EU hits Russian diamond producer Alrosa with sanctions

STORY: EU hits Russian diamond producer Alrosa with sanctions SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 3, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 4, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:05 LOCATION: Brussels CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Council of European Union Europa building STORYLINE: The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced sanctions on the leading Russian diamond-mining company Alrosa, as well as on its Chief Executive Officer Pavel Marinychev. Alrosa is said to be the world's largest diamond producer, contributing to 90 percent of Russia's diamond output. The Council of the EU highlighted the company's significance, since Alrosa "constitutes an important part of an economic sector that is providing substantial revenue" to the Russian government. The EU has so far imposed 12 rounds of sanctions on Moscow. Measures under the sanctions include visa bans and asset freezes in the bloc. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Russia ranked 8th for global diamond exports in 2021, boasting an export value of 4.7 billio

Improved logistics spur global market in "Double 11" shopping festival

STORY: Improved logistics spur global market in "Double 11" shopping festival SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage DATELINE: Nov. 12, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:48 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of footage of "Double 11" shopping festival 2. various of a major smart logistic center built by JD.com in Gansu Province 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): Operation department of JD Logistics in Gansu Province 4. various of cross-border e-commerce 5. various of the Hunchun Northeast Asia International Shopping Mall 6. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): SUN JUFENG, Head of Reform and Innovation Bureau of the Hunchun Marine Economy Demonstration Zone STORYLINE: China's annual "Double 11" shopping festival has seen not only eye-catching sales records but also improved logistics efficiency. Sales of 402 brands on Alibaba's Tmall platform exceeded 100 million yuan (about 13.7 million U.S. dollars) as of Saturday midnight, while e-commerce giant JD.com announced that more than 60 brands saw their sales topping 1 billio