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Yao Ming Is Now A Chinese Ambassador To Mars

2021-01-02T07:09:04Z

CharlieSauer78:

id="article-body" class="row" section="article-body"> [ Enlarge Image] Jim Rogash, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] Getty Images Retired basketball star Yao Ming's new role is simply out of this world. The former Houston Rockets Centre is to become China's new "Ambassador to Mars," according to the [ South China Morning Post]. It's not yet known whether China's most famous athlete may be expected to [ team up with the Looney Tunes] to defeat aliens in a basketball tournament. For now, Ming's main task is to help publicize China's plan to send a spacecraft to Mars by 2020. China's Mars 2020 mission, [ first announced] earlier this year, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quốc giá rẻ] is expected to carry a solar-powered probe to the surface of the red planet. It will use a Chinese-made Long March-5 rocket to launch from the Wenchang Space Centre in China's Hainan [http://ms-jd.org/search/results/search&keywords=province/ province]. Yao will be joined in his ambassadorial duties by 10 other Chinese luminaries, including science-fiction writer Liu Cixin, teenage boy band TFBOYS and women's Olympic gold-medal-winning volleyball team coach Lang Ping. China isn't the only one with its eyes on Mars. Elon Musk [/news/spacex-mars-elon-musk-plans-saturn-v-rocket/ late last month outlined his plan] to colonize the planet, saying he envisions self-sustaining human civilisations on Mars in the next 40-100 years. [#comments Comments] [/crave/ Crave] [/topics/culture/ Culture] [/topics/sci-tech/ Notification on Notification off Sci-Tech]

China Boasts Its Second Aircraft Carrier Is Military Ready

2021-01-02T06:04:18Z

CharlieSauer78:

[/news/china/index.html China] has claimed that its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, is now military ready after soldiers carried out a series of live-fire drills. The country's state broadcaster this week released a dramatic video, which shows the 50,000-tonne warship launching ammunition to blow up enemy targets during an exercise. Beijing's show of military might comes as tensions have heightened between China and the United States after Washington approved two sales of weapon and defence systems worth around $4.2billion (£3.25billion) to Taiwan. China claimed that its second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, had completed a series of drills. Pictured, the ship is docked at a naval port in Sanya in southern China on December 17, 2019 Footage shows the ship launching ammunition to blow up enemy targets during an exercise RELATED ARTICLES [# Previous] [# 1] [# Next] [/news/article-8888305/Panda-Mei-Xiang-Chinese-web-users-urge-government-save-based-bear-abused.html Chinese web users urge authorities to 'save' US-based panda...] [/news/article-8891611/Hong-Kong-teen-activist-Tony-Chung-charged-secession.html Teen Hong Kong activist is charged with secession as he...] [/news/article-8892219/Taiwan-marks-200-days-without-domestically-transmitted-coronavirus-case.html Covid-19 success story Taiwan marks 200 days without a...] [/news/article-8890845/Joe-Biden-compromised-Chinese-Communist-Party-answer-key-questions.html Joe Biden 'could be compromised by the Chinese Communist...] Share this article Share 16 shares China's propaganda machine has been [/news/article-8872451/South-China-Sea-Beijing-claims-soldiers-launched-dozens-missiles-live-fire-drill.html boasting about the country's military capabilities] while sending warnings to other countries amid souring relations with the US and self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own. Chinese President Xi this month told his marine soldiers to [/news/article-8838495/Chinas-President-Xi-tells-soldiers-focus-preparing-WAR-visits-marine-base.html focus on war preparedness] while remaining highly vigilant. China Central Television's military channel reported on Tuesday that the Shandong had 'successfully completed a series of maritime tests and training items'. It stated that the military exercises 'effectively examined' the performance of the vessel's weapons and equipment. China Central Television's military channel stated on Tuesday that the Shandong had 'successfully completed a series of maritime tests and training items' in a video report (above) Lai Yijun, the captain of the Shandong, is pictured be[/news/article-7800999/Chinas-second-aircraft-carrier-Shandong-enters-service-amid-tensions-Taiwan-US.html was commissioned by Chinese President Xi][/news/article-7800999/Chinas-second-aircraft-carrier-Shandong-enters-service-amid-tensions-Taiwan-US.html was commissioned by Chinese President Xi] during a ceremony at a naval port in Sanya, southern China's Hainan Province, in December last year. The ship is named after the eastern coastal province of Shandong and puts China in a small club of nations with multiple aircraft carriers. Beijing's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is a re-fitted Soviet-era Ukrainian ship and named after the province where it was revamped. It entered service in September, 2012. The country is building [/news/article-8739675/Chinas-aircraft-carrier-pictured-construction-Shanghais-warship-factory.html a third aircraft carrier], which will be equipped with a flat-top flight deck and an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, according to previous reports. The warship was commissioned to China's People's Liberation Army Navy in Sanya, Hainan Province, last December by Chinese President Xi (seen in CCTV news) during a ceremony China Central Television last week claimed that Beijing's army had launched [/news/article-8872451/South-China-Sea-Beijing-claims-soldiers-launched-dozens-missiles-live-fire-drill.html dozens of missiles] during drills over the South China Sea. The air-to-air missiles were reportedly fired during the two-day military exercise attended by nearly 100 soldiers in an undisclosed area on the South China Sea. The United States on Monday said it had approved a $2.4billion (£1.86billion) sale of 100 Harpoon coastal defence systems to democratically ruled Taiwan. It came after the US State Department had given the green light to a separate deal of three weapons systems to the island, including sensors, missiles and artillery that could have a total value of $1.8billion (£1.38billion). Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of Tsai, who views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of 'one China'. Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of Tsai, who views the island as a de facto sovereign nation and not part of 'one China'. Tsai is pictured reacting during an election campaign in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on January 5 Chinese fighter jets and [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] bombers have entered Taiwan's air defence zone with unprecedented frequency in recent months, while propaganda films have shown [/news/article-8831001/China-threatens-Taiwan-conducting-live-fire-military-drill.html simulated attacks] on Taiwan-like territories and US bases in Guam. Beijing said Tuesday it 'firmly opposed' Washington's move, urging the US to 'call off the relevant arms sales plan to Taiwan, so as not to cause further damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait'. Foreign ministry [http://scp-knowledge.org/?s=spokesman%20Wang spokesman Wang] Wenbin said China would 'take proper and necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty and security interests.' China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it would impose sanctions on the US companies involved in the sales, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin. A US official on Wednesday played down the threats, saying that Beijing, not Washington, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quoc] was jeopardising regional stability. data-track-module="am-external-links^external-links"> Read more: [ CCTV Military/Weibo] DM.later('bundle', function() DM.has('external-source-links', 'externalLinkTracker'); );

Pentagon apos;s Latest Salvo Against China apos;s Growing Might: Cold War...

2021-01-01T18:07:22Z

CharlieSauer78:

By David Lague HONG KONG, Sept 1 (Reuters) - On July 21, two U.S Air Force B-1B bombers took off from Guam and headed west over the Pacific Ocean to the hotly contested South China Sea. The sleek jets made a low-level pass over the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its escorting fleet, which was exercising nearby in the Philippines Sea, according to images released by the U.S. military. The operation was part of the Trump administration's intensifying challenge to China's ruling Communist Party and its sweeping territorial claims over one of the world's most important strategic waterways. While senior Trump officials launch diplomatic and rhetorical broadsides at Beijing, the U.S. Defense Department is turning to the firepower of its heavily armed, long-range bombers as it seeks to counter Beijing's bid to control the seas off the Chinese coast. Since late January, American B-1B and B-52 bombers, usually operating in pairs, have flown about 20 missions over key waterways, including the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, according to accounts of these flights from U.S. Air Force statements and official social media posts. These missions, military analysts say, are designed to send a crystal-clear signal: The United States can threaten China's fleet and Chinese land targets at any time, from distant bases, without having to move America's aircraft carriers and other expensive surface warships within range of Beijing's massive arsenal of missiles. In this response to the growing power of China's military, the Pentagon has combined some of its oldest weapons with some of its newest: Cold War-era bombers and cutting-edge, stealthy missiles. The supersonic B1-B first entered service in 1986; the newest plane in the B-52 fleet was built during the Kennedy administration. But these workhorses can carry a huge payload of precision weapons. A B-1B can carry 24 of the U.S. military's stealthy new Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, which entered service in 2018 and can strike targets at ranges of up to 600 kilometers, according to U.S. and other Western officials. "A single B-1 can deliver the same ordnance payload as an entire carrier battle group in a day," said David Deptula, dean of the Washington-based Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General. And, in a crisis, he added, bombers can be rapidly deployed. "Depending on where they are, ships can take weeks to get in place," said Deptula. "But by using bombers, they can respond in a matter of hours," he adds, noting that the U.S. object is to deter war. "Nobody wants to engage in conflict with China." Chinese and western military strategists warn that a conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers could be difficult to contain. In a clash with China, this fast response from the bomber force could be vital while the U.S. and its allies rush naval reinforcements to the Pacific to bolster the vastly outnumbered U.S. naval fleet stationed in the region, according to current and former U.S. and other Western military officers. A spokeswoman for Pacific Air Forces, Captain Veronica Perez, said the U.S. Air Force had increased its publicity about its bomber missions to assure allies and partners of Washington's commitment to global security, regional stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific. "Though the frequency and scope of our operations vary based on the current operating environment, the U.S. has a persistent military presence and routinely operates throughout the Indo-Pacific," she said. China's defense ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters. LOWEST POINT While the bomber missions continue, relations between Washington and Beijing have reached their lowest point since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. In a show of force, Chinese fighter jets crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait while U.S. Secretary for Health, Alex Azar, was visiting Taipei on Aug. 10 to congratulate the government of President Tsai Ing-wen on its successful containment of the COVID-19 virus. Azar was the most senior American official to visit Taiwan in four decades. Taiwan's missile radars tracked the Chinese fighters in only the third such incursion across the median line since 2016, the Taiwanese government said. Beijing condemned the visit. It regards the island as a province of China and hasn't ruled out the use of force to bring it under Communist Party control. In a series of speeches ahead of Azar's visit, top Trump officials had hammered China on multiple fronts, including its military build-up, territorial ambitions, domestic political repression, intellectual property theft, espionage, trade practices and its failure to alert the world to the danger of COVID-19. In one of the most harshly worded attacks on China from an American official in decades, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 23 that China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), was not a normal fighting force. "Its purpose is to uphold the absolute rule of the Chinese Communist Party elites and expand a Chinese empire, not protect the Chinese people," he said. "And so our Department of Defense has ramped up its efforts, freedom of navigation operations out and throughout the East and South China Seas and in the Taiwan Strait as well." In July, Pompeo declared most of Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea illegal. With the combination of bombers and long-range missiles, the United States is trying to turn the tables on the PLA. Over more than two decades, China has assembled a force of ground, sea and air-launched missiles that would make it deadly for warships of the U.S. Navy and its allies to approach the Chinese coast in a conflict. This Chinese strategy is specifically tailored to threaten U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups and the network of bases that form the backbone of American power in Asia. In a demonstration of this capability, the PLA launched one of its so-called carrier-killer missiles, the DF-26, in an exercise in the South China Sea following the deployment in July of two U.S. aircraft carriers to the area, China's official military media reported in early August. And a U.S. defense official told Reuters that on Aug. 26, China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles that hit the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands. But the PLA Navy's huge and rapidly expanding fleet is also vulnerable to long-range missiles. China has built the world's biggest navy, including new aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and powerful cruisers and destroyers. And the PLA's extensive network of bases and ports would also be targets for missiles. In a conflict, U.S. bombers over the Western Pacific could target PLA Navy warships at their bases on the Chinese coast or underway inside the so-called first island chain, the string of islands that run from the Japanese archipelago through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas. Chinese warships would be even more vulnerable if they broke out through the island chain into the Western Pacific, outside the coverage of the PLA's land-based air defenses and strike aircraft. THE FIREPOWER GAP In the aftermath of the Cold War, Washington assumed it had uncontested control of the oceans and neglected to arm its surface fleet with modern, long-range anti-ship missiles. To be sure, the U.S. and its allies, particularly Japan, still have a powerful fleet of attack submarines that would pose a deadly menace to PLA warships. But the bombers help fill the firepower gap in the U.S. surface fleet while the Pentagon is re-purposing existing missiles and introducing new versions to its destroyers and cruisers, according to maritime strategists. The bomber deployments are one element of a much wider reshaping of forces and tactics that the U.S. and its allies in East Asia have launched to deter China from attacking Taiwan, expanding its hold over the South China Sea or seizing other disputed territories. These include the uninhabited group of isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing. Tensions are on the rise around these islands, now under Japanese control. The commander of U.S. forces in Japan, Lieutenant General Kevin Schneider, pledged in July that America would help Japan monitor "unprecedented" Chinese incursions into waters around the Senkakus that were challenging Tokyo's administration. Within an hour of Schneider's comments, China's foreign ministry fired back that the islands were "Chinese territory." Long-range U.S. bombers operating from distant airfields would remain a threat if Chinese missile attacks disabled key U.S. bases in Japan, South Korea and Guam. These bases, mostly a carry-over from World War Two and the Korean War, were built at a time when China had very limited means to attack them. Now it does. In a clear acknowledgement that Guam is now at risk, the U.S. Air Force announced on April 17 it would end its continuous rotation of bombers to the island base and withdraw them to the U.S. mainland. The absence of a permanent bomber presence at Guam is a blow to Washington's ability to deter China and North Korea, airpower experts say. The island in the Western Pacific is less than a five-hour flight from the South China Sea. "It makes it look like the Chinese military build-up has worked," said Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at Griffith University in Australia and a retired Australian air force Group Captain who has worked at the Pentagon. "They are now taken out of range." Since then, the United States has sent bombers to Guam for short-term deployments from their [http://lerablog.org/?s=continental continental] bases. U.S. airpower researchers suggest that the availability of better training facilities at mainland U.S. bases was also a factor [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] in the decision to withdraw the bombers. But in further evidence of Guam's vulnerability, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Philip Davidson, has asked Congress to fund a powerful missile defense system for the island by 2026. Another hurdle for the Pentagon: America's bomber force is shrinking just as the PLA challenge grows. From a force of more than 400 at the end of the Cold War, the U.S. bomber fleet has shrunk to 158 aircraft. Of those planes, 62 are B-1Bs and 76 are B-52S. The United States also has a smaller force of 20 newer B-2 stealth bombers. The air force plans to retire 17 B-1Bs next year to concentrate resources on the remaining bombers until the planned introduction of a new generation of stealthy bomber, the B-21, toward the end of this decade. This bomber is expected to sharply improve the U.S. Air Force's ability to penetrate Chinese airspace. Northrop Grumman is now building the first prototype, according to air force officials. 'NOT LIKE FIGHTING SADDAM' As the risk of conflict rises, some Western airpower experts doubt that U.S. bombers would deliver a decisive advantage in a clash with the PLA. They say the Chinese military has spent decades preparing formidable, integrated air defenses. Even if the U.S. bombers were able to sink PLA Navy warships and stealthily penetrate Chinese airspace to strike some ground targets, they say it would not necessarily translate into victory against a vast and powerful adversary. And, they warn, it might be impossible to fight a limited conflict on China's periphery. "It is not like fighting Saddam Hussein, it would be a major world war," said Layton, the retired Australian air force officer. "Both sides have nuclear weapons and there is the potential for escalation. If either side is losing, what is going to happen then?" Alongside relying on its bombers, the United States has been forced to develop other plans to offset the Chinese missile and naval threat. The U.S Marine Corps is planning to disperse smaller units armed with long-range anti-ship and land-attack missiles through the first island chain, where they could threaten the Chinese navy and land targets on China's mainland. The U.S. Army also intends to spread forces through the first island chain and other outposts in the Western Pacific. It is planning a series of major exercises this year and next where troops would deploy to islands in the region, according to senior commanders and top Pentagon officials. New weapons are in the pipeline that would give specially formed army task force units the firepower to strike at Chinese warships and other targets in a conflict. The U.S. Army's top commander, General James McConville, told an online seminar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies in late July that a very long-range hypersonic missile was under development and tests had been successful. And soldiers would have the tools to attack an enemy's navy. "We are going to have mid-range missiles that can sink ships," McConville said. The U.S. and its allies also intend to link all their surveillance systems and weapons together in a regional network so that tracking information about a target could be shared between radar stations, satellites, surface warships, submarines, aircraft and land forces. In this system, a stealth fighter flying from a carrier could detect an enemy warship and relay this information to an army unit on an island, which could attack the foe with an anti-ship missile. On May 21, two U.S. B-1B bombers from Guam flew to an area near Misawa Air Base in Japan, where they conducted long-range anti-ship missile training with a P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to a U.S. Pacific Air Force statement. This exercise demonstrated that the U.S. had the capability to "hold any target at risk, anytime and anywhere," said Perez, the Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman. The ships and aircraft involved in this exercise likely practiced the sharing of target information to mount a simulated attack, according to U.S. and Asian military experts. On other missions this year, the American bombers have held joint exercises with U.S., Japanese and South Korean fighters. CHINESE AIRSPACE In this networked battlefield, the Pentagon's old warhorses of the air would be an even more formidable rival. The speed and range of America's Cold War-vintage bombers would allow them to approach Chinese targets from different directions and fire salvos of difficult-to-detect missiles at multiple ships, according to current and retired U.S. air force officers. With even longer range missiles that Washington has in the pipeline, such attacks could be mounted from well outside the range of China's powerful, land-based air defenses. American bombers can also drop precision-guided mines to block strategically important ocean passages or ports. And the U.S. B-2 stealth bombers could penetrate more deeply into Chinese airspace and [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quoc] attack key targets with sharply less chance of detection than the older bombers. These bombers already carry a heavy payload of precision, land-attack munitions and could also be configured to carry the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile. A B-1B could take off from the continental United States, refuel from tanker aircraft en route, and arrive over the Western Pacific in about 15 hours, according to Deptula and other military aviation analysts. From Hawaii the trip would take about nine hours, they say. Even closer, from northern Australia, the transit would take six hours without refueling. The Australian government announced in February it would spend $814 million upgrading a key air base at Tindal in the Northern Territory, including a major extension to its runway. Part of the reason for the upgrade is to support expanded U.S. Air Force operations, the Australian government said. American bombers are already using the base. The B-1B originally served as a nuclear bomber. That role has been phased out. It now carries around 34 metric tonnes (75,000 pounds) of conventional guided and unguided weapons, the biggest payload of any U.S. aircraft. In the military operations launched after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, these bombers were flown hard for almost two decades to provide ground support to American and allied troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan. With the Pentagon having turned its competitive sights on China, the B-1B is now increasingly employed as a ship killer. In future, it could also be armed with a new hypersonic missile, the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), now in testing, and a new long-range cruise missile, according to senior U.S. Air Force commanders. Hypersonic missiles traveling at more than five times the speed of sound would be hard to intercept. The B-52 is an even older icon of American might, in service since the mid-1950s. It carries a slightly smaller payload than the B-1B. As part of this weapons load, it can be armed with up to 14 upgraded versions of the Cold War-era Harpoon anti-ship missile. And, it could also be configured in future to carry 20 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, according to air power experts. Along with the B-2, the B-52 can also launch nuclear missiles. While these older bombers remain potent, American air power experts say a strong force of B-21 stealth bombers will be much more effective when they begin entering service later this decade. The new bomber is being developed in a highly classified program. "All the indications are that it is proceeding well in the development phases," said Deptula. ([http://www.blogrollcenter.com/index.php?a=search&q=Reporting Reporting] by David Lague in Hong Kong. Edited by Peter Hirschberg.)

U.S. China Trade Jibes As Military Tensions Worsen

2021-01-01T15:06:47Z

CharlieSauer78:

By Ben Blanchard Aug 27 (Reuters) - The United States and China traded jibes as military tensions grow between the world's two largest economies, with the U.S. defense chief vowing not to "cede an inch" in the Pacific and China saying Washington was risking soldiers' lives. Both are at loggerheads over issues from technology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of deliberately provocative behavior. In the latest U.S. move against China ahead of November's presidential election, Washington on Wednesday blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals over construction and military actions in the busy South China Sea waterway. On Thursday, a U.S. Navy warship carried out a routine operation near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, something frequently criticized by Beijing as threatening its sovereignty. In Hawaii, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wanted Beijing to project power globally via its military. "To advance the CCP's agenda, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to pursue an aggressive modernization plan to achieve a world class military by the middle of the century," Esper said. "This will undoubtedly involve the PLA's provocative behavior in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests." However, Esper said the United States wanted to "hopefully continue to work with the People's Republic of China to get them back on a trajectory that is more aligned with the international rules based order." Speaking before a regional [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quoc], Esper described the Indo-Pacific as the [http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=epicenter&gs_l=news epicenter] of a "great power competition with China." He added, "We're not going to cede this region, an inch of ground if you will, to another country, any other country that thinks their form of government, their views on human rights, their views on sovereignty, their views on freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, all those things, that somehow that's better than what many of us share." President Donald Trump's administration has repeatedly bashed China over issues including its [http://data.gov.uk/data/search?q=handling handling] of the coronavirus, a common theme during this week's Republican National Convention. In Beijing, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] China's Defense Ministry shot back at "certain U.S. politicians" it said were damaging Sino-U.S. military ties in the run-up to the November election for their own selfish gain, even seeking to create military clashes. "This kind of behavior puts the lives of frontline officers and soldiers on both sides at risk," spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing on Thursday. China is not scared of "provocation and pressure" from the United States, and will resolutely defend itself and not allow the United States to cause trouble, he added. "We hope the U.S. side will truly adopt a strategic vision, view China's development with an open and rational attitude, and leave behind the quagmire of anxiety and entanglement." The tension has sparked fears of accidental conflict. A U.S. defense official told Reuters on Wednesday that China had launched four medium-range ballistic missiles that hit the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands. On Thursday, the Pentagon said it was concerned about China's recent military exercises, including the firing of the missiles. "Conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to easing tensions and maintaining stability," the Pentagon said in a statement. It added that the U.S. military had told Chinese authorities in July that it would continue to monitor the situation with "the expectation that the PRC (People's Republic of China) will reduce its militarization and coercion of its neighbors in the South China Sea." (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Additional reporting by Cate Cadell, Yew Lun Tian in Beijing and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Rosalba O'Brien)

List 3 4 Of Sports Events Affected By Coronavirus Pandemic

2021-01-01T12:24:31Z

CharlieSauer78:

GYMNASTICS Artistic World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, from Feb. 20-23: China team withdrew. All-Around World Cup in Milwaukee on March 7: Russia team withdrew. Artistic World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, from March 14, Day 3 of 4, canceled. Artistic World Cup in Doha, Qatar on March 18-21 postponed to June 3-6, postponed. All-Around World Cup in Stuttgart, Germany on March 20-22 canceled. Aerobic World Cup in Cantanhede, Portugal on March 27-29 canceled. All-Around World Cup in Birmingham, England on March 28 canceled. Rhythmic World Cup in Pesaro, Italy on April 3-5 postponed to June 5-7, postponed. Acrobatic World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 3-5 postponed. All-Around World Cup in Tokyo on April 4-5 canceled. Artistic Jesolo Cup in Italy on April 4-5 canceled. Rhythmic World Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 10-12 postponed to June 29-21, postponed. Acrobatic World Cup in Puurs, Belgium on April 10-12 canceled. Rhythmic World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on April 17-19 postponed. Aerobic World Cup in Tokyo on April 18-19 canceled. Trampoline World Cup in Brescia, Italy on April 24-25 postponed to June 19-20, postponed. Rhythmic World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan on April 24-26 postponed. Artistic women´s European championships in Paris on April 30-May 3 postponed to Kyiv, Ukraine from Dec. 17-20 moved to Mersin, Turkey. Artistic Asian championships in Tokyo on May 2-5 canceled. Trampoline European championships in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 7-10 moved to Sochi, Russia from April 29-May 1, 2021. Pan American championships in Utah Valley, United States on May 7-10 postponed. Rhythmic Asian championships in Tokyo on May 8-10 canceled. Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Portimão, Portugal on May 8-10 postponed. Aerobic world championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 14-16 postponed. Artistic World Challenge Cup in Varna, Bulgaria on May 14-17 postponed. Rhythmic European championships in Kyiv, Ukraine on May 21-24 postponed to Nov. 26-29. Trampoline African championships in Swakopmund Namibia, Namibia on May 27-29 postponed. Artistic men´s European championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 27-31 postponed to Dec. 9-13 moved to Mersin, Turkey. Acrobatic world championships in Geneva on May 29-31 postponed to June 18-20, 2021. Artistic World Challenge Cup in Cairo on June 5-8 postponed. Artistic World Challenge Cup in Koper, Slovenia on June 11-14 canceled. Artistic World Challenge Cup in Osijek, Croatia on June 18-21 postponed. Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Cluj-Napoca, Romania from June 26-28 postponed. Artistic World Challenge Cup in Mersin, Turkey on June 26-28 canceled. Trampoline World Cup in Coimbra, Portugal on June 27-28 postponed. Trampoline World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland on July 3-4 canceled. Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Minsk, Belarus on July 3-5 postponed. Rhythmic World Challenge Cup in Moscow on July 10-12 postponed. HANDBALL Olympic women´s qualifying event in Podgorica, Montenegro from March 20-22 postponed to March 19-21, 2021. Olympic women´s qualifying event in Lliria Spain from March 20-22 postponed to March 19-21, 2021. Olympic women´s qualifying event in Györ, Hungary from March 20-22 postponed to March 19-21, 2021. Olympic men´s qualifying event in Trondheim, Norway from April 17-19 postponed to March 12-14, 2021. Olympic men´s qualifying event in Paris from April 17-19 postponed to March 12-14, 2021. Olympic men´s qualifying event in Berlin from April 17-19 postponed to March 12-14, 2021. African women´s championships in Yaounde, Cameroon from Dec. 2-12 postponed to June 11-20, 2021. HORSE RACING Dubai World Cup on March 28 canceled. Grand National in Liverpool, England on April 4 canceled. Kentucky Derby in Louisville on May 2 postponed to Sept. 5, no spectators. 2000 and 1000 Guineas Stakes in Newmarket, England on May 2-3 postponed to June 6-7, no spectators. Preakness Stakes in Baltimore on May 16 postponed to Oct. 3, no spectators. Derby and Oaks in Epsom, England on June 5-6 postponed to July 4, no spectators. Belmont Stakes in New York on June 6 postponed to June 20, no spectators. Gold Cup at Ascot, England on June 18, no spectators. ICE HOCKEY NHL from March 12 suspended. KHL from March 17 suspended. From March 25 canceled. Men´s world championship in Switzerland from May 8-24 canceled. Women´s world championship in Nova Scotia, Canada from March 31-April 10 canceled. Women´s world championship Division I Group A in Angers, France from April 12-18 canceled. Women´s world championship Division I Group B in Katowice, Poland from March 28-April 3 canceled. Women´s world championship Division II Group A in Jaca, Spain from March 29-April 3 canceled. Men´s world championship Division I Group A in Ljubljana, Slovenia from April 27-May 3 canceled. Men´s world championship Division I Group B in Katowice, Poland from April 27-May 3 canceled. Men´s world championship Division IV in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from May 3-5 canceled. Women´s Challenge Cup of Asia in Manila, Philippines from Feb. 23-28 [http://www.alexa.com/search?q=canceled&r=topsites_index&p=bigtop canceled]. Women´s Challenge Cup of Asia Division I in Manila, Philippines from Feb. 23-28 canceled. National League in Switzerland from March 2 suspended. From March 13 canceled. Elite League in United Kingdom from March 13 canceled. 2020-21 season from Dec. 5 postponed. Men´s Olympic qualifiers in Bratislava, Slovakia; Riga, Latvia; Norway from Aug. 27-30 postponed to Aug. 26-29, 2021. Women´s Olympic qualifier in Reykjavik, Iceland (Bulgaria, Iceland, Hong Kong, Lithuania) from Dec. 17-19 postponed. Champions Hockey League in Europe due to start on Sept. 3 postponed to Oct. 6. US-Based Professional Women´s Hockey Players Association tour of Japan from March 4-7 canceled. JUDO Paris Grand Slam from Feb. 8-9: China team withdrew. Dusseldorf Grand Slam in Germany from Feb. 21-23: China team withdrew. Rabat Grand Prix in Morocco from March 6-8 canceled. Winterthur European Cup in Switzerland from March 7-8 canceled. Ekaterinburg Grand Slam in Russia from March 13-15 canceled. Santiago Pan American Open in Chile from March 14-15 canceled. Sarajevo European Cup in Bosnia and Herzegovina from March 21-22 canceled. Lima Pan American Open in Peru from March 21-22 canceled. Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia from March 27-29 canceled. Antalya Grand Prix in Turkey from April 3-5 canceled. Asian Oceania championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from April 17-18 canceled. Nordic championships in Reykjavik, Iceland from April 25-26 postponed to Sept. 12-13. European championships in Prague from May 1-3 postponed to Nov. 8-10 postponed to Nov. 19-21. Baku Grand Slam in Azerbaijan from May 8-10 canceled. Orenburg European Cup in Russia from May 16-17 canceled. Doha Masters in Qatar from May 28-30 canceled. Budapest Grand Slam in Hungary from June 12-14 postponed to Oct. 23-25. Celje-Podcetrtek European Cup in Slovenia from June 20-21 canceled. Guayaquil Pan American Open in Ecuador from June 20-21 canceled. African championships in Rabat, Morocco from June 25-27 canceled. Hohhot Grand Prix in China from June 26-28 canceled. Pan American championships in Montreal from June 26-28 canceled. Potsdam European Cup in Germany from June 27-28 canceled. Aktau Asian Open in Kazakhstan from July 4-5 postponed. Tokyo Grand Slam from Dec. 11-13 canceled. KARATE Karate 1 Premier League in Rabat, Morocco from March 13-15 canceled. European championships in Baku, Azerbaijan from March 25-29 canceled. Mediterranean Championships in Nicosia, Cyprus from April 3-5 postponed. Karate 1 Premier League in Madrid from April 17-19 canceled. Olympic qualifying tournament in Paris from May 8-10 postponed. Pan American championships in San Jose, Costa Rica from May 25-30 canceled. Oceania championships in Paita, New Caledonia from June 12-14 postponed. Karate 1-Series A in Istanbul from June 19-21 canceled. Asian championships in Bali, Indonesia from Sept. 4-6 suspended. Karate 1-Series A Durban in South Africa from Sept. 11-13 canceled. Karate 1 Premier League in Moscow from Oct. 2-4 postponed. World championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from Nov. 17-22 postponed to Nov. 16-21, 2021. LUGE World Cup in Lake Placid, New York on Jan. 16-17 moved to Oberhof, Germany. World championships in Whistler, Canada from Feb. 5-7 moved to Königssee, Germany from Jan. 29-31. MODERN PENTATHLON World Cups in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 25-29 and April 2-5 canceled. World Cup in Budapest, Hungary from April 29-May 3 canceled. World Cup Final in Seoul from May 14-17 canceled. World championships moved from Xiamen, China to Cancun, Mexico on May 25-31 postponed to Nov. 30-Dec. 8 canceled. World laser run championships moved from Xiamen, China on May 25-31 to Weiden, Germany on Aug. 25-26. European championships in Székesfehérvár, Hungary from Sept. 17-21 canceled. MOTORCYCLING MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix in Doha on March 8 canceled. Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram on March 22 postponed to Oct. 4 canceled. Americas Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on April 5 postponed to Nov. 15 postponed. Argentina Grand Prix in Termas de Rio Hondo on April 19 postponed to Nov. 22 canceled. Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on May 3 postponed to July 19, no spectators. French Grand Prix in Le Mans on May 17 postponed to Oct. 11. Italian Grand Prix in Scarperia e San Piero on May 31 canceled. Catalunya Grand Prix in Barcelona on June 7 postponed to Sept. 27, no spectators. German Grand Prix in Hohenstein-Ernstthal on June 21 canceled. Dutch TT in Assen on June 28 canceled. Finland Grand Prix in Iitti on July 12 canceled. Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on July 19, no spectators. Andalucia Grand Prix in Jerez on July 26, no spectators. Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg on Aug. 16, no spectators. Styria Grand Prix in Spielberg on Aug. 23, no spectators. British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Aug. 30 canceled. Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on Oct. 4 moved to Sept. 27 moved to Oct. 18. Japan Grand Prix at Motegi on Oct. 18 canceled. Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on Oct. 25 canceled. Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on Nov. 1 canceled. Valencia Grand Prix in Spain on Nov. 15 moved to Nov. 29 moved to Nov. 15. World Superbikes Qatar Round in Lusail on March 15 canceled. Spanish Round in Cadiz on March 29 postponed to Oct. 25 canceled. Dutch Round in Assen on April 19 postponed to Aug. 23 canceled. Italian Round in Imola on May 10 canceled. Aragon Round in Alcañiz, Spain on May 24 postponed to Aug. 30. Riviera di Rimini Round in Misano Adriatico, Italy on June 14 postponed to Nov. 8 canceled. British Round in Castle Donington on July 5 canceled. German Round in Oschersleben on Aug. 2 canceled. Portuguese Round in Algarve on Sept. 6 canceled. Catalunya Round in Montmelo, Spain on Sept. 20, no spectators. Argentine Round in San Juan on Oct. 11 canceled. French Round in Magny-Cours on Sept. 27 postponed to Oct. 4. ROWING Boat Race in London on March 29 canceled. Americas Olympic qualification regatta in Rio de Janeiro from April 2-5 canceled. World Cup I in Sabuadia, Italy from April 10-12 canceled. Asia and Oceania Olympic qualifying regatta in Chungju, South Korea from April 27-30 canceled. European Olympic qualifying regatta in Varese, Italy from April 27-29 canceled. World Cup II in Varese, Italy from May 1-3 canceled. Final Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland from May 17-19 canceled. World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland from May 22-24 canceled. European championships in Poznan, Poland from June 5-7 postponed to Oct. 9-11. Henley Royal Regatta in England from July 1-5 canceled. World championships in Bled, Slovenia from Aug. 16-23 canceled. Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts from Oct. 17-18 canceled. RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Catalans vs. Leeds on March 14, postponed. Competition from March 16 postponed to Aug. 2: Toronto withdrew. England´s Challenge Cup from March 16 postponed to Aug. 22, no spectators. National Rugby League in Australia from March 19, no spectators. From March 23 suspended. From May 28 restarted, no spectators. State of Origin: I in Adelaide on June 3 postponed to Nov. 4; II in Sydney on June 21 postponed to Nov. 11; III in Brisbane on July 8 postponed to Nov. 18. Oceania Cup (Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga) from June-November canceled. England vs. Australia in Bolton on Oct 31; Leeds on Nov. 7; London on Nov. 14; canceled. RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Ireland vs. Italy in Dublin on March 7 postponed to Oct. 24; Italy vs. England in Rome on March 14 postponed to Oct. 31; France vs. Ireland in Paris on March 14 postponed to Oct. 31; Wales vs. Scotland in Cardiff on March 14 postponed to Oct. 31. Women´s Six Nations: Italy vs. Scotland in Legnano on Feb. 23 postponed to Dec. 6; Scotland vs. France in Glasgow on March 7 postponed to Oct. 25; Ireland vs. Italy in Dublin on March 8 postponed to Oct. 25; Italy vs. England in Padua on March 15 postponed to Nov. 1; Wales vs. Scotland in Cardiff on March 15 postponed to Nov. 1; France vs. Ireland in Villeneuve-d´Ascq on March 15 postponed to Nov. 1. European Rugby Championship: Georgia vs. Russia on March 14 postponed to Nov. 1; Romania vs. Belgium on March 14 postponed to Nov. 1; Spain vs. Portugal on March 15 postponed to Nov. 15. United States Women vs. Barbarians in San Diego on May 3 postponed. England vs. Barbarians in London on June 21 postponed to Oct. 25. Argentina vs. France in Cordoba on July 4; vs. France in Santa Fe on July 11; vs. Italy in Salta on July 18 canceled. Australia vs. Ireland in Brisbane on July 4; vs. Ireland in Sydney on July 11; vs. Fiji in Townsville on July 18 canceled. Canada vs. French Barbarians in Montreal on July 4; vs. Italy in Halifax on July 11 canceled. Georgia vs. Blue Bulls in Pretoria on July 3; vs. South Africa A in South Africa on July 11 canceled. Japan vs. Wales in Fukuroi on June 27; vs. England in Oita on July 4; vs. England in Kobe on July 11 canceled. New Zealand vs. Wales in Auckland on July 4; vs. Wales in Wellington on July 11; vs. Scotland in Dunedin on July 18 canceled. South Africa vs. Scotland in Cape Town on July 4; vs. Scotland in Durban on July 11; vs. Georgia in Port Elizabeth on July 18 canceled. United States vs. Italy in Houston on July 4 postponed; vs. French Barbarians in New York on July 11 canceled. England in London vs. New Zealand on Nov. 7; vs. Argentina on Nov. 14; vs. Tonga on Nov. 21; vs. Australia on Nov. 28 canceled. Wales in Cardiff vs. Fiji on Nov. 7; vs. New Zealand on Nov. 14; vs. Argentina on Nov. 22; vs. South Africa on Nov. 28 canceled. Ireland in Dublin vs. Australia on Nov. 7; vs. South Africa on Nov. 14; vs. Japan on Nov. 21 canceled. France in Paris vs. Georgia on Nov. 7; vs. Australia on Nov. 14; vs. South Africa on Nov. 21 canceled. Scotland in Edinburgh vs. Argentina on Nov. 7; vs. Japan on Nov. 14; vs. New Zealand on Nov. 21 canceled. New Zealand Women vs. United States Women in Dunedin on July 18 canceled. Australia Women vs. Canada Women in Townsville on July 18 canceled. European Rugby Women´s Championship: Spain vs. Russia on April 5 postponed to Oct. 24; Spain vs. Netherlands on April 11 postponed to Oct. 31. Super Rugby: Sunwolves vs. ACT Brumbies on March 8 moved from Osaka, Japan to Canberra, Australia. Sunwolves vs. Crusaders on March 14 moved from Tokyo to Brisbane, Australia. Jaguares vs. Highlanders on March 14; no spectators. Competition from March 15 canceled. Super Rugby Aotearoa: Blues vs. Crusaders on Aug. 15 canceled; Highlanders vs. Hurricanes on Aug. 16, no spectators. European Champions Cup playoffs from April 4 postponed to Sept. 18. European Challenge Cup playoffs from April 3 postponed to Sept. 18. English Premiership from March 16 postponed to Aug. 14. Top 14 in France from March 13 suspended. From June 2 canceled. Pro14: Zebre vs. Ospreys on Feb. 29; Treviso vs. Ulster on Feb. 29, postponed. Competition from March 12 suspended. From Aug. 22 restarted. Top League in Japan from Feb. 29 postponed. From March 14 suspended. From March 23 canceled. Major League Rugby in the United States from March 13 suspended. From March 19 canceled. Hong Kong Sevens from April 3-5 postponed to Oct. 16-18 canceled. Singapore Sevens from April 11-12 postponed to Oct. 10-11 canceled. Langford Sevens (women) in Canada from May 2-3 canceled. London Sevens from May 23-24 canceled. Paris Sevens from May 30-31 canceled. Dubai Sevens in United Arab Emirates from Nov. 26-28 canceled. Cape Town Sevens in South Africa from Dec. 4-6 canceled. Asia women´s championship in Hong Kong from March 14-22 postponed to May 8-16. Olympic test event (Asia Sevens Invitational) in Tokyo from April 25-26 canceled. Rugby Africa Cup in various sites from May 30-Aug. 1 postponed. Rugby Africa Women´s Cup in various sites from May 30-July 3 postponed. AUSTRALIAN RULES Round 1 from March 19-22, no spectators. Competition from March 22 suspended. From June 11 restarted, no spectators. Grand final on Oct. 24 moved from Melbourne to Brisbane. SAILING Clipper Round the World Race in Subic Bay, Philippines; from March 16 suspended. World 470 championships in Palma, Spain from March 13-21 postponed. Asian championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 15-22 postponed. Asian Nacra 17 Championship in Shanghai from March 1-6 moved to Genoa, Italy, from April 12-19. On March 12 canceled. Asian 49erFX Championship in Hainan, China from March 20-29 moved to Genoa, Italy, from April 12-19. On March 12 canceled. Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar 470s in Mallorca, Spain from March 25-April 4 canceled. World Cup Series in Genoa, Italy from April 11-19 canceled. Semaine Olympique Francaise de Voile in Hyères, France from April 18-25 postponed. Americas Cup World Series in Cagliari, Italy from April 23-26 canceled. SailGP in San Francisco from May 2-3 canceled. European windsurfing championships in Athens, Greece from May 10-16 postponed. European 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 championships in Malcesine, Italy from May 11-17 postponed. Medemblik Regatta in the Netherlands from June 4-7 canceled. SailGP in New York from June 12-13 canceled. Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany from June 20-28 postponed to Sept. 5-13. World Cup Series Final in Enoshima, Japan from June 14-21 canceled. Tour Voile in France from July 3-9 canceled. SailGP in Cowes, England from Aug. 14-15 canceled. SailGP in Copenhagen, Denmark from Sept. 11-12 canceled. Offshore world championship in Valletta, Malta from Oct. 17-20 canceled. World championships in The Hague, Netherlands in 2022 postponed to Aug. 10-20, 2023. Ocean Race from Alicante, France in October 2022 postponed to October 2023. SHOOTING World Cup in New Delhi from March 15-26 postponed to May 5-12 postponed to June 2-9 postponed to March 18-29, 2021. Olympic test event in Tokyo from April 16-26 canceled. European shotgun championships in Châteauroux, France from May 6-20 canceled. Pan American championships in Lima, Peru from May 8-17 postponed. European rifle/pistol qualification championships in Plzen, Czech Republic from May 18-25 canceled. World Cup rifle/pistol in Munich from June 2-9 canceled. World running target championships in Chateaurox, France from June 9-19 postponed. SKATEBOARDING Asian street championship in Singapore from March 17-21 canceled. Street Pro Tour in Las Vegas from March 24-29 canceled. Lima Open in Peru from March 16-22 postponed to April 5-11. From March 20 suspended. Olympic qualifier in Yangcheng, China from April 6-12 postponed to April 13-19. From Feb. 14 suspended. Olympic qualifier in Nanjing, China from April 14-19 suspended. Ark League in Samukawa, Japan from April 22-26 suspended. Street Pro [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quoc] in Beijing from April 28-May 3 canceled. Dew Tour in Long Beach, California from May 7-10 postponed. World street championships in London from May 19-24 suspended. World park championships in Nanjing, China from May 26-31 suspended. SKATING World short track speed skating championships in Seoul from March 13-15 postponed. From April 16 canceled. World figure skating championships in Montreal from March 16-22 canceled. World synchronized skating championships in Lake Placid, New York from April 3-4 canceled. Skate America figure skating in Las Vegas from Oct. 23-25, domestic event, no spectators. Skate Canada figure skating in Ottawa from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, domestic event. Cup of China figure skating in Chongqing from Nov. 6-8, domestic event. World Cup short track speed skating in Montreal from Nov. 6-8 canceled. World Cup short track speed skating in Laval, Canada from Nov. 13-15 canceled. Internationaux de France figure skating in Grenoble from Nov. 13-15, domestic event. World Cup speed skating in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki, Poland from Nov. 13-15 canceled. World Cup speed skating in Stavanger, Norway from Nov. 20-22 canceled Rostelecom Cup figure skating in Moscow from Nov. 20-22, domestic event. NHK Trophy figure skating in Osaka, Japan from Nov. 27-29, domestic event. World Cup speed skating in Salt Lake City, Utah from Dec. 4-6 canceled. Grand Prix Final figure skating in Beijing from Dec. 10-13 postponed. World Cup speed skating in Calgary, Canada from Dec. 11-13 canceled. World Cup short track speed skating in Seoul, South Korea from Dec. 11-13 postponed. World Cup short track speed skating in Beijing from Dec. 18-20 postponed. SKIING Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina d´Ampezzo, Italy from March 18-22 canceled. Alpine World Cup in Yanqing, China from Feb. 15-16 canceled. Nordic World Cup in Oslo, Norway from March 6-8, no spectators. Engadin Skimarathon in Switzerland on March 8 canceled. Snowboard World Cup in Livigno, Italy on March 10 canceled. Ski Jumping World Cup in Trondheim, Norway on March 11-12, no spectators. Alpine World Cup in Are, Sweden on March 12-14, canceled. Ski Jumping World Cup in Nizhny Tagil, Russia on March 13-15, no spectators. Ski Jumping World Cup in Vikersund, Norway on March 13-15, no spectators. Ski Cross World Cup in Veysonnaz, Switzerland on March 14 canceled. Snowboard World Cup in Winterberg, Germany on March 14-15 canceled. Alpine World Cup in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia from March 14-15, canceled. Alpine Europa Cup Finals in Saalbach and Reiteralm, Austria from March 16-22 canceled. World ski flying championships in Planica, Slovenia from March 17-22 postponed to Dec. 11-13. Ski jumping World Cup in Chaikovsky, Russia on March 18-20, no spectators. Slopestyle World Cup in Silvaplana, Switzerland on March 21-22 canceled. Snowboard World Cup in Spindleruv Mlýn, Czech Republic on March 20-21 canceled. Alpine Women´s World Cup in Killington, Vermont from Nov. 28-29 canceled. Alpine Men´s World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada from Nov. 28-29 canceled. Alpine Women´s World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada from Dec. 4-6 canceled. Alpine Men´s World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colorado from Dec. 4-6 canceled. Alpine World Cup parallel event in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 1 canceled. SNOOKER WPBSA Tour Championship in Llandudno, Wales from March 17-22 postponed to July 21-26. China Open in Beijing from March 30-April 5 postponed. Men´s world championship in Sheffield, England from April 18-May 4 postponed to July 31-Aug. 16, from Aug. 1-15 no spectators. Women´s world championship in Bangkok from June 22-27 postponed. SOCCER European Championship in 12 countries from June 12-July 12 postponed to June 11-July 11, 2021. Qualifying playoffs on March 26 and 31 postponed to June 4 and 9. From April 1 suspended. Copa America in Argentina and Colombia from June 12-July 12 postponed to June 11-July 11, 2021. European Champions League: Valencia vs. Atalanta on March 10; Paris Saint-Germain vs. Borussia Dortmund on March 11, no spectators. Competition from March 13 suspended. To restart from Aug. 12. Final in Istanbul on May 30 moved to Lisbon on Aug. 23. Copa Libertadores from March 15 postponed to Sept. 15. Asian Champions League: Matches involving Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG postponed to April-May. Beijing FC allowed to play from Feb. 18. Matches involving South Korean clubs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and FC Seoul to be played with no spectators from March 3. Matches involving Iranian clubs Esteghlal, Persepolis, Shahr Khodro, Sepahan on March 2-3 postponed. All West Zone group matches from March 2 postponed. East Zone matches postponed to May 19-20 (Match Day 3), May 26-27, (Match Day 4), June 16-17 (Match Day 5), and June 23-24 (Match Day 6). Round of 16 postponed to Aug. 11-12 and 25-26, quarterfinals to Sept. 15-16 and 29-30, and the semifinals to Oct. 20-21 and 27-28. Europa League: Inter Milan vs. Getafe on March 12; Sevilla vs. Roma on March 12, postponed. Inter Milan vs. Ludogorets on Feb. 27; Olympiakos vs. Wolverhampton on March 12; LASK vs. Manchester United on March 12; Wolfsburg vs. Shakhtar Donetsk on March 12; Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Basel on March 12, no spectators. Competition from March 13 suspended. To restart from Aug. 10. Final in Gdansk, Poland on May 27 moved to Cologne, Germany on Aug. 21. Copa Sudamericana from March 15 postponed to Oct. 27. CONCACAF Champions League from March 13 suspended. CAF Champions League semifinals from May 1 postponed. South America World Cup qualifying from March 23 postponed to Oct. 9, no spectators. Asia World Cup qualifying: China vs. Maldives on March 26 and vs. Guam on March 31 moved to Buriram, Thailand, no spectators. Competition from March 23 postponed. African World Cup qualifying in September postponed to March 2021. European World Cup qualifying postponed to March 2021. Oceania World Cup qualifying in September postponed to March 2021. African Nations Championship in Cameroon from April 4-25 postponed to Jan. 16-Feb. 7, 2021. Africa Cup of Nations qualifying from March 25 [http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?term=&postponed&loc=en_us&siteSection=home postponed]. Finals in Cameroon from June-July 2021 postponed to Jan. 9-Feb. 6, 2021 postponed to January 2022. Gold Cup qualifying from March 13 postponed to July 2021. Women´s European Championship in England from July 7-Aug. 1, 2021 postponed to July 6-31, 2022. Qualifying: Montenegro vs. Ireland in Budva on March 11, no spectators. Competition from March 13 suspended. Women´s Africa Cup of Nations from Nov. 23-Dec. 20 canceled. Algarve Cup final in Portugal on March 11: Italy vs. Germany canceled. CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in Houston and final in Arlington, Texas from June 4-7 postponed to July postponed to March 2021 postponed to June 2021. CONCACAF men´s Olympic qualifying in Mexico from March 13 suspended. Asian women´s Olympic qualifying Group B tournament relocated from Wuhan to Sydney from Feb. 3-13. China vs. South Korea playoffs on March 6 and 11 postponed to April 9 and 14 postponed to June 4 and 9 postponed to Feb. 19 and 24, 2021; China home game in Sydney. Vietnam vs. Australia in Cm Ph on March 11, no spectators. From April 3 suspended. English Premier League: Manchester City vs. Arsenal on March 11 postponed to June 17. Competition from March 13 suspended. From June 17 restarted, no spectators. FA Cup quarterfinals on March 21-22 postponed to June 27, no spectators. La Liga from March 10, no spectators. Competition from March 12 suspended. From June 11 restarted, no spectators. Copa del Rey final: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Bilbao in Seville on April 18 postponed. Serie A in Lombardy and Veneto regions postponed from Feb. 22. 6 matches on Feb. 29-March 2 postponed. All matches from March 4, no spectators. Competition from March 9 suspended. From June 20 restarted, no spectators. Italian Cup semifinals: Juventus vs. AC Milan on March 4, Napoli vs. Inter Milan on March 5, postponed. From June 12 restarted, no spectators. Bundesliga from March 11, no spectators. From March 13, suspended. From May 16 restarted, no spectators. German Cup on April 21-22 postponed to June 9-10, no spectators. French Ligue 1: Strasbourg vs. Paris Saint-Germain on March 7 postponed. Competition from March 13 suspended. From April 28 canceled. 2020-21 season from Aug. 21, spectators allowed. Marseille vs. Saint-Etienne on Aug. 21 postponed to Sept. 17. French Cup final: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Saint Etienne in Paris on April 25 postponed to July 24. French League Cup final: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Lyon in Paris on April 4 postponed to July 31. Chinese Super League, due to start on Feb. 22, postponed. From July 25 started, no spectators. Iran Pro League from Feb. 24, no spectators. From March 4 suspended. From June 24 restarted, no spectators. J.League in Japan from Feb. 25 postponed to July 4, no spectators. From July 10, spectators allowed. K League in South Korea, due to start on Feb. 29, delayed. On May 8 started, no spectators. On Aug. 1, spectators allowed. From Aug. 21, no spectators Swiss Super League from Feb. 28 postponed. From June 20 restarted, no spectators. V.League in Vietnam from March 7, no spectators. From March 16 suspended. From June 5 restarted. First League in Bulgaria from March 8, no spectators. From March 13 suspended. From Aug. 7 restarted. Liga I in Romania from March 9, no spectators. From March 12 suspended. From June 13 restarted. Primeira Liga in Portugal from March 10, no spectators. From March 12 suspended. From June 3 restarted. Ekstraklasa in Poland from March 10, no spectators. From March 13 suspended. From May 29 restarted, no spectators. From June 19, spectators allowed. Austrian Bundesliga from March 10 postponed. From June 2 restarted, no spectators. Premier League in Egypt from March 10, no spectators. From March 16 suspended. From Aug. 9, restarted. Superliga in Denmark from March 11 suspended. From May 28 restarted, no spectators. Eredivisie in the Netherlands from March 12 suspended. From April 24 canceled. 2020-21 season from Sept. 12, spectators allowed. Pro League in Belgium from March 12, no spectators. From March 20 suspended. From May 15 canceled. 2020-21 season from Aug. 8, no spectators. From Sept. 11, spectators allowed. Prva Liga in Croatia from March 12 suspended. From June 5 restarted, no spectators. From June 16, spectators allowed. From July 20, no spectators. Premier Division in Ireland from March 12 suspended, from July 31 restarted. First League in Czech Republic from March 12 suspended. From May 23 restarted, no spectators. 2020-21 season from Aug. 21, spectators allowed. Major League Soccer in the United States from March 12 postponed to July 8, no spectators: Dallas, Nashville withdrew. Premiership in Scotland from March 13 suspended. From May 18 canceled. 2020-21 season from Aug. 1, no spectators. Copa Superliga in Argentina from March 13, no spectators. River Plate vs. Atletico Tucuman on March 14 abandoned. Competition from March 17 suspended. From April 28 canceled. Liga MX in Mexico from March 14, no spectators. From March 15 suspended. From May 22 canceled. From July 25 restarted, no spectators. SuperLiga in Serbia from March 15 suspended. From May 29 restarted, no spectators. From June 10, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] spectators allowed. Premier League in Ukraine from March 15 suspended. From May 30 restarted, no spectators. Nemzeti Bajnokság I in Hungary from March 15 suspended. From May 23 restarted, no spectators. A League in Australia from March 16, no spectators. From March 24 postponed to July 17. Nemzeti Bajnokság I in Hungary from March 16 suspended. From May 23 restarted, no spectators. From May 29, spectators allowed. Premier League in Russia from March 17 suspended. From June 19 restarted, spectators allowed. Dynamo Moscow vs. FC Krasnodar on June 21 postponed to July 19. Super Lig in Turkey from March 19 suspended. From June 12 restarted, no spectators. Allsvenkan in Sweden due to start on April 3 delayed. From June 14 started, no spectators. Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in Brazil due to start on May 3 suspended. 2020-21 season from Aug. 8 restarted. Club World Cup in Qatar in December postponed. European Women´s Champions League from March 13 postponed to Aug. 21. Final in Vienna on May 24 moved to San Sebastián, Spain on Aug. 30. National Women´s Soccer League in United States to start on April 18 postponed to June 27 restarted, no spectators. Women´s Super League in England from March 13 postponed. From May 25 canceled. 2020-21 season from Sept. 5 restarted, no spectators. AFC Cup from March 18 suspended. Caribbean club championship from April 3 suspended. Suzuki Cup in South East Asia from Nov. 23-Dec. 31 postponed to April 11-May 8, 2021. Asian men´s futsal championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from Feb. 26-March 8 postponed to Aug. 5-16. Futsal World Cup in Lithuania from Sept. 12-Oct. 4 postponed to Sept. 12-Oct. 3, 2021. Qatar Airways International in Doha with Belgium, Croatia, Portugal, Switzerland from March 26-30 canceled. MORE

AP News In Brief At 9:04 P.m. EST

2021-01-01T09:13:40Z

CharlieSauer78:

Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud WASHINGTON (AP) - Disputing President Donald Trump´s persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared Tuesday the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Barr's comments, in an interview with the The Associated Press, contradict the concerted effort by Trump, his boss, to subvert the results of last month's voting and block President-elect Joe Biden from taking his place in the White House. Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they´ve received, but "to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election." The comments, which drew immediate criticism from Trump attorneys, were especially notable coming from Barr, who has been one of the president's most ardent allies. Before the election, he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voting could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls and instead chose to vote by mail. More to Trump's liking, Barr revealed in the AP interview that in October he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel, giving the prosecutor the authority to continue to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe after Biden takes over and making it difficult to fire him. Biden hasn't said what he might do with the investigation, and his transition team didn't comment Tuesday. ___ US panel: 1st vaccines to health care workers, nursing homes NEW YORK (AP) - Health care workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quoc] an influential government advisory panel said Tuesday. The panel voted 13-1 to recommend those groups get priority in the first days of any coming vaccination program, when doses are expected to be very limited. The two groups encompass about 24 million people out of a U.S. population of about 330 million. Later this month, the Food and Drug Administration will consider authorizing emergency use of two vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna. Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of 2020. And each product requires two doses. As a result, the shots will be rationed in the early stages. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet again at some point to decide who should be next in line. Among the possibilities: teachers, police, firefighters and workers in other essential fields such as food production and transportation; the elderly; and people with underlying medical conditions. Tuesday's action merely designated who should get shots first if a safe and effective vaccine becomes available. The panel did not endorse any particular vaccine. Panel members are waiting to hear FDA's evaluation and to see more safety and efficacy data before endorsing any particular product. ___ 'Very dark couple of weeks': Morgues and hospitals overflow Nearly 37,000 Americans died of COVID-19 in November, the most in any month since the dark early days of the pandemic, engulfing families in grief, filling newspaper obituary pages and testing the capacity of morgues, funeral homes and hospitals. Amid the resurgence, states have begun reopening field hospitals to handle an influx of patients that is pushing health care systems - and their workers - to the breaking point. Hospitals are bringing in mobile morgues. And funerals are being livestreamed or performed as drive-by affairs. Health officials fear the crisis will be even worse in coming weeks, after many Americans ignored pleas to stay home over Thanksgiving and avoid people who don´t live with them. "I have no doubt that we´re going to see a climbing death toll ... and that´s a horrific and tragic place to be," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. "It´s going to be a very dark couple of weeks." November's toll was far lower than the 60,699 recorded in April but perilously close to the next-highest total of almost 42,000 in May, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Deaths had dropped to just over 20,000 in June after states closed many businesses and ordered people to stay at home. ___ US probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardon WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clemency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday. Most of the information in the 18-page court order is redacted, including the identity of the people whom prosecutors are investigating and whom the proposed pardon might be intended for. But the document from August does reveal that people are suspected of having acted to secretly lobby White House officials to secure a pardon or sentence commutation and that, in a related scheme, a substantial political contribution was floated in exchange for a pardon. As part of the investigation, more than 50 laptops, iPads and other digital devices have been seized, according to the document. The existence of the investigation was revealed in a court order from U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, the chief judge of Washington's federal court, in which she granted investigators access to certain email communications connected to the alleged schemes that she said was not protected by attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors will be able to use that material to confront any subject or target of the investigation, the judge wrote. ___ In 2020, AP photographers captured a world in distress Behold, a world in distress: A 64-year-old woman weeps, hugging her husband as he lay dying in the COVID-19 unit of a California hospital. A crowded refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, engulfed in flames, disgorges a string of migrants fleeing this hell on Earth. Rain-swept protesters, enraged by the death of George Floyd in police custody, rail against the system and the heavens. This is the world that Associated Press photographers captured in 2020, a world beset by every sort of catastrophe -- natural and unnatural disaster, violent and non-violent conflict. And, in every corner of that world, the coronavirus. There are the living: Women cover themselves head to toe with chadors, protective clothing and gas masks to prepare a body for burial in Iran. An octogenarian couple kiss through plastic in Spain. ___ Strong start to December as S&P 500 index sets another high Wall Street kicked off December with more milestones Tuesday after a broad rally for stocks pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite to new highs. The S&P 500 gained 1.1%, with Big Tech companies and banks driving a big part of the rally. The strong opening to December follows a 10.8% surge for the broad index in November, marking its best month since April. The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 1.3%. Both indexes beat the record highs they set on Friday. Treasury yields also rose in another sign of optimism from investors. Stocks have been ramping higher in recent weeks as investors focus on the possibility that coronavirus vaccines could soon help usher in a fuller global economic recovery. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington are debating once more whether to deliver another round of coronavirus relief to the economy before President Donald Trump leaves office. "It seems like both the House and the Senate are trying to break this logjam," said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. "It seems the market is feeding off that." The S&P 500 rose 40.82 points to 3,662.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 185.28 points, or 0.6%, to 29,823.92. The Nasdaq climbed 156.37 points to 12,355.11. Small company stocks also added to their recent gains. The Russell 2000 index picked up 16.23 points, or 0.9%, to 1,836.05. ___ Ex-Arizona politician gets 6 years in adoption scheme PHOENIX (AP) - A former Arizona politician who admitted running an illegal adoption scheme in three states involving women from the Marshall Islands was sentenced in Arkansas to six years in federal prison. It was the first of three punishments he´ll face for arranging adoptions prohibited by an international compact. Paul Petersen, a Republican who served as metro Phoenix´s assessor for six years and also worked as an adoption attorney, illegally paid women from the Pacific island nation to come to the U.S. to give up their babies in at least 70 adoptions cases in Arizona, Utah and Arkansas, prosecutors said. Marshall Islands citizens have been prohibited from traveling to the U.S. for adoption purposes since 2003 and prosecutors said Petersen's scheme lasted three years. Judge Timothy Brooks, who imposed the sentence from Fayetteville, Arkansas, said Petersen abused his position as an attorney by misleading or instructing others to lie to courts in adoptions that wouldn´t have been approved had the truth been told to them. The judge said Petersen turned what should be joyous adoption occasions into "a baby-selling enterprise." He also described Petersen's adoption practice as a "criminal livelihood" and said he ripped off taxpayers at the same time he was elected to serve them. ___ VIRUS TODAY: A deadly November, and who gets vaccine first Here's what's happening Tuesday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.: THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY - A scientific panel is meeting to provide guidance on who should be at the front of the line when the first vaccine shots become available. Health care workers and nursing home residents will be among the first to get the vaccine. - More than 36,000 people died from COVID-19 in November in the United States. The monthly number is not as high as the dark days of April and May but still a sign of the deadly turn the pandemic has taken this fall. - Field hospitals are opening up again as hospital capacity runs out. Rhode Island and New York are among the places to open such facilities in recent days. ___ China spacecraft lands on moon to bring rocks back to Earth BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese spacecraft landed on the moon to bring back lunar rocks to Earth for the first time since the 1970s, the government announced. The China National Space Administration said Chang´e 5 "successfully landed" at its designated site shortly after 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) Tuesday after making a powered descent from its orbiter. It published images of the barren scene at the landing site, including where the lander's shadow can be seen. The lander was launched Nov. 24 from the tropical southern island of Hainan. It is the latest venture by a Chinese space program that sent its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] has a spacecraft en route to Mars and aims eventually to land a human on the moon. Plans call for the lander to spend about two days drilling into the lunar surface and collecting 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of rocks and debris. The sample will be lifted up into orbit and transferred to a return capsule for the trip to Earth, setting down on the grasslands of Inner [http://www.shewrites.com/main/search/search?q=Mongolia Mongolia] around the middle of the month. If it succeeds, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quốc] it will be the first time scientists have obtained fresh samples of lunar rocks since a Soviet probe in the 1970s. Those samples are expected to be made available to scientists from other nations, although its unclear how much access NASA will have, given tight U.S. government restrictions on space cooperation with China. ___ 'Big Sky' producers recognize Native American criticism LOS ANGELES (AP) - Native American tribes and advocates are condemning "Big Sky," a Montana-set ABC drama, for ignoring the history of violence inflicted on Indigenous women and instead making whites the crime victims. They also have assailed the network and the show's producers for failing to respond to their complaints, which they first made known in a Nov. 17 letter. On Tuesday, the makers of "Big Sky" broke their silence. "After meaningful conversations with representatives of the Indigenous community, our eyes have been opened to the outsized number of Native American and Indigenous women who go missing and are murdered each year, a sad and shocking fact," the executive producers said in a statement to The Associated Press. "We are grateful for this education and are working with Indigenous groups to help bring attention to this important issue," according to the statement. The producers include David E. Kelley ("Big Little Lies," "The Undoing") and novelist C.J. Box, whose 2013 book "The Highway" was adapted for the series. Created by Kelley, "Big Sky" stars Katheryn Winnick and Kylie Bunbury as private detectives searching for two white sisters on a road trip who go missing and turn out to be part of a pattern of abductions.

Chinese Probe Lands On Moon To Gather Lunar Samples

2020-12-31T21:27:26Z

CharlieSauer78:

A Long March 5 rocket carrying China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe launches from the Wenchang Space Center on China's southern Hainan Island in November 2020 A Chinese space probe on Wednesday began drilling on the surface of the Moon hours after landing, in an [http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/search/site/ambitious%20attempt ambitious attempt] to bring back the first lunar samples in four decades. Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and of eventually sending humans to the Moon. The Chang'e-5 spacecraft -- named for the mythical Chinese moon goddess -- touched down on the near side of the Moon on Tuesday, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ tour trung quốc] and is now gathering samples from the surface, the China National Space Administration said. Chang'e-5's goal is to collect lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins, formation and volcanic activity. If the return journey is successful, China will be only the third country to have retrieved samples from the Moon, following the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. Chang'e-5's goal is to collect lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn about the Moon's origins, formation and volcanic activity This is the first such attempt since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in 1976. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Wednesday described the mission as "revolutionary in increasing human understanding of the history of the Moon." The probe had finished drilling for samples by Wednesday morning and is now "gathering surface samples as planned", [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/du-lich-trung-quoc-gia-re/ kynghidongduong.vn] China's National Space Administration said. The spacecraft was launched from the country's southern Hainan province last week and entered lunar orbit on Saturday after a 112-hour journey. State broadcaster CCTV showed rows of scientists at mission control, wearing blue jackets emblazoned with Chinese flags, monitoring the probe then clapping after it successfully touched down. A huge screen at the front of the room displayed images sent by the probe of the grey lunar surface. A separate state media video released later showed the probe drilling into the moon's surface. - 'No easy task' - The spacecraft plans to collect two kilograms (4.5 pounds) of material in a previously unexplored area known as Oceanus Procellarum -- or "Ocean of Storms" -- a vast lava plain, according to the science journal Nature. China Moon probe The probe was designed to both get samples from the Moon's surface, as well as drill a two-metre (7-foot) deep hole and gather specimens from there, to ensure a diverse collection. State media said the craft was preparing for "around 48 hours" of tasks on the lunar surface. The samples will then be returned to Earth in a capsule programmed to land in northern China's Inner Mongolia region in December, according to US space agency NASA. Back on Earth, Chinese scientists are using footage from Chang'e-5 to [https://knoji.com/search/?query=reconstruct%20patches reconstruct patches] of the Moon's surface in a lab to better guide the probe's movements, CCTV said. Footage from the broadcaster showed lab staff from the China Academy of Space Technology wearing augmented reality glasses and using shovels to shape a sand pit according to contours of the moon's surface. The mission is technically challenging and involves several innovations not seen during previous attempts at collecting moon rocks, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher Jonathan McDowell told AFP last month. Thomas Zurbuchen, a top official at NASA's science mission directorate, congratulated China on the landing. "This is no easy task," he tweeted. "When the samples collected on the Moon are returned to Earth, we hope everyone will benefit from being able to study this precious cargo that could advance the international science community." - 'Space dream' - Under President Xi Jinping, plans for China's "space dream", as he calls it, have been put into overdrive. Chang'e-5 will collect material from a previously unexplored area of the Moon known as Oceanus Procellarum Beijing is looking to finally catch up with the US and Russia after years of belatedly matching their space milestones. China launched its first satellite in 1970, while human spaceflight took decades longer -- with Yang Liwei becoming China's first "taikonaut" in 2003. A Chinese lunar rover landed on the far side of the Moon in January 2019 in a global first that boosted Beijing's aspirations to become a space superpower. The latest probe is among a slew of ambitious targets, which include creating a powerful rocket capable of delivering payloads heavier than those NASA and private rocket firm SpaceX can handle, a lunar base, and a permanently crewed space station. China's taikonauts and scientists have also talked up crewed missions to Mars. burs-gle-tjx/rox/oho

Hire The Reputable Tour Guide To Travel With Comfort And Luxury

2020-12-31T03:02:34Z

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2020-12-31T00:51:07Z

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