BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) — China’s visa authorities abroad will resume issuance of all categories of visas to foreigners starting on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
The decision is made to further facilitate cross-border travel, the statement said.
Foreigners with valid visas issued before March 28, 2020 will be allowed to enter China, as the country is adjusting its visa and entry policies to facilitate travel across the border.
Visa-free policies will be resumed for entry to the southern island province of Hainan and cruise tour groups at Shanghai ports, said the National Immigration Administration.
Visa-free entry to the southern province of Guangdong will be restored for tour groups of foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao, and a similar mechanism will be reinstated for tour groups from ASEAN countries to enter Guilin in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The policies will come into force on Wednesday, according to immigration authorities.
Tourists gather at a waterfront pavilion at the West Lake in Hangzhou in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (Chinatopix via AP)
According to AP, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday that China had “optimized measures for remote testing of people coming to China from relevant countries,” allowing pre-boarding antigen testing instead of nucleic acid testing.
“All these have been well implemented, and the epidemic risk is generally controllable,” Wang said at a daily briefing.
The move would “further facilitate the exchange of Chinese and foreign personnel,” according to the notice posted on the websites of numerous Chinese missions and embassies.
A Xinhua file photo of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
China had stuck to a harsh “zero-COVID” strategy involving sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing to try to stop the virus before abandoning most aspects of the policy in December amid growing opposition.
The relaxation of visa rules follows China’s approval of outbound group tours for Chinese citizens, the results of which have been positive, and the overall improvement in pandemic conditions, Wang said.
“China will continue to make better arrangements for the safe, healthy and orderly movement of Chinese and foreign personnel on the basis of scientific assessments and in light of the situation,” he said. “We also hope that all parties will join China in creating favorable conditions for cross-border exchanges.”
Baskin Robbins ceased all business in Thailand after the ice cream seller was reduced from 10 to 4 outlets at the end of 2022. Its share in Mud & Hound fell from 3 percent to 1 percent.
Baskin Robbins, the US ice cream chain, pulled out of business in Thailand on March 13, 2023, closing all 4 remaining outlets. On the website of Mud & Hound, the brand owner in Thailand, the Baskin Robbins logo is no longer visible.
Facebook Coverpage of Baskin Robbins Thailand
It is reported that the brand’s official Facebook page, @BaskinRobbinsThailand, has a status of ‘permanently closed’, while the phone numbers for the 4 remaining branches: K-Village, Siriraj Hospital and The Walk Kaset Nawamin have been deleted, while the contact for the Siam Paragon branch has been changed to message.
Mud & Hound’s website does not display the ice cream logo. The company owns 100 per cent of the franchise rights in Thailand.
According to Mud & Hound’s financial report in 2021, Baskin Robbins generated only 1 percent of the total revenue of THB 2.14 billion (62 million U.S. dollars) or about THB 21 million (600,000 U.S. dollars), a decline of about 3 percent in 2019-2020.
The same report revealed that Baskin Robbins had 10 branches in Thailand at the end of 2021, before later announcing on its Facebook page that it had only 4 in November 2022.
Baskin Robbins was founded in 1945 in the United States and today has more than 8,000 branches worldwide.
The anti-Prayut female protester who was dragged away by security officials on Monday was charged with assaulting and preventing officers from carrying out its duty, including biting a finger of one officer, making loud noise in public and not remaining in a designated area, said Pol Col Piyapong Wingkaetjai, chief of Ban Pong Police Station in Ratchaburi province late on Monday.
The crime of assaulting and obstructing officers from carrying out its duty is subject to a maximum imprisonment term of one year and/or fine of no more than 10,000 baht.
Wantana (family name withheld) told reporters after being granted bail it was her who was assaulted by the officers. She said she was dragged away by five to six officers after she told then, “don’t come close or I’ll remove my clothe” because she didn’t know what’s their intention.
Wantana also denied trying to block PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s motorcade, saying the incident occurred well before the motorcade arrived.
One official can be seen trying to cover her mouth, while another using umbrella to block news cameras. Wantana was a former MO candidate for Pheu Chart Party and added she has tried to petition the PM at the Government House several times in the past about the economic impacts on the livelihood of the locals, herself including.
“I would like to exercise my rights to choose a PM who truly solve the livelihood problems of the people and truly listen to people’s problemsand not just imagining things like Prayut,” Wantana said.
PM Gen. Prayut defended the actions of officials who dragged a female away after she voices her dissent against PM shortly before his motorcade was expected to pass by in Ratchaburi province.
“How was it violent? I didn’t see. How was it violent?” Prayut replied when asked by reporters, adding that anyone who breaks the laws will be dealt with and that there were only three protesters while “10,000 people” came out to welcome him.
He also asked the media not to pay attention to this incident.
An electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares declined Tuesday, as investors around the world continued to be rocked by worries about what’s next to break, following the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history.
In Asia, direct exposure to the risks from the U.S. failures seemed slim, at least so far. Hirokazu Matsuno, the Japanese government spokesman, told reporters a major ripple effect to the Japanese financial system was unlikely. Still, the fears persist, sending regional benchmarks lower in morning trading.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 1.7% to 27,350.58, extending losses from the day before. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 2.1% to 6,961.30. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.9% to 2,389.77.
A person wearing a protective mask walk past an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei 225 and NY Dow indexes at a securities firm Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Tokyo (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
“There is escalating tensity in the global financial world; this is despite non-U.S. banks’ exposure to US regional banks being minimal, with the global systems being well capitalized and flush with liquidity,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.
“U.S. financial stress could lead banks of all stripes to retrench lending to the real economy and tighten broader financial conditions, amplifying risk to the broader markets.”
Worries appeared to be focused on what might happen to interest rates, especially speculation on what the Federal Reserve might do, and how that might affect inflationary pressures that have been hitting many nations. Worries have been simmering for months about a possible recession.
The biggest price decline so far on Wall Street this week appeared to be with bank issues. Other stocks rose on hopes the bloodletting will force the U.S. Federal Reserve to take it easier on the hikes to interest rates that are shaking Wall Street and the economy.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2% after whipsaw trading, where it careened from an early loss of 1.4% to a midday gain of nearly that much. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 90 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4%. The S&P 500 slipped 5.83 points to 3,855.76. The Dow fell 90.50 to 31,819.14, and the Nasdaq rose 49.96 to 11,188.84.
The sharpest drops again came from banks and other financial companies. Investors are worried that a relentless rise in interest rates meant to get inflation under control are approaching a tipping point and may be cracking the banking system.
A Silicon Valley Bank sign is shown in San Francisco, Monday, March 13, 2023. . (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The U.S. government announced a plan late Sunday meant to shore up confidence in the banking industry following the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank since Friday.
The most pressure is on the regional banks a couple steps below in size of the massive, “too-big-to-fail” banks that helped take down the economy in 2007 and 2008. Shares of First Republic Bank fell 61.8%, even after the bank said Sunday it had strengthened its finances with cash from the Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase.
Huge banks, which have been repeatedly stress-tested by regulators following the 2008 financial crisis, weren’t down as much. JPMorgan Chase fell 1.8%, and Bank of America dropped 5.8%.
“So far, it seems that the potential problem banks are few, and importantly do not extend to the so-called systemically important banks,” analysts at ING said.
The broader market flipped from losses to gains as expectations built that all the furor will mean the Fed won’t reaccelerate its rate hikes, as it had been threatening to do. Such a move could give the economy and banking system more breathing space, but it could also give inflation more oxygen.
Some investors are calling for the Fed to make cuts to interest rates soon to stanch the bleeding. Rate cuts often act like steroids for the stock market.
The wider expectation, though, is that the Fed will likely pause or at least hold off on accelerating its rate hikes at its next meeting later this month.
That would still be a sharp turnaround from expectations just a week ago, when many traders were forecasting the Fed could go back to increasing the size of its rate hikes. The fear was that stubbornly high inflation would force the Fed to get even tougher, and investors were bracing for the Fed to keep hiking at least a couple more times after that.
Now, “depending on reactions in financial markets and eventual fallout on the overall economy, we wouldn’t rule out that the hiking cycle could even be over and that the next move by Fed officials may be lower not higher,” said Kevin Cummins, chief U.S. economist at NatWest.
Santa Clara Police officers exit Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Higher interest rates can drag down inflation by slowing the economy, but they raise the risk of a recession later on. They also hit prices for stocks, as well as bonds sitting in investors’ portfolios.
Prices for Treasurys shot higher as investors sought safety and as their expectations grew for an easier Fed. That in turn sent their yields lower, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury plunged to 3.54% from 3.70% late Friday. That’s a major move for the bond market.
The two-year yield, which moves more on expectations for the Fed, had an even more breath-taking drop. It fell to 3.99% from 4.59% Friday. It was above 5% earlier this month.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 33 cents to $74.47 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 33 cents to $80.44 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 133.28 Japanese yen from 133.20 yen. The euro cost $1.0719, down from $1.0730.
Hideko Hakamada, center left in white cloth, sister of Iwao Hakamada, is surrounded by media and others following a court decision at Tokyo Hight Court in Tokyo Monday, March 13, 2023. (Kyodo)
TOKYO – A Tokyo court decided Monday to grant a retrial to a former professional boxer who was sentenced to death over a 1966 quadruple murder case in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, and who spent nearly half a century behind bars before new evidence led to his release.
The Tokyo High Court decision on the retrial of Iwao Hakamata, 87, came after the Supreme Court sent the case back to the court in 2020, ordering it to reconsider an earlier decision not to reopen it.
The court said it “cannot possibly identify Mr. Hakamata as the culprit,” citing the unreliability of the main evidence — five pieces of clothing he allegedly wore during the incident — that was used in finalizing his death sentence.
Iwao Hakamada flashes v-signs on his way back from a walk in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Monday, March 13, 2023. (Kyodo News)
The court ruled that there was a strong possibility that the clothing items had been planted by investigators in a tank of miso soybean paste in which they were found.
It also upheld an earlier decision that Hakamata should not be returned to prison, considering the likelihood that he will be found not guilty.
Prosecutors will decide by next Monday whether to file an appeal to the Supreme Court. Without an appeal, a retrial will be held at the Shizuoka District Court, although it remains unclear when it will start.
Following Monday’s decision, supporters of Hakamata refrained from immediately telling him of it so as not to mentally stress him. He suffers from conditions caused by many years of incarceration, according to the supporters.
Hakamata’s elder sister Hideko, 90, told reporters in front of the Tokyo High Court, “We’ve been waiting for this day. It’s finally here.”
Lawyers hold up signs in front of the Tokyo High Court on March 13, 2023, after it ordered that the case against Iwao Hakamata, who was sentenced to death over a 1966 quadruple murder case, be retried. (Kyodo)
The main focal point of the case was whether the color of blood on the clothing items found in the miso tank could preserve its redness over a year later.
Presiding Judge Fumio Daizen supported the defense’s claims that the reddish color of bloodstains on clothing would turn black when immersed in miso for a few months. The defense team has argued the evidence was forged.
Hakamata had always insisted on his innocence but his sentence was finalized in 1980. He was freed in 2014 after the Shizuoka District Court decided to suspend his death sentence and reopen the case, accepting DNA test results that indicated blood found on items was not Hakamata’s.
Iwao Hakamada answers to reporters’ questions after a walk in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan Monday, March 13, 2023. (Kyodo News)
The former boxer was a live-in employee at a miso maker when he was arrested in 1966 for allegedly killing the firm’s senior managing director, his wife and their two children. They were found dead from stab wounds at their house in Shizuoka, which had been burned down.
Indicted for murder, robbery and arson, his death sentence was finalized based on a ruling that blood marks on five clothing items found in a miso tank 14 months after the murder matched the blood types of the victims and Hakamata.
But in 2018, the Tokyo High Court scrapped the Shizuoka court’s decision to suspend his death sentence and reopen the case, questioning the lower court’s reliance on the DNA tests.
The Supreme Court upheld the high court decision over the credibility of the DNA tests, but concluded it should re-examine the case because questions had not been resolved over the color of alleged bloodstains left on the clothing items.
After his arrest, Hakamata had initially confessed to investigators but pleaded not guilty at his trial.
Since the Supreme Court decided in 1975 to act in the best interests of the accused when doubt is left, retrials have been ordered in four cases in which the death penalty had been finalized, with all resulting in acquittals in the 1980s.
Chronology of events related to 1966 Shizuoka quadruple murder case
The following is a chronology of major events related to the 1966 murder of four people in Shizuoka Prefecture.
June 30, 1966 — Family of four, including two children, found murdered in ruins of soybean processing company executive’s burned-down house in Shizuoka.
August — Former professional boxer Iwao Hakamata arrested on suspicion of murder-robbery.
August 1967 — Bloodstained clothing discovered in factory’s soybean tank.
September 1968 — Hakamata sentenced to death.
December 1980 — Supreme Court finalizes capital punishment.
April 1981 — Hakamata files first appeal for retrial.
August 1994 — Shizuoka District Court turns down appeal, prompting defense team to appeal to Tokyo High Court.
August 2004 — Tokyo High Court turns down appeal, prompting defense team to file special appeal the next month.
March 2008 — Supreme Court turns down special appeal.
April — Hakamata’s sister Hideko files second appeal.
March 27, 2014 — Shizuoka District Court decides to reopen Hakamata case, Hakamata freed.
March 31 — Prosecutors appeal decision to reopen case.
June 11, 2018 — Tokyo High Court rules against reopening case.
June 18 — Defense team files special appeal to Supreme Court.
December 2020 — Supreme Court sends case back to Tokyo High Court.
March 13, 2023 — Tokyo High Court rules for reopening case.
British soccer broadcaster Gary Lineker leaves his home, in London, Monday March 13, 2023. (James Manning/PA via AP)
LONDON (AP) — The BBC secured a draw on Monday in its showdown with Gary Lineker, reversing the former soccer great’s suspension from the airwaves for a tweet that criticized the U.K. government’s new migration policy.
The about-face followed a weekend of chaos and crisis for Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster, which faced a huge backlash after sidelining one of its best-known hosts for expressing a political opinion.
“Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend,” BBC Director-General Tim Davie said.
Lineker said he was “glad that we have found a way forward.”
Photographers surround British soccer broadcaster Gary Lineker as he leaves his home to walk his dog, in London, Monday March 13, 2023. Lineker will return to airwaves. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Lineker, one of English soccer’s most lauded players and the corporation’s highest-paid television presenter, was suspended Friday after he described the government’s plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”
The Conservative government called Lineker’s Nazi comparison offensive and unacceptable, and some lawmakers said the BBC should terminate his contract. The broadcaster said Friday that Lineker would be “stepping back” until he agreed to keep his tweets within BBC impartiality rules.
But critics accused it of suppressing free speech, and the BBC was forced to scrap much of its weekend sports programming after commentators, analysts and Premier League players refused to appear as a show of support for Lineker.
FILE – TV soccer pundits and former soccer players Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, from left, watch the FA Cup sixth round soccer match between Newcastle United and Manchester City at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England, June 28, 2020. (Shaun Botterill/Pool via AP, file)
The flagship soccer show “Match of the Day” was reduced from the usual 90 minutes of highlights and analysis to a 20-minute compilation of clips from the day’s games, without commentary or punditry. Other TV and radio soccer shows were pulled from the schedule on Saturday and Sunday as the boycott spread.
Davie insisted Monday that the BBC “did the right thing” by suspending Lineker, but there would now be an independent review of the BBC’s social media rules to address “gray areas” in the guidelines.
“Between now and when the review reports, Gary will abide by the editorial guidelines,” he said.
FILE – English soccer star David Beckham, left and former England striker Gary Lineker at the launch campaign to bid for the soccer World Cup, May 18, 2009.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file)
The furor reflects the distinctive nature of U.K. media, where newspapers are highly opinionated and news broadcasters are required to be balanced — especially the publicly funded BBC, which has a duty to be impartial.
The crisis was a dramatic illustration of the pressures long faced by the 100-year-old BBC in an increasingly polarized political and media world. Those on the right often sense a leftist slant in the broadcaster’s news output, while some liberals accuse it of having a conservative bias.
Opposition politicians accuse the government of political meddling by pushing for Conservative-friendly bosses for the BBC. Davie is former Conservative local-government candidate. BBC chairman Richard Sharp is a Conservative Party donor who helped arrange a loan for then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, weeks before Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.
The Conservatives also periodically suggest changing the BBC’s funding model. It gets much of its money from a license fee paid by all households with a television.
The opposition Labour Party’s culture and media spokeswoman, Lucy Powell, said the Conservatives “have long wanted to undermine the BBC.”
“As well as a review of the BBC’s social media guidelines, this saga should prompt the government to examine how it protects and promotes a truly independent and impartial BBC,” she said.
FILE – England soccer team player Gary Lineker, Jan., 1986, London, England. (AP Photo/Robert E. Dear, file)
As part of its commitment to impartiality, the BBC bars news staff from expressing political opinions.
Lineker, as a freelancer who doesn’t work in news or current affairs, isn’t bound by the same rules, and has sometimes pushed the boundaries of what the BBC considers acceptable. Last year, the BBC found that Lineker breached impartiality rules with a tweet about the Conservatives’ alleged Russian donations.
Davie said the BBC “has a commitment to impartiality in its Charter,” as well as a commitment to freedom of expression.
“That is a difficult balancing act to get right where people are subject to different contracts and on air positions, and with different audience and social media profiles,” he said.
Lineker said it had been “a surreal few days” and thanked colleagues for their support.
“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,” he tweeted. “It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you.”
___
JILL LAWLESS Associated Press reported from London.
Local authorities try to put out the fire at Royal Residence in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Sunday, March 12, 2023. Fire damaged part of the provincial residence of Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, officials said Monday, and no injuries have been reported. (AKP via AP)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Fire damaged part of the provincial residence of Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni near a famous temple complex, officials said Monday. No injuries have been reported.
The blaze broke out on Sunday night in the northwestern city of Siem Reap, damaging the roof of one of the smaller buildings in the complex. The 69-year-old king is currently in Beijing for routine medical checks.
Local authorities try to put out a fire at Royal Residence in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Sunday, March 12, 2023. Fire damaged part of the provincial residence of Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, officials said Monday, and no injuries have been reported. (AKP via AP) Fire damaged part of the provincial residence of Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, officials said Monday, and no injuries have been reported. (AKP via AP)Local authorities try to put out the fire at Royal Residence in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Sunday, March 12, 2023. (AKP via AP)
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said there were no reports of anyone being injured. The Ministry of the Royal Palace on Monday blamed an electrical fault.
Video from the state news agency AKP showed the intensity of the fire before emergency crews brought it under control and evidently prevented major damage to the main residential building.
The large villa is the official home of the king when he is in Siem Reap. King Sihamoni’s main residence is a palace inside a walled compound in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Siem Reap is famous for the centuries-old Angkor Wat temple complex, a historical site that is one of the country’s main tourist attractions.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday defended the actions of officials who dragged a female away after she voices her dissent against PM shortly before his motorcade was expected to pass by in Ratchaburi province.
“How was it violent? I didn’t see. How was it violent?” Prayut replied when asked by reporters, adding that anyone who breaks the laws will be dealt with and that there were only three protesters while “10,000 people” came out to welcome him.
One official can be seen trying to cover her mouth, while another used an umbrella to block cameras while one man shouted, “handle carefully. It’s not good optics”
Police say they were trying to “take the woman to hospital.” It remains unclear whether the woman is under custody or any charge has been pressed against her. PM Prayut is in Ratchaburi province to visit development projects in Ban Pong district.
On the way out, Prayut lowered the windshield of his limousine and then told reporters not to ask about the issue again because it’s only about three people and not ten thousands whom he’s trying to serve. When reminded by reporters not to be mad, Prayut said he wasn’t angry.
An elderly female anti-Prayut protester was dragged away by security details from a rally site where PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha was visiting Monday at Ratchaburi province’s Ban Pong District.
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Children wearing face masks play at a kindergarten in Rach Gia city, Vietnam's southern Kien Giang province, Feb. 14, 2022. (VNA via Xinhua)
HANOI, March 13 (Xinhua) — Vietnam is preparing to mark the birth of its 100 millionth citizen next month with a publicity campaign to promote the positive effect of population growth on the economy, Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday.
According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam had 99.2 million citizens as of April 2022, making it the 15th most populous country in the world and among the third most populous in Southeast Asia.
The country’s statistics office said in the face of rising global economic competition, every country is seeking to achieve competitive advantage through human resources.
A young couple visit a gift shop on Valentine’s Day in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on Feb. 14, 2023.
Thus Vietnam sees the birth of its 100 millionth citizen as “a proud landmark”, combined with policies to incentivize economy and investment growth, in raising the national profile among the international community, said the statistics office.
The government has planned a publicity campaign in mid-April, including a parade and a meeting ceremony to welcome the birth of the 100 millionth citizen.
The total fertility rate, the number of children a Vietnamese woman has in her lifetime, was between six and seven until the early 1960s. It declined to 4.8 in 1979 and then continued to decline, reaching the replacement level fertility around two since 2006, according to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
