CHINA-JIANGSU-KUNSHAN-KUNQU OPERA CLASS-PUPILS (CN)

CHINA-JIANGSU-KUNSHAN-KUNQU OPERA CLASS-PUPILS (CN)

(240601) -- KUNSHAN, June 1, 2024 Photo by Xinhua/ABACAPRESS.COM) -- Xie Suqian (C) and Zhang Zixuan, pupils of the "little Kunqu Opera training class", practice under the full-time teacher Zhou Jie's guidance at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 26, 2024. In a training room of Shipai Center Primary School in Kunshan City, pupils practice basic skills of Kunqu Opera under the guidance of a full-time teacher. All the maneuvers are presented precisely. Kunshan City is the birthplace of the Kunqu Opera, which is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage. The city established its first "little Kunqu Opera training class" at a local primary school in 1992. Currently, there are over 20 such opera classes in the city, with more than 5,000 pupils trained. The "little Kunqu Opera training class" at Shipai Center Primary School enrolls nearly 80 pupils annually. The training difficu

UN chief urges full funds for hunger relief operations in Horn of Africa

STORY: UN chief urges full funds for hunger relief operations in Horn of Africa DATELINE: Sept. 22, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:33 LOCATION: UN Headquarters CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General STORYLINE: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for total funding of all aid operations in the Horn of Africa as hunger is overwhelming the region due to drought. SOUNDBITE (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General "Hunger is overwhelming the Horn of Africa. Millions (of people) across Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are confronting the worst drought in nearly half a century. Four rainy seasons have failed to materialize, and now a fifth will likely fail, too. Starvation is already a terrible reality for many, and famine looms. Children are so malnourished, they are too weak to even cry. Millions of animals are dead by the wayside next to barren fields. And the prices of food at local markets are at record highs. It is difficu