U.S. museum curator detained in Türkiye on suspicion of smuggling endemic species

STORY: U.S. museum curator detained in Türkiye on suspicion of smuggling endemic species SHOOTING TIME: May 13, 2024 DATELINE: May 14, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:49 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Lorenzo Prendini, curator of the American National Museum of Natural History at Istanbul airport 2. various of smuggling police removing endemic species banned for export from a suitcase at the airport 3. various of Lorenzo Prendini being taken out of the airport by police officers 4. various of endemic scorpions, spiders, and tarantulas detected at the airport STORYLINE: Turkish police detained a U.S. museum curator and seized 1,500 endemic scorpions, spiders, and tarantulas from his suitcase in Türkiye's largest Istanbul Airport, local media revealed on Monday. According to the Ihlas news agency, Istanbul's anti-smuggling police teams initiated the operation on Sunday in collaboration with airport security. The police seized the animals within 58 clip-on bags, alongside 88 bo

Turkish police detain 147 IS suspects across country

STORY: Turkish police detain 147 IS suspects across country SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 8, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 9, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:02 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Turkish police detaining 147 suspects affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) across 33 provinces of Türkiye (courtesy of Turkish Interior Ministry) 2. various of 16 IS suspects being detained in southern Mersin province of Türkiye (courtesy of ihlas news agency) STORYLINE: Turkish police detained 147 suspects affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), a cabinet minister said on Thursday. The suspects were captured as part of "Operation Heroes-49" across 33 provinces in the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. A video posted on Yerlikaya's X account showed police entering apartments and buildings and dragging suspects into cars. In a separate operation carried out by the police teams in southern Mersin province, along with national intelligence forces on Thursday, 16 IS

2 pilots die in helicopter crash in southeast Türkiye

STORY: 2 pilots die in helicopter crash in southeast Türkiye SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 4, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 4, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:01 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of search and rescue efforts (courtesy of ihlas news agency) 2. various of helicopter crash site early morning (courtesy of ihlas news agency) STORYLINE: Two Turkish pilots were killed, and one technician injured in a helicopter crash in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Türkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday. The chopper, registered in the inventory of the General Directorate of Security Aviation Department, crashed in the Kartal village of the Nurdagi district, Yerlikaya said on social media platform X. The helicopter departed from the southern Hatay province and was last contacted at 10:49 p.m. local time late Saturday (1949 GMT), he said. Many gendarmerie, fire brigade and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. The injured technician was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Cu

Belarus holds martial arts championship

STORY: Belarus holds martial arts championship DATELINE: Oct. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:58 LOCATION: Minsk CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the championship STORYLINE: The 2023 Belarusian Martial Arts Championship (Chinese Martial Arts Festival) was held in Minsk from Oct. 20 to 22. This year's event attracted more than 300 contestants from 49 teams, with their ages ranging from 6 to 60. It was jointly organized by the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian Wushu Association, China's Lingnan Normal University and other units. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Minsk. (XHTV)

Kuwait holds cybersecurity "Kuwait Hackathon" competition

STORY: Kuwait holds cybersecurity "Kuwait Hackathon" competition DATELINE: Oct. 15, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:49 LOCATION: Kuwait City CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the site of the competition 2. various of the contestants participating in the competition STORYLINE: A cybersecurity competition named "Kuwait Hackathon" was held on Saturday with the participation of 286 contestants divided into 72 teams. The competition, which last more than 12 hours at Kuwait University, was organized by the CODED Academy in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Center. The competition aims to highlight Kuwaiti talents in the field of cybersecurity, in addition to enhancing the culture in the field of cybersecurity in Kuwait. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kuwait City. (XHTV)

China-backed technology skill contest fetes African students

STORY: China-backed technology skill contest fetes African students DATELINE: Sept. 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:05:49 LOCATION: Nairobi CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY SHOTLIST: 1. various of ATC Awards ceremony 2. various of deputy president of Kenya coming into the hall 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): RIGATHI GACHAGUA, Deputy President of Kenya 4. various of ATC Awards ceremony 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ESTHER MUORIA, Principal secretary of the State Department for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Ministry of Education 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ROSEMARY GATHONI, Student from Kenya 7. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): JOHN TAKUDZWA, Student from Zimbabwe 8. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): VICTOR MUE, Scholarship winner, student from Kenya STORYLINE: Forty-nine African students have been awarded after they emerged winners of Africa Technology Challenge (ATC) Season 8, a contest initiated and sponsored by AVIC International, a Chinese company. The eighth season of ATC, which began in July, consisted of 83 teams formed by 3

China's football team arrives in Australia for FIFA Women's World Cup

STORY: China's football team arrives in Australia for FIFA Women's World Cup DATELINE: July 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:49 LOCATION: ADELAIDE, Australia CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Chinese national football team arriving at Adelaide Airport 2. various of Chinese national football team leaving airport and going to hotel STORYLINE: The Chinese national football team arrived in South Australia (SA) on Saturday to participate in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Fans waited at the airport in Adelaide, the capital city of SA, to welcome the Chinese team with flowers as gifts, cheering the players, "Steel Roses, come on China!" The 2023 World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand between July 20-August 20. Only the top two teams from eight groups will enter the round of 16, as this is the first time that women's football's biggest tournament will expand to a 32-team format. China, having clinched the Asian Cup last year, is placed in Group D with England, Denmark and Haiti. At the

National high school baseball tournament begins

National high school baseball tournament begins

KOSHIEN, Japan - Students march at the opening ceremony of the annual national high school baseball tournament that began at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture on Aug. 8. A total of 49 teams are taking part in the 14-day sports meet.

At least 14 killed in mine blast in northern Türkiye: minister

STORY: At least 14 killed in mine blast in northern Türkiye: minister DATELINE: Oct. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:37 LOCATION: AMASRA, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of rescuers working STORYLINE: At least 14 workers were killed on Friday in an underground coal mine explosion in the northern Bartin province of Türkiye, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. "An explosion occurred at the minus 300-meter elevation at 6:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT) at the Amasra Hard Coal Enterprise," Bartin province said in a statement. The rescue teams managed to pull out 14 miners, while at least 49 were still trapped. The mine has intense methane gas, and they have a suspicion of a firedamp explosion, said Mayor of Bartin's Amasra District Recai Cakir. A total of 149 searches and rescue personnel, with five National Medical Rescue Team vehicles, 31 ambulances, and one emergency response vehicle were dispatched to the scene, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted. Xinhua News Agency corre

Int'l Army Games 2022 ends in Russia

STORY: Int'l Army Games 2022 ends in Russia DATELINE: Aug. 29, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:49 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: MILITARY SHOTLIST: 1. various of International Army Games 2022 STORYLINE: The closing ceremony of the International Army Games 2022 was held at the Patriot military-patriotic park in the Moscow Oblast on Saturday. The final of the tank biathlon was held at the Alabino training ground on Saturday afternoon. The Chinese team ranked second in this competition. The International Army Games 2022 kicked off on Aug. 13. The games were held on the territories of 12 countries, including China, Russia and Iran. Over 270 teams from 37 countries and regions competed in the games. This year, the Chinese military sent nine teams abroad to participate in competitions in Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Uzbekistan. The International Army Games, initiated by the Russian Defense Ministry, have served as an international platform for militaries to exchange experience and strengthen cooperation. Xinhua N

African continental football body launches project to promote football

STORY: African continental football body launches project to promote football DATELINE: Aug. 11, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:49 LOCATION: DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE (English): PATRICE MOTSEPE, CAF President 2. SOUNDBITE (English): GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA President 3. various of the launching ceremony STORYLINE: The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday launched the Africa Super Football League, a project created to grow the value of football in Africa. Launching the project in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha, CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the value of football in Africa will be promoted through investments, sponsors, development funds and improved infrastructures. Motsepe, who launched the project as part of CAF's 44th annual general meeting, said the Africa Super Football League is a project of unprecedented scale involving 24 teams, representing over 16 different countries across the continent. He said under the project, CAF will support the e

Flames, smoke leap from Indian capital massive landfill for 5th day

STORY: Flames, smoke leap from Indian capital massive landfill for 5th day DATELINE: May 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:49 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of India Gate 2. various of burning mounds of garbage 3. various of flames and columns of thick smoke 4. various of firefighters splashing water on the burning mounds of garbage 5. various of bulldozers trying to put out the fire 6. various of local people covering their head and mouth with cloth 7. various of traffic under smoke STORYLINE: Flames and columns of thick smoke continued to emerge from a massive landfill in the Indian capital on Saturday for the fifth consecutive day, officials said. The fire at the colossal Bhalswa landfill site began on Tuesday evening. Firefighting operations on the spot with burning mounds of garbage were still underway. "The fire has not been completely doused off yet and our teams are still at the spot splashing water on the flames," an official of the Delhi fire service department said. "We will no

National high school baseball tournament begins

National high school baseball tournament begins

KOSHIEN, Japan - Students march at the opening ceremony of the annual national high school baseball tournament that began at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture on Aug. 8. A total of 49 teams are taking part in the 14-day sports meet.