Month: November 2019

Sebastian Vettel is backing Lewis Hamilton’s green initiatives and discourse, insisting Formula 1 should better exploit its global platform to send a stronger message on the environment.

Hamilton’s recent push on social media to promote veganism and a more eco-responsible behavior received a backlash from those who say that the superstar’s stance on the environment isn’t credible given his lifestyle and the massive carbon footprint of the community he belongs to.

However, the Briton’s comments have also spurred an interesting debate among his colleagues, with Vettel very much on his arch-rival’s side when it comes to his words and actions regarding the environment. But the Ferrari driver also believes that F1 should do more to get a responsible message across.

“Obviously, as Lewis mentioned, it’s very difficult us to get acceptance from outside, because we don’t have the smallest footprint, because the races happen around the world,” said the German.

“We do have to travel, so it’s part of our jobs. But in general, Formula 1 should do more.

Hamilton takes on critics – targets being ‘carbon neutral’ by year end

“It’s a worldwide operating platform. We should send a much stronger message regarding this subject, and I think personally – this is free to everyone – everybody can do something, contribute a little bit.

“And if the whole world would act like that, it would make a huge difference. I think it’s inevitable that change is coming, and hopefully sooner rather than later.”

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen also isn’t a denier when it comes to climate change, the Dane revealing that he’s slowly but surely developed an awareness of the planet’s issues and what is at stake.

“It’s pretty clear we have a climate issue,” Magnussen said. “I am a believer of that, and I don’t know how you could not believe that.

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“I can’t say I have (changed my lifestyle) as I’m a Formula 1 driver, and I fly around the world every week.

“But I can say I’ve started to feel bad about it. I think it’s going to be interesting to see how Formula 1 reacts to that in the future. That should be one of the big topics.

“I don’t know what can be done, and I just hope Formula 1 will look at it and take some action in that direction and be a leader in that.

“It’s one of the leading sports in the world, and it should be leading the way.”

The always pragmatic Kimi Raikkonen says that when it comes to providing lessons on the environment, F1 isn’t perhaps best placed to bang the drum on the subject.

“In the end we all try to do what we can,” said the Iceman. “But honestly, we are probably not in the best place to start making big stories out of it, because in the end we’re burning fuel for what? To be first, second?

“For sure we try to do our part always, if and when it’s possible, but I think F1 is probably not in the strongest place to tell people that this is what we should do, because to really go that route… we should all stay home and forget the racing.”

Finally, Max Verstappen acknowledges the environment’s importance, but suggests there may be an overreaction from the public.

“I like fuel. Can I say that?” Verstappen said. “I don’t like electric stuff. I mean, I like my electric moped at home, but not for an F1 car.

“The environment is very important, but F1 has been around for a long time and I don’t think we should overreact or be a drama queen about it. Just get on with it. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”

And regarding Hamilton’s take on veganism, the carnivorous Red Bull driver would rather keep his meat.

“I watched his documentary about being plant-based. It’s actually quite interesting that a lot of athletes say they gain performance from it, but it’s different to Formula 1, where we are not limited in pace physically.

“Yeah you need to be strong and fit, but it’s not like cycling or running where it’s all you. I enjoy eating my burgers sometimes as well.

“I like real meat! Everybody for themselves, everyone can make their own decisions. But yeah, I’m not going to go vegan.”

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

 

BAGRAM AIR FIELD — President Donald Trump made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to spend time with US troops on Thanksgiving.

Trump arrived at Bagram Air Field shortly after 8:30 p.m. local time and spent more than two-and-a-half hours on the ground. Reporters were under strict instructions to keep the trip a secret to ensure his safety.

The visit comes more than two months after Trump abruptly broke off peace talks with the Taliban after a bombing in Kabul killed 12 people, including an American soldier.

And it comes at a pivotal moment in Trump’s presidency, with the impeachment inquiry moving quickly.

The president and first lady made a similar trip last year to Iraq on Christmas night — their first to an active conflict zone.

Vice President Mike Pence also visited troops in Iraq this week.

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AP

 

Hairy crab stocks this year may have hit a record high, but industry players say demand is still outstripping supply by a significant margin.

Thanks to a mild summer and optimal breeding methods, both the amount and quality of hairy crabs, a freshwater crustacean farmed mostly in East China’s Yangtze River region, have reached historical highs this year.

However, the increased supply still isn’t enough to satiate China’s growing appetite for this premium seasonal delicacy. Instead, it has spurred chefs, restaurateurs and retailers to up the ante and make this shellfish the nation’s most coveted ingredient that could rival the exclusivity of truffles and caviar in Western countries.

According to the China Fisheries Association, the total volume of hairy crabs produced this year should reach 850,000 metric tons, up by more than 10 percent from last year and breaking the previous record of 820,000 metric tons set in 2016.

The average weight of male and female crabs in East China’s Yangcheng Lake, for example, has also appreciated, reaching 220 grams and 170 grams respectively.

“Despite the record high produce, the market price of hairy crabs has not dropped. In fact, the prices of the best quality ones have even gone up. This is partly due to the rising cost of farming the crabs, but also mainly because the soaring demand is outstripping supply,” says Yang Weilong, a senior engineer of aquaculture and consultant of China Fisheries Association.

Dubbed as the man who “fished diamond out of water”, Yang has been largely responsible for turning the famous hairy crabs produced in Yangcheng Lake into a national brand at the turn of the century. Yang, who is also the founder of the Suzhou Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crab Association, was recognized as one of the 10 most influential people in this industry by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2006.

“The hairy crab, after decades of improved breeding and marketing efforts, stands out as the epitome of China’s refined taste and culinary skills due to its unique characteristics and historical background,” says Yang.

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Chinese-Canadian actor and model Godfrey Gao died of cardiac arrest after collapsing while filming a TV reality show in Ningbo, East China’s Zhejiang province, on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old was on the set of Chase Me, a competitive sports reality show on Zhejiang Television.

A statement from the program released at 12:23 am said Gao had collapsed while filming in early morning, and died at the hospital after doctors tried for more than two hours to save his life. It also stated that Gao received immediate first aid from medical staff members on location before he was rushed to the hospital.

His management company Jetstar Entertainment said in a statement posted on Weibo at 11:46 on Wednesday that Gao was declared dead at the hospital.

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A drama featuring “Lin Zexu”, a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official, who led the fight against opium smuggling, will be staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) from Dec 14 to 19.

The play “Lin Zexu” was co-produced by the NCPA and Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Center as this year marks the 180th anniversary of Lin destroying opium at Humen in south China’s Guangdong Province in 1839.

Lin ordered the destruction of more than 1,000 tonnes of smuggled opium confiscated from British dealers at Humen.

The drama, with Wang Xiaodi as director, will feature actor Pu Cunxin as the protagonist and actress Xu Fan as Lin’s wife.

Tickets for the show are now available on the official site of the NCPA (www.chncpa.org), ranging from 280 yuan (about $40) to 1,080 yuan.

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Roast, a popular online variety show on streaming media platform Tencent Video, has contributed many topics to the daily conversation among Chinese youth over the past few years. Now it’s back to continue that conversation.

The fourth season of the show will air via Tencent starting Saturday. Ten episodes will be included in the new season, and a new episode will be released every week.

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In the show, professional stand-up comedians and celebrities from various fields are invited to make humorous “criticisms” of each other to expose young audiences to the real situations of different industries, thereby sharing the celebrities’ difficulties and challenges behind the scenes.

Many celebrities who seldom show their humorous side to the public will thus get a chance to tease others and not take themselves too seriously. For example, kung fu movie star Donnie Yen, who keeps a masculine and serious image with the public, can poke fun at himself and others. Athletes like swimmer Sun Yang and Zhang Weili, a women’s ultimate fighting champion, will also join the show.

Premiering in January 2017, Roast has expanded its scope from the entertainment industry, following the ever-evolving internet industry. Li Jiaqi, a popular online broadcaster promoting cosmetics, and Liu Mou, an e-sports athlete, will become major guests for this season as well.

“In the time of the internet, it’s difficult for a celebrity to be widely known by all people,” Qiu Yue, a producer of the show, said at a pre-screening of the new season in Beijing. “In the new season, we’d like to keep contributing new blood, break barriers among different circles and let their living conditions be better known by others.”

Ye Feng, head of Fun Factory, the studio that co-produces the show, also expected the enlarging influence of the show to eventually contribute to a boom of stand-up comedy in China.

The capital city launched 30 events for winter fun on November 28.

These events feature folk customs, winter sport, traditional Chinese medicine, art performance, shopping and Olympic elements in Beijing.

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The idea is to enable visitors and residents to better savor the winter charm of Beijing and promote winter sport culture, Wang Yue, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, said.

More than 200 winter sport programs will be held, and about 300 winter art performances will be staged at major theaters across the capital.

TOKYO – China earned full quotas for both men’s and women’s individual semifinals at the 34th FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships here on Thursday, as their hopes for next year’s Olympic Games increased.

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“Our goal here is to gain the full quotas to Tokyo 2020. Today is a good start for us,” said Lu Chunlong, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist now looking to achieve Olympic glory managing the national team.

China’s established trampolinists Gao Lei, Dong Dong and Tu Xiao all breezed through the qualification for the men’s individual trampoline, just behind in-form Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Uladzislau Hancharou from Belarus.

Despite Zhu Xueying’s error in her second routine, China also grasped three full quotas in the women’s individual trampoline. Liu Lingling and teammate Huang Yanfei stood atop the qualification round, while Li Dan followed Japan’s Mori Hikaru in fourth place.

Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido Co Ltd is pouring resources and betting on innovation in China as the 147-year-old firm aims to sharpen its focus in its largest overseas market against the backdrop of a softening global cosmetics industry.

“Developing in China is not merely for growth. As China spearheads the world in innovation, doing business here has contributed and will contribute greatly to our continued growth globally,” said Naoko Hase, head of the corporate strategy division at Shiseido China.

“China has become a strong growth driver for Shiseido and continued to be our largest overseas market for a third consecutive year,” Hase explained.

Shiseido reported a strong financial performance in the fiscal third quarter for the period ending in September. The firm registered sales revenue of 846.63 billion yen ($7.75 billion) in the period, up 5.1 percent year-on-year.

China led the growth with sales revenue of 158.52 billion yen, accounting for 18.7 percent of the company’s total revenue.

“We will introduce more brands into the Chinese market next year. The same effort will also be made in cross-border e-commerce so that local consumers can have access to more products that haven’t been launched in China,” she said.

Over the past year, Shiseido’s prestige brands, such as Cle de Peau Beaute, have maintained their growth momentum in the market. “It is interesting to find that a growing number of young Chinese consumers have started to use these high-end series, especially some anti-wrinkle products.”

Hase said that one notable source of innovative growth comes from Chinese outbound travelers, showing a trend that features the increasing consumption power of Chinese consumers abroad.

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An industry report which quoted data from Shiseido showed that more than 22 million Chinese female travelers would frequently buy items during their trips, including duty-free shops in airports.

On average, they would buy luxury beauty products in the travel retail channel at least twice a year. Some 55 million buy such products once a year.

“This group of Chinese consumers have shown stronger willingness of buying where they go, which has inspired us,” Hase said.

“With these purchase, we are also learning from the data and use them to redrive our sales globally. We are also exploring ways to maintain these consumers to stick to our products back home,” she said.

The firm also established a China Business Innovation & Investment Representative Office in Shanghai from the beginning of the year. The hub aims to promote innovations in existing businesses and new business development that would respond to market trends in China.

“Related startups are being incubated now under the innovation and investment office as we hope to accelerate more innovative growth here in China,” Hase stated.

 

The Gunners have announced that the Spanish coach has been relieved of his duties, with the news welcomed by a disgruntled and disillusioned fan base

Arsenal’s decision to part company with Unai Emery has been welcomed by many of the club’s supporters, with some claiming that Mesut Ozil has “won” the battle at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have, after just 18 months under the tutelage of the Spanish coach, decided to make another change in the dugout .

They bid farewell to the legendary Arsene Wenger in the summer of 2018, and have now dismissed his successor.

Emery had been falling under mounting pressure in north London, with little progress considered to have been made during his reign.

Struggles for consistency have ultimately cost him his job, with Freddie Ljungberg placed in caretaker charge ahead of the Premier League clash with Norwich City on Sunday.

Fans had been calling for Emery’s head for several weeks, with those in the stands of the opinion that a clean slate is required in order to turn the tide.

That view is shared by the club’s board, with the hunt for a new head coach now underway – with several names already being thrown into the pot .

Arsenal followers wasted little time in bidding farewell to a manager whose time at the club is considered to have been a “disaster”, with attention switching to what the future might now hold for the club…

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