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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Locals row a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Craftsman Li Qifa checks the newly assembled dragon head for a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Craftsman Li Qifa carves the dragon tail for a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Craftsman Li Qifa checks partially assembled dragon boats in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows locals rowing a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows locals rowing a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Locals row a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows local people rowing a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows locals rowing dragon boats in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Locals row a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Craftsman Li Qifa polishes a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Locals row a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Craftsman Li Qifa draws a dragon pattern on a plank for dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

Locals row a dragon boat in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows locals rowing dragon boats in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Dragon Boat Festival Across China

An aerial drone photo shows locals rowing dragon boats in Zhenyuan ancient town in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 20, 2025. Zhenyuan boasts a 22-century-long tradition of dragon boat races, and the county is also well noted for the large sizes and intricate decorations of its dragon boats. The dragon boat racing in Zhenyuan was inscribed in the third batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on May 31 this year. Photo by Ou Dongqu/Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Disaster recovery exhibition at Osaka expo

OSAKA, Japan, May 20 Kyodo - Turin Olympics figure skating gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa (far R) pitches fishery foods at a just-opened exhibition at the World Exposition in Osaka on May 19, 2025, highlighting the recovery of three northeastern Japan prefectures severely affected by the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami disaster. (Kyodo)

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Australia's environment deteriorated in 2023: report

STORY: Australia's environment deteriorated in 2023: report SHOOTING TIME: March 19, 2024 DATELINE: March 20, 2024 LENGTH: 0:01:31 LOCATION: Canberra CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of Australia STORYLINE: The health of Australia's environment declined in 2023 amid low rainfall and a spike in the number of threatened species, a report has said. Led by researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), Australia's Environment Report compiles detailed scientific data to rate the overall health of the country's environment out of 10 every year since 2011. In 2023, the environment scored a 7.5 out of 10, the latest edition published on Tuesday revealed. It marks a fall from 2022 when the environment was given an 8.7 out of 10, the highest ever score. Albert Van Dijk, lead author of the report, described 2023 as a climate rollercoaster for Australia, with a relatively cool start to the year giving way to dry and unseasonably warm weather from May onwards. According to the

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More Than 100m Cars Recalled in China

Citizens view a luxury car at a shop in Beijing, China, May 15, 2011. On March 13, 2024, according to the data of the State Administration for Market Regulation, the defective product recall system has been implemented in China for 20 years, and by the end of 2023, China has implemented 2,842 vehicle recalls involving 103 million vehicles.

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G-7 summit in Hiroshima

An event promoting food and sake from three Japanese prefectures hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami is held at the international media center on the second day of a Group of Seven summit in the western Japan city of Hiroshima on May 20, 2023.

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G-7 summit in Hiroshima

An event promoting food and sake from three Japanese prefectures hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami is held at the international media center on the second day of a Group of Seven summit in the western Japan city of Hiroshima on May 20, 2023.

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Syria returns to Arab summit amid growing reconciliation wave in Mideast

STORY: Syria returns to Arab summit amid growing reconciliation wave in Mideast DATELINE: May 20, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:30 LOCATION: Damascus CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the summit 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): OSAMA DANURA, Syrian political expert 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): OSAMA DANURA, Syrian political expert 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): MOHAMMAD AL-OMARI, Syrian political observer 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): MOHAMMAD AL-OMARI, Syrian political observer STORYLINE: After being ostracized for 12 years, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a comeback to the Arab League (AL) Summit held in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Friday. This comes amid a growing Arab reconciliation trend at a time when the U.S. influence wanes in the Middle East. Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 when the Syrian civil war broke out. Osama Danura, a Damascus-based Syrian political expert, says the return of Syria to the Arab fold symbolizes the independence and solidarity among Arab countries. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): OSA

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Lady Gaga's teacup donated to disaster-hit area

SENDAI, Japan - Photo taken at Miyagi prefectural government offices on Feb. 20, 2013 shows a teacup that pop icon Lady Gaga used. The teacup, which was sold for 6 million yen at a charity auction in May 2012 to support the recovery from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, is given to Miyagi Prefecture, a northeastern Japan area hit hard by the disaster, on Feb. 20, 2013. Lady Gaga sipped from the teacup at a news conference in Tokyo in June, 2011. It is smeared with her lipstick and the phrase "We pray for Japan" is written in Japanese across the front.

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Lady Gaga's teacup donated to disaster-hit area

SENDAI, Japan - Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai (L) receives a teacup that pop icon Lady Gaga used, at the prefectural government offices on Feb. 20, 2013. The teacup, which was sold for 6 million yen at a charity auction in May 2012 to support the recovery from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, is presented to Miyagi Prefecture, a northeastern Japan area hit hard by the disaster, on Feb. 20, 2013. Lady Gaga sipped from the teacup at a news conference in Tokyo in June, 2011. It is smeared with her lipstick and the phrase "We pray for Japan" is written in Japanese across the front.

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Abandoned animals in Fukushima

TOKYO, Japan - In this photo taken in the town of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 19, 2012, a cattle beast lies starved to death after its owner abandoned it in a barn. The town remains nearly deserted as the government in April 2011 designated it and other municipalities within a 20-kilometer ring around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a no-go zone. The plant's reactors suffered meltdowns after being struck by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, spewing massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and sea.

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Abandoned animals in Fukushima

TOKYO, Japan - In this photo taken in the town of Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 20, 2012, an ostrich walks by the remains of another that starved to death after they were left abandoned at a breeding facility. In April 2011, the government designated Okuma and other municipalities within a 20-kilometer ring around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a no-go zone. The plant's reactors suffered meltdowns after being struck by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, spewing massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and sea.

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Abandoned animals in Fukushima

TOKYO, Japan - Photo taken in the town of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 21, 2012, shows dogs that have been abandoned by their owners. The town remains nearly deserted as the government in April 2011 designated it and other municipalities within a 20-kilometer ring around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a no-go zone. The plant's reactors suffered meltdowns after being struck by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, spewing massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air and sea.

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Chinese tourists in Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - Fukushima Vice Gov. Fumio Murata (C) and Chinese tourists make a toast at Spa Resort Hawaiians, a leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 20, 2012. The tourists were part of the first tour group from the Chinese mainland to visit the prefecture since the March 2011 disaster.

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1st China mainland tour group since disaster visits Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - Wang Zhenghua, chairman of budget carrier Spring Airlines, receives a lei after arriving at Spa Resort Hawaiians, a leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on May 20, 2012, in the first tourist group from China's mainland to visit Japan's Fukushima Prefecture since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

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JR East president apologizes to Tokyo governor

TOKYO, Japan - Satoshi Seino (L), president of East Japan Railway Co., visits Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara at the Tokyo metropolitan government office in Tokyo on June 20, 2011, to offer an apology over the railway operator's decision to suspend its services and shutter its major stations in the capital in the wake of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, forcing stranded passengers out of the stations. The governor sent a protest letter to the company, commonly known as JR East, in May, saying the metropolitan government might start imposing taxes on JR East station facilities depending on its response to Tokyo's inquiry into the controversial decision.

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Hiroshima A-bomb survivors' testimony tapes

HIROSHIMA, Japan - Masaaki Tanabe, who is working on a project to re-create images of areas near ground zero in Hiroshima with computer graphics, on May 30, 2011, holds audiotapes of testimonies from over 100 survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing at his office in Hiroshima. The local residents who had been living within a radius of 500 meters from the ground zero before the bombing spoke about their experiences in around 1965-70, about 20 years after the atomic bombing on the city during World War II.

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Acer's tablet computer

TOKYO, Japan - Photo shows Acer Inc.'s tablet computer Iconia Tab W500 powered by the Windows 7 operating system. The tablet hit store shelves on May 20, 2011.

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Singapore to jail British author Alan Shadrake

SINGAPORE, Singapore - British author Alan Shadrake (L) speaks to reporters after emerging from a court in Singapore on May 27, 2011. He lost his appeal against the country's High Court decision sentencing him to six weeks in prison and fining him S$20,000 for having written defamatory passages in his book ''Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock'' about the death penalty in the country.

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Fukushima parents protest

TOKYO, Japan - Parents from Fukushima Prefecture protest the Japanese government's safety standards on radiation levels at elementary and middle schools in the nuclear disaster-stricken prefecture as they visited the education ministry in Tokyo on May 23, 2011. On the right is an official of the ministry. The parents demanded the government retract its stance that it is safe for schoolchildren to use school playgrounds as long as the dose they are exposed to does not exceed 20 millisieverts over a year following the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

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Fukushima parents protest

TOKYO, Japan - Parents and their children from Fukushima Prefecture protest the Japanese government's safety standards on radiation levels at elementary and middle schools in the nuclear disaster-stricken prefecture as they visited the education ministry in Tokyo on May 23, 2011. The parents demanded the government retract its stance that it is safe for schoolchildren to use school playgrounds as long as the dose they are exposed to does not exceed 20 millisieverts over a year following the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

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Chinese Premier Wen visits disaster-hit Fukushima

SENDAI, Japan - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks about Mitsuru Sato, a Japanese man who helped evacuate 20 Chinese trainees before being killed in the March 11 tsunami in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, during his visit to the disaster-hit city of Natori in the prefecture on May 21, 2011. Wen praised Sato for helping others regardless of nationality.

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N. Korea's Kim Jong Il on visit to China

MUDANJIANG, China - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (C) leaves a hotel in Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, on May 20, 2011.

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Crown prince at photo exhibit

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito views news photos of the devastation caused by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan on display at the Japan Newspaper Museum in Yokohama on May 20, 2011. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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N. Korea's Kim Jong Il on visit to China

MUDANJIANG, China - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (R) leaves a hotel in Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province, northeastern China, on May 20, 2011.

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N. Korea's Kim Jong Il on visit to China

MUDANJIANG, China - A man believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (R, showing his back) enters a hotel in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China on May 20, 2011.

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Mobile post office in disaster-hit area

MINAMISANRIKU, Japan - People take advantage of a mobile post office in the disaster-hit city of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture on May 20, 2011. The city lost three post offices after the March 11 quake-triggered tsunami flattened the city. Many users of the service are those requesting forwarding services as they move into temporary housing from evacuation centers.

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Philippine nurses complete pre-training in Japanese language

MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine nurse makes a speech May 20, 2011, during a ceremony in the Manila metropolitan area marking the completion of a two-month preparatory training course in Japanese language and culture for her and other nurses accepted this year to train in Japan under the two countries' economic partnership agreement.

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Ryo Ishikawa at Hamamatsu Open

HAMAMATSU, Japan - Ryo Ishikawa reacts after scoring an eagle on the ninth hole at the Totoumi Hamamatsu Open at Grandee Hamanako Golf Club in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 20, 2011.

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N. Korea's Kim Jong Il on visit to China

MUDANJIANG, China - A man believed to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (R, showing his back) enters a hotel in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China on May 20, 2011.

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Sushi Ishigaki at Hamamatsu Open

HAMAMATSU, Japan - Sushi Ishigaki strikes a pose after making a birdie on the ninth hole at the Totoumi Hamamatsu Open at Grandee Hamanako Golf Club in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 20, 2011. His real name is Satoshi Ishigaki.

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Mobile convenience store in disaster-hit area

MINAMISANRIKU, Japan - A man shops at a mobile convenience store in the disaster-hit city of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture on May 20, 2011. The truck makes several stops a day to help residents in the city that was devastated by the March 11 quake-triggered tsunami.

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Azaleas bloom in disaster-hit Kesennuma

KESENNUMA, Japan - Azaleas are blooming at a site devastated by March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, on May 20, 2011.

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Philippine nurses complete pre-training in Japanese language

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine nurses attend a ceremony in the Manila metropolitan area on May 20, 2011, marking the completion of a two-month preparatory training course in Japanese language and culture for them who had been accepted this year to train in Japan under the two countries' economic partnership agreement.

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TEPCO names managing director Nishizawa as next president

TOKYO, Japan - Toshio Nishizawa (R), a managing director of Tokyo Electric Power Co., looks at President Masataka Shimizu during the company's press conference at its head office in Tokyo on May 20, 2011. The utility said the same day it has named Nishizawa as its new president to replace Shimizu, who will step down to take responsibility for the disaster at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

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BOJ keeps loose monetary policy

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa speaks during a news conference at the BOJ head office in Tokyo on May 20, 2011, after the central bank decided to maintain its loose monetary policy earlier in the day to help boost the economy amid uncertainty over the nation's outlook due to the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.