U.S. sanctions cast pall over post-quake reconstruction in Afghanistan

STORY: U.S. sanctions cast pall over post-quake reconstruction in Afghanistan DATELINE: Oct. 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:07 LOCATION: Kabul CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Afghanistan's Herat province 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): MOHAMMAD, Villager in Afghanistan's Herat province 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): DAWOOD, Villager in Afghanistan's Herat province 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Pashto): NISAR AHMAD ELIAS, Herat provincial government spokesman STORYLINE: Mohammad, a resident displaced by devastating earthquakes in Afghanistan's Herat province, is now living with six family members under the blankets in open ground. He said he believed that the U.S. freezing of Afghanistan's assets has undermined the local post-quake rehabilitation and reconstruction. SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): MOHAMMAD, Villager in Afghanistan's Herat province "Even though the earthquake was over, we nearly lost the hope of life. We don't know whether we can continue our life or not. The United States which has oppressed the people of Afghanistan fo

Interest in learning Chinese language grows in Türkiye

STORY: Interest in learning Chinese language grows in Türkiye DATELINE: April 22, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:12 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Istanbul city in Türkiye 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): MUSTAFA KARSLI, Vice president of Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): YUSA NISAR, Student studying Chinese 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): YUAN REN, Chinese Instructor 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish): MUSTAFA KARSLI, Vice president of Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association STORYLINE: In recent years, a growing number of Turks have become more interested in learning the Chinese language, with many attending classes in Türkiye's financial and cultural hub Istanbul, and the capital city of Ankara. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): MUSTAFA KARSLI, Vice president of Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association "Demand is growing because the value of Chinese, and the value of Chinese trade, has been skyrocketing in Türkiye." The Turkish-Chinese Cultural Association was established in 1999. It off

One year on, trauma never leaves Afghan people since U.S. hasty withdrawal

STORY: One year on, trauma never leaves Afghan people since U.S. hasty withdrawal DATELINE: Aug. 28, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:30 LOCATION: Kabul CATEGORY: SOCIETY/POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English) ZOU XUEMIAN, Xinhua correspondent 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Pashto): MAWLADAD, Local villager of Panjwai district 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Pashto): DAD MOHAMMAD, Local villager of Panjwai district 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): NISAR AHMAD, Kabul resident 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Pashto): AGAL KHAN, Kabul resident 6. SOUNDBITE 5 (Dari): MUZAMILL AMIRI, Eyewitness STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): ZOU XUEMIAN, Xinhua correspondent "I am now in Panjawai district of south Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. What behind me is a village which had been attacked for several times in U.S. air strikes. According to locals, numbers of Afghan civilians nearby were killed in U.S. military operations. The U.S.-led coalition forces may have run from Afghanistan last year, but the indiscriminate killing of innocent people by the United States in the name of 'anti-terrori