Residents of Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon in fears despite ceasefire

STORY: Residents of Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon in fears despite ceasefire DATELINE: Sept. 20, 2023 LENGTH: 00:04:19 LOCATION: Beirut CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the destruction caused by clashes in Ain Al-Helweh 2. various of children playing with plastic guns in Ain Al-Helweh 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): FOUAD OSMAN, Official with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine 4. various of the destruction caused by clashes in Ain Al-Helweh 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): NAZEK KLEIB, Palestinian refugee STORYLINE: Days after a ceasefire took effect between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) militants and the Islamist militants in the Ain Al-Helweh refugee camp, in the vicinity of southern Lebanon's coastal town of Sidon, life has returned to almost normal as most of the refugees who fled the clashes returned to check on their properties. Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri brokered the ceasefire. Still, the volume of destruction and damages inflicted were huge and t

Moon looks like pearl over Mr. Fuji

Moon looks like pearl over Mr. Fuji

KOFU, Japan, May 23 Kyodo - Photo taken at 4:20 a.m. on May 23, 2016, from the central Japan village of Yamanakako shows an almost full moon emerging over the top of Mt. Fuji. The brightly shining moon can be seen at full or nearly full moon at the village on fine days between June and August.

Freed Japanese in Paraguay meet press

Freed Japanese in Paraguay meet press

ASUNCION, Paraguay - Hirokazu Ota (R), a Japanese businessman based in Paraguay, and his secretary Sawako Yamaguchi (L) speak to the press at the Japanese Embassy in Asuncion on April 21, on the ordeal they faced after they were kidnapped and detained for almost 20 days. Ota, 62, was released April 20 after a $138,000 ransom was paid to the kidnappers. Yamaguchi, 37, had been released earlier. Ota and Yamaguchi are members of the Unification Church, which owns over 600,000 hectares of land in Paraguay.

New ski season kicks off in Xinjiang, China

STORY: New ski season kicks off in Xinjiang, China DATELINE: Dec. 6, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:44 LOCATION: URUMQI, China CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of ski resort 2. various of people skiing 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WANG TIENAN, Ski enthusiast STORYLINE: Boasting mountainous landscapes and long winter seasons, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the far west of China is transforming itself into a winter sports paradise. This year's ski season has just kicked off with the opening of two of the top-level ski resorts around Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang. Many ski enthusiasts flock to the resorts to savor the joy of the winter sport. 　　 SOUNDBITE (Chinese): WANG TIENAN, Ski enthusiast "I've been skiing here every winter since the resort opened, and it's been almost 20 years. I'm now 66, I'm a frequenter here, and I'm in good health. I just love the way of moving swiftly while skiing." 　　 As snowfalls increase, other ski resorts in Xinjiang will also be open for business in the upcoming days. Xinhua News Ag

Swedes brace for dark, cold winter as energy crisis ravages northern Europe

STORY: Swedes brace for dark, cold winter as energy crisis ravages northern Europe DATELINE: Nov. 7, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:58 LOCATION: Stockholm CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Stockholm's street view 2. various of a lighting shop STORYLINE: The energy crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Western sanctions against Russia, a major energy exporter, has hit Europe hard, affecting also Sweden, a country that was traditionally electricity self-sufficient. Sweden, located in northern Europe, has shorter days in the winter months. In deep winter, the Stockholm area has only around 5.5 daylight hours, while in the north of the country almost 20 hours per day are in complete darkness. According to Statistics Sweden, the price of electricity increased by 54.2 percent in September year-on-year. Consumers have been particularly hard hit in the south of the country, where spot electricity prices recently surged to five times more expensive than a year ago, according to statistics provided

GLOBALink | Tesla's Shanghai factory resumes production

U.S. carmaker Tesla's Shanghai factory officially resumed production on Tuesday, with about 8,000 employees back to work thus far, the company has said. Affected by the latest COVID-19 resurgence in Shanghai, the Shanghai Gigafactory had suspended production for over 20 days. "We have full confidence in China's economy," said Tao Lin, vice president of Tesla. "From the process of the current production resumption, we have seen China's ability to cope with challenges and we believe that normality will soon return." Tao said that several government departments have worked almost round the clock to help enterprises resume work and production as quickly as possible. The factory will need three to four days to boost its production gradually to full capacity, according to Song Gang, the factory's manufacturing and operation director. Automobile enterprises generally have a long industrial chain, and thus they have higher requirements for the collaborative resumption of production. Tesla said it is

Mongolia issues warning for snowstorms

STORY: Mongolia issues warning for snowstorms DATELINE: April 13, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:20 LOCATION: Ulan Bator CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of snowstorms STORYLINE: Mongolia's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring on Wednesday issued a warning of heavy snow and snowstorms. "Heavy snow and snowstorms are hitting large parts of the country, reducing visibility," the weather monitoring agency said, urging drivers and nomadic herders to take extra precautions against possible disasters. The volatile weather is expected to continue across almost all parts of the country, including the national capital Ulan Bator, in the coming two days, it said. Mongolia has four seasons. Strong winds, dust and snowstorms are common in spring in the country. A total of 10 people, mostly nomadic herders, lost their lives due to heavy dust and snowstorms that swept through large parts of Mongolia in March 2021. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ulan Bator. (XHTV)

Freed Japanese in Paraguay meet press

Freed Japanese in Paraguay meet press

ASUNCION, Paraguay - Hirokazu Ota (R), a Japanese businessman based in Paraguay, and his secretary Sawako Yamaguchi (L) speak to the press at the Japanese Embassy in Asuncion on April 21, on the ordeal they faced after they were kidnapped and detained for almost 20 days. Ota, 62, was released April 20 after a $138,000 ransom was paid to the kidnappers. Yamaguchi, 37, had been released earlier. Ota and Yamaguchi are members of the Unification Church, which owns over 600,000 hectares of land in Paraguay. (Kyodo)