Ban Ki-moon: China shows balanced rural and urban development

STORY: Ban Ki-moon: China shows balanced rural and urban development SHOOTING TIME: June 1, 2024 DATELINE: June 2, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:39 LOCATION: CHENGDU, China CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Global Urban and Rural Development Forum of Boao Forum for Asia 2. SOUNDBITE (English): BAN KI-MOON, Chairman of BFA STORYLINE: The Global Urban and Rural Development Forum of Boao Forum for Asia opened Friday in Chengdu, China's Sichuan Province. During the forum, Ban Ki-moon, chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), said that China has shown good examples of balanced urban and rural development. SOUNDBITE (English): BAN KI-MOON, Chairman of BFA "This morning, the leaders have discussed how we can harmonize and balance the lives and development fitting rural and major cities. We heard a lot of positive and constructive ideas from many board members and delegations, including those of Chinese experts. Every facility is concentrated in bigger cities. Then what about all these people in rural cities

Australia's interest rate unchanged at 4.1 pct for 3rd month

STORY: Australia's interest rate unchanged at 4.1 pct for 3rd month DATELINE: Sept. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:59 LOCATION: SYDNEY, Australia CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) 2. various of estate industry of Australia STORYLINE: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided on Tuesday to leave the cash rate target unchanged at 4.1 percent, with the interest rate paid on Exchange Settlement balances staying at 4.00 percent. This marked the third straight month that RBA put the interest rate on hold from July. Wrapping up a monetary policy meeting, RBA Governor Philip Lowe noted in a statement that interest rates have been increased by 4 percentage points since May last year. "The higher interest rates are working to establish a more sustainable balance between supply and demand in the economy and will continue to do so. In light of this and the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook, the Board again decided to hold interest rates steady this month," said Lowe. The

Superhumans Center in Lviv Region

Superhumans Center in Lviv Region

VYNNYKY, UKRAINE - AUGUST 9, 2023 - A patient with a leg prosthesis stands on the balance board at the Superhumans Center, Vynnyky, Lviv Region, western Ukraine.

Superhumans Center in Lviv Region

Superhumans Center in Lviv Region

VYNNYKY, UKRAINE - AUGUST 9, 2023 - A physical therapist and a patient standing on a balance board toss an orange ball during a training session at the Superhumans Center, Vynnyky, Lviv Region, western Ukraine.

Iraq's Erbil marks Environment Day

STORY: Iraq's Erbil marks Environment Day DATELINE: Feb. 23, 2023 LENGTH: 0:01:56 LOCATION: ERBIL, Iraq CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of people planting trees and releasing wild birds during a special ceremony for the Erbil Governorate Environment Day STORYLINE: The Board of Environmental Protection and Improvement in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq organized a ceremony for the Erbil Governorate Environment Day on Wednesday. The ceremony included the planting of many fruit trees in Hawar garden, one of Erbil's public parks, as well as the release of dozens of wild birds and returning them to nature to preserve the diversity and environmental balance in the region. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Erbil, Iraq. (XHTV)

IMF approves 3-bln-USD loan to Egypt

STORY: IMF approves 3-bln-USD loan to Egypt DATELINE: Dec. 18, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:52 LOCATION: Cairo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the River Nile in Cairo 2. various of the Central Bank of Egypt 3. various of an accountant counting banknotes 4. various of national banks STORYLINE: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday that its executive board had approved a loan to Egypt of about 3 billion U.S. dollars over 46 months. The decision enables an immediate disbursement of about 347 million dollars to Egypt, "which will help meet the balance of payments need and provide support to the budget," the IMF said in a statement, adding the loan package is expected to encourage Egypt's international and regional partners to provide an extra 14 billion dollars to finance the most populous Arab country. According to the IMF, the financial support was granted in exchange for an economic reform program from the Egyptian government. It hopes to pave the way for "sustainable, inclusive and p

BOJ lets current account balance fall below target

BOJ lets current account balance fall below target

TOKYO, Japan - Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui speaks at a news conference at the BOJ's head office May 20 in Tokyo after a two-day meeting of the bank's Policy Board.

World's first International Mangrove Center to be built in China

STORY: World's first International Mangrove Center to be built in China DATELINE: Nov. 17, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:16 LOCATION: SHENZHEN, China CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of mangrove 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (CHINESE): SUN LILI, Founder and Honorary Board Chair, Mangrove Foundation 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (CHINESE): WANG MENGQI, Deputy Director, Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau STORYLINE: The world's first International Mangrove Center will be built in China's Shenzhen. A resolution to build such a center was adopted earlier this month at the COP14 on wetland conservation, which was held in China's Wuhan and Switzerland's Geneva. As a "blue carbon sink," mangrove is an important part of carbon sequestration by vegetation. The protection of the mangrove wetlands in Shenzhen is part of the city's efforts to strike a balance between environmental protection and economic development. SOUNDBITE 1 (CHINESE): SUN LILI, Founder and Honorary Board Chair, Mangrove Foundation "She

Mexico's central bank raises key interest rate for 11th straight time

STORY: Mexico's central bank raises key interest rate for 11th straight time DATELINE: Sept. 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:31 LOCATION: Mexico City CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the central Bank of Mexico 2. various of Mexican commercial banks STORYLINE: The central Bank of Mexico (Banxico) decided on Thursday to raise the key benchmark interest rate for the eleventh straight time, amid fears of further effects from increasing inflation and uncertainty about the local economy. In a statement, the bank detailed that Banxico's five board members unanimously agreed to increase the target for the overnight interbank interest rate by 75 basis points to 9.25 percent. According to Banxico representatives, the balance of risks regarding the course of inflation "continues a considerable upward bias." The bank projected that inflation will close the year at 8.6 percent, higher than the 8.1 percent estimated in August and well above the official target of 3 percent; for 2023, it projected an inflatio

Australian central bank makes first-ever fourth consecutive rate rise

STORY: Australian central bank makes first-ever fourth consecutive rate rise DATELINE: Aug. 4, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:40 LOCATION: SYDNEY, Australia CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Bank of Australia 2. various of Sydney 3. SOUNDBITE (English): SARAH HUNTER, Partner and senior economist at KPMG Australia 4. various of supermarkets and gas stations in Sydney STORYLINE: Australia's central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), has once again lifted interest rates by 0.5 percentage points, marking the first time the bank has lifted rates for four consecutive months. On Tuesday RBA Governor Philip Lowe said the rise in interest rates was due to the "high priority" to return inflation to the 2-3 percent range. "The path to achieve this balance is a narrow one and clouded in uncertainty, not least because of global developments," said Lowe. "The Board is committed to doing what is necessary to ensure that inflation in Australia returns to target over time." SOUNDBITE (English): SARAH HUNTE

Nikkei ends at 4-month low amid caution over U.S. economic outlook

Nikkei ends at 4-month low amid caution over U.S. economic outlook

People walk by a financial data board showing the Nikkei Stock Average's fall to a four-month low in Tokyo on April 6, 2017. The key index's slide came amid caution over the U.S. economic outlook after the minutes of the most recent U.S. Federal Reserve board meeting signaled the central bank would begin trimming its balance sheet later in the year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo