Kuwait grapples with power outages amid high temperatures

STORY: Kuwait grapples with power outages amid high temperatures SHOOTING TIME: June 19, 2024 DATELINE: June 20, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:33 LOCATION: Kuwait City CATEGORY: ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of power outages in Kuwait STORYLINE: Multiple areas in Kuwait faced power cuts on Wednesday as scorching temperatures pushed the electricity grid to its limits during peak hours. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy (MEWRE) said in a press release, carried by Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), that power generation stations struggled to meet the surge in demand, leading to outages in parts of all six governorates. "Precautionary measures, including scheduled power cuts for periods ranging from one to two hours at most, have been taken to safeguard the stability of the electrical system," the ministry explained. MEWRE urged residents and businesses to conserve electricity during peak hours, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, to ease the strain on the grid. Local newspaper Al-Rai repor

Indian gov't slashes import duty on key mobile phones' components

STORY: Indian gov't slashes import duty on key mobile phones' components SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 1, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 2, 2024 LENGTH: 0:01:13 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of India 2. various of mobile manufacturing unit in India STORYLINE: The Indian government has announced a cut in customs duty on imports of key components of mobile phones from 15 percent to 10 percent, a senior federal government official said on Wednesday. An official notification to this effect was issued by the Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday. The items on which the customs duty was slashed include screws, SIM socket, battery cover, main cover, GSM antennae or other mechanical items of metal for mobile phones. The decision was taken after the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) had submitted a report before the federal government citing a big variance in import duties levied in India and other major mobile phones manufacturing countries. The ICEA repor

Gaza's supply crisis persists despite ceasefire

STORY: Gaza's supply crisis persists despite ceasefire SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 25, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 27, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:43 LOCATION: GAZA CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of trucks going through Rafah crossing 2. various of residents in Gaza waiting in long queues to get aid 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): Gaza resident 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): Gaza resident STORYLINE: Israel and Hamas reached a four-day humanitarian cease-fire starting on Friday under mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States after more than six weeks of bloody conflict in Gaza. Based on the truce agreement, Hamas will free some hostages in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, while Israel will allow more aid trucks loaded with food, fuel, and cooking gas to enter the war-ridden enclave. Since Friday, more than 500 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including food, medical equipment and water, as well as fuel and cooking gas, have entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, according to the United Nations repor

6th Jordan Int'l Food Exhibition held in Amman

STORY: 6th Jordan Int'l Food Exhibition held in Amman DATELINE: March 16, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:46 LOCATION: Amman CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Jordan International Food Exhibition 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): RAED HAMADEH, Former head of the Jordanian Restaurant Owners Syndicate STORYLINE: The 6th Jordan International Food Exhibition kicked off on Tuesday in the Jordanian capital Amman, featuring around 100 participating enterprises from home and abroad. The five-day exhibition came ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Various activities, such as on-site cooking and tasting, are being held in the exhibition. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): RAED HAMADEH, Former head of the Jordanian Restaurant Owners Syndicate "Our products are popular in the world. They are on the shelves of the markets in Europe and China, and the reason is that they have been promoted via exhibitions such as this one, which is considered the largest and most important exhibition held in Jordan." Xinhua News Agency correspondents repor

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian carrying out car-ramming attack at West Bank checkpoint

STORY: Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian carrying out car-ramming attack at West Bank checkpoint DATELINE: Nov. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:06 LOCATION: Jerusalem CATEGORY: OTHER SHOTLIST: 1. various of Israeli security forces and emergency personnel deployed at the scene of a reported ramming attack at the 443 checkpoint STORYLINE: Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian on Wednesday after he carried out a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Israeli army and Palestinian health ministry said. The Palestinian man drove to the Maccabim checkpoint, hit an Israeli officer and wounded him seriously, the Israeli army said in a statement. The man then got out of his car and tried to attack the officer with an axe before he was "neutralized," the army statement added. The killed Palestinian man was identified by the Palestinian health ministry and local sources as Habes Rayyan, 54, from the village of Beit Duqqu, northwest of Jerusalem. Xinhua News Agency correspondents repor

Tunisia bans exports of fruits, vegetables to curb rising prices

STORY: Tunisia bans exports of fruits, vegetables to curb rising prices DATELINE: April 13, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:23 LOCATION: Tunis CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a supermarket in Tunis STORYLINE: Tunisian government decided to ban the exports of some vegetables and fruits in order to stabilize domestic prices, according to a statement from the Tunisian Commerce Ministry issued on Tuesday. The statement said that due to the rapid rise in the price of some food products in Tunisia recently, the Tunisian government decided to stop exporting some vegetables and fruits to give priority to the domestic market. The ministry mentioned that the banned vegetables include peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and other varieties. Affected by the rising prices of international commodities, Tunisia has seen a sharp rise in prices for vegetable oil, flour, rice and so on. In 2021, Tunisia exported about 45 million U.S. dollars of vegetables and fruits, mainly to Libya. Xinhua News Agency correspondents repor

UN General Assembly adopts resolution to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council

STORY: UN General Assembly adopts resolution to suspend Russia from Human Rights Council DATELINE: April 8, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:56 LOCATION: UN headquarters CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1 various of the UN General Assembly 2 various of the Russian Ministry of Defense STORYLINE: The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday that allows the assembly to suspend the Russian Federation's membership in the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council. The draft resolution, "Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council," obtained 93 "yes" votes and 24 "no" votes from the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 58 countries abstained. Eighteen countries did not participate in the voting. After Ukraine accused Russian troops of "killing hundreds of civilians" across the streets of the Kiev suburb of Bucha, the United States announced it would seek Russia's suspension. Russia has denied attacking civilians in Ukraine. Xinhua News Agency correspondents repor

Winter Paralympic torch relay at Beijing Expo Park

STORY: Winter Paralympic torch relay at Beijing Expo Park DATELINE: March 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:52 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the torch relay at the Beijing Expo Park 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHOU XIAOHUI, Torchbearer STORYLINE: The torch relay for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games came to the Beijing Expo Park in Yanqing Thursday afternoon. A total of 120 torchbearers took part in the torch relay at the park, including outstanding disabled athletes, coaches and representatives from all walks of life. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHOU XIAOHUI, Torchbearer "It is a great honor for me to become a torchbearer of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. It is an honor and a great responsibility. I wish all athletes great success." The torch relay for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games started in Beijing on Wednesday and will run till Friday, with 565 torchbearers participating in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition zones. Xinhua News Agency correspondents repor

Russian court likely to rule on Japanese skipper Thursday: repor

Russian court likely to rule on Japanese skipper Thursday: repor

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Noboru Sakashita, a Japanese fishing boat skipper, looks at photographers from the building in Kunashiri Island on Sept. 17, where he has been detained for alleged poaching in Russian waters. A Russian court is expected to hand down a ruling on him on Sept. 21. (Pool photo) (Kyodo)