| Royal Gems on Display Posted: 29 Jun 2012 10:27 AM PDT | A special exhibit at Buckingham Palace is displaying the historic and priceless diamond jewels, crowns and tiaras as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Some of the items have never been on display before. Jewellery made from the worlds largest ever diamond is reunited for the first time ever. Seven of the nine principal stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond are on display together. The seven Cullinan Diamonds on display include a huge pear-shaped drop brooch and the Delhi Durbar Necklace of diamonds and emeralds. The Queen recently wore the brooch during the Service of Thanksgiving during the Diamond Jubilee . Over the years monarchs have reset and redesigned many of the diamonds set in the jewels and tiaras to suit fashions and personal tastes. The Coronation Necklace has been worn at coronations as Queen's consort of Queen Alexandria in 1901, Queen Mary in 1911, Queen Elizabeth in 1937 (the Queen's mother) and by the Queen in 1953. It was made for Queen Victoria in 1858. Perhaps the most recognisable piece of the Queen's diamond jewellery is the Diamond Diadem. She wears it every year on her way to and from Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament. It is also seen on images of the Queen on stamps, notes and coins. This exceptional exhibit opens to the public on June 30 until early October. | Views: 2 0 ratings | | Time: 01:21 | More in News & Politics |
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| EU Summit Amidst Deep Policy Divisions Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:27 AM PDT | For more news and videos visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http Add us on Facebook ☛ on.fb.me EU leaders gathered for the traditional family photo during a two-day Brussels summit on Thursday in a display of unity despite divisions over policy. Ahead of the talks, tensions remained between much of the euro zone and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, who showed no sign of relenting in her refusal to back other countries' debts. EU leaders agree in theory that addressing the euro zone's imbalances must involve "more Europe"—a greater coordination of financial affairs among countries that share the common currency. But leaders disagree sharply about how to get there. French President Francois Hollande argues that Europe must show greater "solidarity"—that is, support for weaker members—before it asks them to give up independent policy powers. Germany, by contrast, does not want to use its credit rating to support others unless they share control of tax and spending powers first. Spain and Italy, the latest euro zone countries in financial markets' firing line, are pleading for emergency action to bring down their spiralling borrowing costs before they are forced out of the bond market. They want the euro zone's rescue funds or the European Central Bank to intervene fast. But Merkel insists that fundamental reforms to give European Union authorities power to override national budget and economic policies must come before any further shared liability. | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:32 | More in News & Politics |
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| Gabon Burns Ivory as Elephant Poaching Surges Posted: 29 Jun 2012 01:20 AM PDT | For more news and videos visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http Add us on Facebook ☛ on.fb.me National parks like the Wonga Wongue in Gabon are some of the last areas with large elephant populations in the world, populations that are suffering from a recent surge in poaching. To fight back, Gabonese President Ali Bongo lead a symbolic ceremony on Wednesday by burning an entire stockpile of ivory seized from poachers, becoming the first central African state to publicly do so. [Carlos Drews, World Wildlife Fund Program Director]: "This ceremony is really symbolic for everyone. It's an international message saying that poaching is not something our society is ready to accept. Around 850 elephants were killed by poachers for the international market. We can't tolerate it." The illegal slaughter of elephants and rhinos is on the rise driven by the growing purchasing power of Asia's newly affluent classes. [Lee White, Gabon National Parks Director]: "We need the countries involved in the ivory trade to take action to stop (the trade), and for our partner countries to help us in the fight against the massacres going on everywhere in Africa. In the forested areas of Africa we have lost around 80 percent of all the elephants over the last 20 years." Over half the ivory stock, worth some $9.5 million, had been seized from poachers and traffickers since 2010, with the rest in the three prior years. The audited ivory that Gabon put to the torch weighed some 10600 <b>...</b> | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 01:21 | More in News & Politics |
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| Hong Kong: Citizens Can Protest, Just Not Where Hu Jintao Can See Posted: 28 Jun 2012 07:56 PM PDT | In the run-up to the July 1st anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, activists are gearing up for a weekend of demonstrations against the Mainland regime. | Views: 18 0 ratings | | Time: 03:09 | More in News & Politics |
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| Hong Kong Media Ex-Reporter Unveils Self-Censorship Posted: 28 Jun 2012 08:41 PM PDT | Follow us on TWITTER: twitter.com Like us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com Wall Street Journal and Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported of a failure of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post to renew contract with its foreign journalist Paul Mooney. Mooney has long dedicated himself to reporting on China's human rights and public events, thus he views the issue as a political decision. The Post's chief editor Wang Xiangwei, a member of Jilin' Political Consultative Conference Committee (PCCC), is believed to be behind the issue. Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed concerns of the public over the mainland communist regime's control. The regime interferes with and requests self-censorship from Hong Kong's media outlets. The Post's chief editor Wang Xiangwei failed to renew a contract with Paul Mooney since this May due to budget problems, the Wall Street Journal reported on June 25. Paul Mooney is known for writing many award-winning reports on China's human rights. The news were also covered by Hong Kong's Ming Pao on the 27th of June. Paul Mooney (ex-journalist, the Post): "I think this was a political decision. I have been on contract for two years. I wrote articles for the newspaper since 1990, some 20 years now, and I've won many awards for my reporting. He didn't inform me until the end of this April, that he would not be able to renew my contract." Mooney began to report on mainland China's public events and human rights issues 23 years ago. In April, he won Hong Kong <b>...</b> | Views: 0 0 ratings | | Time: 04:08 | More in News & Politics |
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| Wang and Bo Resign NPC Membership, Will They Be Charged? Posted: 28 Jun 2012 08:09 PM PDT | Follow us on TWITTER: twitter.com Like us on FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai, who are responsible for the biggest political scandal in the history of Chinese Communist Party, had been silenced, then disappeared for a few months. Recently, word got out that they resigned from the representatives of CCP National People's Congress. Mainland China Chongqing media reports that, on June 26, in the People's Congress Standing Committee meeting of Chongqing, resignation requests from some individual deputies were accepted. The persons this refers to are obvious. According to Hong Kong "Archduke Network," the signature time of Wang's resignation is June 23. The font used in the signature is traditional Chinese and the handwriting is scribbled. Sources from Chongqing said that Bo Xilai also resigned. June 28, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said that the Chongqing People's Congress Standing Committee may have approved Bo and Wang's resignation and experts believe that this has paved the way for charging them. British media exposed Bo family' Recently, new material in the Bo Xilai family scandal has been revealed. The latest British media reports indicate that Gu Kailai, Bo's wife, bought two luxury apartments in London with the help of French architect Patrick Devillers. It is said that the luxury apartments of Bo family are located in the building where Princess Diana and Prince Charles lived before their marriage. June 28, the British "Financial Times <b>...</b> | Views: 39 0 ratings | | Time: 02:54 | More in News & Politics |
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