KIEV Cheap Gordon Hayward Jersey , May 7 (Xinhua) -- The 62nd Eurovision Song Contest kicked off in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on Sunday with the participation of singers from 42 countries.
The grand opening of the annual event started at Mariinsky Park located right next to the Ukrainian parliament building. All singers and their teams walked through the 265-meter-long red carpet, which was the longest carpet in the history of the contest.
Speaking on the occasion of the Eurovision opening, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine feels honored to host such big European music event.
"The Eurovision is the most famous song contest in the world. Each time millions of people from all over Europe Cheap George Hill Jersey , and recently from Australia as well, freeze in front of their TV screens rooting for their countries," Poroshenko said.
In May 2016, Ukraine was granted the right to host the Eurovision-2017 after its singer Susana Jamaladinova, who uses the stage name Jamala Cheap Ricky Rubio Jersey , won the 2016 Eurovision in Stockholm, Sweden.
The semi-finals of the 2017 contest will take place on May 9 and May 11, while the Grand Final will be held on May 13.
About 70,000 music fans from Ukraine and more than 50 foreign countries are expected to attend the event.
This is the second time for Ukraine to host the Eurovision song contest. The first such contest in Kiev was held in 2005, after Ukrainian singer Ruslana won the previous year's competition.
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Friday Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon will leave his job.
"White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Steve Bannon have mutually agreed today would be Steve's last day," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
Steve Bannon steps off Air Force One after a trip with President Trump in April.
Conflicting reports have emerged regarding the details of Bannon's departure, some reports said Bannon had submitted his resignation on Aug. 7, while other reports indicated Bannon had been fired by President Donald Trump.
Controversy surrounding Bannon's role in the White House have been mounting in recent months, and was heightened after a race-related clash in Charlottesville over the weekend resulted in three deaths.
When asked about whether Bannon's position in the White House was secure Tuesday, Trump said "we'll see what happens."
Trump was reportedly furious with Bannon after he contradicted the president's view on several issues including U.S.-China trade ties in an unusual interview Wednesday with The American Prospect.
"He apparently was sidelined by Trump in the past few months and he has many opponents both in and outside of the Trump administration Cheap Derrick Favors Jersey , so he was probably just venting his frustration by making eye-catching news," Zhiqun Zhu, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bucknell University told Xinhua on Thursday. "In fact, he is not sure whether he can keep his job at this point."
"Bannon grossly misreads U.S.-China relations and Trump's policy towards Asia. I do not think his words about 'economic war with China' represents Trump's policy," said Zhu.
Bannon is the latest heavyweight to leave the Trump administration Cheap Tony Bradley Jersey , after National Security advisor Michael Flynn, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Press Secretary Sean Spicer, two Communications Director Dubke and Scaramucci, and FBI Director James Comey have stepped down.
Analysts believe Bannon's departure is expected to create big ripples inside the Trump administration as this may indicate a separation between government policies and nationalistic ideas Bannon advocates.
Allies of Bannon in the administration are also expected to follow Bannon's exit Cheap Dante Exum Jersey , according to local reports.
Bannon, former head of right-wing media Breitbart, was recruited by Trump during the campaign, and played a major role in developing domestic and international policies for the Trump administration.
DAMASCUS, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday congratulated government troops who broke the three-year-long IS siege on Deir al-Zour city Cheap Alec Burks Jersey , according to the state TV.
The three-year-long siege has been lifted when the advancing Syrian army reached the besieged Brigade 137 military base in western Deir al-Zour, according to the state TV.
The Syrian flag was hoisted when the advancing troops met with the besieged forces in the base.
"Today you stood side-by-side with your comrades who came to your rescue and fought the hardest battles to break the siege on the city," Assad said in a call with the commanders of troops who had been besieged in a base in Deir al-Zour.
Syrian forces and allied fighters arrived on Tuesday at the Brigade 137 base on the western edge of Deir al-Zour, effectively ending a siege of about three years on part of the city.
The Syrian forces have been advancing from two directions to break the siege on Deir al-Zour where 93,000 civilians have been under siege since 2015.
The military forces have been advancing from the southern countryside of Raqqa Cheap Jonas Jerebko Jersey , passing the Bishri mountain, which has been recently captured by the army.