Illustration - Paris

Illustration - Paris

FRANCE. PARIS (75) 13E ARR. CHINATOWN. THE SHOP L'EMPIRE DES THES (AVENUE D'IVRY) Photo by Jarry Tripelon/Only Paris/ABACAPRESS.COM

Australia launches 1st National Robotics Strategy

STORY: Australia launches 1st National Robotics Strategy SHOOTING TIME: Archives DATELINE: May 29, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:11 LOCATION: Canberra CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY SHOTLIST: 1. various of robots STORYLINE: The Australian government has launched its first National Robotics Strategy in a bid to maximize benefits from the technology. Ed Husic, minister for industry and science, unveiled the strategy on Tuesday, saying it would help Australia secure its future and seize opportunities. According to the strategy, robotics and automation technologies could add up to 600 billion Australian dollars (400.3 billion U.S. dollars) to Australia's annual gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. It found that increasing the use of robotics by only 1 percent would increase Australia's productivity by 0.8 percent by automating high-value manufacturing and enabling production at scale. Husic said in a statement that Australia currently ranks 32nd in the world in the adoption of industrial robots. "Lifting the adoption of thes

CHINA-FUJIAN-WULIN VILLAGE-HISTORICAL BUILDINGS (CN)

CHINA-FUJIAN-WULIN VILLAGE-HISTORICAL BUILDINGS (CN)

(231221) -- JINJIANG, Dec. 21, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Wu Shaopeng, an art curator and descendant of overseas Chinese, shows old family photos sent back from the Philippines in Wulin Village of Jinjiang, southeast China's Fujian Province, Dec. 19, 2023. In Wulin Village of east China's Fujian Province, visitors are often enthralled by the medley of architectural styles: local red-brick houses, Gothic buildings, Greco-Romanesque structures, and buildings blending both Chinese and Western elements. The eclectic blend of architectural styles vividly narrates the story of the village's connection to the overseas Chinese community. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many villagers traveled to Southeast Asia to work and sent money back to build homes. As a result, the houses often showcased a captivating fusion of exotic influences. In recent years, over 100 former residences of overseas Chinese, once dilapidated and unattended, have been renovated and preserved under local government efforts. Many of thes

(ChineseToday) CHINA-INNER MONGOLIA-ORDOS-HERDSMEN LIFE (CN)

(ChineseToday) CHINA-INNER MONGOLIA-ORDOS-HERDSMEN LIFE (CN)

(231018) -- ORDOS, Oct. 18, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Mingan-erdeni (2nd L) and his fellow "Nair" band members are seen during a rehearsal in Otog Banner of Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oct. 15, 2023. Dorji is a 61-year-old herdsman living in Otog Banner. During the autumn season, Dorji's daily routine includes herding horses and goats. He has over 200 Arabas cashmere goats, which provide sound economic returns. In his spare time, Dorji participates in a local cultural activity called "Nair" with his 91-year-old father, Mingan-erdeni. "Nair" dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and is a form of folk art that involves playing musical instruments, singing, and dancing. It has been listed as a regional intangible cultural heritage in Inner Mongolia. Mingan-erdeni, a former rural doctor, encouraged his neighbors to form a "Nair" band in 2018. This band not only represents the preservation of the "Nair" culture but also serves as an important means to enrich the spiritual life of thes

New Zealand's annual food prices up 12.5 pct, hitting 36-year high

STORY: New Zealand's annual food prices up 12.5 pct, hitting 36-year high DATELINE: May 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:16 LOCATION: Wellington CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views of Wellington 2. various of supermarkets STORYLINE: New Zealand's food prices in April 2023 were 12.5 percent higher than they were in April 2022, hitting a 36-year high, according to figures released by the statistics department Stats NZ on Thursday. "The 12.5 percent increase in April 2023 was the largest since September 1987 which included the introduction of GST (goods and services tax) in 1986," Stats NZ consumer prices manager James Mitchell said. The increase was due to rises across all the broad food categories Stats NZ measures. Compared with April 2022, grocery food prices increased by 14 percent, and fruit and vegetable prices increased by 22.5 percent. Increasing prices for barn or cage-raised eggs, potato chips, and six-pack yogurt were the largest drivers within grocery food," Mitchell said, adding thes

Tanzanian young people collect plastic waste to protect Indian Ocean

STORY: Tanzanian young people collect plastic waste to protect Indian Ocean DATELINE: Jan. 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:22 LOCATION: DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of volunteers collecting trash at the beach 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HELLEN SILAS, Environmentalist 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MEDINA KIMARO, UNICEF's youth advocate in climate action STORYLINE: A group of Tanzanian young people on Saturday collected a ton of plastic waste at Kawe beach along the coast of the Indian Ocean beach in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam to reduce pollution. The event was led by the Women in Recycling Foundation. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HELLEN SILAS, Chairperson of Women in Recycling Foundation "So we are here to do cleanup, to collect the plastic waste and the trash, and also to raise awareness on how we can mitigate the climate change through this (cleaning) plastic pollution. Through this campaign, we are going to reach more people. Because these people are going to share thes

Biden administration moves to curb proliferation of "ghost guns"

STORY: Biden administration moves to curb proliferation of "ghost guns" DATELINE: April 12, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:46 LOCATION: Washington D.C. CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1 SOUNDBITE (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President 2 various of the White House STORYLINE: The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced Monday new measures aimed at curbing the proliferation of "ghost guns" -- unserialized, privately-made firearms that law enforcement personnel are increasingly recovering at crime scenes in cities across the United States. Last year alone, there were approximately 20,000 suspected ghost guns reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as having been recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations -- a ten-fold increase from 2016. Because "ghost guns" lack the serial numbers marked on the firearms, the U.S. law enforcement has an exceedingly difficult time tracing a ghost gun found at a crime scene back to an individual purchaser. Biden introduced thes