Illustration - Beijing

Illustration - Beijing

CHINA. BEIJING. THE FORBIDDEN CITY, ONCE USED ONLY BY THE EMPERORS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WAS FIRST OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN 1949. WITHIN 70HA, THERE ARE 9 999 ROOMS IN ALMOST 800 BUILDINGS AND PALACES. Photo by Antoine Lorgnier/Only World/ABACAPRESS.COM

Illustration - Beijing

Illustration - Beijing

CHINA. BEIJING. THE FORBIDDEN CITY, ONCE USED ONLY BY THE EMPERORS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WAS FIRST OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN 1949. WITHIN 70HA, THERE ARE 9 999 ROOMS IN ALMOST 800 BUILDINGS AND PALACES. Photo by Antoine Lorgnier/Only World/ABACAPRESS.COM

Illustration - Beijing

Illustration - Beijing

CHINA. BEIJING. THE FORBIDDEN CITY, ONCE USED ONLY BY THE EMPERORS AND THEIR FAMILIES, WAS FIRST OPEN TO THE PUBLIC IN 1949. WITHIN 70HA, THERE ARE 9 999 ROOMS IN ALMOST 800 BUILDINGS AND PALACES. Photo by Antoine Lorgnier/Only World/ABACAPRESS.COM

Parkour traceurs challenge 999-step course in China's Tianmen Mountain

STORY: Parkour traceurs challenge 999-step course in China's Tianmen Mountain DATELINE: July 24, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:50 LOCATION: ZHANGJIAJIE, China CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of parkour competitors STORYLINE: More than 80 parkour traceurs home and abroad competed at Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province in a three-day parkour competition, which concluded on Sunday. The 999-step staircase leading up to the scenic area's landmark Tianmen Cave is a famous parkour course. Competitors were required to complete a sequence of jumps and flips down a nearly 300-meter-long slope with a 150-meter vertical drop from the top of the 999-step staircase. A total of 108 obstacles were placed along the steps, putting the competitors' stamina, skills and precision under test. Chinese competitor Zhou Mianwei won the championship of individual speed run with a record time of 1'35"505. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zhangjiajie, China. (XHTV)

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Cabourg - Lubna Playoust Photocall

Lubna Playoust attending the Chambre 999 Photocall as part of the 37th Cabourg Film Festival in Cabourg, France on June 15, 2023. Photo by Aurore Marechal/ABACAPRESS.COM

"Galaxy Express 999" manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Leiji Matsumoto, a famed Japanese cartoonist known for his works "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," has died of acute heart failure, his production studio said Monday. He was 85. The manga artist, who also created "Space Pirate Captain Harlock," died at a Tokyo hospital on Feb. 13, Studio Leijisha said. Many of his works were adapted into anime television series that became popular at home and abroad. "Space Battleship Yamato," a story depicting an uncharted cosmic voyage in the 22nd century aboard a spaceship modeled off the World War II Imperial Japanese Navy of the same name, was made into a TV series and broadcast from 1974 to 1975. Hailing from Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, Matsumoto was one of the first manga artists whose manga and animation work attracted fans overseas.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Photo taken on Feb, 20, 2023, shows a manhole cover with an illustration of Maetel, a lead character in Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto's famous "Galaxy Express 999" comic series, in the Fukuoka prefectural city of Kitakyushu, his hometown in southwestern Japan. Matsumoto died of acute heart failure on Feb. 13, 2023, at age 85.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

A man and a child sit near a statue of Maetel, a lead character in renowned Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto's famous "Galaxy Express 999" comic series, in front of JR Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Feb. 20, 2023. Matsumoto died of acute heart failure on Feb. 13, 2023, at age 85, his production studio said.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

In a photo taken December, 2009, Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto writes an autograph on a "ninja train" designed by himself at Uenoshi station in the Mie Prefecture city of Iga, known as home to one of the most famous ninja clans. Matsumoto, known for his works "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," died of acute heart failure on Feb. 13, 2023, at age 85, his production studio said.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

A man and a child sit near a statue of Maetel, a lead character in renowned Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto's famous "Galaxy Express 999" comic series, in front of JR Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan, on Feb. 20, 2023. Matsumoto died of acute heart failure on Feb. 13, 2023, at age 85, his production studio said.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

File photo taken in 2010 shows Japanese cartoonist Leiji Matsumoto commenting on his receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette the same year. Matsumoto, known for his works "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," died of acute heart failure on Feb. 13, 2023, at age 85, his production studio said.

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

Manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies at 85

File photo taken in May 2016 shows Leiji Matsumoto, a Japanese cartoonist. Matsumoto, known for his works "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," has died of acute heart failure, his production studio said Feb. 20, 2023. He was 85.

Woman in Maetel costume introduces Galaxy Express 999

Woman in Maetel costume introduces Galaxy Express 999

HONG KONG, China - A woman in a costume worn by Maetel, a mysterious character in the Japanese manga story "Galaxy Express 999," introduces the work to visitors at a booth opened by the southwestern Japanese city of Kitakyushu at a book fair in Hong Kong, China, on July 16, 2014.

Legendary 'anime' Galaxy Express 999 mural put up at station

Legendary 'anime' Galaxy Express 999 mural put up at station

TOKYO, Japan - A 12.7-meter-wide, 2.8-meter-high mural of the legendary ''anime'' film ''Galaxy Express 999'' is put up at Oizumi Gakuen Station of Seibu Railway Co. in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, dubbed the birthplace of Japanese animated films.

Gas tanker runs aground in Shizuoka, no one hurt

Gas tanker runs aground in Shizuoka, no one hurt

TOKYO, Japan - The 999-ton tanker Takasago 2, carrying propane gas, runs aground in Higashiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Fishing boat capsizes, 1 missing off Sendai

Fishing boat capsizes, 1 missing off Sendai

SENDAI, Japan - A leisure fishing boat and a tanker collides in misty weather in waters off Sendai on Aug. 7 leaving nine people injured and one angler missing. The photo, taken by a Kyodo News-cartered helicopter, shows the boat Daikichi Maru No. 18 (below), with 16 people aboard, which broke into two pieces and capsized after the collision with the 999-ton tanker Daiko Maru, 10 kilometers southeast of Shichigahama shortly after 6 a.m.

Parkour competitors descend thrilling course in China's famed Tianmen Mountain

STORY: Parkour competitors descend thrilling course in China's famed Tianmen Mountain DATELINE: July 25, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:17 LOCATION: ZHANGJIAJIE, China CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the parkour competition STORYLINE: Sixty-nine Chinese traceurs competed against each others at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province in a two-day parkour competition, which concluded on Sunday The 999-step staircase leading up to the scenic area's landmark Tianmen Cave became a parkour course for competitors, who were required to accomplish a series of specific movements while leaping down the 300m path with a vertical drop of 150 meters. According to the organizers, a total of 108 obstacles were placed along the steps, putting the competitors' stamina, skills and precisions under test. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zhangjiajie, China. (XHTV)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

(220724) -- ZHANGJIAJIE, July 24, 2022 (Xinhua) -- A parkour competitor leaps down the 999-step staircase in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, July 23, 2022. TO GO WITH "Parkour competitors descend thrilling course in China's famed Tianmen Mountain" (Xinhua/Hong Ling)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

(220724) -- ZHANGJIAJIE, July 24, 2022 (Xinhua) -- A parkour competitor leaps down the 999-step staircase in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, July 23, 2022. TO GO WITH "Parkour competitors descend thrilling course in China's famed Tianmen Mountain" (Xinhua/Hong Ling)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

CHINA-HUNAN-ZHANGJIAJIE-PARKOUR-COMPETITION (CN)

(220724) -- ZHANGJIAJIE, July 24, 2022 (Xinhua) -- A parkour competitor leaps down the 999-step staircase in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, July 23, 2022. TO GO WITH "Parkour competitors descend thrilling course in China's famed Tianmen Mountain" (Xinhua/Hong Ling)

Gas tanker runs aground in Shizuoka, no one hurt

Gas tanker runs aground in Shizuoka, no one hurt

TOKYO, Japan - The 999-ton tanker Takasago 2, carrying propane gas, runs aground in Higashiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. (Kyodo)

Legendary 'anime' Galaxy Express 999 mural put up at station

Legendary 'anime' Galaxy Express 999 mural put up at station

TOKYO, Japan - A 12.7-meter-wide, 2.8-meter-high mural of the legendary ''anime'' film ''Galaxy Express 999'' is put up at Oizumi Gakuen Station of Seibu Railway Co. in Tokyo's Nerima Ward, dubbed the birthplace of Japanese animated films. (Kyodo)

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Jim Peck & Dave Peck Characters: Jim Peck & Dave Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Lenny Peck & Dave Peck Characters: Lenny Peck & Dave Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Dave Peck Characters: Dave Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Jim Peck Characters: Jim Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Lenny Peck Characters: Lenny Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Lenny Peck & Dave Peck Characters: Lenny Peck & Dave Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008

$9.99 (2008)

$9.99 (2008)

Jim Peck Characters: Jim Peck Film: $9.99; 9.99; 999 (ISR/AUS 2008) Director: Tatia Rosenthal 04 September 2008 Date: 04 September 2008