Horse racing in China’s gaming hub of Macao to end in April, after over 40 years
HONG KONG (AP) — The government in said Monday that after more than 40 years, there will be no more horse racing in the city and announced plans to terminate its contract with the city’s jockey club in April.
The gaming hub on China’s south coast near Hong Kong is a home to various gambling businesses, which form a major pillar of its economy. But its jockey club, acquired by a consortium led by in 1991, has faced financial woes in recent years.
Brunei’s newlywed Prince Mateen and his commoner wife to be feted at the end of lavish celebrations
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen and his commoner wife will be feted at a royal banquet Monday to mark the end of a lavish nuptial festival in the oil-rich sultanate.
The 32-year-old prince, once dubbed one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors, married Anisha Rosnah Isa-Kalebic, 29, in ceremonies steeped in tradition that began Jan. 7. A solemnization ceremony was held at a mosque on Thursday, and events climaxed Sunday with a
Turkey detains Israeli footballer for showing support for hostages, accuses him of ‘ugly gesture’
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel returned to Israel on Monday evening to a cheering crowd, hours after he was briefly detained in Turkey for allegedly inciting hatred after he expressed solidarity with hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza during a top-flight league game.
Jehezkel landed in Israel in a small plane and was draped in an Israeli flag upon disembarking. Dozens of fans mobbed him as he left the airport, cheering, singing, and waving flags.
“There’s nowhere like Israel in
Presidential hopeful Baswedan says Indonesia’s democracy is declining and pledges change
BANDAR LAMPUNG, Indonesia (AP) — A former Jakarta governor seeking Indonesia’s presidency said democracy is declining in the country and pledged to make changes to get it back on track.
Anies Baswedan said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday that concerns about neutrality in the current government and the institution arose when the frontrunner in the presidential race, Prabowo Subianto, picked the son of the current president as his running mate.
The issue of neutrality has not existed in Indonesia’s elections since the fall of dictator
Nauru switches diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Pacific Island nation of Nauru said Monday that it is switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, a move that reduces the dwindling number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to 12 around the world.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and has been peeling off the island’s diplomatic allies, often with promises of development aid. It’s a that has swung in China’s favor in recent years.
A statement from the government of Nauru said it was
Arctic freeze continues to blast huge swaths of the US with sub-zero temperatures
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Brutally cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills stayed put across much of the U.S. Monday, promising the coldest temperatures presidential nominating contest, holding up travelers, and testing the mettle of NFL fans in Buffalo for a that was delayed a day by wind-whipped snow.
About 150 million Americans were under a windchill warning or advisory for dangerous cold and wind, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, as
Indonesia evacuates about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after a volcano spews clouds of ash
FLORES TIMUR, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has evacuated about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed thick clouds of brownish ash for the past days, authorities said on Monday.
No casualties or major damage have been reported so far.
The eruptions in East Nusa Tenggara province are part of hot gas spills that have become more frequent in recent days. The 1,584-meter (5,197 foot) mountain is one of the
Shih Ming-teh, Taiwan activist who pushed for democracy, dies at 83
BANGKOK (AP) — Shih Ming-teh, a democracy activist who helped lead Taiwan from authoritarianism to democracy and a former chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, died on Monday, his family said. He was 83.
According to a statement from his family on his official Facebook page, he was being treated at Taipei’s Veterans General Hospital. No cause of death was provided.
“Our father, Shih Ming-teh, set off today on his birthday, reuniting with his family members and the
Police are searching for a suspect who shot a man to death at a Starbucks in southwestern Japan
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police were searching Monday for a suspect who shot and killed a customer at a Starbucks the previous day in what was reportedly a gang-related crime.
The man was fatally shot in the chest at a shopping mall in the city of Shikokuchuo in Ehime prefecture on the southwestern main island of Shikoku, local police said. He was rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead, the statement said.
The victim, a 49-year-old man, was in a terrace section of
Stock market today: Asia stocks follow Wall Street higher, while China keeps its key rate unchanged
HONG KONG (AP) — European markets opened lower while Asian markets were mostly higher on Monday as the week got off to a mixed start.
U.S. markets will be closed for Martin Luther King Day, a holiday.
France’s CAC 40 lost 0.1% to 7,454.74. Germany’s DAX slipped 0.1% to 16,688.90, and Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.2% to