International

Year of the Snake

First Spring Festival since UNESCO inscription

Spring Festival, a long-established and beloved annual event symbolizing Chinese people’s New Year celebrations, has reached a new height. Now inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, 2025 marks both the first such heritage-tagged Spring Festival and the Year of the Snake.

China holds 44 UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage items including Peking Opera, paper-cutting, the traditional physical practice Taijiquan and acupuncture. Spring Festival’s influence transcends national boundaries. Thanks to a vast number of overseas Chinese, it has become a global cultural icon.

Occurring on January 29 next year, it has been a cultural cornerstone for centuries, filled with family reunions, sumptuous feasts and diverse cultural activities.

Spring Festival has a profound history, stemming from early humans’ primitive beliefs and nature worship. In antiquity, people held sacrificial rites at the year’s start, praying for bountiful harvests and prosperity. These evolved over time into today’s festivities.

It has numerous folk customs, such as affixing spring couplets, window papercuts and the “Fu” Chinese character. There’s also the tradition of eating dumplings and the Spring Festival eve banquet. People give money in red envelopes, make New Year’s calls and visit temple fairs. Customs vary between the north and south of China, each with unique traits.

The influence of Spring Festival as China’s foremost traditional festival is spreading globally. Nearly 20 countries and regions have made it a statutory holiday. Its folk activities have penetrated nearly 200 countries and regions, becoming a global cultural gala, bringing joy worldwide.

With its new UNESCO status, there’s a stronger impetus to preserve and promote its heritage. A recent surge in snake-themed items, from home decor to novelties, has enlivened the retail market. In many cities, snake-shaped lanterns are made and will be displayed during the Spring and Lantern festivals.

This first Year of the Snake with the new heritage status promises a unique celebration, fusing cultural heritage into modern trends, augmenting the festival’s global charm and significance.

International

CARNEY’S LIBERAL PARTY VICTORIOUS

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party is projected to win enough seats to form a government in the Canadian elections which were held yesterday, April 28th

The party is still short of the majority but Carney is set to remain Prime Minister of Canada, a post he held for only two months following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.

Media reports state that the spectacular electoral comeback was fuelled in part by US President Donald Trump’s language, the trade war and economic threats.

Meanwhile the conservative leader and Carney’s main rival Pierre Poilievre has been projected to lose his seat.

Results at this time are:

Liberal – 168

Conservative- 144

Bloc Quebecois – 23

International

UK Trade Relationship With EU ‘More Important’ than with US

The UK chancellor has told the BBC that the UK’s trade relationship with the European Union, EU, is arguably “more important” than the one it has with the United States.

Rachel Reeves suggested that moving closer to the EU on trade was a bigger priority, despite her current focus on talks with the US.

After her meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last Friday, Reeves tweeted that both the UK and US want a deal that is “in both our national interests”.

Earlier this week, she signalled the UK could lower tariffs on US car imports from their current 10 per cent to 2.5 per cent as part of a wider deal.

The UK is preparing for a summit with the EU in May in an attempt to “reset” the relationship between the two.

International

CANADIANS GO TO THE POLLS TODAY

Canadians are casting their ballots today Monday April 28th, in a pivotal election that has been completely transformed by US President Donald Trump.

The Conservatives appeared certain to win any contest by a landslide at the start of the year, until Trump’s tariffs and barbs about making Canada the “51st state” upended the country’s politics and injected fresh life into Mark Carney’s Liberal Party.

The final polls suggest the Liberals are slightly ahead, although the race has tightened in the past week and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says his party can win.

The 36-day campaign ended on a sombre note as party leaders responded to the Saturday evening car ramming that killed 11 people in Vancouver.

Carney, the incumbent prime minister, cancelled a stop in Hamilton on Sunday morning to address the nation following the attack, which saw an SUV ram into a crowd gathered for a local Filipino festival.