Businesses reopen after lifting of curfew in Damascus

China

Businesses reopen after lifting of curfew in Damascus

2024-12-12 16:25 Last Updated At：19:17

Businesses have reopened, and daily activities are resuming in Damascus after the lifting of a curfew in the Syrian capital and surrounding areas on Wednesday, which was imposed three days earlier following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

The lifting of the curfew came after Mohammed al-Bashir, previously a regional leader in northwestern Syria, announced Tuesday that he had been tasked with heading a transitional government in Syria until March 2025.

Now, new Syrian flags representing the transitional government have been raised across the country and painted on the facades of shops, and banks and bazaars have started reopening.

In the Hamdidyia bazaar, an important and historical commercial hub of Syria, business is gradually resuming.

"Hamadiyia bazaar was opened two days ago. We had two days of chaos in the country and we were cautious. Now we have reopened the bazaar and it is like it was before, and it will be better," said Marwan, a store owner.

"I hope that those who live abroad and miss their home and family can come back. It is safe here. Our bazaar is now open and we are doing fine," said Ahmad, another store owner.

Al-Bashir chaired a meeting in Damascus on Tuesday attended by members of his new government and those of Assad's former cabinet to discuss the transfer of portfolios and institutions.

This is a step seen by many as positive and along the path of restoring government services and putting Syria back on track after an era of bloodshed and sanctions.

Al-Bashir has said his priorities are restoring security and state authority. He hopes to bring home millions of Syrian refugees and provide essential services, even as concerns remain over Syria's future and how inclusive it will be.

Main tower of Harbin Ice-Snow World capped

2024-12-12 18:26 Last Updated At：18:37

The main tower in a well-known theme park in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, was built up on Wednesday evening, adding an attraction to the "Ice City."

According to the organizing committee of the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World, the park is currently undergoing polishing and lighting effects debugging before opening to the public.

Named "Love among Asia," the tower features layered ice columns, with the design inspired by the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia, offering a striking visual spectacle to viewers.

"The design concept of our main tower is derived from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia. Viewed from above, the entire tower resembles a shining sun, with a giant dragon spiraling on one side and a majestic eagle on the other, forming the overall landscape of the main tower," said Sun Zemin, deputy head of the park's marketing department.

The construction of the Harbin Ice-Snow World has been in full swing involving more than 10,000 workers and nearly 1,000 machines.

"This year, the park covers an area of one million square meters in total, with 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow consumed for the construction, and both the area and ice-snow consumption set records in the history of our park," said Sun.

Currently, more than half of the ice and snow world has been build, and the total construction is expected to complete before the end of the month.