Harbin airport welcomes foreign delegations for 9th Asian Winter Games

Harbin's Taiping International Airport, the designated entry and exit hub for the 9th Asian Winter Games, began to receive arriving foreign delegations with warm and attentive service on Friday.

The Kuwaiti men's ice hockey team arrived at the airport on Friday afternoon. They have been preparing for the Games since last September, including joining a winter training camp in the United Arab Emirates.

"Actually, they are happy to come in here and they are happy to be in Harbin," said Meshal Al-Ajmi, deputy head of the Kuwaiti delegation.

The Kuwaiti delegate expressed his gratitude for the services they received.

"Finally, I will say something. I would like to thank China to hosting this competition. Everyone and I thanks everybody who is working, and I know there are many people behind the stage, they work hard. For volunteers, everybody, I would like to thank them a lot, to make this competition in China. And also, I thank Harbin to give this competition and I hope everything will be good, because I trust people from China," Al-Ajmi said.

The reception personnel further introduced the improvements they have made to facilitate the athletes' transition.

"At Taiping International Airport, the Arrival and Departure Command Center has established a dedicated team, eight lanes for arrivals and departures -- four for arrivals and four for departures -- along with volunteers providing language services. Additionally, to address insufficient manpower, we have equipped our staff with translation devices to ensure timely comprehensive language service throughout the process," said Xuan Lisan, deputy head of the operations team at the Arrival and Departure Command Center.

The 9th Asian Winter Games will take place from Feb 7 to 14. The Games will feature six sports, 11 disciplines, and 64 events. This marks the third time that the Games will be hosted in China, following the events in Harbin in 1996 and Changchun, capital city of Jilin Province, in 2007.

Harbin airport welcomes foreign delegations for 9th Asian Winter Games

Harbin airport welcomes foreign delegations for 9th Asian Winter Games

A Hamas delegation that arrived in Egypt on Friday is in discussions with Cairo on initiating talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, according to two Hamas spokesmen.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem confirmed on Saturday that the delegation, led by Muhammad Ismail Darwish, chairman of the Hamas Shura Council, had arrived in Cairo, as reported by Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV.

The delegation is set to hold talks with Egyptian leaders on the outcomes of the emergency Arab summit, ways to implement its decisions, and the necessity of entering the second phase of the ceasefire, Qassem added.

Meanwhile, another Hamas spokesman, Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, stated that mediation efforts by Egypt and Qatar were ongoing and that there were "positive indicators" for launching negotiations over the second phase of the ceasefire.

Reiterating that the Hamas delegation is discussing how to initiate talks on the second phase of the deal and implement the outcomes of the emergency Arab summit, Al-Qanou affirmed Hamas' readiness to engage in second-phase negotiations in a manner that meets the demands of the Palestinian people.

Hamas has also called for increased aid to the Gaza Strip and the lifting of the siege on Gaza.

However, on the same day, an Israeli official told Israeli media that Israel was unaware of any progress in talks with Hamas on the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

A three-phase Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, took effect on January 19. Yet, negotiations for the second phase remain stalled after the initial 42-day phase expired on March 1.

On Tuesday, Egypt hosted an emergency Arab summit and proposed a 53 billion U.S. dollar Gaza reconstruction plan aimed at preventing displacement.

Still, the plan necessitates a permanent ceasefire in the strip to encourage financing and investment for its implementation.

Hamas delegation in Egypt for talks on second phase of Gaza ceasefire