THE electric vehicle (EV) charging volume on China’s highways is set to hit a record high during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, according to data from the State Grid Corporation of China.
Daily highway charging volumes are expected to average over 7.5 million kilowatt-hours during the eight-day holiday which starts on 28 January, marking a 52-per-cent year-on-year increase, the data showed.
The single-day peak charging volume during the holiday period is projected to exceed 9 million kilowatt-hours — expanding by 34 per cent from the same period last year.
Peak travel days ahead of the holiday, namely 26 and 27 January, will see charging demand spike between 9 am and 9 pm, as millions of travelers hit the roads, the data revealed.
To meet rising charging demand, China has accelerated the construction of charging infrastructure. By the end of 2024, 98 per cent of highway service areas had charging facilities — with 35,000 charging poles in place. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

A Turkish Airlines passenger jet carrying Syrian passengers landed at Damascus International Airport on Thursday for the first time in 13 years, state news agency SANA reported.

 In a press conference at the airport, Syrian Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmad Dukhan applauded the resumption of flights, thanking "the Turkish government and people for standing by the Syrian people."

Dukhan underscored the "deep roots" of the bilateral relationship, calling the return of direct flights "the beginning of renewed cooperation" and a ray of hope for Syrians abroad hoping to return to their country with dignity. 

Turkish Airlines Director General Bilal Akshi said the move would serve the interests of Syria, its people, and the region. 

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, also on board the flight, hailed the development as "a historic moment," saying the restored air link will reconnect Damascus to the rest of the world.

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper

Photo: Daily Sabah

China sent a new satellite group into space on Thursday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.

 This group of 18 satellites, which is the sixth batch that will constitute the Spacesail Constellation, was launched at 1:15 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a modified Long March-6 carrier rocket and entered its preset orbit successfully. 

The launch marks the 557th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. 

Developed by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the rocket was fueled with liquid oxygen and kerosene propellant, which is non-toxic and pollution-free. It has a carrying capacity of 6.5 tons for 500-km sun-synchronous orbit. 

In 2025, the rocket model will have an intensive space launch schedule, with plans for over 10 missions, according to the rocket maker. 

Spacesail is a Chinese commercial low-orbit satellite megaconstellation. It began commercial network construction on August 6, 2024.

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper 

INTERNATIONAL tourist arrivals rose by 11 per cent in 2024, with 1.4 billion people travelling internationally, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism on Tuesday.
The data, which is published on the eve of the FITUR international tourism exhibition in Madrid, means that numbers have recovered to 99 per cent of levels seen in 2019 just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the results. He said: “In 2024, global tourism completed its recovery from the pandemic and, in many places, tourist arrivals and especially earnings are already higher than in 2019.” Growth is expected to continue throughout 2025, he said, “driven by strong demand contributing to the socioeconomic development of both mature and emerging destinations.” — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

US Vice-President JD Vance has said that it is an “incredible honour” to take the oath of office as the Vice-President of the US and he
looked forward to working alongside President Donald Trump to serve the American people.
In a post on X, JD Vance stated, “It’s an incredible honour to take the oath of office as the 50th Vice-President of the United States. I look forward to working alongside President Trump to serve the American people.
Let’s Make America Great Again!” JD Vance on Monday took oath as the 50th Vice-President of the United States at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh administered oath to Vance.
His wife, Usha Vance, held the Bible in one hand and their daughter Mirabel Rose in the other, as Vance placed his left hand on the religious text and raised his right hand to take oath of office. The couple’s two sons were also present on the occasion.— ANI

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

DONALD Trump vowed a new “golden age” as he took the oath for a historic second US presidential term Monday, painting a picture of an America in decline that only his hardline policies can restore to glory.
In an often divisive address in the US Capitol, the 47th president promised a blitz of orders including the declaration of a national emergency on the Mexican border and a policy of only recognizing two genders.
Trump also struck a nationalistic tone as he capped the most extraordinary comeback in US political history, pledging to impose trade tariffs, rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and take “back” the Panama Canal, which has been controled by the Central American country since 1999.
“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world,” Trump said in the Capitol, where the inauguration was held indoors for the first time in decades, due to freezing weather. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

DAMAGE from extreme weather in Canada last year pushed the bill facing insurers to an unprecedented CAN$8.5 billion ($5.9 billion), the Insurance Bureau of Canada said Monday.
Events that cause significant destruction “are escalating at a shocking rate and Canada is simply not prepared,” said Celyeste Power, president of the IBC, an industry association representing Canadian insurers.
The IBC said the insured damage estimate for 2024 was 12 times higher than the annual average of CAN$701 million recorded from 2001 to 2010.
“The summer of 2024 stands out as the most destructive season in Canadian history for insured losses due to wildfires, floods and hailstorms,” the group said in a statement.
In July and August alone, “four catastrophic weather events” caused more than CAN$7 billion in losses, it said.
Those included a wildfire in Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies and flash flooding in Toronto. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

THE last physical tourist information centre in Paris has closed, with officials saying Monday they will boost digital services to meet visitor demand for online information. 

“Changes in visitor habits and the specific features of a city like Paris have led us to revise our network of local tourism information,” the Paris Tourist Office operator said in a statement.

 The last centre, set up near the Eiffel Tower for last year’s Summer Olympics, was shut on Sunday. 

The temporary structure had replaced an older tourism office at city hall “but was never very popular”, Le Parisien newspaper reported. 

The Paris Tourist Office said it would set up 50 information points at newsstands, post offices and hotels across the city by 2026.

 There will also be a call centre for “personalized tips”, staffed every day, that can be reached by phone, mail or instant messenger, it said.

 “To welcome visitors properly, respect them and give personalised advice remains an absolute priority to maintain the reputation and attractiveness of this destination,” the office said.

 This meant “more flexibility”, “an immediate response to needs” and “a human presence where it really counts”. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

FIREFIGHTERS were battling massive wildfires Monday that have ravaged Los Angeles and killed at least 24 people, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip up the blazes further. The fires ripped through the United States’ second-larg est city for the seventh day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes. Massive firefighting efforts have staunched the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was looming towards upscale Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley. But conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour and life threatening conditions” over the coming days. Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation” will be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld. Those gusts could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned. Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone said his department had received resources including dozens of new water trucks and firefighters from far afield and was primed to face the renewed threat. Asked whether hydrants could run dry again, as they did during the initial outbreak of fires last week, Mayor Karen Bass replied: “I believe the city is prepared.” There was frustration for evacuees who were told they would not be returning home until at least Thursday when winds subside. Some have queued for hours in the hope of getting back to homes they fled to pick up medication or a change of clothes. Search for bodies But Sheriff Robert Luna said escorts into those areas were being suspended Sunday because of the winds and dangerous conditions among the wreckage, as well as the need to retrieve victims’ bodies. Teams with cadaver dogs were carrying out grid search es with the grim expectation that the confirmed death toll would rise. Several more arrests of looters were made, including one burglar who had dressed as a firefighter to steal from homes. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

POPE Francis warned on Thursday of the dangers of misinformation and its spread via social media and artificial intelligence (AI), cautioning it could be “misused to manipulate minds”.
In his traditional New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, Francis lamented the increasing ephasized number of society, “aggravated by the continuous creation and spread of fake news, which not only distorts facts but also perceptions”.
“This phenomenon generates false images of reality, a climate of suspicion that foments hate, undermines people’s sense of security and compromises civil coexistence and the stability of entire nations,” the 88-year-old pontiff said.
Francis regularly rails against fake news. But his comments on Thursday come two days after tech giant Meta — which owns Facebook —announced it was ending its third-party fact-checking programme in the United States and adopting a crowd-sourced model to police misinformation similar to that of the Elon Musk-owned X. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar