WEATHER ALERT
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with food and festivities at Lyric Market downtown
Read full article: Celebrate the Lunar New Year with food and festivities at Lyric Market downtownThis weekend, guests can check out plenty of themed food and drinks as well as a lion and dragon dance performance throughout the plaza.
The Lunar New Year of the Dragon flames colorful festivities across Asian nations and communities
Read full article: The Lunar New Year of the Dragon flames colorful festivities across Asian nations and communitiesWith fireworks, feasts and red envelopes stuffed with cash for the kids, numerous Asian nations and overseas communities have welcomed the arrival of the Lunar New Year.
Experience the sights and sounds of the Soaring Phoenix Dragon & Lion Dance Association
Read full article: Experience the sights and sounds of the Soaring Phoenix Dragon & Lion Dance AssociationThe Soaring Phoenix Dragon & Lion Dance Association are BUSY this Lunar New Year with 150+ performances in just three weeks, they'll need all the luck they can get. Part of the team stopped by for a loud and colorful performance outside of Studio B. Catch up with Soaring Phoenix on Instagram @s.p.liondance
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Chinese Community Center
Read full article: Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Chinese Community CenterWe're gearing up for the 'Year of the Dragon!' The Chinese community center has their big Lunar New Year festival coming up, they decorated Studio B and told us all about the significance of the holiday plus what the 'Year of the Dragon' is all about.
Stock market today: Tokyo hits 30-year high, with many Asian markets shut for Lunar New Year holiday
Read full article: Stock market today: Tokyo hits 30-year high, with many Asian markets shut for Lunar New Year holidayAsian shares are mostly higher as Tokyo's benchmark momentarily touched a 34-year high, while many regional markets were closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Holiday light experience will honor Lunar New Year at Houston Botanic Garden with stunning lantern displays
Read full article: Holiday light experience will honor Lunar New Year at Houston Botanic Garden with stunning lantern displaysA large menagerie of lighted sculptures will soon twinkle at the Houston Botanic Garden.
China flies 103 military planes toward Taiwan in a new high in activity the island calls harassment
Read full article: China flies 103 military planes toward Taiwan in a new high in activity the island calls harassmentChina has flown 103 military planes toward Taiwan in a new daily high for the activity the island considers harassment.
Ballroom shooting victims planned for night of fun, dancing
Read full article: Ballroom shooting victims planned for night of fun, dancingThose killed when a gunman opened fire at a Los Angeles-area dance hall are being remembered by friends and family for the zest for life that brought them out that night to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Passion for dance drew many of those slain to ballroom
Read full article: Passion for dance drew many of those slain to ballroomAmong the 11 people killed when a gunman opened fire during a Lunar New Year celebration at a Los Angeles-area dance hall popular with older Asian Americans were a family’s beloved aunt, a retired man who decided to return to school and the venue’s always-smiling manager.
‘We were terrified’: Houston area Lunar New Year celebrations to continue with added security after mass shooting in California
Read full article: ‘We were terrified’: Houston area Lunar New Year celebrations to continue with added security after mass shooting in CaliforniaThe Chinese Community Center’s Lunar New Year Festival takes months of planning.
Monterey Park suspect may have been targeting his ex-wife in the mass shooting, mayor says
Read full article: Monterey Park suspect may have been targeting his ex-wife in the mass shooting, mayor saysThe gunman behind the deadly dance hall shooting in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park that left 10 people dead and at least 10 more wounded may have been targeting his ex-wife on the Lunar New Year, the California city’s mayor said Monday.
Authorities swarm van possibly linked to California shooting
Read full article: Authorities swarm van possibly linked to California shootingLaw enforcement officials swarmed and entered a white van Sunday afternoon that officials suspect was driven by a gunman who opened fire on a Southern California ballroom dance studio, killing 10 people and wounding 10 more.
Asian community reeling after Lunar New Year shooting
Read full article: Asian community reeling after Lunar New Year shootingA joyful kickoff to the first Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park since before the pandemic was marred by tragedy after a gunman opened fire inside a dance hall, killing 10 people in the majority Asian city near Los Angeles.
‘Absolutely devastating’: Officials, social media users react after deadly Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey Park
Read full article: ‘Absolutely devastating’: Officials, social media users react after deadly Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey ParkAmericans and the world are waking up to the news of a deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, where 10 people died and 10 others were hurt inside a ballroom.
PHOTOS: Aftermath of mass shooting that left 10 people dead at LA-area Lunar New Year festival
Read full article: PHOTOS: Aftermath of mass shooting that left 10 people dead at LA-area Lunar New Year festivalA day meant to celebrate a new year and new beginning turned deadly at a Los Angeles-area neighborhood early Sunday.
China rings in Year of Rabbit with most COVID rules lifted
Read full article: China rings in Year of Rabbit with most COVID rules liftedPeople across China are ringing in the Lunar New Year with large family gatherings and crowds visiting temples after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy.
At Lunar New Year, desserts can be customary or 'cute-ified'
Read full article: At Lunar New Year, desserts can be customary or 'cute-ified'Unlike Thanksgiving, when pie is a given in many households, desserts and confections celebrating the Lunar New Year are as varied as the Asian diasporas around the world that celebrate it.
Lunar New Year 2023: Usher in the Year of the Rabbit at these Houston celebrations
Read full article: Lunar New Year 2023: Usher in the Year of the Rabbit at these Houston celebrationsAsian Americans in the Houston area will usher in the Year of the Rabbit later this month, celebrating the Lunar New Year with colorful decorations, performances, and prayers for good fortune in the year to come.
China seeks to minimize COVID-19 risk during travel rush
Read full article: China seeks to minimize COVID-19 risk during travel rushChina is seeking to minimize the possibility of a major new COVID-19 outbreak during this month's Lunar New Year travel rush following the end of most pandemic containment measures.
China students return home amid COVID travel spread fears
Read full article: China students return home amid COVID travel spread fearsSome Chinese universities say they will allow students to finish the semester from home in hopes of reducing the potential for a bigger COVID-19 outbreak during the January Lunar New Year travel rush.
Hong Kong limits private gatherings to fight COVID-19
Read full article: Hong Kong limits private gatherings to fight COVID-19Hong Kong’s leader has announced the city’s toughest social-distancing restrictions yet, including unprecedented limits on private gatherings, as new daily cases surge above 600.
Across Asia, spike in virus cases follows Lunar New Year
Read full article: Across Asia, spike in virus cases follows Lunar New YearMany Asian countries are facing a spike in COVID-19 infections after the widely-celebrated Lunar New Year holidays, as health officials grapple with the highly-transmissible omicron variant and expectations that numbers will continue to rise in coming weeks.
Celebrations for Year of the Tiger are muted, but bring hope
Read full article: Celebrations for Year of the Tiger are muted, but bring hopePeople across Asia prepared Monday for muted Lunar New Year celebrations amid concerns over the coronavirus and virulent omicron variant, but were looking ahead with hope that the region's high vaccination rates might bring life closer to normal in the coming year.
Asian stocks follow Wall St higher at start of holiday week
Read full article: Asian stocks follow Wall St higher at start of holiday weekAsian stocks have followed Wall Street higher at the start of a week when China, South Korea and Southeast Asian markets will close for the Lunar New Year holiday.
First flights leave Chinese city Xi'an as travel curbs ease
Read full article: First flights leave Chinese city Xi'an as travel curbs easeThe first commercial airline flights in one month have taken off from Xi’an in western China as the government eased travel curbs imposed after a coronavirus outbreak ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Asia stocks follow Wall St. down after weaker US jobs data
Read full article: Asia stocks follow Wall St. down after weaker US jobs data(AP Photo/John Minchillo)BANGKOK – Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower on Friday after disappointing U.S. jobs and economic data. Overnight, Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.4% for its third straight daily decline. AdThe Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.9% to 3,641.63 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo sank 1% to 29,947.42. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell to 3,913.97. Congress is conducting a hearing on the recent volatility of companies caught in a tug-of-war between Wall Street institutional investors betting against the companies and the online retail investors who pushed shares higher.
Asian shares mostly lower after mixed day on Wall Street
Read full article: Asian shares mostly lower after mixed day on Wall StreetShares were mostly lower in Asia on Thursday after a mixed session on Wall Street as losses by technology and industrial companies offset other gains. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)TOKYO – Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Thursday after a mixed session on Wall Street as losses by technology and industrial companies offset other gains. Underscoring signs of recovery, the Commerce Department said U.S. retail sales soared a seasonally adjusted 5.3% in January from the month before, the biggest increase since June and much larger than forecast. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.27% from 1.28% late Wednesday, near its highest level in a year. Last month’s jump in retail sales was largely driven by the $600 stimulus checks that went out to most Americans in late December and early January.
Chinese TV features blackface performers in New Year's gala
Read full article: Chinese TV features blackface performers in New Year's gala(AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)BEIJING – Chinese state TV included dancers in blackface portraying Africans in a holiday gala for the second time in three years, prompting criticism online, as Asia welcomed the Year of the Ox with muted festivities amid travel curbs to contain renewed coronavirus outbreaks. The “African Song and Dance” performance Thursday came at start of the Spring Festival Gala, one of the world’s most-watched TV programs. It included Chinese dancers in African-style costumes and dark face makeup beating drums. But China Central Television has faced criticism over using blackface to depict African people in past New Year broadcasts. The Commerce Ministry said it found 48 million more people in Chinese cities planned to celebrate where they live instead of traveling.
Chinese Community Center going virtual with Lunar New Year celebration
Read full article: Chinese Community Center going virtual with Lunar New Year celebrationHOUSTON – The Chinese Community Center’s Lunar New Year celebration is a yearly Houston tradition. This year, with the pandemic not yet over, the celebration is going virtual. “We are very grateful that, at least now, we can do the celebration online,” said Mei Li, the CCC’s director of Cultural/Community Development. “Because it’s virtual, we break it (up) into three days of celebration,” Li said. AdAnd while the face-to-face interaction won’t be had in person, there’s a benefit of having an audience beyond Houston with the virtual format.
Fauci: Virus shot categories to open up by April
Read full article: Fauci: Virus shot categories to open up by AprilFILE - In this Tuesday, May 26, 2020 photo released by Nucleus Network/ABC, clinical trial participants are monitored during Novavax COVID-19 vaccine testing in Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Fauci expects coronavirus shot categories to open up by April in U.S. California’s virus death toll surpasses New York. Ad___WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s first coronavirus vaccine doses are due to arrive in the country next week, with border workers getting inoculated from Feb. 20, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Friday. However, New Zealand’s success in stamping out the virus also means it will need to wait longer than many other countries to get vaccine doses for the general population. The state's Health Department said Thursday that wastewater testing in Burlington found the presence of two virus mutations associated with the variant.
The Latest: Jump in cases worries S. Korea as holiday starts
Read full article: The Latest: Jump in cases worries S. Korea as holiday starts(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 504 new coronavirus cases for the latest 24-hour period. Although coronavirus cases stayed relatively low in Japan last year compared to the United States and Europe, infections have been climbing recently. Kate Brown says outdoor contact sports, including high school football, can resume this week amid a decline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. On Wednesday, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute reported 8,072 new virus cases and 813 deaths in 24 hours. ___MADRID — Spain’s official 14-day rate of coronavirus cases has fallen to 584, from a peak of 900 two weeks ago.
Asian shares mostly gain after Biden speaks with China's Xi
Read full article: Asian shares mostly gain after Biden speaks with China's XiFILE - A street sign is displayed at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)BEIJING – Major Asian stock indexes were mostly higher on Thursday after President Joe Biden held his first conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since taking office. In their phone conversation, Biden and Xi appeared to have struck a conciliatory tone, Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary. Shares in Aphria and Tilray, Canadian companies that agreed to combine in December, also rose. The stocks are also benefiting from optimism that industry friendly legislation measures could become law under the Biden administration.
The Latest: Miss. says out-of-staters showing up for vaccine
Read full article: The Latest: Miss. says out-of-staters showing up for vaccineA member of the medical staff administrates the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to a colleague at the South Ile-de-France Hospital Group in Melun, in the outskirts of Paris, Monday Feb. 8, 2021. The state’s top public health officials said Monday that the vaccination is supposed to be limited to Mississippi residents, or to people from other states who work in Mississippi. The change means as many as 1.5 million people in the state now qualify for shots, up from about 700,000. Ad___PORTLAND, Ore. — Appointments to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Oregon have been quickly booked as residents who are 80 years and older are now eligible to receive doses. Seniors in Oregon have waited weeks to receive the vaccine, after the original eligibility date was delayed and then Gov.
Flower farms see their Lunar New Year sales wilted by virus
Read full article: Flower farms see their Lunar New Year sales wilted by virusThe Lunar New Year holiday is usually a busy period for flower farms in Hong Kong, which gear up to sell plum blossoms, orchids and daffodils at flower markets during the festive season. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)HONG KONG – The Lunar New Year holiday is usually a busy period for flower farms in Hong Kong, which gear up to sell plum blossoms, orchids and daffodils at flower markets during the festive season. This year, the Hong Kong government will implement restrictions on such markets, which can only run at half-capacity and shortened business hours. Lunar New Year is traditionally a boost for some businesses in Hong Kong, especially retail businesses. Flower farms like Yeung typically make about 50% of their profits from the Lunar New Year season alone, according to business analyst Francis Lun.
The Latest: S Korea curbing travel, gatherings for holiday
Read full article: The Latest: S Korea curbing travel, gatherings for holiday— New Zealand’s medical regulator has approved its first coronavirus vaccine, and officials hope to begin giving shots to border workers by the end of March. Tate Reeves says he’s skeptical about a new federal effort to reduce racial disparities in coronavirus vaccination rates. ___BEIRUT — Lebanon has broken its single-day record of coronavirus deaths with 81 as the country continued its nationwide lockdown for the third week. ___LAS VEGAS — Nevada has recorded its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in January after reporting eight additional coronavirus deaths over the weekend. Mike DeWine and his wife received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday in a procedure streamed live.
Asia Today: China sees most monthly infections since March
Read full article: Asia Today: China sees most monthly infections since MarchThe National Health Commission said Sunday that 2,016 cases were reported from Jan. 1-30. Two people have died in January, the first reported coronavirus deaths in China in several months. The team members visited the Huanan Seafood Market for about an hour Sunday afternoon. The market has since been largely ruled out but it could provide hints to how the virus spread so widely. The WHO mission has become politically charged, as China seeks to avoid blame for alleged missteps in its early response to the outbreak.
The Latest: Lockdown in Perth, Australia reaches 5 days
Read full article: The Latest: Lockdown in Perth, Australia reaches 5 days(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)PERTH, AustraIia — The city of Perth has been locked down for five days after Western Australia state’s first case of local COVID-19 infection in almost 10 months. With hospitalizations and confirmed cases falling, health officials are optimistic that the worst of the latest surge is over. The businesses can reopen, following a 25% capacity limit, given the improvement in the number of COVID-19 cases and in the city’s positivity rate. Authorities had warned that riots in the Netherlands over coronavirus restrictions could spark similar protests in neighboring Belgium. He said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases in nursing homes has declined by 66% in the last three weeks.
Asia Today: China's big holiday travel season light so far
Read full article: Asia Today: China's big holiday travel season light so farThis year, authorities have offered free refunds on plane tickets and extra pay for workers who stay put to dissuade travel for the holiday. The National Health Commission on Thursday reported 41 new cases of local transmission of the virus, a decline from previous days. The Philippines has nearly 520,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the second-highest number in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, and 10,552 deaths. — Vietnam has reported 82 new COVID-19 cases in two clusters, hours after counting its first new local cases in nearly two months. Meanwhile, Australia has extended its suspension of quarantine-free travel from New Zealand for another three days.
Asia Today: China's COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases rise
Read full article: Asia Today: China's COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases riseA medical worker gives a coronavirus vaccine shot to a patient at a vaccination facility in Beijing, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)BEIJING – China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. The province of Hebei, just outside Beijing, accounted for 90 of the new cases, while Heilongjiang province further north reported 43 new cases. India is launching its massive immunization drive on Saturday aimed at vaccinating 300 million people by August.
The Latest: Mexico sees record 16,105 new virus cases
Read full article: The Latest: Mexico sees record 16,105 new virus cases(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)MEXICO CITY — Mexico has posted another daily record for newly confirmed coronavirus cases, with 16,105 new infections reported Saturday, and a near-record of 1,135 deaths related to COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period. ___AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan announced it is expecting the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine to arrive in the kingdom late Saturday. Official data also show that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K. has exceeded 3 million. The daily numbers brought Arizona’s total confirmed cases to 607,345 and the state’s death toll in the pandemic to 10,036. With 10.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases, India has the second-highest total behind the United States.
Asia Today: Thailand counts more virus cases, limits travel
Read full article: Asia Today: Thailand counts more virus cases, limits travelThailand has been struggling with a sudden virus surge after months of hardly any cases of domestic transmission. Sri Lanka has reported 45,498 COVID-19 cases, including 215 deaths. “Decisions about when international travel resumes will be made by the Australian government,” McCormack said in a statement. On Tuesday, the country reported 7,445 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the confirmed total to 779,548, including 23,109 deaths. India has reported more than 10.3 million cases and over 150,000 deaths.
2021 arrives around the world
Read full article: 2021 arrives around the world(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)CANBERRA – This New Year’s Eve is being celebrated like no other in most of the world, with many bidding farewell to a year they’d prefer to forget. Some countries and cities canceled or scaled back their festivities, while others without active outbreaks carried on like any other year. Instead, we should bring in 2021 in our own homes with just our own households," Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. Many around the world looked toward 2021 with hope, partly due to the arrival of vaccines that offer a chance of beating the pandemic. Initial reports about a mystery respiratory illness sickening people in the Chinese city of Wuhan emerged exactly a year ago.
Amid virus fears, China urges workers to skip holiday travel
Read full article: Amid virus fears, China urges workers to skip holiday travel(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)BEIJING – China is encouraging tens of millions of migrant workers not to travel home during next February’s Lunar New Year holiday to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, disrupting its most important time for family gatherings. The commission said it is encouraging provincial governments to persuade workers to follow the suggestion while taking into account their personal wishes. China has all but eradicated local transmission of the coronavirus, but authorities remain on high alert over a possible resurgence. Over the roughly six-week travel period, Chinese can take upward of 3 billion trips. Along with discouraging travel, Chinese authorities are also carrying out a campaign to vaccinate 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Latest: South Korea enforces tough measures in prisons
Read full article: The Latest: South Korea enforces tough measures in prisonsThe others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The legislative leaders and the state’s Republican attorney general passed, for now, because not all health care workers and nursing home residents have received theirs. The governor also said Wednesday that “hundreds” of other, non-elected state officials have been made eligible for early vaccines by their agencies. The others are the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and Kansas Supreme Court chief justice and four Republican leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Most of those Republicans said they didn’t want to jump in line ahead of health care workers, nursing home residents or other vulnerable Kansans.
Disney closes Shanghai park as deadly coronavirus spreads
Read full article: Disney closes Shanghai park as deadly coronavirus spreads(CNN) -- Disney is closing down its mega theme park in China over the Lunar New Year holiday as fears grow over the deadly Wuhan virus. Shanghai Disney Resort made the announcement on its official website on Friday, saying the closure was "in response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak." At least 10 cities in central Hubei province are facing travel restrictions, including Wuhan. The closure comes less than two weeks after Shanghai Disney Resort unveiled a series of events tailored for China's Year of the Rat. Last year, China's Lunar New Year box office pulled in more than 5 billion yuan ($720.8 million), according to Xinhua.