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Lunar New Year

Oil prices steady amid China demand revival, high U.S. inventories

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Oil
  • Oil prices remained generally stable on Thursday.
  • Crude oil stocks in the United States reached their highest level
  • Crude futures in the United States declined 3 cents to $78.44 per barrel.

Oil prices remained generally stable on Thursday, as the potential of rising fuel demand in China as it reopens post-COVID limitations was countered by concerns that U.S. oil stocks reaching their highest level in months could signify declining demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices rose 1 cent to $85.10 per barrel by 0446 GMT, while WTI crude futures in the United States declined 3 cents to $78.44 per barrel. This week, both benchmarks have risen more than 6%.

“U.S. crude oil … inventories have continued to exceed expectations, which to some extent erodes the bullish sentiments brought from China’s demand recovery hopes,” said analysts from Haitong Futures.

Crude oil stocks in the United States reached their highest level since June 2021 last week, thanks to increased production, according to the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday. Last week, gasoline and distillate stocks in the United States increased as demand remained weak.

According to Federal Reserve officials

More interest rate hikes are on the way, according to Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday, as the US central bank pushes forward with its efforts to lower inflation, while none were ready to indicate that January’s hot jobs report could force them back to a more aggressive monetary policy posture.

However, the anticipation of higher Chinese demand boosted oil prices as the world’s second-largest oil consumer halted a three-year rigorous zero-COVID policy requiring city-wide lockdowns and widespread testing in December.

“Travel has increased sharply in China following the Lunar New Year holidays. We expect Chinese oil consumption to increase by around 1.0 million barrels a day this year, with strong growth emerging as early as late in Q1,” said Daniel Hynes and Soni Kumari, analysts from ANZ bank in a note on Thursday.

“Overall, this should push global demand up by 2.1 million barrels a day in 2023.”

Meanwhile, BP Azerbaijan declared force majeure on Azeri crude shipments from the Turkish port of Ceyhan on Feb.7 after a massive earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early on Monday.

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Chinese tourists travel more during the Lunar New Year holidays

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Lunar New Year
  • China saw 226 million domestic trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, a 74% surge from last year.
  • China lifted all travel curbs under its now-abandoned zero-Covid policy.
  • For the first time in three years, Chinese people were free to travel without the hassle of quarantine.

According to official media, China made 226 million domestic journeys for the Lunar New Year vacation, an increase of 74% from the previous year after the government abolished all travel restrictions imposed under its now-abandoned zero-Covid policy.

Chinese citizens may travel without worry or bother for the first time in three years during the most significant holiday of the year, when families reconnect in their hometowns to celebrate the new year or go on vacation together.

This week-long holiday, which ended on Friday, saw the most visits completed within China since 2020. They cover all types of travel, such as those taken by vehicles, trains, and even boats.

The number was still much below pre-pandemic levels, though. Over the holiday in 2019, 421 million domestic travels were made.

Due to the pent-up demand for travel, China’s tourist sites, from the sunny beaches on Hainan island to the historic towns in the mountainous Yunnan region, were overrun with tourists throughout the vacation.

After China’s borders were officially reopened earlier this month, international travel also increased dramatically. According to the National Immigration Administration, 2.88 million visits were made across the border for the Lunar New Year vacation, an increase of 120% from the previous year.

12.53 million cross-border journeys were made in 2019 during the Lunar New Year vacation, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Following widespread demonstrations about strict lockdowns and Covid tests, the Chinese government abruptly ended its expensive zero-Covid program in December.

The infection spread quickly across the nation after the sudden removal of limitations, catching the healthcare establishment off guard. Hospitals and cemeteries were overburdened, leaving locals scrambling for fever medications and antiviral medications.

It is challenging to determine the severity and scope of the enormous outbreak because once-common Covid testing has largely been abandoned and the government has stopped reporting the majority of infections.

Chinese health authorities recently revealed more precise epidemic statistics that suggests the outbreak has already peaked amid international criticism of China’s limited data release.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that recorded clinic visits on January 23 had decreased 96.2% from a month earlier, when cases were at their peak.

In contrast to more than 6.9 million on December 22, just 15,000 persons tested positive for Covid via PCR tests on January 23 according to the CDC data.

It’s unclear how much testing has changed during that period, which could have an impact on those numbers, or how many people have been affected since China shifted away from zero-Covid in early December.

Wu Zunyou, the head epidemiologist at the CDC, said on January 21 that 80% of the nation had already contracted the disease.

The number of Covid deaths that are formally recorded is also dropping. China recorded 6,364 Covid-related deaths between January 20 and January 26, according to the CDC, which is approximately half of the 12,658 deaths reported a week earlier.

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California: Suspect detained following another mass shooting

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California
  • State mourns the deaths of 11 people during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park.
  • All of the victims were Chinese-American farm workers.
  • Suspect Zhao Chunli, 67, was apprehended after driving to the police station.

California is reeling from its second mass shooting in as many days after a man shot and killed seven former coworkers south of San Francisco.

The attacks occurred in the coastal town of Half Moon Bay. All of the victims were Chinese-American farm workers.

Zhao Chunli, 67, was apprehended after driving to the police station.

It comes as the state mourns the deaths of 11 people during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, about six hours south of Half Moon Bay.

California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that he was at a hospital meeting with victims of the previous mass shooting when he was pulled aside to be briefed on the second attack, which he described as “tragedy upon tragedy.”

The most recent bloodshed in the state occurred on two farms near Half Moon Bay.

Mass shooting victims

Four of the shooting victims were discovered at a mushroom farm, while the other three were later discovered at a nearby trucking company. An eighth victim is in critical condition and is being treated in a hospital.

According to San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, the attack was witnessed by a number of children who had recently been released from school and lived on the rural property.

“This kind of shooting is horrific. It’s a tragedy we hear about all too often, but it hit close to home today in San Mateo County “According to the office.

“It’s indescribable for children to witness this.”

Following the killings, the suspect drove to a nearby police station, where his arrest was captured on video.

Zhao Chunli was pinned to the ground and arrested by police, according to US news outlets.

Sheriff Corpus said he was found with a semi-automatic pistol that may have been used in the attack and was cooperating with police.

The attacks were carried out by a “disgruntled worker,” according to San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President Dave Pine.

“Today’s tragedy in Half Moon Bay sickens us,” Mr. Pine said in a statement. “There are simply too many guns in this country, and something must be done.”

Seven people were injured and one person was killed in a shooting in Oakland, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Half Moon Bay.

According to the US non-profit Gun Violence Archive, the Half Moon Bay attack is the 37th mass shooting in just 24 days.

A mass shooting is defined as four or more people being injured or killed.

Even as information about the deadly attack in Half Moon Bay became available, detectives in the state’s south were still looking for a motive for the killings in Monterey Park.

In a suburban dance hall, an elderly Asian immigrant murdered 11 people before killing himself as police closed in.

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A 26-Year-Old Man saves lives attacking Monterey Park Shooter

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Monterey Park
  • Brandon Tsay lunged at the shooter and snatched his handgun.
  • “Something came over me,” Brandon Tsay told.
  • “I needed to take this weapon, disarm him, or else everybody would have died”, he further added.

In the predominantly Asian American city of Monterey Park, California, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, a shooter opened fire on Star Ballroom Dance Studio, killing 11 people and injuring another 10.

If not for the acts of a 26-year-old guy at a second dancing class in nearby Alhambra, where the suspect went after the shooting at Star Ballroom, the death toll may have been significantly higher.

When the shooter entered the building, Brandon Tsay, whose family runs Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, lunged at him and snatched the semiautomatic handgun out of his hands.

Tsay claimed in a GMA interview that he was watching the ballroom dancers when he heard the front door close and the sound of metal clinking together as the suspect reloaded his gun.

Tsay looked back and noticed the shooter. “”My first thought was I was gonna die here,” he said.

Tsay told the New York Times that the suspect’s appearance and the weapon he was holding led him to believe that the man was looking for targets.

Tsay said of the weapon, “From his body language, his facial expression, his eyes, he was looking for people”.

A heated battle between them is captured on security footage when he lunged at the gunman and snatched the gun. Tsay told GMA that after being struck in the face and on the back of his head by the suspect, he was still able to grab the gun from the gunman and direct it at the suspect.

The man stood there “contemplating whether to fight or to run away,” Tsay claimed when he had expected him to escape.

Tsay remarked,”I really thought I would have to shoot him if he came at me, “This is when he turned around and walked out the door.”

The shooter was allegedly disarmed with the assistance of two men, however, CCTV footage shows Tsay tussling with the suspect by himself. The unknown is the identity of the second person police were referring to.

Tsay, a computer programmer who spends a few days each week at Lai Lai’s ticketing counter, expressed disbelief at the encounter.

“I was shaking all night. I couldn’t believe what happened,” he said. “After waking up, I noticed there was bruising over my body. My face has a bruise across the nose, and the back of my head has some bruising.”

The community is in shock following the tragedy on Saturday night. According to statistics provided by the city, more than 65% of the population of Monterey Park, which is renowned as America’s first suburban Chinatown, is Asian.

When families join together for a reunion supper on the night of the Lunar New Year, it is an important moment for the celebrations. Monterey Park hosted a New Year’s event for locals earlier that day.

Huu Can Tran, 72, who was confirmed as the shooter, was a frequent visitor to Star Ballroom, according to his ex-wife, who spoke to CNN. Although Tran remained at large the next day, he was discovered dead on Sunday after a self-inflicted gunshot wound when police approached his vehicle in Torrance, a city located approximately 30 miles from Monterey Park.

Initially, police reported that the incident had claimed the lives of 10. One of the four injured patients being treated at LAC + USC Medical Center on Monday had “succumbed to their serious injuries,” the hospital said in a statement.

Witnesses to the shooting at Star Ballroom have provided frightening tales of what happened.

Two pals of a woman named Shally who gave her name to ABC7 had passed away that evening.

When the shooter entered the room and started firing, Shally was dancing with her longtime dance partner and friend. Together, they ducked under a table.

Shally claimed that she attempted to awaken her dance partner after the shooter had fled. He had been shot in the back and had passed away, she realised when she noticed her hands stained with blood.

After the initial exchange of gunfire, Shally claimed she believed the incident was finished, but the shooter reloaded and kept firing.

She informed ABC7 that the Asian man who was her dance partner was a friend of her husband and was 62 years old. For the previous eight to ten years, they had gone out dancing once a week.

One of those killed was Ming Wei Ma, the proprietor and dance instructor of Star Ballroom, according to witnesses.

“Mr. Ma, who is very beloved and respected in the dance community and he’s been doing that for over 20 years,” his friend Eric Chen told. “He was trying to stop the shooter and he passed away.”

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China’s northernmost city recently experienced its coldest day

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China's northernmost
  • The temperature in China’s northernmost city fell to minus 53°C.
  • China’s meteorological authority issued a blue cold wave.
  • They predicted ice fog as well.

According to meteorologists, the temperature in China‘s northernmost city fell to minus 53°C (minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit), the coldest ever recorded.

Mohe, located in northeastern Heilongjiang province and close to Russian Siberia, is known as “China’s North Pole” and is one of the few places in China with a subarctic climate.

According to the Heilongjiang Meteorological Bureau, the temperature was minus 53°C at 7 a.m. on January 22, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Officials said it broke the previous record of minus 52.3°C set in 1969.

On Monday, China’s meteorological authority issued a blue cold wave, forecasting significant temperature drops across the country.

In neighboring Russia, Yakutsk, the world’s coldest city, temperatures dropped to minus 62.7°C (minus 80.9 degrees Fahrenheit) – the coldest in over two decades.

Mohe’s winters are long, beginning in early October and often lasting until May. Temperatures have been known to fall below freezing on average during this time period, according to experts.

Residents were gripped by rare “ice fog” in 2018, a weather phenomenon that occurs only in extremely cold climates when water droplets in the air remain in liquid form, prompting local authorities to issue the city’s first-ever red warning for cold weather.

Although no warnings have been issued in Mohe, local meteorologists predict that the cold spell will last into this week. They predict ice fog as well.

The city’s year-round cold attracts tourists, who flock to its ice-themed attractions.

A highway connecting the remote city to the capital Beijing opened to much fanfare in December 2019.

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Californian officials mourns for disaster at Monterey Park

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Monterey Park shooting

Mass shooting occurred during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park. Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Kamala Harris sent their condolences.  The violence took place during a night of celebration for the Chinese New Year. As the full scope of the violence became apparent on Sunday, the political leadership of the state of California sent … Read more

California police finds Monterey Park shooter dead in van

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Monterey Park shooting

Huu Can Tran, 72, is suspected of killing 10 people in a ballroom dance studio. He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the site. Huu Can Tran, 72, who was subsequently discovered dead in a white van, has been named by California authorities. As the shooter who is … Read more

COVID: Chinese tourists hit Thai beaches for first time in 3 years

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Chinese
  • China lifted COVID-19 restrictions and reopened its borders.
  • The reopening of China boosts optimism for the return of Chinese visitors.
  • The Thai government anticipates at least five million Chinese tourists this year.

Phuket: Chinese visitors are returning to Thailand for the first time since China lifted COVID-19 restrictions and reopened its borders, visiting white-sand beaches and enjoying mango sticky rice and prawns.

“We hadn’t traveled out of China in three years because of the pandemic,” said tourist and company owner Kiki Hu, 28, in Krabi on Thailand’s southwest coast. “We may now depart and come here for the holidays. I’m pleased and emotional “.

With China celebrating the Lunar New Year, Asia’s tourist hotspots have been bracing for the return of Chinese tourists, who spent $255 billion worldwide prior to the pandemic. Countries ranging from Thailand to Japan had previously relied on China as their primary source of foreign visitors.

Yoyo Chen, 32, a business owner from Yiwu in central China, said returning to Thailand felt like coming home.

“I came to eat seafood. When I visited here before, I ate mango sticky rice, which was amazing. I kept thinking about the mango sticky rice here while I was in China. I’m looking forward to the meals and seeing the beaches “Chen stated.

“Obtaining visas is now quite simple. The tourism business is more established here, there are many enjoyable activities and cuisine, and the Thai people are quite friendly “She stated.

The reopening of China boosts optimism for the return of Chinese visitors, who made up roughly a third of Thailand’s 40 million foreign tourist arrivals prior to the pandemic.

The Thai government anticipates at least five million Chinese tourists this year, with 300,000 arriving in the first quarter.

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California: Suspect kills himself after Lunar New Year massacre

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Lunar New Year
  • Shooting during the Chinese Lunar New Year festival.
  • Ballroom dance venue popular with older patrons.
  • The shooter later kills himself when approached by police.

A 72-year-old gunman killed himself when approached by police on Sunday, about 12 hours after carrying out a Lunar New Year massacre at a dance club that killed ten people and injured ten more.

The gunman attempted to carry out another shooting at a different club just minutes after the first one on Saturday night, but two bystanders wrestled the man’s weapon away from him before any shots could be fired, according to authorities. He fled the scene.

Huu Can Tran, a septuagenarian who used a high-capacity magazine pistol to shoot up a ballroom dance venue popular with older patrons in Monterey Park, about 7 miles (11 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, was identified as the suspect by Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Although gun violence is common in the United States, investigators did not know what motivated the shooting. Luna did not identify the victims but said the five men and five women were in their 50s, 60s, and older. According to the sheriff, Tran’s pistol appeared to be illegal in California, where state laws prohibit any magazine holding more than 10 rounds.

“We want to know how something this terrible can happen,” Luna told reporters.

According to the sheriff, Tran pulled a handgun on himself as police approached a white van he was driving in Torrance, about 20 miles (34 kilometers) from the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park. Officers approached the van and heard a single gunshot, then fell back and requested a SWAT team.

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China says 80% of population have had Covid-19

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Covid-19

Covid-19 has already infected eight out of ten Chinese citizens. Current “wave of epidemic has already infected nearly 80% of the people”. With over 2 billion passenger trips expected to take place during that time. Covid-19 has already infected eight out of ten Chinese citizens, according to a well-known government scientist. On Saturday, the night … Read more

Sunday’s Lunar New Year festival postponed in Monterey Park

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Monterey Park

The shooting took place close to an event commemorating the Lunar New Year. The event that was supposed to go into Sunday has been cancelled. The Lunar festival here in Monterey Park has been canceled. The deadly shooting on Saturday night in Monterey Park, California, took place close to an event commemorating the Lunar New … Read more

Multiple casualties reported in Los Angeles area shooting – Police respond

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Los Angeles
  • Shooting at the location of the Chinese Lunar New Year festival.
  • Unclear how many were killed or injured, or if the suspect is in custody.
  • Social media footage shows emergency workers treating victims.

Los Angeles: On Saturday night, police were called to a shooting in Monterey Park, California, where multiple people were killed, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing a law enforcement source.

According to the newspaper, the shooting occurred after 10 p.m. (0600 GMT) near the site of a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park.

It was unclear how many people had been hurt or killed, or whether the suspect was still on the loose.

Footage shared on social media showed emergency personnel transporting injured people on stretchers to ambulances. The video showed police guarding cordoned-off streets near the scene of the shooting, which was reported to have occurred at a nightclub.

“Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones tonight in our neighboring city of Monterey Park, where a mass shooting just occurred,” Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia tweeted.

Tens of thousands of people had attended the festival earlier in the day.

The LA Times quoted the owner of a nearby restaurant as saying that people who sought shelter in his property told him there was a man with a machine gun in the area.

Seung Won Choi told the newspaper that he believed the shooting took place at a dance club.

Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles county, around 7 miles (11 km) from downtown Los Angeles.

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20 dead, eight still missing after Tibet tunnel avalanche

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avalanche
  • Rescue workers are digging with mechanical diggers in deep snow to locate buried vehicles.
  • Eight people are still missing and 20 people are said to have died as of Friday.
  • The majority of those were Tibetans returning to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year.

Tibet: Following an avalanche in Tibet that buried several vehicles in deep snow and ice on a section of road connected to a highway tunnel, twenty people have been confirmed dead and eight are still missing.

On Friday, images on Chinese state media showed rescue workers digging with mechanical diggers in deep snow to locate buried vehicles when the avalanche hit the road and highway tunnel connecting the city of Nyingchi in Tibet’s southwest with outlying Medog county.

According to the state-run news source, eight people are still missing and 20 people are said to have died as of Friday. Since the avalanche that occurred at around 8 p.m. (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday on a section of road between Pai village in Mailing county and the Doxong La tunnel in Medog county, 53 more people have been saved., It stated that five of the survivors had severe injuries.

Tibetans were returning to their hometowns

According to a local villager, the majority of those on the road at the time of the accident were Tibetans returning to their hometowns for the Lunar New Year, which begins on Sunday.

Vehicles were crushed under the weight of tonnes of snow and ice that collapsed at the mouth of the tunnel, trapping drivers inside their vehicles, according to rescue workers.

Nyingchi is about five hours’ drive from the regional capital, Lhasa, and is located at an elevation of about 3,040 meters (9,974 feet). During the winter, nighttime temperatures routinely fall well below freezing.

According to Chinese authorities, 1,000 rescue workers and dozens of emergency vehicles have been dispatched to the disaster site.

“The snow was so deep it was as high as to people’s waist, and the road is very slippery. “Many rescue workers stumbled all the way there,” said a local healthcare worker.

In the Himalayas, avalanches are common. Last October, a mountaineering expedition was caught in an avalanche on Mount Draupadi ka Danda-II in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 26 people.

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China backpedals on climate promises as economy slows

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china

BEIJING: When China’s President Xi Jinping issued his traditional Lunar New Year wishes from the country’s coal heartland in January, the subtext was clear: Beijing is not ready to kick its coal addiction, despite promises to slash emissions. The ink had barely dried on the hard-fought deal struck at last year’s United Nations climate conference … Read more

China records 130 mln passenger trips in Spring Festival holiday

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China records 130 mln passenger

BEIJING – An estimated 130 million passenger trips were made during the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday, official data showed Monday. The figure represented a 31.7-percent increase compared with that of the Spring Festival holiday last year, according to the Ministry of Transport. During the seven-day holiday, which ran from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, the … Read more

Prince Charles & Camilla visit Chinatown to mark Lunar New Year celebrations

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Prince Charles and Camilla took part in the Lunar New Year celebrations and visited Chinatown in this regard. Read more: Prince Charles to hosts Harry and Meghan Markle in the UK Prince Charles, 73, and Camilla, 74, were spotted sporting red scarf and greeting the performers of the event. 福虎祈福，阖家幸福 新年快乐 ­ The blessing of … Read more

Snow to hit parts of China in next three days

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snow china

BEIJING – Snow will hit parts of China in the next three days, bringing adverse effects on traffic in the Spring Festival travel season, the National Meteorological Center said on Friday. From Friday to Monday, snow will hit the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Hubei, while heavy rain will slash … Read more

China: 10 Baby Pandas Make Debut To Mark Chinese New Year

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China: 10 Baby Pandas Make Debut To Mark Chinese New Year

Ten baby pandas made their first public appearance in China’s leading panda reserve to mark the coming  Chinese New Year which is also called Lunar New Year. According to the international news agency Associated Press, one of Panda cub was appeared to be too shy and hid its face with both of its paws after … Read more

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