EXPLAINERThe annual meetings of China’s parliament and political advisory body will see Xi Jinping installed as president for an unprecedented third term.Thousands of delegates are making their way to Beijing from across China for the country’s annual legislative meetings, which start at the weekend and are closely watched for indications of where government policy might be headed. The so-called “Two Sessions” get under way on March 4 with the annual meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The National People’s Congress (NPC) opens the following day. Proceedings are expected to continue for a couple of weeks. In previous…
Author: National Tone
Ottawa Senators winger Austin Watson was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for charging New York Rangers forward Tyler Motte, a former teammate, on Thursday. The incident occurred in the first period of a game at Madison Square Garden. As Motte was battling for the puck along the boards in the Rangers’ zone, Watson came across the ice and hit him hard into the boards. Motte fell to the ice and needed to be helped up by trainers before he went to the locker room. The Rangers later said Motte would not return to the game. A replay…
New measures target Iranian oil and petrochemical sales, as US says it is committed to reducing Iran’s energy exports.Washington, DC – The United States has imposed a new round of Iran sanctions, targeting the country’s oil and petrochemical sales, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran continues to stall. The measures announced on Thursday come weeks after US media reports said Washington and Tehran were working on a prisoner exchange deal. “The United States is committed to significantly reducing Iranian energy exports and will sanction those facilitating Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade,” the State Department said. The sanctions hit a Vietnam-based…
Amir still has scars from the torture he endured at the hands of SAVAK, the secret police force that used violent repression to crack down on dissent when Iran was ruled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Growing up in an impoverished area of southern Iran, Amir became involved in leftist political activity as a student. He wrote for an underground paper, read banned books and attended rallies. Those activities marked him as a dissident, and he was detained by SAVAK in 1974. Speaking with Al Jazeera by phone, Amir — who asked that his full name be withheld for his…
Labour market resilience and stubbornly high inflation have increased the odds the US Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates.The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment fell again last week, pointing to sustained labour market strength and adding to financial market fears that the United States Federal Reserve could keep hiking interest rates for longer. Those worries were further heightened by another report from the US Department of Labor on Thursday showing labour costs grew much faster than previously estimated in the fourth quarter. The labour market remains tight despite rising risks of a recession, contributing to…
The Boston Bruins have placed winger Taylor Hall on long-term injured reserve, giving the team $6 million in LTIR cap space. The Bruins also placed forward Nick Foligno on injured reserve and recalled forward Jakub Lauko from AHL Providence. The team told reporters there are no timelines for the return of Hall or Foligno. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; The Buins added salary to their roster on Thursday by acquiring forward Tyler Bertuzzi in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Hall, a former No. 1 overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers, has missed the past two games…
Pakistani rupee dropped by 6 percent against the US dollar, while interest rate was raised to 20 percent as the country waits to unlock $1.1bn IMF fund.The Pakistani rupee has touched a record low, while a bigger-than-expected interest rate rise has failed to revive its markets as the South Asian country struggles to unlock critical funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rupee hit a record low of 284 per US dollar in local trading on Thursday, Eikon data showed. It retraced some losses to end at 279 per dollar, still down by some 6 percent. To try to…
The Red Devils led 20-6 at half-time, but the Wolves produced a dramatic turnaround after the break to secure their third win in as many games in the 2023 Betfred Super League season; Salford were not helped by Ryan Brierley’s yellow card and conceding two eight-point tries Last Updated: 02/03/23 10:06pm Warrington’s George Williams celebrates his try against Salford A stunning second-half comeback saw Warrington Wolves make it three wins from three in the Betfred Super League as they overcame Salford Red Devils 36-20 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Thursday night. The Wolves went ahead through Ben Currie’s try,…
Israeli settlers rampage through Palestinian villages, Syria’s president is getting friendly with several Arab states, and attacks against African migrants in Tunisia. Here’s your round up of our coverage, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Al Jazeera Digital’s Middle East and North Africa editor. With the backing of the United States, Israeli and Palestinian officials met at a Jordanian resort on Sunday in an attempt to reach a deal to end more than a year of intense violence. By the end of it, the two sides said they had agreed to work closely together, to bring about a “de-escalation on the ground”.…
EXPLAINERAt least 46 people were killed when a passenger train collided head-on with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa.Dozens of people were killed when two trains collided head-on in central Greece, in the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. Here is what we know so far. What happened and when? A passenger train travelling from the capital, Athens, to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a cargo train carrying shipping containers coming from the opposite direction on the same track. The passenger train was carrying 342 travellers and 10 crew, while there were two crew members on…