News EnglishAugust 31, 2008 5:47 am

Thousands evacuate New Orleans in advance of hurricane Gustav


The center of Tropical Storm Gustav is pictured over the Caribbean Sea in this NOAA satellite image taken early August 29, 2008. Gustav, which strengthened back to a hurricane on Friday as it headed toward the Cayman Islands, was expected to build to a dangerous Category 3 storm by the time it hits land in the United States on Tuesday, U.S. emergency officials said.

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — Thousands fled New Orleans, La., Saturday as Hurricane Gustav bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

    Cars packed with children, suitcases and pet carriers jammed roadways leading north and west out of the city, U.S. TV networks reported.

    By the end of the day, city officials hoped to evacuate at least 30,000 people who lack transportation or are too sick or old to get out on their own.

    Gustav, strengthening into a Category 5 storm, was south of Cuba Saturday.

    The latest forecasts called for the storm to make landfall just west of New Orleans as early as Monday, but forecasters cautioned that Gustav could strike anywhere along the Gulf coast from Texas to Florida early next week.

    Three years ago, the whole city of New Orleans was virtually wiped out by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the U.S. history.

Comments (0)
News English 5:45 am

Petraeus submits plan to withdraw troops from Iraq


    WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — Top U.S. commander in Iraq David Petraeus has submitted a draft plan to set the pace of withdrawing troops from Iraq, raising the expectations of more troop cuts this fall.

    The Washington Post’s web site quoted military sources as saying Saturday that the plan were submitted to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

    It said Petraeus is expected to submit a final set of recommendations within the next week after analyzing the impact of troop cuts of five U.S. brigades in mid-July.

    The report is expected to conclude that the outlook in Iraq has improved to merit more troop cuts but the final decision will be made by President George W. Bush sometime in September.

    There are expectations that Petraeus may suggest cutting one to two combat brigades, or roughly, 3,500 to 7,000 troops this fall.

    At the present, there are 15 U.S. combat brigades or some 146,000 troops in Iraq.

The top U.S. Commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus (L), shakes hands with a soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment as he gives him a coin in a base near Muqdadiyah, in the Diyala province July 26, 2008. Sunni Islamist al Qaeda has sought to stoke tensions in Iraq's ethnically and religiously mixed northern cities, such as Diyala and Mosul, after military campaigns pushed its militants out of former strongholds in western Anbar province and Baghdad.
Comments (0)
News English 5:40 am

Chinese opera “Mulan” debuts in Vienna


Peng Liyuan, a celebrated Chinese folk singer, played the leading role of heroine Mulan, while internationally renowned tenor Dai Yuqiang acted as General Liu Shuang, the hero.

    VIENNA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — The eyes of audience were glued to the stage all through and thunderous applause erupted at the end of the debut of "Mulan," a Chinese opera, in the Vienna State Opera House.

    This is the first time for a made-in-China opera to stage at the famed opera house in the Austrian capital, which is widely considered a sacred arena for musicians from all over the world.

    "Mulan is an old Chinese legend, but the opera interprets the legend in a brand new style, which is very successful," said Peter Woells, a local musician who watched the opera.

    As Saturday is his wife’s birthday, Woells told Xinhua that watching such "excellent work" with his wife is an "excellent birthday gift" for her.

    In a written address, Austrian Culture Minister Claudia Schmied said "Mulan" would significantly enrich the musical life in the Vienna State Opera and Vienna at large.

    "Mulan" was first staged in Beijing in 2004, and in September of the following year it was performed in New York.

    "Mulan" is based on a legendary story about a young girl named Mulan who lived in China some 1,500 years ago. In order to retain the family honor, Mulan replaced her ailing father to join the army in disguise as a gentleman and saved her country from the intruder.

    While putting together various forms of performance such as symphony, musical, theater and dance, it also blended into the element of China’s folk music, singing technique, national costume and martial art, which helped create vivid artistic images on the stage from different angles and perspectives.

    Peng Liyuan, a celebrated Chinese folk singer, played the leading role of heroine Mulan, while internationally renowned tenor Dai Yuqiang acted as General Liu Shuang, the hero.

    The prestigious Vienna Symphony Orchestra provided the musical accompaniment for the opera. And the vocal support was assumed by the Vienna Imperial Philharmonic Choir.

    Apart from prelude, the opera consists of four acts, eulogizing Mulan’s courage and her love for peace.

    After the performance, Austrian Federal Commission for Opera Houses and the Vienna State Opera House conferred Certificate of Honor on Peng Liyuan and Guan Xia, composer of "Mulan", respectively for their achievements. Dai Yuqiang was also awarded with a wooden medal by the Vienna State Opera House.

    The Vienna State Opera House, together with La Scala Opera House in Milan of Italy and The Metropolitan Opera House in New York of the United States, are ranked as the world’s top three opera houses.

Comments (0)

ទំព័រដើម

“ទៅមុខ”“ថយក្រោយ​”