should give our rights, otherwise we will continue our demonstration to make our voice heard,” a protester Zekrullah said in a diplomatic district near the shuttered U.S. embassy, adding that the demonstrators came from different provinces.

The protesters said a ban on Afghan assets was an act against the international laws and a violation of international principles.

A couple of days ago a group of Afghan women also held a similar protest at the same district.

Published : January 03, 2022

By : Xinhua