China's foreign minister: Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang attends a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, April 14, 2023. Suo Takekuma/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Friday that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China, and that it is right and proper for China to uphold its sovereignty.

Qin made the remarks at the Lanting Forum in Shanghai, where he discussed a wide range of topics from debt, the global economy, and Taiwan.

"Recently there has been absurd rhetoric accusing China of upending the status quo, disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Qin said. "The logic is absurd and the conclusion dangerous."

He added that "fair-minded people can see who is engaged in hegemonic bullying and high-minded practices."

"It is not the Chinese mainland, but the Taiwan independence separatist forces and a handful of countries attempting to disrupt the status quo," Qin said. "Those who play with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned."

China recently held military exercises around the self-ruled island after Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Beijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim the government in Taipei strongly rejects, and routinely denounces high-level meetings between Taiwanese and foreign leaders and officials.

Accusations of Playing with Fire

Qin argued that the real source of disruption was not the Chinese mainland, but rather the Taiwan independence separatist forces and a few countries attempting to interfere with the status quo. "Those who play with fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned," he warned.

China recently conducted military exercises around the self-ruled island following Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's return to Taipei from a meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

Beijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim that the government in Taipei vehemently denies. China also routinely denounces high-level meetings between Taiwanese and foreign leaders and officials, arguing that such interactions threaten China's sovereignty and the delicate balance of peace in the region.

Qin Gang to attend Lanting Forum in Shanghai

The Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World will be held at the Grand Halls in Shanghai on April 21. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the opening ceremony of the forum and deliver a keynote speech.

The forum is expected to host foreign dignitaries, prestigious experts and scholars, business leaders, foreign diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China and representatives from international media.

The forum is jointly organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Under the theme of “Chinese Modernization and the World”, the forum consists of three panel sessions and a luncheon with the business community for in-depth exchanges on topics including the new development of China, better global governance, closer people-to-people exchanges and high-standard opening up.  

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World in Shanghai on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced.

The event will be held at the Grand Halls in Shanghai, and Qin will deliver a keynote speech.

The forum is expected to host foreign dignitaries, prestigious experts and scholars, business leaders, foreign diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China and representatives from international media, said Wang.

The forum is expected to host foreign dignitaries, prestigious experts and scholars, business leaders, foreign diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China and representatives from international media, said Wang.

Under the theme of "Chinese Modernization and the World", the forum consists of three panel sessions and a luncheon with the business community for in-depth exchanges on topics including the new development of China, better global governance, closer people-to-people exchanges and pursuing high-standard opening up, according to Wang.

The forum is co-organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association, the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.

Elon Musk's Starship explodes minutes after first test flight's liftoff

Texas - SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft exploded minutes after liftoff in an uncrewed test flight from South Texas on Thursday, cutting short a key step in Elon Musk's development of a rocket vessel to eventually take humans to the moon and Mars.

The flight test was the first for Starship mounted atop the company's new Super Heavy rocket, and the first launch ever for that lower-stage booster, which SpaceX has touted as the most powerful launch vehicle on Earth.

Even though the two-stage rocket ship made it less than halfway to the edge of space, climbing to just under 25 miles (40 km), the flight achieved a primary objective of getting the new vehicle off the ground at liftoff despite some of its engines failing.

While SpaceX officials were heartened by the outcome, the mission fell short of reaching several objectives.

The plan was for Starship to soar into space at least 90 some miles (150 km) above Earth before it would re-enter the atmosphere and plunge into the Pacific near Hawaii.

But SpaceX said in a statement afterward that the spacecraft "experienced multiple engines out" during its ascent, then "lost altitude and began to tumble," before the "flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and the ship."

Musk, SpaceX's founder, chief executive and chief engineer, had appeared eager to temper expectations in remarks made Sunday that downplayed the odds of a successful first flight. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told a conference in February that the "the real goal is to not blow up the launch pad."

By that measure, the debut flight of Starship with its booster rocket represented a milestone in SpaceX's ambition of sending astronauts back to the moon and ultimately to Mars, as a major partner in Artemis, NASA's newly inaugurated human spaceflight program.

NASA chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on Twitter, saying, "every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward."

LAUNCH, THEN FIERY 'DISASSEMBLY'

The two-stage rocket ship, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty at 394 feet (120 meters), blasted off from the company's Starbase spaceport on the southern tip of Texas along the Gulf Coast east of Brownsville. SpaceX hoped, at best, to pull off a 90-minute debut flight into space but just shy of Earth orbit.

A live SpaceX webcast showed the rocket ship rising from the launch tower into the morning sky as the Super Heavy's Raptor engines roared to life in a ball of flame and billowing clouds of exhaust and water vapor.

But less than four minutes into the flight, the upper-stage Starship failed to separate as designed from the lower-stage Super Heavy, and the combined vehicle was seen tumbling end over end before blowing apart.

The pad and surrounding area were cordoned off well in advance of the test, SpaceX said. Any debris from the explosion should have landed over the water in areas placed off-limits by the U.S. Coast Guard.

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft, atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket, explodes after its launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville, Texas, U.S. April 20, 2023. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

The spacecraft reached a peak altitude of about 24 miles (39 km) before its fiery disintegration, SpaceX said. The company also noted that the rocket reached the critical launch point of maximum aerodynamic pressure before appearing to lose control.

SpaceX officials on the webcast hailed the liftoff as a welcome accomplishment.

A throng of SpaceX workers shown during the webcast watching a livestream together at the company's headquarters near Los Angeles cheered wildly as the rocket cleared the launch tower - and again when it blew up.

'LEARNED A LOT'

Musk, shown seated in the Starbase mission control room in Boca Chica, Texas, wearing a headset, said on Twitter afterwards that the next Starship test launch would be in a few months.

"Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch," he tweeted. Musk, who purchased Twitter last year for $44 billion, is also CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc.

SpaceX principal integration engineer John Insprucker, one of the webcast commentators, said the experience would provide a wealth of data to inform further flight tests.

The road to Thursday's accident has not been without previous tests and setbacks.

A stationary test firing of the Super Heavy while bolted to a platform managed to ignite just 31 Raptor engines in February, and an earlier static firing test in July 2022 ended with the vehicle's engine section exploding.

Before that, SpaceX had test-launched prototypes of Starship's top half in five short flights to an altitude of 6 miles (9.7 km), seeking to perfect its return landing capability. All but one crashed in flames.

The spectacular nature of Thursday's loss of the first fully integrated Starship-and-booster vehicle during its introductory launch further highlighted challenges SpaceX faces moving beyond its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, the centerpiece of the company's satellite launch business.

Still even a textbook test flight would have by design ended with crash landings of both portions of the spacecraft at sea.

The Super Heavy and Starship were each designed as reusable components, capable of flying back to Earth for soft landings in a maneuver that has become routine in dozens of missions for SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.

For Thursday's launch, however, the flight plan called for the lower stage to fall into the Gulf of Mexico after separating from the upper stage, which would have come down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii after achieving nearly one full Earth orbit.

Saudi kids dress up to celebrate Eid tradition of Al-Hawwamah

Families prepare all sorts of Eid gifts for visitors such as: candy, Al-Qareedh (chickpeas), sugared almonds, and sometimes money. (Supplied)

Children from the Najd region of Saudi Arabia are preparing to celebrate the tradition of Al-Hawwamah, where they walk from door to door wearing new clothes.

The ritual takes place before or during Eid Al-Fitr, depending on family heritage, and is a popular custom in many parts of the Riyadh region. Children donned in their best garments stroll around their neighborhood chanting a traditional tune.

Prior to the celebration, families prepare by shopping for groceries, decorations, and festive clothes. Young boys wear the traditional thobe, and girls a black head covering embellished in gold design

Boys wear traditional thobes. (SPA)

Families also prepare Eid gifts for visitors, such as candy, chickpeas, sugared almonds, and sometimes money.

Gifting money is usually distributed among relatives to younger children to save or spend on more Eid goodies.

Tarfah Abdullah Alhmoudi, celebrated the tradition in her childhood, 60 years ago.

" Al-Hawwamah is one of the ancient inherited customs and traditions celebrated on the day of Eid. Children of the neighborhood gather with each other on the day of Eid, and they are overwhelmed with joy."
Fatimah Alodhaib, Teacher

She said: “My favorite part of Al-Hawwamah was wearing brand new clothes, and we would go around the entire neighborhood chanting the song, ‘I want my fruitful Eid gift, may you have many happy returns of this day, and may you always be healthy and wealthy, may poverty not break your legs or arms.’”

Al-Hawwamah takes place before or during Eid Al-Fitr depending on the family heritage and tradition. It is a popular custom celebrated by the neighborhood in many regions of Riyadh. Children wearing new garments will stroll around their neighborhood chanting a traditional tune. (Supplied)

But she noted that modern-day celebrations were very different.

“I preferred the tradition back then. The difference now is that everything comes all ready and packed up, whereas then it was not like that. We were happy with the old distributions that they gave us, like candied almonds, fudge, and chickpeas. We didn’t have sweets or chocolate like they do today.

"With everything we were given, we were so happy. The goodies would last with us for two weeks too.

Families prepare all sorts of Eid gifts for visitors such as: candy, Al-Qareedh (chickpeas), sugared almonds, and sometimes money. (Supplied)

“The celebration used to start in the top of the morning where kids would knock on neighbors’ doors,” she added.

However, children still rejoice with happy tunes and smiles that brighten the streets and create a modern version of a classic celebration.

Teacher, Fatimah Alodhaib, said: “Al-Hawwamah is one of the ancient inherited customs and traditions celebrated on the day of Eid. Children of the neighborhood gather with each other on the day of Eid, and they are overwhelmed with joy.

Families prepare all sorts of Eid gifts for visitors such as: candy, Al-Qareedh (chickpeas), sugared almonds, and sometimes money. (Supplied)

“They go to take sweets or money by knocking on the door of the neighbors. They consider it their treasure, because in the past, children didn’t always get those sweets. Children have joy in their eyes and the beautiful day stays in their memory.”

Huda Alodhaib said the favorite part of Al-Hawwamah for kids was the variety of sweets they received from neighbors.

“Al-Hawwamah is a collective joy for the children. Some people decorate their houses the night before Eid and prepare sweets and balloons for the children to go out among the neighbors’ houses.”

Alodhaib noted that in her neighborhood those children not wearing traditional clothes instead wore something beautiful or new. And locals could keep up to date on community news through an Instagram account filled with photos and videos of Eid festivities.

Residents flock to barbershop to get ready for Eid across KSA

Turkish barber Sherwan Ahmed is busy as Eid Al-Fitr approaches, his shop abuzz with customers waiting to be groomed for the annual festival

Barbershops at this time of the year employ additional workers to accommodate the demand and are open for long hours. (SPA)

“We have 30 customers a day normally; for Eid Al-Fitr we get 70 customers or more. We stay open all night before Eid and take a well-deserved break on Eid,” said the 32-year-old Ahmed, who works at Capio saloon in Jeddah.

It is the season for barbers in the Kingdom, with most saloons witnessing a 150 percent increase in customers.

Ahmed said Eid Al-Fitr is the peak season for them and most customers want to get a haircut and groom themselves to look neater. “Many people come to the shop two days before Eid, and this continues until the middle of the first day of Eid. We don’t get the chance to go home at night, we stay up to serve customers 24 hours,” Sherwan said.

His colleague, Osman Hadji, said: “Booking for the last two days of Ramadan already completed a week ago. We are not accepting customers without a booking.”

Prices for haircuts and hairstyling surges during the last three days of Ramadan, especially the night before Eid. Barbershops at this time of the year employ additional workers to accommodate the demand and are open for long hours.

Ibrahim Al-Maghrabi, a barber working at Al-Mazioun shop in Al-Zahra district, said: “It is obvious prices will go up because it is a season for us and everyone in the family wants to look good and they will pay anything for that.

“Sometimes customers pay way more from their own generosity, we raise our charges little bit during the Eid rush. If our customers are happy, we’re happy too,” he added.

Fahad Al-Zahrani, 29, told Arab News going to the barbershop before Eid has been a significant part of preparations for the celebrations because Eid is the right time for many to look good. “It is as important as buying new clothes, shoes and other things. Normally, I pay around SR35 ($9.33) for a haircut, but these days they charge me around SR55. This is good chance for them to earn more, especially as they are devoting their day and nights to meet such a big demand,” Al-Zahrani said.

Jordanian national Abdul Wahab Bin Naser said it is part of his Eid ritual to visit the barbershop. “My friends and I go to the barber as late as possible in the night. We get a service number because of the long queue and go to a nearby shop to wait for our turn.

“Queues are endless but the wait is definitely worth it once you see yourself looking sharp and ready for Eid celebration.”

His friend, Hamza Al-Salahi, said: “I do not go to the barber throughout Ramadan due to time constraints, and like many people I also do not care about how I look during Ramadan but when it comes to Eid we have to look our best.”

Asked about prices, Al-Salahi responded: “Definitely prices went up and I feel barbers try to take advantage of this demand but customers will pay anything to look good on Eid.”

Saudi national Bader Al-Harithi said a normal visit to barbershops costs him SR90 for all sorts of beauty treatments, but during Eid it rises up to SR200 for the same services. “I normally do not mind paying them extra since they are doing a perfect job.”

Russia Facing Off Against a NATO-backed ‘Orchestra of Terrorists’, Nicaragua’s Ortega Says

Nicaragua’s president has been a consistent proponent of cooperation with Moscow, and opponent of “Yankee imperialism” throughout his leadership of the Central American nation between 1979 and 1990, and again from 2007 to the present.

Russia is engaged a conflict against an entire “orchestra of terrorists” coordinated by the United States and NATO, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has said.

“NATO is harassing Russia, surrounding it with more weapons, more bases, and the United States is directing an orchestra of international terrorists,” Ortega said during a speech on Peace Day, a Nicaraguan national holiday, on Wednesday.

Ortega, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the latter’s tour of Latin America, stressed that the crisis in Ukraine requires a peaceful solution which provides Russia with security guarantees. “We want peace just as Russia wants it, as the peoples of the world want it, as countries like Brazil, Mexico and President Xi Jinping of China have raised it,” he said.

“The Russian Federation is waging a battle for peace, not against the nation, but against the fascists, the Nazis who…carried out a coup in Ukraine…and began to make war on Russians, to persecute Russians born in those lands,” the Nicaraguan president said.

Ortega expressed concerns that the long-feared “Third World War” is already under way, and involves the United States and its European allies, who are “using Ukraine to try to find a way to make Russia disappear. The same thing happened during World War II when Hitler formed his party in Germany, and nobody criticized or condemned him. Rather, the great capitals of Europe and the United States supported him so that he would come to occupy the leadership of that country” to assist in the struggle against the Soviet Union. This only changed during the war, when the West recognized the true extent of the Nazi danger, Ortega said.

Today, Ortega noted, the nations of Europe are gradually coming to the realization that they no longer want to be the vassals of the American “gringos,” who have driven them into a “swamp.”

The Nicaraguan president also emphasized that the EU’s extensive sanctions against Russia failed to stop the country’s economic development and trade.

“Speaking of cooperation between the Russian Federation and Nicaragua, there is clearly an attitude of solidarity of the Russian people with the peoples of the world; they gave their greatest demonstration of solidarity during World War II, where 20, 30, 40 million human beings were sacrificed for peace and to defeat Nazism,” Ortega said.

During his visit to Managua on Wednesday as part of his Latin American tour, Lavrov congratulated the people of Nicaragua on the occasion of Peace Day, recalling that it is “dedicated to the prevention of the state coup attempt. This attempted coup took place five years ago, it was actively supported from the outside, but the Nicaraguan people, led by Daniel Ortega, withstood the situation and restored stability in society. Those who tried to undermine this stability were defeated.”

“We see the West’s attempts...to impose its will on everyone in any part of the world, including in what is presently going on around Ukraine and with NATO’s role of ‘global security guarantor’, including in the Asia-Pacific region and other parts of the world. Together with Nicaragua and other friends, we will make an effort to counter that, to draw attention to the inadmissibility of such conduct in the world today,” Lavrov added.

Lavrov’s visit to Nicaragua follows last month’s trip to Moscow by Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada. Greeted by the Russian foreign minister, Moncada and his host discussed food security and energy infrastructure projects, the crisis in Ukraine and efforts to “strengthen relations between the two brother nations.”

The Ortega government’s efforts to shore up ties with Russia, China, Cuba and other non-US allies have made him a thorn in Washington’s side over the course of decades. In the 1980s, the CIA sponsored a brutal guerilla campaign against him, culminating in the defeat of his party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), in 1990. Ortega returned to power in 2007, and again began seeking alternatives to US hegemony in Latin America. In 2018, Ortega’s opponents attempted a violent coup against his government, with investigations later revealing that the coup plot was backed by foreign interests including the Vatican and the United States via USAID.

🇷🇺🇳🇮 Сomo parte de su viaje por América Latina, el Canciller Serguéi Lavrov ha llegado a Managua.

En el aeropuerto, fue recibido por su homólogo nicaragüense, Denis Moncada, y el Representante Especial del Presidente de Nicaragua para las Relaciones con Rusia, Laureano Ortega. pic.twitter.com/cLXDLTLOTB

— Cancillería de Rusia 🇷🇺 (@mae_rusia) April 19, 2023

Next Stop: Russian FM Arrives in Nicaragua Amid Tour of Latin America

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Nicaragua on a formal visit on Wednesday as part of a larger tour of Latin America that began at the start of the week.

Lavrov, who arrived in Nicaragua after previously touring Venezuela, stated during the visit that Nicaraguan lawmakers would participate in the first inter-parliamentary conference between Russia and Latin America in the fall of 2023.

©Photo : MariaVladimirovnaZakharova

"Parliaments and political parties cooperate ... The State Duma [Russia's lower house] has scheduled the first inter-parliamentary conference between Russia and Latin America for fall. Lawmakers from Nicaragua will definitely take part in it. We have received confirmation today," Lavrov told journalists.

"Parliaments and political parties cooperate ... The State Duma [Russia's lower house] has scheduled the first inter-parliamentary conference between Russia and Latin America for fall. Lawmakers from Nicaragua will definitely take part in it. We have received confirmation today," Lavrov told journalists.

The Russian foreign minister further indicated that his Nicaraguan counterpart Denis Moncada had accepted an official invitation to visit Russia. "We will continue our dialogue with my colleague and friend Minister Moncada, who has accepted my invitation to pay a return visit to the Russian Federation," said Lavrov.

Lavrov also took the opportunity to mention that Moscow and Managua are preparing a twin town partnership agreement between the Russian resort city of Yalta on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula and the Nicaraguan city of Granada.

"Now a twin town partnership agreement between Granada and Yalta is being prepared ... A couple of years ago, an honorary consulate of Nicaragua was opened in Simferopol," said Lavrov during the press conference.

Lavrov noted that Moscow welcomes the intensive development of ties between the regions of Nicaragua and Russia.

Also highlighted during the meeting are plans to hold another round of talks on the sidelines of the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June, at which officials intend to talk on trade and economic cooperation.

SPIEF 2023 will take place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from June 14-17.

Wall Street falls on downbeat earnings, rate jitters

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

U.S. stock indexes fell on Thursday as disappointing results from Tesla, AT&T and some regional banks dented investor sentiment already soured by prospects of further interest rate hikes.

Wall Street has remained steady this week with mixed earnings from U.S. banks allaying contagion concerns stemming from bank failures last month, but rapidly rising rates and recession worries have dimmed lenders' outlook.

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) tanked 8.7% to touch its lowest in more than a month after its first-quarter gross margin missed expectations due to aggressive price cuts on its vehicles and as CEO Elon Musk has put sales growth ahead of profit.

"Tesla is and has been struggling. They've been cutting prices pretty regularly and that's not something that you do if the market is strong for your product," said Paul Nolte, market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management.

Losses in Tesla and other carmakers Ford Motor Co (F.N) and General Motors Co (GM.N) led to a 1% drop in consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD) stocks.

Consumer staples (.SPLRCS), a defensive sector, was the only gainer in an otherwise weak market.

AT&T Inc (T.N) slid 9.4% as the wireless carrier missed estimates for first-quarter revenue, while American Express Co (AXP.N) slipped 3.2% on missing first-quarter earnings expectations.

Gains of 7% each in chip company Lam Research (LRCX.O) after it beat third-quarter revenue estimates and homebuilder D.R. Horton (DHI.N) following its upbeat full-year revenue forecast helped cut some losses in the broader market.

Analysts have largely retained last week's expectations of a near-5% year-on-year fall in quarterly profits at S&P 500 companies, according to Refinitiv data.

Traders are reassessing the path for interest rates after data indicated that a slowdown in the U.S. economy was not enough to push the Federal Reserve to start cutting rates as early as this year. Comments from Fed policymakers this week have also supported bets on further policy tightening.

Investors see an 88% chance of the Fed hiking rates by 25 basis points next month, according to CME Group's Fedwatch tool, but they have also priced in rate cuts by the end of the year.

Data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits increased moderately last week, suggesting that the labor market was gradually slowing, while another set of numbers showed factory activity in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region slumped more than expected in April.

"The momentum of the data is shifting toward weaker economic growth and the argument in favor of a Fed pause is increasing," David Russell, vice president of market intelligence at TradeStation.

Adding to worries, the cost of insuring exposure to U.S. sovereign debt rose to the highest level since 2011 over market jitters that the government could hit its debt ceiling sooner than expected.

At 11:45 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) was down 96.16 points, or 0.28%, at 33,800.85, the S&P 500 (.SPX) was down 18.73 points, or 0.45%, at 4,135.79, and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) was down 49.15 points, or 0.40%, at 12,108.07.

IBM Corp (IBM.N) gained 1.6% after the software company beat estimates for first-quarter profit.

Among regional banks, Zions Bancorp (ZION.O), Truist Financial Corp (TFC.N) and KeyCorp (KEY.N) dropped between 2.2% and 5.5% after their quarterly profits missed estimates.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.82-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.72-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P index recorded 21 new 52-week highs and three new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 39 new highs and 89 new lows.