PTI/IANS
TripAdvisor names Bali ‘world’s best destination’
Jakarta, April 21 (IANS): US-based travel reviewer website TripAdvisor presented its 2017 “World’s Best Destination” Award to Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. The award handover was conducted on Thursday night by TripAdvisor Asia Pacific Head of Destination Marketing Sarah Mathews to Bali Deputy Governor Dewa Putu Sunarta, in Bali’s lavish Seminyak Resort and Spa, Xinhua news agency reported. “Bali is a tour destination that provides the best experiences for all kinds of visitors, including for those eager to see natural views, cultural attraction as well as for gastronomic enthusiasts. No wonder they always wanted to share what they had experienced in Bali to the world,” said Mathews. TripAdvisor’s 2017 World’s Best Destination Award for Bali was announced last month, resulting from its traveller choice programme conducted in a 12-month period. The title makes Bali the first Asian destination to earn the title, surprisingly brushing aside London, Paris, Rome, New York, Barcelona and Phuket which were listed in TripAdvisor’s top 10 destinations. Besides Bali, TripAdvisor also put Lombok, a destination near Bali, as one of the best 10 Asian destinations this year. TripAdvisor reviews three main categories of accommodation, tour attractions and restaurants.
Myanmar warns of dangerous weather ahead
Yangon, April 21 (IANS): Myanmar’s Met Department has warned of probable hailstorm and gale-force wind in several northern states in the coming days. It also warned of possible flash flood and landslides. Due to dangerous weather moving from the west to east, people in Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway and Bago regions and Kachin, Shan, Chin and Rakhine states were asked to take preventive measures, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The gale-force winds were expected to reach 48-56 km per hour. Hailstorm might also occur along with isolated heavy rainfall, Myanmar’s Meteorology and Hydrology Department said. Myanmar experienced natural disaster in the last two years. In August 2016, some villages in Mandalay region were flooded with dozens of houses under water, over 300 houses ruined and a population of 1,783 left homeless.
Kins of 44 Nepalese arrested in India approach Nepal’s NHRC
Kathmandu, April 21 (PTI): The relatives of 44 Nepalese migrant workers, who were arrested in India for staging a protest against their employer, have asked the government to take steps to secure their release. Submitting an application to National Human Rights Commission Chairman Anup Raj Sharma in Mahendranagar on Wednesday, they said that the Nepalese labourers who were all in Himachal Pradesh were innocent. “Nepal Government should take the initiative for their immediate release,” said Dhana Bhandari whose husband was arrested along with 44 other Nepalis, employed by a hydropower company, for staging a protest demanding salary hike. Bhandari claimed the Indian authorities have already released the Indian workers who were also arrested along with the Nepalese in the same case. “The Indian authorities have barred us from making any kind of contact with our relatives,” she informed. NHRC Chairman Sharma has assured them that he will look into the matter and take necessary steps.
Four shells believed to have been left behind by invading Japanese troops during the Second World War, were unearthed in China’s Heilongjiang Province, police said on Friday. The shells, each of which weighs 2.5 kg and is 30 cm long, were found in Qiqihar city by a group of workers at a construction site near a railway station, Xinhua news agency reported. A worker spotted a rusty shell while digging about two metres deep into the ground. Later, the other three shells were also found nearby. People near the site were evacuated after the discovery, the police said. The shells were well preserved and had a risk of explosion. Two Japanese chemical weapon units were once stationed in Qiqihar. After the Japanese retreated, large amounts of bombs, shells and mines were left behind.
