The actor and pianist swapped playing Beethoven for Deep Purple and knows what to put on at a party, but which of his movie themes has he put words to? The first song I learned to play When I was eight, my piano teacher Tommy Emil would come over to our house in Pittsburgh, and would suffer because I hadn’t practised Beethoven’s Für Elise. Instead, it thrilled me to practise jazz arrangements of A...
The actor and pianist swapped playing Beethoven for Deep Purple and knows what to put on at a party, but which of his movie themes has he put words to? The first song I learned to play When I was eight, my piano teacher Tommy Emil would come over to our house in Pittsburgh, and would suffer because I hadn’t practised Beethoven’s Für Elise. Instead, it thrilled me to practise jazz arrangements of Alley Cat, Stairway to the Stars and Deep Purple. The first song I fell in love with My dad brought home Misty by Errol Garner, also from Pittsburgh and his favourite piano player. With his block chords and particular rhythm, he makes the piano sound like a whole orchestra, so I fell in love with it, too. Continue reading...
China’s flagship civilian aircraft maker is planning to upgrade the cabin capacity of its C919 narrowbody airliner to improve passenger experience and boost the plane’s chances of challenging the Boeing-Airbus duopoly, a source with knowledge of the plans said. Bigger overhead luggage compartments and drip-proof air conditioning outlets are among the design upgrades being sketched out by the Comme...
China’s flagship civilian aircraft maker is planning to upgrade the cabin capacity of its C919 narrowbody airliner to improve passenger experience and boost the plane’s chances of challenging the Boeing-Airbus duopoly, a source with knowledge of the plans said. Bigger overhead luggage compartments and drip-proof air conditioning outlets are among the design upgrades being sketched out by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). “Comac has realised it must make passengers as...
In ancient China, ordinary people were not allowed to wear yellow as it symbolised the imperial power, apart from one exception: the emperor’s yellow jacket. Magua is a style of jacket worn by Manchu males during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It was worn over the long robe as protection while riding horses. Huang magua, or the imperial yellow jacket, has a special meaning due to its colour. In Qin...
In ancient China, ordinary people were not allowed to wear yellow as it symbolised the imperial power, apart from one exception: the emperor’s yellow jacket. Magua is a style of jacket worn by Manchu males during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It was worn over the long robe as protection while riding horses. Huang magua, or the imperial yellow jacket, has a special meaning due to its colour. In Qing dynasty, only the emperors, empresses and empress dowagers could wear yellow. Ordinary people...
Hong Kong customs has arrested a woman on suspicion of illegally importing seven animals worth around HK$4,300 (HK$549) including a sugar glider and a chinchilla, into the city. A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said on Sunday that officers intercepted a 46-year-old passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoint the day before, seizing the animals from paper bags she carried. “C...
Hong Kong customs has arrested a woman on suspicion of illegally importing seven animals worth around HK$4,300 (HK$549) including a sugar glider and a chinchilla, into the city. A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said on Sunday that officers intercepted a 46-year-old passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoint the day before, seizing the animals from paper bags she carried. “Customs reminds the public that importing animals into Hong Kong without a valid permit is an...
The wait stretched on for Iran’s response to a US proposal to end 10 weeks of war, as the world’s largest oil company warned it would take months for the market to return to normal even if the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately. As of early Sunday, the Islamic Republic had given no public indication it would accept President Donald Trump ’s plan that stipulates Iran permits passage through the ...
The wait stretched on for Iran’s response to a US proposal to end 10 weeks of war, as the world’s largest oil company warned it would take months for the market to return to normal even if the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately. As of early Sunday, the Islamic Republic had given no public indication it would accept President Donald Trump ’s plan that stipulates Iran permits passage through the crucial waterway and Washington ends its blockade on Iranian ports in the next month. Tehran on Friday said it was “under review.” Trump the same day warned the US might “go a different route if everything doesn’t get signed up, buttoned up,” suggesting an expanded version of Project Freedom, the brief US effort to break Iran’s maritime stranglehold and escort ships through Hormuz. The conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 has upended oil and gas markets, with soaring fuel prices piling pressure on governments and consumers worldwide — including in the US ahead of mid-term elections. Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East, mainly in the Islamic Republic. The chief executive officer of Saudi Arabia’s Aramco , Amin Nasser , said Sunday in a statement that “if trade flows resume immediately or today through the Strait of Hormuz, it will take a few months for the oil market to rebalance.” If “trade and shipping remain curtailed by more than a few weeks from today, we anticipate the supply disruption to persist, and the market to normalize only in 2027,” he added. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically flows through the waterway. For the moment, Iran is signaling no let-up in its effective closure of the conduit. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8. “From this point forward, countries that comply with US sanctions against Iran will face difficulties in passing,” army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said in an interview with the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency on Sunday. A bulk carrier...
The One Big Beautiful Bill is reshaping healthcare spending. See why three healthcare stocks can benefit from HSA expansion and stronger commercial enrollment
The One Big Beautiful Bill is reshaping healthcare spending. See why three healthcare stocks can benefit from HSA expansion and stronger commercial enrollment
Malaysia has ramped up health screenings at all international entry points, particularly in the maritime sector, to prevent hantavirus from entering the country, according to Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. Dzulkefly assured the public that as of Sunday, there have been zero hantavirus cases reported in Malaysia or involving Malaysians, noting that the six lab-confirmed cases recently highligh...
Malaysia has ramped up health screenings at all international entry points, particularly in the maritime sector, to prevent hantavirus from entering the country, according to Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. Dzulkefly assured the public that as of Sunday, there have been zero hantavirus cases reported in Malaysia or involving Malaysians, noting that the six lab-confirmed cases recently highlighted were all reported abroad. However, he stressed that the country must remain vigilant against the...