Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga (R) collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, on Oct. 5, 2025, calling for new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi to pave the way for holding direct negotiations with North Korea to bring back all the remaining abductees, including her mother, to Japan. Soga, 66, returned from North Korea in 2002 following a Japan-North Korea summit in Pyongyang.

Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga (R) collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, on Oct. 5, 2025, calling for new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi to pave the way for holding direct negotiations with North Korea to bring back all the remaining abductees, including her mother, to Japan. Soga, 66, returned from North Korea in 2002 following a Japan-North Korea summit in Pyongyang.

Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Ex-abductee seeks early return of remaining abductees

Former Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga (L) collects signatures in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, on Oct. 5, 2025, calling for new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi to pave the way for holding direct negotiations with North Korea to bring back all the remaining abductees, including her mother, to Japan. Soga, 66, returned from North Korea in 2002 following a Japan-North Korea summit in Pyongyang.

ALTRO - Scherma - European Fencing Championships

ALTRO - Scherma - European Fencing Championships

Graudyn Pave (AIN) Vs Garrigue Rem. (FRA) during European Fencing Championships , Sword match in Genova, Italy, June 17 2025

Rose Garden Landscaping at the White House for Trump’s Projects to Pave Over the Rose Garden

Rose Garden Landscaping at the White House for Trump’s Projects to Pave Over the Rose Garden

A crew works in the Rose Garden of the White House for Trump’s projects to pave over the Rose Garden grass area at the White House in Washington, DC., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Photo by Ken Cedeno/Pool/ABACAPRESS.COM

Explosions at Tokyo construction site

TOKYO, Japan, May 27 Kyodo - Video taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on May 27, 2025, shows a construction site in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward where explosions occurred earlier in the day. The explosions, which left 10 people slightly injured, were apparently sparked by a gas leak from a pipe damaged during work to pave the foundation of a condominium. (Kyodo)

Explosions at Tokyo construction site

Explosions at Tokyo construction site

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on May 27, 2025, shows a construction site in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward where explosions occurred earlier in the day. The explosions, which left 10 people slightly injured, were apparently sparked by a gas leak from a pipe damaged during work to pave the foundation of a condominium.

Explosions at Tokyo construction site

Explosions at Tokyo construction site

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on May 27, 2025, shows a construction site in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward where explosions occurred earlier in the day. The explosions, which left 10 people slightly injured, were apparently sparked by a gas leak from a pipe damaged during work to pave the foundation of a condominium.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

Zhejiang Lishui Airport

LISHUI, CHINA - OCTOBER 24, 2024 - Construction workers pave the runway concrete at the last construction area of the airstrip at Zhejiang Lishui Airport in Lishui, Zhejiang province, China, Oct 24, 2024.

Kamala Harris Thrust Into Spotlight As Biden Bows Out

Kamala Harris Thrust Into Spotlight As Biden Bows Out

File photo - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) report in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The PAVE task force today released an action plan that represents wide-ranging sets of reforms to advance equity in the home appraisal process the White House announced. President Biden announced he was suspending his re-election campaign and putting his faith in Harris. Within hours, the vice-president confirmed her own bid for the White House. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party, and unite our nation, to defeat Donald Trump,” Harris said. “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win." Photo by Samuel Corum/Pool/ABACAPRESS.COM

CHINA-YINCHUAN-ANTI-DESERTIFICATION PRACTICE (CN)

CHINA-YINCHUAN-ANTI-DESERTIFICATION PRACTICE (CN)

(240617) -- YINCHUAN, June 17, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- International students of Ningxia Medical University learn to pave straw checkerboards at Baijitan national nature reserve, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 14, 2024. TO GO WITH: "Across China: China's anti-desertification practice amazes international students" Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM/Liu Hai)

CHINA-YINCHUAN-ANTI-DESERTIFICATION PRACTICE (CN)

CHINA-YINCHUAN-ANTI-DESERTIFICATION PRACTICE (CN)

(240617) -- YINCHUAN, June 17, 2024 (Xinhua) -- International students of Ningxia Medical University learn to pave straw checkerboards at Baijitan national nature reserve, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 14, 2024. TO GO WITH: "Across China: China's anti-desertification practice amazes international students" (Xinhua/Liu Hai)

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions i

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions i

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions i

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions i

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Chinese Experience in Desert Controi

Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions i

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been wi

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been wi

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in Zhongwei, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been wi

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been wi

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been wi

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and u

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and u

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in Zhongwei, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation proj

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and u

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 30, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and u

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(VistaNingxia)CHINA-NINGXIA-ZHONGWEI-ENVIRONMENT-SAND CONTROL (CN)

(240616) -- ZHONGWEI, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert, in Zhongwei of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 29, 2024. In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting. Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and u

Xinhua Headlines: From surviving to thriving amidst sands, Chinese city fortifies "green Great Wall"

Xinhua Headlines: From surviving to thriving amidst sands, Chinese city fortifies "green Great Wall"

(240616) -- YINCHUAN, June 16, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Students learn to pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert in Zhongwei City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 31, 2024. Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM/Feng Kaihua)

Xinhua Headlines: From surviving to thriving amidst sands, Chinese city fortifies "green Great Wall"

Xinhua Headlines: From surviving to thriving amidst sands, Chinese city fortifies "green Great Wall"

(240616) -- YINCHUAN, June 16, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Students learn to pave straw checkerboards in the Tengger Desert in Zhongwei City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 31, 2024. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

CHINA-JIANGSU-YANCHENG-GREEN ENERGY (CN)

CHINA-JIANGSU-YANCHENG-GREEN ENERGY (CN)

(240608) -- YANCHENG, June 8, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Workers pave fiberglass cloth for a turbine blade at a wind power turbine blades company in Sheyang, Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 6, 2024. Yancheng, situated on the Yellow Sea coast, boasts the longest coastline and largest sea area of east China's Jiangsu Province. It is abundant in coastal wind energy, solar energy, and biomass resources, with an average annual wind speed exceeding 7.6 meters per second at 100 meters high and an average annual sunshine duration of approximately 2,280 hours here. In recent years, the local government has made progress to make the new energy industry a key sector for Yancheng by building world-class industrial clusters including wind power equipment, crystalline silicon photovoltaics, coastal green hydrogen production and new energy storage within the Yangtze River Delta. As of April 2024, Yancheng's total installed capacity for renewable power generation stands at 14.765 million kilowatts.

CHINA-JIANGSU-YANCHENG-GREEN ENERGY (CN)

CHINA-JIANGSU-YANCHENG-GREEN ENERGY (CN)

(240608) -- YANCHENG, June 8, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Workers pave fiberglass cloth for a turbine blade at a wind power turbine blades company in Sheyang, Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 6, 2024. Yancheng, situated on the Yellow Sea coast, boasts the longest coastline and largest sea area of east China's Jiangsu Province. It is abundant in coastal wind energy, solar energy, and biomass resources, with an average annual wind speed exceeding 7.6 meters per second at 100 meters high and an average annual sunshine duration of approximately 2,280 hours here. In recent years, the local government has made progress to make the new energy industry a key sector for Yancheng by building world-class industrial clusters including wind power equipment, crystalline silicon photovoltaics, coastal green hydrogen production and new energy storage within the Yangtze River Delta. As of April 2024, Yancheng's total installed capacity for renewable power generation stands at 14.765 million kilowatts. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

IMF reviews to unlock 360-mln-USD loan for Ghana

STORY: IMF reviews to unlock 360-mln-USD loan for Ghana SHOOTING TIME: April 13, 2024/File DATELINE: April 15, 2024 LENGTH: 00:03:06 LOCATION: Accra CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the IMF joint press briefing 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): STEPHANE ROUDET, IMF mission chief for Ghana 3. various the IMF joint press briefing 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ERNEST ADDISON, Bank of Ghana Governor 5. various of the IMF joint press briefing 6. various of the Central Business District of Accra (file) STORYLINE: A staff review team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Saturday that the second review of Ghana's reform program would unlock 360 million U.S. dollars for the West African country. In a statement, the IMF said Ghana's performance under the program has been generally strong, with most quantitative targets met and key reforms implemented. This positive outcome of the review, the statement said, would pave the way for the West African country to draw the scheduled 360 million dollars as

Kenya Airways reintroduces direct flights to Mogadishu

STORY: Kenya Airways reintroduces direct flights to Mogadishu SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 15, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 17, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:58 LOCATION: Nairobi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of direct flights to Mogadishu 2. SOUNDBITE (English): KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport 3. various of direct flights to Mogadishu STORYLINE: Kenya Airways (KQ) has relaunched direct flights to Mogadishu after a suspension on the route during the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline had signed a bilateral agreement with Somalia in August 2023 to pave the way for direct flights into Somalia. Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen said the flights will enhance trade between Kenya and Somalia. SOUNDBITE (English): KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport "Therefore, this marks a great milestone coming just 185 days after the conclusion of signing of Kenya-Somali bilateral air service agreement. KQ was already flying to Somalia, but we ha