Young people voting

BERLIN (AP) – Swiss voters narrowly approved on Sunday a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the country and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters. The measure will outlaw covering one’s face in public places like restaurants, sports stadiums, public transport or simply walking in the street. It foresees exceptions at religious sites and for security or health reasons, such as face masks people are wearing now to protect against COVID-19, as well as for traditional Carnival celebrations. Authorities have two years to draw up detailed legislation. Two Swiss cantons, or states, Ticino and St. Gallen, already have similar legislation that foresees fines for transgressions. National legislation will put Switzerland in line with countries such as Belgium and France that have already enacted similar measures. The Swiss government had opposed the measure as excessive, arguing that full-face coverings are a “marginal … [Read more...] about Swiss People Vote for ‘Burqa Ban’ in National Referendum

HONG KONG - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Monday (March 8) that China’s planned changes to the electoral system could further delay a vote for the city’s legislature, but she was still uncertain on the timing. China’s Parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC), is expected to approve on Thursday a resolution that will reduce democratic representation in Hong Kong institutions and vet any candidate for patriotism. The measures will tweak the size and composition of Hong Kong’s legislature and the committee selecting the chief executive further in favour of pro-Beijing figures. The electoral committee will also be given powers to select many of the legislators. Speaking for the first time since returning from Beijing, where she attended the NPC opening last week, Mrs Lam said the changes logically mean that a vote for the Legislative Council needs to take place after an election for the members of the electoral committee, currently scheduled for December. “At the … [Read more...] about Hong Kong leader says China’s planned electoral changes could prompt vote delay

VIENTIANE – As an important project along the “Belt and Road”, the Laos-China railway has been on a nine-year journey since it was approved by the Lao National Assembly in 2010 and officially started construction in 2016.The project provides employment opportunities and brings a wonderful life dream for thousands of local people, which is called a well-being project of bilateral cooperation. While more and more developing countries applaud the high efficiency and cooperative win-win of the Belt and Road initiatives, a few western medias are recently criticizing the project’s political and economic impact on Laos for illegally confiscating farmers’ land, slow compensation and relocation work, trying to negate the Laos-China railway completely. The insidious tricks reflect their ambivalence that they neither have willing to do themselves nor allow others succeed. To comment on the railway, comparing the critics who are lack of basic political and economic knowledge, the Lao … [Read more...] about Defaming Laos-China Railway is Ignoring Lao People’s Future

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Business owners and neighbors who live in one of the busiest nightlife neighborhoods in Minneapolis say changes are needed after a man was shot Saturday night . It happened outside the bars and businesses at Hennepin and Lagoon avenues just before 11 p.m. Police say the victim is expected to survive. However, the situation was still traumatizing for people who are seeing shootings become far too common in Uptown. Vivian Robbins lives in the area, and was at a nearby bar at the time of the shooting. “I moved to Uptown because of all the nightlife and the fun and all of that stuff, so all of the violence around, it’s scary, it’s discouraging,” said. “They kept us inside the bar and then let everybody know what was going on.” The Hennepin and Lagoon intersection has been hit hard with crime in the past year. Last June, 11 people were shot in one night at the intersection. Bullets hit several nearby businesses, including John Fluevog shoe store, where Jamie … [Read more...] about ‘I Want To Be Here For A Renaissance Of Uptown’: Business Owners, Residents Not Letting Violent Crime Scare Them Away

Video Player Close People visit an exhibition entitled "Mu'anath" in Cairo, Egypt, on March 6, 2021. Entitled "Mu'anath" (Feminine), the exhibition held ahead of International Women's Day (IWD) is organized by Art D'Egypte, a renowned Egyptian platform of art and heritage, and features the unique works of 20 talented painters, photographers and sculptors. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) by Mahmoud Fouly CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- "My paintings here express nature. For me, feminine means nature, because Mother Earth combines strength, tenderness, movement, change and patience," said Reham el-Adl, an abstract painter, on Saturday during the opening ceremony of an exhibition held in downtown Cairo to mark International Women's Day (IWD). Entitled "Mu'anath" (Feminine), the exhibition held ahead of IWD is organized by Art D'Egypte, a renowned Egyptian platform of art and heritage, and features the unique works of 20 talented painters, photographers and sculptors. The event will … [Read more...] about Feature: Art exhibition kicks of in Cairo to mark International Women’s Day