Imports and exports hit record highs at Horgos Port in Q1

STORY: Imports and exports hit record highs at Horgos Port in Q1 SHOOTING TIME: April 10, 2024 DATELINE: April 23, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:36 LOCATION: URUMQI, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Horgos Port STORYLINE: The import and export cargo volume at the Horgos Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the first three months of this year reached 9.996 million tonnes, an increase of 24.7% year-on-year, according to Horgos customs. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China. (XHTV)

Italy's annual inflation rate lowest in 32 months

STORY: Italy's annual inflation rate lowest in 32 months SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 1, 2023 DATELINE: Dec. 2, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:45 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in Rome 2. various of price tags STORYLINE: The annual inflation rate in Italy fell to 0.8 percent in November 2023, the lowest recorded value since March 2021, according to government data. In November, the Italian national consumer price index for the entire collectivity, including tobacco products, recorded a decrease of 0.4 percent on a monthly basis and an increase of 0.8 percent on an annual basis. This was down from 1.7 percent in October, said ISTAT, the country's national statistics institute. Lower energy prices were the main factor pushing the inflation rate lower, ISTAT said, with non-regulated energy prices declining by 22.5 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, regulated energy prices declined by 36 percent in November compared to the year-ago period. In the meantime, inflation slowed for processed food

Italy's UniCredit reports record profits in Q3

STORY: Italy's UniCredit reports record profits in Q3 DATELINE: Oct. 26, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:07 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of UniCredit in Rome STORYLINE: Italian banking giant UniCredit on Tuesday reported a remarkable 67.7 percent surge in profits for the first three quarters of 2023 compared to the previous year. The bank's net profit for the first nine months reached 6.7 billion euros (7.1 billion U.S. dollars), with the third quarter leading the way with a net profit of 2.3 billion euros, up 36 percent year-on-year, the Milan-based bank said in a press release. While UniCredit exceeded profit expectations and raised revenue forecasts, it maintained its full-year profit guidance at 7.25 billion euros. UniCredit is Italy's second-largest bank only after Banca Intesa Sanpaolo in terms of total assets. UniCredit's shares traded as much as 2.1 percent higher in trading Tuesday, before settling down to a 1.4-percent increase. Despite the surge from UniCredit's

Time-lapse footage shows cicada molting

STORY: Time-lapse footage shows cicada molting DATELINE: May 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:36 LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a cicada shedding its exoskeleton STORYLINE: A time-lapse video captured the moment a cicada emerged from its exoskeleton and spread its wings as part of the molting process. The larvae of cicadas need a year or even several years to hibernate underground, and eventually climb out of the ground to molt, but the adult insect can only survive for two to three months. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou, China. (XHTV)

China's Shenyang opens new freight route for RCEP countries

STORY: China's Shenyang opens new freight route for RCEP countries DATELINE: March 24, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:36 LOCATION: SHENYANG, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the freight 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): GAO ZENGLI, Chairman of a local wholesale company STORYLINE: A new international freight route for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries through Shenyang to Europe via entrepot trade has been launched. The first train carrying cargo containers from the RCEP member countries, including Laos, Vietnam and Japan, departed from Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Saturday. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): GAO ZENGLI, Chairman of a local wholesale company "It took nearly two months (to reach Europe) if we transported by sea, but now it takes less than one month by the freight train via entrepot trade, like about more than 20 days." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shenyang, China. (XHTV)

Peruvian justice orders 36 months of pre-trial detention against ex-president Castillo

STORY: Peruvian justice orders 36 months of pre-trial detention against ex-president Castillo DATELINE: March 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:02 LOCATION: Lima CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. file of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo STORYLINE: Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) has been sentenced to 36 months of pre-trial detention by the country's judiciary. This comes as part of an investigation by the public prosecutor's office into alleged acts of corruption during his time in office. The judge placed Castillo in pre-trial detention for allegedly leading a criminal organization for crimes committed in the state-owned oil company Petroperu, and several government ministries. The former president is being investigated for the alleged crimes of criminal organization, collusion, and aggravated influence peddling. The judge cited a danger of escape and obstruction of justice as reasons for the pre-trial detention. The former president's family, including his wife, has been living in exile

China's new bank loans surge, boosting growth prospects

STORY: China's new bank loans surge, boosting growth prospects DATELINE: Feb. 10, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of views of China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): THOMAS HELBLING, Deputy Director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): LIANG GUOYONG, Senior economist with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development STORYLINE: According to the People's Bank of China, the country's new yuan-denominated loans totaled 4.9 trillion yuan (721.82 billion U.S. dollars) in January, up by 922.7 billion yuan from the same period last year. Meanwhile, the total outstanding yuan deposits stood at 265.39 trillion yuan, up 12.4 percent year on year. In January, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 50.1, returning to expansion territory after three consecutive months of contraction. The encouraging indicators bespeak a faster-than-expected recovery of China's economy. The International Monetary Fund

China's economy to remain resilient growth: experts

STORY: China's economy to remain resilient growth: experts DATELINE: Dec. 17, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of China's exports and cityscape 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ROSE RONO, International trade expert based in Kenya 3. various of exports 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COSKUN KUCUKOZMEN, Professor of Trade and Finance, Izmir University of Economics, Türkiye 5. various of exports 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LIANG GUOYONG, Senior economist with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development STORYLINE: The Chinese economy has maintained resilient growth in the first 11 months of 2022. Official data show that the world's second-largest economy saw a steady expansion in fixed-asset investment, industrial output and online retail sales, among others, in the January-November period. Experts say that China's economy has shown resilience and have expressed optimism about China's growth prospects in the coming year. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ROSE RONO, International t

High school student wins women's amateur golf crown

High school student wins women's amateur golf crown

ONO, Japan - Sixteen-year-old Mihoko Iseri holds the championship trophy on June 30 after posting a 1-up triumph over Rui Kitada in the 36-hole final of the women's amateur golf championship at Ono Golf Club in Hyogo Prefecture. Iseri is the second youngest golfer to win the title after Michiko Hattori, who won her first amateur crown in 1984 at the age of 15 years, 9 months.

Disabled man to tour Canada, U.S. by motorcycle

Disabled man to tour Canada, U.S. by motorcycle

TACHIKAWA, Japan - Kazuhiro Hattori, a 36-year-old from Yokohama, raises a clenched fist Aug. 20 ahead of his departure from Narita airport the next day for Canada, to try to complete a 14,000-kilometer journey on a special three-wheeled motorcycle. Hattori, who lost the use of two-thirds of his body in a traffic accident while touring the United States and Canada in 1986, will attempt to cover the remainder of his original motorcycle tour. He will start Aug. 23 from Sydney, Nova Scotia and head for the continent's west coast after stopping in Key West, Florida. He is slated to finish in Los Angeles via Las Vegas two months later.

High European inflation symptom of deeper economic shift: economist

STORY: High European inflation symptom of deeper economic shift: economist DATELINE: Dec. 7, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:36 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): Carlo Altomonte, Professor of political economics at Bocconi University in Milan 2. various of the factory 3. various of supermarket 4. various of good in shop STORYLINE: An Italian economist has said that record rates of inflation that have hit European Union (EU) member states this year are a symptom of a wider economic paradigm shift. Inflation in the 19-nation eurozone was 10 percent in November, following a record-high of 10.6 percent the month before, and the highest year-on-year price increases since the creation of the euro currency have all taken place in the last nine months. Carlo Altomonte, professor of political economics at Bocconi University in Milan, said the record price increases are part of a broad economic shift for European countries. This shift is even more extreme than that of the 2008-2009 fina

Wheat prices up again due to tighter supplies in U.S.: FAO

STORY: Wheat prices up again due to tighter supplies in U.S.: FAO DATELINE: Nov. 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization 2. various of farmland 3. various of wheat products and supermarket STORYLINE: World wheat prices rose by 3.2 percent in October partially due to tighter supplies from the U.S. following a downward production revision, the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index showed on Friday. The index was unchanged from September after six consecutive months of decline. The grains and cereals sub-index rose by 3 percent, building on a 2.2 percent increase a month earlier. The FAO explained this by "continuing uncertainties" about a program that allows Ukraine to safely export wheat from its Black Sea ports due to its conflict with Russia. Lower production levels in the United States were also a factor, it said. Corn prices rose by 4.3 percent, refl

Spanish sparkling wine ferments under sea

STORY: Spanish sparkling wine ferments under sea DATELINE: August 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST 1. various pictures of underwater wine cellar of the Spanish company Coral Marine Sea Drink in the coastal town of Blanes, north of Barcelona 2. various of the coast of the town of Blanes 3. various of the seabed where sparkling wine ferments 4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): ANTONIO MEMBRIVES, Oenologist of Coral Marine Sea Drink 5. various of the wine cellar with company divers preparing batches of sparkling wine bottles 6. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): ANTONIO MEMBRIVES, Oenologist of Coral Marine Sea Drink 7. various of divers STORYLINE: The seabed is one of the last places you would expect to find a wine cellar, but not in the case of the Coral Marine Sea Drink company in Spain, whose sparkling wine is aged exclusively underwater. Located in the Costa Brava seaside town of Blanes, north of Barcelona, the sparkling wine is fermented and aged for some 18 months on the seabe

ECOWAS rejects 36-month transition proposed by Guinean military leaders

STORY: ECOWAS rejects 36-month transition proposed by Guinean military leaders DATELINE: June 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:00 LOCATION: Accra CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: various of the meetingSOUNDBITE (English): JEAN-CLAUDE KASSI BROU, ECOWAS Commission President STORYLINE: The leadership of an economic bloc in West Africa rejected a proposal by the military leaders of Guinea for a 36-month-long transitional period, the body's commission said late Saturday. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said ECOWAS delayed the implementation of sanctions on Guinea following a military coup last year because the Guinean leaders had asked for some time to present a timetable for transition. SOUNDBITE (English): JEAN-CLAUDE KASSI BROU, ECOWAS Commission President "Meanwhile, the Guinean authorities have announced a 36-month transitional timetable. But the Authority of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS considered that 36 months is not acceptab

China-aided infrastructure project boosts Namibia's gateway position

STORY: China-aided infrastructure project boosts Namibia's gateway position DATELINE: May 10, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:37 LOCATION: Namibia CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the groundbreaking ceremony 2. SOUNDBITE (English): YANG JUN, Charge d'Affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Namibia 3. various of the 2B airport road project STORYLINE: China-aided projects continue to support infrastructure development in Namibia with the latest project being the upgrading of Phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport road. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday. The project forms part of Namibia's regional trunk routes and includes the construction of a 21.3 km dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges, two river bridges, and drainage structures, Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa said during the ceremony held in Windhoek. The Phase 2B project funded by the Chinese government is expected to take 36 months to complete, he said while commending China f

RCEP boosts trade along land-sea trade corridor through western China

STORY: RCEP boosts trade along land-sea trade corridor through western China DATELINE: May 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: NANNING, China CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the freight train 2. various of the land-sea trade corridor 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XINGYAN, General manager of Chongqing Xiaokang Group Import and Export Corporation 4. various of the land-sea trade corridor 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LAN JINGZONG, Manager of freight market analysis department of China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd STORYLINE: After the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) went into effect four months ago, the deal has boosted freight train services along a land-sea trade corridor through western China. The RCEP is a mega trade pact between 10 ASEAN member states and its FTA partners, including China. On Wednesday, a freight train fully loaded with paper pulp, ceramic tiles, and other products, headed northward from the southern port city of Qinzhou. Two days later, it arrived in weste

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on May 27, 2020, shows the site where a Kyoto Animation Co. studio which was subjected to an arson attack used to stand. Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect, was arrested the same day 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken May 27, 2020, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a blue sheet covering a vehicle carrying Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect in a deadly arson attack in July 2019 on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio. His arrest came 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Arrest of Kyoto animation studio arson suspect

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows the arrival of a vehicle carrying Shinji Aoba, the 42-year-old suspect in a deadly arson attack in July 2019 on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio, at a police station in Kyoto on May 27, 2020. His arrest came 10 months after he allegedly set the studio on fire, killing 36 people, and was hospitalized with life-threatening burns. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kyoto Animation president

Kyoto Animation president

Kyoto Animation Co. President Hideaki Hatta speaks at a press conference in Kyoto on Oct. 18, 2019, three months after an arson attack on one of the company's studios in the western Japan city that killed 36 staff members. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Demolition work of Kyoto Animation studio

Demolition work of Kyoto Animation studio

Demolition work on the building of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio is under way in Kyoto on Jan. 22, 2020, more than six months after an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others in July 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, speaks to the media near a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, prays in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, prays in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, prays in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, recites sutras in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, recites sutras in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, recites sutras in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Megumi Fujisawa, chief priest of Kozenji Temple in Kyoto, western Japan, recites sutras in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

An anime fan prays in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Anime fans pray in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Anime fans pray in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

6 months after arson attack on Kyoto anime studio

Anime fans pray in front of the fence covering the scorched exterior of a Kyoto Animation Co. studio in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 18, 2020, exactly six months after it was hit by an arson attack that killed 36 people and injured 33 others. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Mainichi journalist gets 18-month term for Amman blast

Mainichi journalist gets 18-month term for Amman blast

AMMAN, Jordan - A Jordanian military tribunal sentenced a Japanese photojournalist to 18 months in prison on June 1 for causing an explosion at Amman airport on May 1 that killed one airport security guard and injured five others. The presiding judge, Fawaz al-Bkour (C), handed down the sentence on Hiroki Gomi, 36, an employee of the Mainichi Shimbun, saying that ''the explosion occurred due to Gomi's carelessness.''(Kyodo)

(caption corrected) Mainichi journalist gets 18-month term for A

(caption corrected) Mainichi journalist gets 18-month term for A

AMMAN, Jordan - A Jordanian military tribunal sentenced a Japanese photojournalist to 18 months in prison on June 1 for causing an explosion at Amman airport on May 1 that killed one airport security guard and injured five others. The presiding judge, Fawaz al-Bkour (C), handed down the sentence on Hiroki Gomi, 36, an employee of the Mainichi Shimbun, saying that ''the explosion occurred due to Gomi's carelessness.'' The photo was contributed by the Mainichi Shimbun. (Kyodo)

Disabled man to tour Canada, U.S. by motorcycle

Disabled man to tour Canada, U.S. by motorcycle

TACHIKAWA, Japan - Kazuhiro Hattori, a 36-year-old from Yokohama, raises a clenched fist Aug. 20 ahead of his departure from Narita airport the next day for Canada, to try to complete a 14,000-kilometer journey on a special three-wheeled motorcycle. Hattori, who lost the use of two-thirds of his body in a traffic accident while touring the United States and Canada in 1986, will attempt to cover the remainder of his original motorcycle tour. He will start Aug. 23 from Sydney, Nova Scotia and head for the continent's west coast after stopping in Key West, Florida. He is slated to finish in Los Angeles via Las Vegas two months later.