Ural owl at Hokkaido zoo

Ural owl at Hokkaido zoo

Photo taken on June 5, 2025, shows a Ural owl at Kushiro city zoo in Kushiro in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Ural owl at Hokkaido zoo

Ural owl at Hokkaido zoo

Photo taken on June 4, 2025, shows a Ural owl at Kushiro city zoo in Kushiro in Hokkaido, northern Japan.

Russian regions grapple with severe flooding amid rising water levels

STORY: Russian regions grapple with severe flooding amid rising water levels SHOOTING TIME: April 11, 2024 DATELINE: April 12, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:53 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: (Source: Russian Ministry of Emergency) 1. various of affected areas 2. various of evacuations STORYLINE: At least 13,000 people have been evacuated in parts of Russia as of Thursday, as multiple regions continue to battle extreme floods amid rising water levels, local authorities said. In some of the worst flooding in decades due to a continuous rise in daily average temperatures, snowmelt and rivers thawing, Russia's western Siberia, the Volga region and the Central Federal District have been flooded. A state of emergency has been declared in the Orenburg, Kurgan, and Tyumen regions. In the worst-hit western Orenburg region, 7,800 people have been evacuated, according to the regional government, with water levels in the Ural river around the region breaking records last night. The flooding is expected to p

Over 10,000 houses flooded in parts of Russia

STORY: Over 10,000 houses flooded in parts of Russia SHOOTING TIME: April 8, 2024 DATELINE: April 8, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:43 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the flood-affected houses (courtesy of Emercom of Russia) STORYLINE: More than 10,400 residential houses have been flooded across Russia's western Siberia, the Volga region, and Central Federal District, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said Monday. In the severely hit Orenburg region, more than 6,100 people have been evacuated and a total of 33 temporary accommodation centers deployed for 33,000 people, the ministry said. The Orenburg regional government said the peak of the flood is expected on April 10 and the situation along the Ural River is expected to normalize no earlier than April 25. TASS news agency, citing information from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, said more than 18,000 people are in the zone threatened by flooding. The agency reported that data on April 7-11 points to a continu

No casualties reported in Russian city of Orsk after dam breach

STORY: No casualties reported in Russian city of Orsk after dam breach SHOOTING TIME: April 6, 2024 DATELINE: April 6, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:57 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the rescue (Source: EMERCOM of Russia) STORYLINE: No injuries or fatalities were reported in the wake of a dam breach in the city of Orsk, Russia's Orenburg Oblast, which led to significant flooding and the submersion of homes, local authorities said on Saturday. The mayor's office in Orsk earlier said that the dam, which was designed to protect the city from the Ural River, had failed, affecting 4,258 homes and 10,987 residents. A mass evacuation is currently underway from the old city, where several settlements now find themselves underwater. Six temporary accommodation points have been established to assist those evacuated from the flooded areas. The regional government, via its Telegram channel, announced that 94 individuals, including 40 children, have been moved to temporary shelters from the

Enjoy magnificent sea of clouds in Ural Mountains in N China

STORY: Enjoy magnificent sea of clouds in Ural Mountains in N China DATELINE: May 7, 2023 LENGTH: 0:00:41 LOCATION: HOHHOT, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Ural Mountains shrouded in clouds STORYLINE: The Ural Mountains in north China's Inner Mongolia got shrouded in magnificent sea of clouds and morning mist after rain on Saturday. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hohhot, China. (XHTV)

Antiterrorist drill in far East Russia by SCO member countries

Antiterrorist drill in far East Russia by SCO member countries

CHELYABINSK, Russia - A joint antiterrorist drill staged by the armed forces of Russia, China and other member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural region on Aug. 17, the last day of the joint exercise. The drill, which involved more than 6,000 military personnel from the six SCO member countries, was open to the foreign media.

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

SAPPORO, Japan - Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 20, 2013. (The detailed location cannot be unveiled for protection of the birds.)

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

SAPPORO, Japan - Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 20, 2013. (The detailed location cannot be unveiled for protection of the birds.)

Chelyabinsk after meteor strike

Chelyabinsk after meteor strike

CHELYABINSK, Russia - Photo taken Feb. 18, 2013, shows a skating rink building in Chelyabinsk, Russia, which was damaged by fragments of a meteor that struck the Ural region of Russia three days before.

Chelyabinsk after meteor strike

Chelyabinsk after meteor strike

CHELYABINSK, Russia - Photo shows downtown Chelyabinsk on Feb. 17, 2013, two days after fragments of a meteor struck the Ural region of Russia.

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

TOKYO, Japan - Three Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in the Kushiro area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on July 6, 2011.

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

TOKYO, Japan - Three Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in the Kushiro area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on July 6, 2011.

Russia launches new icebreaker to expand Arctic shipment

STORY: Russia launches new icebreaker to expand Arctic shipment DATELINE: Nov. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:07 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Putin and the icebreaker (from: Kremlin 00'00"-01'15", Baltic Shipyard 01'15"-02'07") STORYLINE: Russia launched its latest nuclear-powered icebreaker Yakutia on Tuesday in a persistent bid to better use the Arctic shipping route leading to the Far East. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended via video link a ceremony held in the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg to launch the Yakutia and to raise the national flag on another nuclear-powered icebreaker Ural. "Vessels of such a high ice class are of strategic importance to us. They are needed to study and explore the Arctic, ensure safe and sustainable navigation in this region, and increase traffic along the Northern Sea Route," Putin said. The development of the Arctic transport corridor will help Russia unlock its export potential and establish efficient logistics routes, he said, ad

Owl chicks in northern Japan

SAPPORO, Japan Kyodo - Ural owl chicks perch on a tree in the Ishikari area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 2, 2021.

Ural owl spotted in Hokkaido, northern Japan

Ural owl spotted in Hokkaido, northern Japan

An Ural owl perches on a tree in the woods of Nakashibetsu on Japan's northernmost main island Hokkaido on Jan. 22, 2015. Local residents say a pair of the birds, apparently a couple, lives there. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ural owl spotted in Hokkaido, northern Japan

Ural owl spotted in Hokkaido, northern Japan

An Ural owl perches on a tree in the woods of Nakashibetsu on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Jan. 22, 2015. Local residents say a pair of the birds, apparently a couple, lives there. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Antiterrorist drill in far East Russia by SCO member countries

Antiterrorist drill in far East Russia by SCO member countries

CHELYABINSK, Russia - A joint antiterrorist drill staged by the armed forces of Russia, China and other member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural region on Aug. 17, the last day of the joint exercise. The drill, which involved more than 6,000 military personnel from the six SCO member countries, was open to the foreign media. (Kyodo)

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

TOKYO, Japan - Three Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in the Kushiro area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on July 6, 2011. (Kyodo)

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

Owl chicks in Hokkaido

TOKYO, Japan - Three Ural owl chicks roost in a tree in the Kushiro area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on July 6, 2011. (Kyodo)

Owl chicks in northern Japan

Owl chicks in northern Japan

Ural owl chicks perch on a tree in the Ishikari area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 2, 2021.

Owl chicks in northern Japan

Owl chicks in northern Japan

Ural owl chicks perch on a tree in the Ishikari area of Hokkaido, northern Japan, on June 2, 2021.

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

People are waiting for a change in the flight at the Vaclav Havel Airport Prague of the Russian airlines Aeroflot, which announced on July 2, 2019, with Ural Airlines, that it has stopped some flights to Prague due to the Czech authorities' decision to cancel their flights to the Czech Republic. Ural Airlines later announced that it had resumed flights to Prague. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

People are waiting for a change in the flight at the Vaclav Havel Airport Prague of the Russian airlines Aeroflot, which announced on July 2, 2019, with Ural Airlines, that it has stopped some flights to Prague due to the Czech authorities' decision to cancel their flights to the Czech Republic. Ural Airlines later announced that it had resumed flights to Prague. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

people are waiting for a change in the flight of the Russian airlines Aeroflot

People are waiting for a change in the flight at the Vaclav Havel Airport Prague of the Russian airlines Aeroflot, which announced on July 2, 2019, with Ural Airlines, that it has stopped some flights to Prague due to the Czech authorities' decision to cancel their flights to the Czech Republic. Ural Airlines later announced that it had resumed flights to Prague. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

A pair of Ural owls are seen Feb. 21, 2019, in Atsuma, a Japanese town heavily damaged by an earthquake that hit Hokkaido in September 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

A pair of Ural owls are seen Feb. 20, 2019, in Atsuma, a Japanese town heavily damaged by an earthquake that hit Hokkaido in September 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

Ural owls in quake-hit Japanese town

A pair of Ural owls are seen Feb. 20, 2019, in Atsuma, a Japanese town heavily damaged by an earthquake that hit Hokkaido in September 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Owl in northern Japan park

Owl in northern Japan park

A Ural owl perches on a tree at a park in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Jan. 10, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Owl in northern Japan park

Owl in northern Japan park

A Ural owl perches on a tree at a park in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Jan. 10, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo