Voting begins in India for first phase of general elections

STORY: Voting begins in India for first phase of general elections SHOOTING TIME: April 19, 2024 DATELINE: April 20, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:06 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of India gate 2. various of people voting 3. various of people standing in queues holding their Election Identity Cards 3. various of people casting their vote STORYLINE: Voting for the first phase of India's general elections began Friday, kicking off a seven-phased process lasting until June 1. People were seen standing in queues holding their Election Identity Cards, waiting for their turn to cast a vote. Polling of votes continued till 18:00 hours (local time). As per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India, the second phase of the elections is scheduled for April 26, the third phase on May 7, the fourth phase on May 13, the fifth phase on May 20, the sixth phase on May 25 and the last phase on June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. Xinhua News Agency correspon

India to redevelop over 500 railway stations: Modi

STORY: India to redevelop over 500 railway stations: Modi DATELINE: Aug. 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:11 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of India gate 2. various of government buildings 3. various of trains and railway stations STORYLINE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually launched a project of redeveloping 508 railway stations across the country at an estimated cost of 250 billion Indian rupees (over 3 billion U.S. dollars) to provide better facilities to the commuters. The redevelopment of railway stations would include better seating arrangements on platforms, upgraded waiting rooms, and free Wi-Fi connectivity. Modi said that his government aims to redevelop a total of 1,300 railway stations, with the foundation stone laid on Sunday for developing 508 railway stations. "The redevelopment project will be a huge campaign for infrastructure development in the country along with the railways as well as the common citizens," he added. Xinhua News Agency correspon

Guinea Bissau holds voting for legislative elections

STORY: Guinea Bissau holds voting for legislative elections DATELINE: June 5, 2023 LENGTH: 0:02:38 LOCATION: Bissau CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1 various of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo voting in a polling station in the Gabu region 2 various of people voting STORYLINE: Voting for legislative elections of Guinea Bissau was held on Sunday. About 900,000 Bissau-Guinean voters cast their votes at the 3,500 polling stations during the seventh legislative elections in the country's history, according to the national electoral commission of the country. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo promised that he would use these legislative elections "to stabilize the country and rekindle the economy." The vote took place under the supervision of 230 international observers, most of whom are from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Twenty political parties and two coalitions are in the running to renew the 102 seats in the National Assembly for a five-year term. Xinhua News Agency correspon

40 people killed in bus accident in central Senegal

STORY: 40 people killed in bus accident in central Senegal DATELINE: Jan. 9, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:04 LOCATION: Dakar CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the traffic accident site 2. Mansour Faye, the Minister of Infrastructure speaking to the media STORYLINE: Forty people were killed and several others injured in a collision between two buses in the Kaffrine region, central Senegal, Sunday, according to the local authorities in charge of relief and health. Senegalese President Macky Sall decreed a three-day national mourning Sunday following the traffic accident. "Following today's serious accident in Gniby (in Kaffrine region) which caused 40 deaths, I have decided on a national mourning of 3 days from Jan. 9th," he said on his Twitter account. He added that an interministerial council will hold a meeting on the same date to take firm measures on road safety and public passenger transport. No more detail is available about the deadly accident at the moment. Xinhua News Agency correspon

Mega undersea tunnel under construction in China's Greater Bay Area

STORY: Mega undersea tunnel under construction in China's Greater Bay Area DATELINE: Dec. 12, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:53 LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Shenzhen-Zhongshan cross-sea link STORYLINE: The construction of the steel shell of a major undersea tunnel in southern China has been completed, according to the Guangdong Communications Group. The tunnel, which is made up of 32 tubes, forms part of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan cross-sea link project. The 24-kilometer link connecting the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan will play an important role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The link includes the 6.8-kilometer underwater tunnel and two artificial islands. The tunnel is the widest undersea steel-shell immersed tunnel in the world, with four lanes in each direction. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan cross-sea link will open to traffic in 2024. It will cut travel time between the two cities from two hours to 30 minutes. Xinhua News Agency correspon

Russian poverty rate ticks down to 10.5 pct

STORY: Russian poverty rate ticks down to 10.5 pct DATELINE: Dec. 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:34 LOCATION: Moscow CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a Russian government meeting held on Nov.30 (Source: Kremlin) STORYLINE: Russia's poverty rate stood at 10.5 percent at the end of the third quarter of 2022, slightly down from 11 percent in the same period last year, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "The decline is indeed small but it is important that in the current difficult economic situation there is such a definite positive trend. It needs to be preserved," Putin said at a government meeting. Thanks to targeted government support, the incomes of the least well-to-do 10 percent of the Russian population are increasing, he noted. "Our priority task is to achieve real income growth, reduce poverty and inequality in our country as a whole," Putin said. Russia's current poverty line for an able-bodied adult is 15,172 rubles (about 248 U.S. dollars) per month. Xinhua News Agency correspon

China's AG600M firefighting aircraft completes water gathering, dropping tests

STORY: China's AG600M firefighting aircraft completes water gathering, dropping tests DATELINE: Sept. 27, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:46 LOCATION: JINGMEN, China CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the AG600M aircraft spraying water 2. various of the AG600M aircraft STORYLINE: China's AG600M large amphibious aircraft completed water gathering and dropping tests Tuesday at Zhanghe Airport in the city of Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province. According to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the AG600M aircraft, a full-configuration firefighting model belonging to the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family, is expected to serve firefighting missions from 2023 and enter the market in 2025. Codenamed Kunlong, the AG600 large amphibious aircraft family is seen as key aeronautical equipment for China's emergency-rescue system. It was developed by AVIC to meet the needs of firefighting and marine-rescue missions, as well as other critical emergency-rescue operations. Xinhua News Agency correspon

3 killed, 37 wounded as tour bus drops off cliff in NW Türkiye

STORY: 3 killed, 37 wounded as tour bus drops off cliff in NW Türkiye DATELINE: Aug. 29, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:24 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: OTHERS SHOTLIST: 1. various of site of accident STORYLINE: A tour bus rolling off a cliff in Türkiye's northwestern province of Bursa left at least 3 dead and 37 wounded on Sunday, Demiroren News Agency (DHA) reported. The tour bus was driven off the cliff and rolled downwards until hitting a tree, and initial reports indicated that the bus had brake failure, according to the report. Emergency response teams, medical units, and rescue teams have arrived at the scene, and all the wounded have been transferred to the hospitals, said Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat. He added that the exact reasons for the accident have not been clear yet, and an investigation was ongoing. The bus started its journey from the central province of Kutahya and was heading to the northwestern part of Bursa that oversees the Marmara Sea, said the report. Xinhua News Agency correspon

Summer Day Parade held in Weinheim, Germany to greet arrival of spring

STORY: Summer Day Parade held in Weinheim, Germany to greet arrival of spring DATELINE: March 28, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:48 LOCATION: WEINHEIM, Germany CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): LU YANG, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of the parade STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): LU YANG, Xinhua correspondent "Today marks the first day of daylight saving time in Germany this year. Cold winter days are fading away and the warm summer days are around the corner. People gather here in Weinheim, a small city in southwest Germany, to greet the arrival of spring with their own traditional procession - the Summer Day Parade. Around 2,000 people will take part in this year's parade, most of them are children. They parade through the old town of the city with a so-called 'magical stick' in their hands, which represents hope of spring and summer. The highlight of the event is the symbolic burning of the 'snowman' on the castle park, expressing the final victory of spring over winter." Xinhua News Agency correspon

China plane crash latest: engine wreckage pieces recovered, searching work continues

STORY: China plane crash latest: engine wreckage pieces recovered, searching work continues DATELINE: March 24, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:19 LOCATION: NANNING, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the debris 2. STANDUP 1 (English): WANG JIAWEI, Xinhua correspondent STORYLINE: Pieces of engine wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region earlier this week have been found, an official told a press briefing on Thursday. The recovered black box of the crashed plane of China Eastern Airlines with 132 people aboard was sent to a decoding laboratory in Beijing Wednesday night and the data downloading and analysis work is underway, according to an aviation official at the press briefing. Rescuers have been braving the rain to clear landslide debris and waterlogging while continuing the search and rescue work at the site. In the core area of the accident site, excavators and other equipment are busy working. STANDUP 1 (English): WANG JIAWEI, Xinhua correspon