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Hacked Emails Expose Bashar al-Assad and Wife (Files)

Syrian head of state Bashar al-Assad and London-born wife Asma al-Assad appear to live in a surreal psychological bubble, insulated from the grotesque violence that has claimed the lives of 8,000 Syrians, according to a cache of some 3,000 alleged emails and documents obtained by Syrian activists and published by the Guardian issue dated March 15, 2012. File photo : Syria's President Bashar Al Assad and First Lady Asma has told british TV Sky News they would welcome the Obamas to Damascus to push forward peace process. That was during posing first stone of an educational project in Damascus, Syria on July 2, 2009. Al Assad's comments are the latest in a series of signs that US-Syrian relations are improving after years of tension. Photo by Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Syrian First Lady Asma Al-Assad Treated For Breast Cancer

File photo - Syrian head of state Bashar al-Assad and London-born wife Asma al-Assad appear to live in a surreal psychological bubble, insulated from the grotesque violence that has claimed the lives of 8,000 Syrians, according to a cache of some 3,000 alleged emails and documents obtained by Syrian activists and published by the Guardian issue dated March 15, 2012. File photo : Syrian First Lady Asma Al Assad meets with students and teachers as she visits Vienna Business School in Vienna, Austria, on April 28, 2009. The Syrian presidential couple is on a 2 day visit to Austria. Syria’s British-born first lady Asma Assad has begun treatment for breast cancer. The Syrian presidency posted on its Facebook page a photo of President Bashar Assad sitting next to his wife in a hospital room. Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo/ABACAPRESS.COM

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A German engineer's bond with China

STORY: A German engineer's bond with China SHOOTING TIME: March 10, 2024 DATELINE: March 12, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: SHIJIAZHUANG, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Klaus-Dieter Merz visiting battery factory in Hengshui City, Hebei Province 2. SOUNDBITE (English): KLAUS-DIETER MERZ, German engineer STORYLINE: Klaus-Dieter Merz, a 70-year-old German expert in new energy, recently revisited Gucheng County in north China's Hebei Province. During his visit, he collaborated with representatives from Chinese enterprises to facilitate the mass production of innovative sodium-ion batteries in China and Germany. Merz's first visit to China dates back to 2012. Since then, he has visited China frequently, fostering the adoption of eco-friendly new energy technologies through collaborative efforts between the two nations. He has also been deeply obsessed with Chinese culture and food. SOUNDBITE (English): KLAUS-DIETER MERZ, German engineer "And I took the opportunity to learn a little bit mor

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-GRANNY-WRITER (CN)

(240307) -- HARBIN, March 7, 2024 (Xinhua) -- This combo photo taken on March 6, 2024 shows paintings of Jiang Shumei in Beilin District of Suihua City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Jiang Shumei, 87, an illiterate granny who learned how to read at age 60, has painted more than 300 paintings and published 6 books, realizing a stunning transformation in her twilight years. Born in Juye County of China's Shandong Province in 1937, Jiang lives in Suihua City of China's Heilongjiang Province currently. In 1996, Jiang's husband died in a traffic accident. In order to relieve Jiang's grief, her daughter Zhang Ailing started teaching Jiang to read. Since 2012, Jiang has begun writing with Zhang's help and encouragement. "I never thought I could be a writer," Jiang said. The sufferings she had experienced in life became the inspiration for her stories. Jiang's compositions was posted on the Internet by her daughter who is also a writer, then she got the opportunity to publish a book. Since April 2

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CHINA-HEILONGJIANG-GRANNY-WRITER (CN)

(240307) -- HARBIN, March 7, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Jiang Shumei signs her autographs for readers during her new book sharing activity in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Nov. 2, 2019. Jiang Shumei, 87, an illiterate granny who learned how to read at age 60, has painted more than 300 paintings and published 6 books, realizing a stunning transformation in her twilight years. Born in Juye County of China's Shandong Province in 1937, Jiang lives in Suihua City of China's Heilongjiang Province currently. In 1996, Jiang's husband died in a traffic accident. In order to relieve Jiang's grief, her daughter Zhang Ailing started teaching Jiang to read. Since 2012, Jiang has begun writing with Zhang's help and encouragement. "I never thought I could be a writer," Jiang said. The sufferings she had experienced in life became the inspiration for her stories. Jiang's compositions was posted on the Internet by her daughter who is also a writer, then she got the opportunity to publish a book. Since April

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin (1st L) and colleagues check a newly collected fossil sample at a site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted on list

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin prepares to collect fossil samples at a site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted on listening and responding to th

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin (1st R) introduces the evolution of life to visitors at a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization.

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin (R) communicates with a staff member on the design of a cultural and creative product at a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 23, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new wa

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin collects fossil samples at a site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted on listening and responding to the concerns

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin (1st R) conducts research in Xincun Village, Haikou Township in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 26, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted on listening and

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin prepares scientific research documents at a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted o

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin (C) introduces the evolution of life to children at a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 22, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo

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(ChineseToday)CHINA-YUNNAN-MUSEUM-NEW VITALITY-NPC DEPUTY (CN)

(240302) -- KUNMING, March 2, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Guo Jin works on a fossil at a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 21, 2024. Guo Jin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is the deputy director of a museum of Chengjiang Fossil site in Chengjiang City of Yunnan Province. In the past 17 years, he has devoted himself to paleontology research and participated in the preparation work for the world heritage application of the Chengjiang Fossil site. The fossil site was approved to join the World Heritage List in 2012. Guo and his team leveraged modern technological means in exhibiting and injected new vitality into fossils through 3D restoration animation videos and interactive designs. By participating in the design of cultural and creative products, introducing new technologies like AR (augmented reality), 4D cinema, 8K spherical theater, they kept exploring new ways of science popularization. Guo insisted on listening and respo

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Civilians in DR Congo's Sake suffer from rebel M23 offensive

STORY: Civilians in DR Congo's Sake suffer from rebel M23 offensive SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 13, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 14, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:29 LOCATION: Kinshasa CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of people fleeing Sake towards Goma, eastern DR Congo 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Swahili): EUSTACHE GASORE, Displaced person 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Swahili): SON AMANI, Displaced person 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Swahili): GUILAIN IRUNVA, Displaced person STORYLINE: For several weeks, residents of Sake, a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have been living under the intensive exchange of heavy weapons fire as fighting flared up between government troops and March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, Xinhua correspondents observed on the ground. Located about 20 km from Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, much of which is occupied by the M23, Sake City is considered to be the last barrier for Goma, which was taken by M23 rebels in late 2012. The DRC army and military partners such as the Southern African Development

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CHINA-GUANGXI-DAHUA-WATER SUPPLY-DEVELOPMENT (CN)

(230321) --DAHUA, March 21, 2023 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on Sept. 2, 2017 shows villagers building a household water tank in Nongyong Village of Bansheng Township, Dahua Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Situated at the center of the Karst landforms in west Guangxi, Dahua Yao Autonomous County had suffered from severe water deficit for ages. Since 2012, local government has been managing the water deficit through various measures like building water tanks or reservoirs to collect water or constructing water supply projects which could divert river water onto mountain areas to ease water shortage and provide safe drinking water for local people. Afters years of efforts, safe and convenient water supply is no longer a problem for the over 200,000 rural population in Dahua. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

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Australian cash rate hits record-high 3.6 pct since May 2012

STORY: Australian cash rate hits record-high 3.6 pct since May 2012 DATELINE: March 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:49 LOCATION: SYDNEY, Australia CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Sydney 2. various of the Reserve Bank of Australia STORYLINE: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has decided to lift the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 3.6 percent, while the interest rate on Exchange Settlement balances jumped by 25 basis points to 3.5 percent. This is the 10th consecutive rate hike since May of last year when the RBA announced the first 25-basis-point increase. The central bank's new decision for a 25-basis-point lift also took the cash rate to its highest level since May 2012. Following an RBA board meeting on Tuesday, the bank's Governor Philip Lowe said in a statement that high inflation makes life difficult for people and damages the functioning of the economy. "And if high inflation were to become entrenched in people's expectations, it would be very costly to reduce later, involving even higher

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ANA to earn 11 Haneda int'l slots vs. JAL's 5

NARITA, Japan - File photo taken in September 2012 at Narita airport, near Tokyo, shows the tails of a Japan Airlines plane (front) and an All Nippon Airways plane. All Nippon Airways Co. will receive 11 slots in the expanded international flight schedule from March 2014 at Tokyo's Haneda airport and Japan Airlines Co. five, following ANA's call for a "fair" allocation compared to its publicly salvaged rival, sources familiar with the matter said Oct. 2, 2013.

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TEPCO seeks to restart idled nuclear reactors

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in March 2012 shows the buildings containing the No. 7 reactor (L) and the No. 6 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture. TEPCO said July 2, 2013, it will swiftly apply for a state safety assessment of the two reactors to restart their operation, even as the utility continues to grapple with the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

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Court rules Dec. election invalid over vote disparity

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Tetsuya Kanao, one of the lawyers who filed a lawsuit claiming the general election held in December 2012 was invalid due to significant disparities in the weight of votes, holds a press conference in Hiroshima on March 25, 2013, after the local high court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. The Hiroshima High Court ruled the same day that the results of the election in Hiroshima's No. 1 and 2 districts were invalid, becoming the first court in Japan to declare an election result void amid a series of lawsuits over disparities in the weight of votes.

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Election ruled invalid

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Photo shows the Hiroshima High Court in western Japan on March 25, 2013, which ruled the results of the December 2012 general election in Hiroshima's No. 1 and 2 districts were invalid due to significant disparities in the weight of votes.

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Offshore wind turbine starts work

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in October 2012 shows a 126-meter-high wind turbine, with a 92-meter-diameter bladed wheel, built in the Pacific Ocean some 3 kilometers off Choshi, Chiba Prefecture. The turbine began to generate power on March 4, 2013. It is capable of generating around 2,400 kilowatt-hours.

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Vienna Philharmonic members play Bach sonata for quake victims

SENDAI, Japan - Four members of the Vienna Philharmonic play on Nov. 2, 2012, a Bach sonata on Mt. Hiyori in Natori city's Yuriage district, Miyagi Prefecture. The commemorative performance took place in front of a monument honoring victims in an area severely damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

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TEPCO starts removing fuel from Fukushima Daini reactor

TOMIOKA, Japan - Fuel assemblies are removed from the No. 4 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daini plant in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 2, 2012. TEPCO showed to the media its work to remove fuel from the reactor to the spent fuel pool located next to it, the first time it has done so since a huge earthquake and tsunami hit the complex and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011.

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TEPCO starts removing fuel from Fukushima Daini reactor

TOMIOKA, Japan - Fuel assemblies (underwater, C) are carried into the spent fuel pool after being removed from the No. 4 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daini plant in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 2, 2012. TEPCO showed to the media its work to remove fuel from the reactor to the spent fuel pool located next to it, the first time it has done so since a huge earthquake and tsunami hit the complex and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011.

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TEPCO starts removing fuel from Fukushima Daini reactor

TOMIOKA, Japan - Fuel assemblies (underwater, C) are removed from the No. 4 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daini plant in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture on Oct. 2, 2012. TEPCO showed to the media its work to remove fuel from the reactor to the spent fuel pool located next to it, the first time it has done so since a huge earthquake and tsunami hit the complex and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011.

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Travolta supports "miracle pine" preservation

RIKUZENTAKATA, Japan - Photo taken at the Rikuzentakata city office in Iwate Prefecture on Oct. 2, 2012, shows an autographed picture of U.S. actor John Travolta with a handwritten message, received by the municipal government of the city ravaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The northeastern Japan city said it has received a message of support from Travolta for its efforts to preserve the "miracle pine" that survived the massive tsunami.

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Japanese coin found at burial site in N. Korea

HAMHUNG, North Korea - Photo taken Sept. 2, 2012, shows what appears to be a Japanese coin that North Korea said was discovered in a survey in March 2011 of a site in Bupyong, believed to contain the remains of Japanese nationals who died around the end of World War II, outside Hamhung in the south of Hamgyong Province in eastern North Korea. A bag containing the coin was excavated there on Sept. 2, 2012. Characters such as "Dai-Nippon," loosely translated as great Japan, "Showa 16 nen," referring to a Japanese era and year equivalent to the year 1941, and "Issen," a small currency unit, are inscribed on the coin.

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Sharp to slash 5,000 jobs

TOKYO, Japan - Sharp Corp. President Takashi Okuda speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2012. Okuda said Sharp will slash 5,000 jobs, or 9 percent of its global workforce, by the end of March 2013 to turn around its business, hit hard by a slump in its television business.

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Sharp to slash 5,000 jobs

TOKYO, Japan - Sharp Corp. President Takashi Okuda speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2012. Okuda said Sharp will slash 5,000 jobs, or 9 percent of its global workforce, by the end of March 2013 to turn around its business, hit hard by a slump in its television business.

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Sharp to slash 5,000 jobs

TOKYO, Japan - Sharp Corp. President Takashi Okuda speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Aug. 2, 2012. Okuda said Sharp will slash 5,000 jobs, or 9 percent of its global workforce, by the end of March 2013 to turn around its business, hit hard by a slump in its television business.

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Sharp to slash 5,000 jobs in Japan, overseas

OSAKA, Japan - File photo taken July 26, 2012, shows the headquarters of Sharp Corp. in Osaka's Abeno Ward. The company will slash some 5,000 jobs, or 9 percent of its consolidated workforce, in and outside Japan by the end of March 2013 through early retirements and other means to turn its business around after being hit by a slump in its television business, sources close to the matter said Aug. 2, 2012.

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IAEA team inspection at Onagawa nuclear plant

ONAGAWA, Japan - Sujit Samaddar (C), head of the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Seismic Safety Center, answers reporters' questions in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 31, 2012. The 20-member IAEA delegation team started an inspection the previous day at the Onagawa nuclear power plant, which was relatively undamaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the area in March 2011. The turbine building for the No. 2 reactor and a levee at the plant can be seen in the back.

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IAEA team inspection at Onagawa nuclear plant

ONAGAWA, Japan - Members of a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency listen to explanations in the heat exchanger room of the No. 2 reactor building at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 31, 2012. The 20-member delegation started an inspection the previous day at the plant, which was relatively undamaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the area in March 2011.

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IAEA team inspection at Onagawa nuclear plant

ONAGAWA, Japan - Members of a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency listen to explanations in the heat exchanger room of the No. 2 reactor building at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 31, 2012. The 20-member delegation started an inspection the previous day at the plant, which was relatively undamaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the area in March 2011.

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IAEA team inspection at Onagawa nuclear plant

ONAGAWA, Japan - Members of a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency listen to explanations in the heat exchanger room of the No. 2 reactor building at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, on July 31, 2012. The 20-member delegation started an inspection the previous day at the plant, which was relatively undamaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the area in March 2011.

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Japan's power-saving period begins

FUKUOKA, Japan - Employees of the Fukuoka prefectural government have their lunch in an office where electricity has been turned off as part of power-saving efforts, on July 2, 2012. A government-requested power-saving period began in Japan the same day to cope with power supply constraints caused by the prolonged halt of nuclear reactors following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Japan's power-saving period begins

OSAKA, Japan - Operation of an escalator is suspended at Osaka's Hankyu Umeda Station on July 2, 2012, as part of power-saving efforts. A government-requested power-saving period began in Japan the same day to cope with power supply constraints caused by the prolonged halt of nuclear reactors following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Japan's power-saving period begins

TOKYO, Japan - A board in the head office of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. (NTT East) in Tokyo on July 2, 2012, shows the work schedules of employees, including those working only between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for two days per week under a "short" working hour system introduced as part of power-saving efforts. A government-requested power-saving period began in Japan the same day to cope with power supply constraints caused by the prolonged halt of nuclear reactors following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

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Japan's power-saving period begins

FUKUOKA, Japan - (from L) Fukuoka Gov. Hiroshi Ogawa, Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima and Kyushu Electric Power Co. President Michiaki Uriu distribute handouts calling for electricity saving near JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka City on July 2, 2012. A government-requested power-saving period began in Japan that day to cope with power supply constraints caused by the prolonged halt of nuclear reactors following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.

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Sendai man to serve as Olympic torch runner

SENDAI, Japan - Sadaharu Mishina (L), 31, an employee at ANA Holiday Inn Sendai, shakes hands with his supervisor Kimifusa Shibata, 47, in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on June 1, 2012. Mishina, who lost his 2-year-old daughter and saw his home damaged in the March 2011 disaster that struck the region, will be a torch runner in the upcoming London Olympics, running with the sacred flame in a suburb of Leeds, a city in the north of England, on June 25.

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Olympus to cut 2,700 jobs

TOKYO, Japan - Olympus Corp. President Hiroyuki Sasa speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on June 8, 2012. Olympus announced a five-year business plan to cut around 2,700 jobs by March 2014 and scrap about 40 percent of its 30 plants worldwide by March 2015 to improve its financial standing following the revelation of its investment loss coverup.

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Young ibis flies

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis flies in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. They are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. (Pool photo)

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Young ibis on rooftop

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis is perched on a rooftop in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. The one-month-old birds are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. (Pool photo)

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Young ibis on tree

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis stands on a tree branch in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. The one-month-old birds are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. (Pool photo)

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Young ibis flies

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis flies in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. They are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. (Pool photo)

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Young ibis flies

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis (top) flies in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. They are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. At bottom is one of its parents. (Pool photo)

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Young ibis flies

SADO, Japan - A young crested ibis flies in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on May 31, 2012. The bird was one of three crested ibis chicks born in late April 2012 to a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female released in March 2011. They are believed to have begun learning to fly between May 25 and 27, 2012, becoming the first crested ibises to do so in the wild for 38 years in Japan. (Pool photo)

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UNESCO honors children's newspaper

PARIS, France - Francesco Bandarin (rear C), assistant director general for culture at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, poses for photos with Japanese children at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on April 2, 2012, as the U.N. body honors the Fight Shimbun wall newspaper written by children in a northeastern Japanese city hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In the front (from R) are first editor Risa Yoshida, 8, and her sister Mahiro, 4. In the center is second editor Satoko Oyama, 10, with her sister Kanako, 13, (rear L). To the right of Bandarin is coordinator and musician Misa Jonouchi.

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DPJ divided over tax hike

TOKYO, Japan - Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Japan look upset after the ruling party's talks on a consumption tax hike, proposed by the party leadership, were abruptly terminated past 2 a.m. on March 28, 2012, after lasting on and off for six hours, at the No. 2 building of the offices of House of Representatives members in Tokyo. The leadership gave up on efforts to convince opponents of the tax hike and left the matter to the discretion of DPJ policy chief Seiji Maehara.