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Prisoner-hostage Swap and Ceasefire deal Between Israel And Hamas

International Red Cross vehicles move towards the eastern Gaza Strip from Khan Yunis in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory on October 13, 2025, ahead of the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attacks two years ago. On the other side, a Red Cross convoy is on its way to pick up a first batch of Israeli hostages to be freed by Hamas as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal announced by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, the Israeli military said on October 13. Photo by Abdelrahman Rashad/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Prisoner-hostage Swap and Ceasefire deal Between Israel And Hamas

International Red Cross vehicles move towards the eastern Gaza Strip from Khan Yunis in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory on October 13, 2025, ahead of the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attacks two years ago. On the other side, a Red Cross convoy is on its way to pick up a first batch of Israeli hostages to be freed by Hamas as part of a Gaza ceasefire deal announced by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, the Israeli military said on October 13. Photo by Abdelrahman Rashad/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Hostage Release Celebration - Israel

People celebrate as the helicopter carrying released hostages arrives at a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, October 13, 2025. The Israeli military announced on Monday that all remaining living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now in Israel, as the country began releasing Palestinian prisoners. The military said in a statement that the final group of 13 hostages had crossed the border into Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the first group of seven hostages returned to Israel after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Xinhua/Chen Junqing/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Hostage Release Celebration - Israel

People celebrate as the helicopter carrying released hostages arrives at a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, October 13, 2025. The Israeli military announced on Monday that all remaining living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now in Israel, as the country began releasing Palestinian prisoners. The military said in a statement that the final group of 13 hostages had crossed the border into Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the first group of seven hostages returned to Israel after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Xinhua/Chen Junqing/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Hostage Release Celebration - Israel

People celebrate as the helicopter carrying released hostages arrives at a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, October 13, 2025. The Israeli military announced on Monday that all remaining living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now in Israel, as the country began releasing Palestinian prisoners. The military said in a statement that the final group of 13 hostages had crossed the border into Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the first group of seven hostages returned to Israel after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Xinhua/Chen Junqing/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Hostage Release Celebration - Israel

People celebrate as the helicopter carrying released hostages arrives at a hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, October 13, 2025. The Israeli military announced on Monday that all remaining living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now in Israel, as the country began releasing Palestinian prisoners. The military said in a statement that the final group of 13 hostages had crossed the border into Israeli territory. Earlier in the day, the first group of seven hostages returned to Israel after over two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Photo by Xinhua/Chen Junqing/ABACAPRESS.COM

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24th anniversary of Ehime Maru collision off Hawaii

Photo taken on Feb. 9, 2025, shows a cenotaph built in Hawaii's Honolulu in memory of those killed in a fatal collision between the Ehime Maru training boat of Uwajima Fisheries High School in Japan's Ehime Prefecture and a U.S. nuclear submarine off Hawaii in 2001. The collision claimed the lives of four students, two teachers and three crew members exactly 24 years earlier.

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Paris Olympics: Japan figure skaters awarded Beijing team silver in Paris

Japanese figure skaters (from L) Takeru Komatsubara, Misato Komatsubara, Ryuichi Kihara, Riku Miura, Kaori Sakamoto, Yuma Kagiyama and Wakaba Higuchi show off their team silver medals from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Paris on Aug. 7, 2024. They belatedly received the medals earlier in the day after the ceremony had been postponed for over two years following a doping controversy surrounding Russian skater Kamila Valieva.

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Tomb excavation in China's Anhui yields major discoveries

STORY: Tomb excavation in China's Anhui yields major discoveries SHOOTING TIME: April 17, 2024 DATELINE: May 19, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:31 LOCATION: HUAINAN, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Wuwangdun tomb excavation site 2. various of the relics STORYLINE: The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). According to the administration, the excavation of four side chambers to the north and west of the central burial chamber has been completed, while work on two additional chambers to the south and east is currently underway. Relics recovered from the northern chambers mostly consisted

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Türkiye raises year-end inflation forecast amid soaring prices

STORY: Türkiye raises year-end inflation forecast amid soaring prices SHOOTING TIME: May 9, 2024 & Earlier footage DATELINE: May 10, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:19 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Turkish Central Bank (earlier footage) 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): FATIH KARAHAN, Turkish Central Bank Governor (courtesy of ihlas news agency) 3. various of Turkish lira (earlier footage) 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): FATIH KARAHAN, Turkish Central Bank Governor (courtesy of ihlas news agency) 5. various of Turkish lira (earlier footage) 6. various of Turkish Central Bank (earlier footage) STORYLINE: Türkiye's Central Bank has raised its end-of-year inflation forecast for 2024 to 38 percent, a two-percentage-point increase from previous estimates, as revealed in its latest quarterly report. The bank's outlook for the subsequent years remains unchanged, with inflation expected to decrease to 14 percent in 2025 and 9 percent in 2026, aiming for a medium-term stabilization target of 5 percent. Centr

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China, France building up momentum for future-oriented cooperation

STORY: China, France building up momentum for future-oriented cooperation SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage DATELINE: May 6, 2024 LENGTH: 00:00:58 LOCATION: Paris CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of China and France 2. various of cooperation between China and France STORYLINE: This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, a milestone event in China-Western relations. Sixty years ago, the two countries broke through Cold War blocs and established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. Since then, the bilateral relations have always stayed abreast of China's relations with Western countries, setting a prime example for countries with different social systems to coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. Over the past 60 years, bilateral trade between China and France has surged dramatically, increasing 800-fold to reach 78.9 billion U.S. dollars last year. From 2019 to 2023, China's imports and exports with France grew by 5.9 p

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Türkiye's annual Industrial Production Index reaches 2-year high in Feb.

STORY: Türkiye's annual Industrial Production Index reaches 2-year high in Feb. SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage DATELINE: April 9, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:20 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of an industrial zone in Türkiye (courtesy of ihlas news agency) 2. various of a factory in Türkiye (courtesy of ihlas news agency) STORYLINE: Türkiye's Industrial Production Index grew by 11.5 percent year-on-year in February, the sharpest growth in the past two years, official data showed on Monday. The data revealed significant increases across key sectors, with the mining and quarrying index rising by 12.8 percent, the manufacturing index by 11.9 percent, and the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply index by 7.7 percent compared to the same period last year. On a monthly basis, the output increased 3.2 percent in February, the strongest growth since March 2023. When examining specific subsectors, the mining and quarrying index saw a 3.2 percent decrease, while the manufa

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Bank of Japan ends negative interest rates in historic policy overhaul

STORY: Bank of Japan ends negative interest rates in historic policy overhaul SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage DATELINE: March 19, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:41 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Bank of Japan 2. various of city views in Tokyo STORYLINE: The Bank of Japan (BOJ) on Tuesday decided to end its negative interest rate policy in its first rate hike in 17 years, marking a major shift away from the long-running monetary easing that Japan has seen over the past decade to put an end to deflation. After a two-day policy meeting, the central bank's policy board decided to guide short-term rate to a range of 0 to 0.1 percent, up a fraction from minus 0.1 to 0 percent, judging that its goal of attaining a stable 2 percent inflation is "in sight." "It came into sight that the price stability target of 2 percent would be achieved in a sustainable and stable manner," the BOJ said in a post-meeting statement. On top of returning to positive rates, the BOJ also decided to scrap it

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The renaissance of centuries-old Tibetan opera

STORY: The renaissance of centuries-old Tibetan opera SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 26/March 2, 2024/earlier footage DATELINE: March 17, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:37 LOCATION: LHASA, China CATEGORY: CULTURE/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Tibetan opera teachers and learners at the people's art hall of the Xizang 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Tibetan): TENZIN DONDEN, Tibetan opera learner 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Tibetan): CHIMED DROLKAR, Tibetan opera learner 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Tibetan): PHURJUNG, Tibetan opera teacher 5. various of Tibetan opera performances 6. various of Tashi Chodan, a community in Shannan City known for Tibetan opera 7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Tibetan): NYIMA TSERING, Inheritor of Tibetan opera STORYLINE: While many children choose hobbies like playing the piano, swimming or computer programming, 13-year-old Tenzin Donden stands out with his rare passion for Tibetan opera, an art form with a history of more than 600 years. Every weekend, Tenzin Donden dedicates two-and-a-half hours to honing his Tibetan opera performance skills at the

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Italy's major banks report record profits in 2023

STORY: Italy's major banks report record profits in 2023 SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 7, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 8, 2024 LENGTH: 0:00:39 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Italy STORYLINE: Italy's two major banks have reported record profits in 2023, signaling the recovery of the country's banking sector from recent difficulties. On Tuesday, Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's largest bank by total assets, reported a net profit of 7.7 billion euros (8.3 billion U.S. dollars) for 2023, a year-on-year increase of 76.4 percent. A day earlier, Unicredit revealed a record net profit of 8.6 billion euros for last year, 51 percent higher than in 2022. Both exceeded market expectations. The two banks rank among the world's 50 largest banks, according to Standard & Poor's ratings. Over the past three years, Italy's banking sector faced multiple challenges due to the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis stemming from the Ukraine crisis. Additionally, four months ago, the Italian p

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Ski resort in China's Inner Mongolia kicks off new season

STORY: Ski resort in China's Inner Mongolia kicks off new season SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 19, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 21, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:49 LOCATION: HOHHOT, China CATEGORY: SPORTS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the ski resort 2. various of visitors 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XIAOCHENG, General manager of Mazongshan Ski Resort 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN MEIDAN, Ski coach STORYLINE: A major ski resort in Hohhot, China's Inner Mongolia, has kicked off a new skiing season. The Mazongshan Ski Resort can receive 8,600 tourists a day, with a skiing area of 420,000 square meters opening to the public. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XIAOCHENG, General manager of Mazongshan Ski Resort "Compared with the previous two years, this ski season started half a month earlier. Visitors can join our hot pot parties at the resort and enjoy activities such as snow sculpture exhibition. We estimate that the total number of visitors this season may exceed 150,000." SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN MEIDAN, Ski coach "We have 150 coaches

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Border ports in China's Tibet see increasing traffic after operation resumed

STORY: Border ports in China's Tibet see increasing traffic after operation resumed DATELINE: Sept. 27, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:31 LOCATION: LHASA, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of general view of ports 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Nepali): TARDEL, Nepalese citizen 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SUASTAMA, Nepalese citizen 4. various of general view of ports 5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): RAMESH MAGAR, Nepalese tour guide 6. various of general view of ports 7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Tibetan): SONAM YANGKI, Nepalese shop owner STORYLINE: Three Chinese land ports connecting China and Nepal have witnessed steady growth in traffic since they fully resumed operations earlier this year. Zham port Tibet, China The Zham port resumed two-way passenger traffic on Sept. 1 after being closed for eight years. It was a major gateway between China and Nepal before 2015, when a mega-earthquake hit Nepal, forcing it to stop service. After the resumption, Nepalese people with border resident certificates are able to purchase daily nece

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Egypt's unemployment rate drops to 7 pct in Q2

STORY: Egypt's unemployment rate drops to 7 pct in Q2 DATELINE: Aug. 23, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:58 LOCATION: Cairo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) of Egypt 2. various of shops and restaurants 3. various of the Central Bank of Egypt STORYLINE: Egypt's unemployment rate fell slightly by 0.1 percent to 7 percent in the second quarter of this year, according to a report released by the country's statistics agency CAPMAS on Tuesday. More than two million Egyptians were without a job, including 1.2 million men and 941,000 women, the data revealed, adding that 61.8 percent of the unemployed Egyptians were between 15 and 29 years old. Meanwhile, the workforce in Egypt that covers the employed, unemployed who are capable to work, and those desiring to find jobs raised by 1.3 percent in the second quarter, compared to the same period a year earlier, said the report. Egypt's annual inflation rate rose to an all-time high of 38.2 percent in Ju

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2nd anniversary of deadly Atami landslide

Relatives of victims pray in an area hit by a deadly landside two years earlier in Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on July 3, 2023, around the time the tragedy occurred.

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2nd anniversary of deadly Atami landslide

Relatives of victims pray in an area hit by a deadly landside two years earlier in Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on July 3, 2023, around the time the tragedy occurred.

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Copenhagen Zoo prepares for giant pandas' mating season

STORY: Copenhagen Zoo prepares for giant pandas' mating season DATELINE: March 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:39 LOCATION: Copenhagen CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of pandas 2. SOUNDBITE 1(English): MADS FROST BERTELSEN, Director of Copenhagen Zoo 3. SOUNDBITE 2(English): MADS FROST BERTELSEN, Director of Copenhagen Zoo 4. SOUNDBITE 3(English): MADS FROST BERTELSEN, Director of Copenhagen Zoo STORYLINE: Denmark's Copenhagen Zoo has been preparing for the mating season of Chinese giant panda couple Mao Sun and Xing Er. The pair, who have been brought together for just 2 to 3 days each year for the past two years, have yet to produce any cubs. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MADS FROST BERTELSEN, Director of Copenhagen Zoo "What we will probably do this year is introduce them earlier than we have done previously, and that is in the hope that they will get fighting and so on done. And then be able to focus on the meeting when that time actually comes." SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MADS FROST BERTELSEN, Director of Copen

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Japanese, S. Korean leaders meet in Tokyo amid raging opposition

STORY: Japanese, S. Korean leaders meet in Tokyo amid raging opposition DATELINE: March 17, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:33 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the street view in Tokyo 2. various of the protests 3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese): Protestor STORYLINE: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Tokyo on Thursday, amid waves of opposition and criticism over ignoring history. At the Prime Minister's Official Residence, Kishida met with Yoon, who is on a two-day visit to Japan. It marked the first time in nearly five years that leaders of the two countries have held a summit in Japan. Yoon's visit followed his step to resolve the dispute over wartime laborers. South Korea earlier announced a plan that a local foundation would gather funds for South Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II and pay compensation the South Korean court judgment demanded from Japanese companies. Yoon's plan has been triggering resent

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Sri Lanka welcomes 1st Chinese tour groups in 3 years

STORY: Sri Lanka welcomes 1st Chinese tour groups in 3 years DATELINE: March 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:30 LOCATION: Colombo CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the welcome ceremony at the country's main Bandaranaike International Airport STORYLINE: Sri Lanka's tourism authority held a ceremony on Wednesday night at the country's main Bandaranaike International Airport to welcome the first batch of Chinese tour groups in three years. Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said at the airport that he was happy to receive the first tour groups from China and the South Asian country is expecting more Chinese tourists to come. Featured with beautiful scenery and friendly people, Sri Lanka is expected to receive more Chinese tourists, which is an important part of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, said Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong. Priantha Fernando, chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, said earlier that the SriLankan Airlines would operate nine flights a week start

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Monument for eternal memory of tsunami

OTSUCHI, Japan - Yusaku Yoshida (L), a 16-year-old high school student in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, and Tadayoshi Oguni, deputy chief of the Ando district neighborhood association, stand in front of a wooden monument Yoshida erected on a hill there on March 11, 2013 to indefinitely remember the devastating tsunami that hit the northeastern Japan region of Tohoku exactly two years earlier.

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2 years after Japan quake

IWAKI, Japan - Candles are lit on a levee in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 11, 2013, in memory of the victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan two years earlier.

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2 years after Japan quake

KESENNUMA, Japan - Searchlights are beamed into the sky over Kesennuma port in Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, 2013, in memory of the victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan two years earlier.

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2 years after Japan quake

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (front) and Empress Michiko observe a moment of silence at a government-hosted ceremony at the National Theatre in Tokyo to mourn the victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2013, the time the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeastern Japan exactly two years earlier. (Pool photo)

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2 years after Japan quake

IWAKI, Japan - People face the sea as they observe a moment of silence for the victims of the 2011 tsunami in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2013, the time the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck northeastern Japan exactly two years earlier.

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Day after general election in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2012, the day after his Democratic Party of Japan's crushing defeat in a general election. The DPJ is to slip from power after losing more than two-thirds of its seats in the House of Representatives, as the major opposition Liberal Democratic Party, defeated by the DPJ in the previous election three years earlier, achieved a landslide.

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Day after general election in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2012, the day after his Democratic Party of Japan's crushing defeat in a general election. The DPJ is to slip from power after losing more than two-thirds of its seats in the House of Representatives, as the major opposition Liberal Democratic Party, defeated by the DPJ in the previous election three years earlier, achieved a landslide.

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Shinto ritual on Lake Suwa

NAGANO, Japan - A Shinto ritual is held on the surface of the frozen Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture on Feb. 6, 2012 to predict the year's social situations and the prospects for crop harvests and weather from a streak of elevated ice cracks, a natural phenomenon observed two days earlier on the Nagano Prefecture lake for the first time in four years.

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Shinto ritual on Lake Suwa

NAGANO, Japan - A Shinto ritual is held on the surface of the frozen Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture on Feb. 6, 2012 to predict the year's social situations and the prospects for crop harvests and weather from a streak of elevated ice cracks, a natural phenomenon observed two days earlier on the Nagano Prefecture lake for the first time in four years.

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China's economy posts slowest growth in 10 qtrs

BEIJING, China - Ma Jiantang, director of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, announces China's gross domestic product data for the October-December quarter at a press conference in Beijing on Jan. 17, 2012. China's economy grew 8.9 percent in the quarter from a year earlier, marking the slowest rate of growth in two and a half years.

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Kitajima settles for 2nd at nationals

TOKYO, Japan - Two-time double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima surprisingly finishes second in the men's 50-meter breaststroke in his first appearance at the national swimming championships in two years in Tokyo on April 13, 2010 after having earlier set a new national record in the heats.

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Typhoon lands in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Braving strong winds and rain caused by Typhoon Melor, women head to their offices in front of JR Tokyo station on Oct. 8, 2009. The typhoon made landfall in Japan earlier in the day, the first to do so in two years.

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Experts on China's economic prospects

STORY: Experts on China's economic prospects DATELINE: Dec. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:44 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street view of China 2. various of screenshots of some media reports 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): WICHAI KINCHONG CHOI, Senior vice president of Thai bank Kasikornbank 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BADIEA SHAUKAT, Economic consultant at Islamabad-based Sustainable Development Policy Institute STORYLINE: China's economy, growing at an average annual rate of more than 5 percent over the past two years, better than the global average. According to some media reports, corporate investors have expressed optimism that China's economic growth will likely pick up in the coming year. According to CNBC, Morgan Stanley raised its outlook for China's economy in 2023, predicting a rebound in activity will come earlier and be sharper than expected. According to IFA Magazine, an investment company manager said they remain "constructive" on China's recovery potential in 2023. Some

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Toyama man acquitted in retrial after serving 2 years over rape

TOYAMA, Japan - Hiroshi Yanagihara speaks during a news conference in Toyama on Oct. 10 after the Toyama District Court acquitted him earlier in the day in a retrial held after he served about two years in prison for rape and attempted rape in cases for which he was wrongfully convicted.

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Japanese sumo wrestlers in Hawaii

HONOLULU, United States - Ozeki Kaio (front) charges during a sightseeing tour of Oahu island on June 7. A delegation of sumo wrestlers arrived in Honolulu earlier in the day to take part in a sumo exhibition tournament, the first in 14 years. The two-day exhibition meet involving wrestlers in the top makuuchi division will be held June 9-10.

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Lower house passes bill to extend Japan troops' mission in Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - The House of Representatives approves a bill to extend by two years the deployment of Japanese air troops for Iraqi reconstruction at a plenary session on May 15. Foreign Minister Taro Aso said earlier in the day that the bill reflects Japan's position on continuing aid to Iraq and is a ''major leap'' to help rebuild Iraq and promote national reconciliation there.

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Cherry blossoms in full bloom

TOKYO, Japan - People crowd Chidorigafuchi Park in Tokyo on March 24 to enjoy viewing cherry blossoms at their best. Due to a warm spring this year, the cherry trees in the Metropolitan area bloomed about two weeks earlier than normal years.

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IY Bank approved

TOKYO, Japan - Ito-Yokado Co. President Toshifumi Suzuki speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on April 6 the retailing group plans to launch its IY Bank in mid-May in the hope that the banking subsidiary will swing into the black within two years. The Financial Services Agency gave preliminary approval earlier in the day to an application by the group to establish the bank.

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Aged S. Korean convict in Japan paroled after 31 years

NARITA, Japan - Kim Hui Ro, a South Korean resident of Japan previously serving a life sentence for murder, leaves Narita airport for Pusan, South Korea, on Sept. 7. Kim, 70, was paroled earlier in the day from a prison in Chiba Prefecture, 31 years after his arrest. Kim had been convicted of killing two Japanese who had pressured him to repay money he owed them.

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Compagnoni leads in Olympic women's slalom

Two-time Olympic champion Deborah Compagnoni of Italy skies aggressively over the course on Mt. Yakebitai in Shiga Kogen, central Japan, on Feb . 19 to lead the first round of the Nagano Winter Games women's slalom race with a comfortable 0.60-second lead. Compagnoni won the giant slalom crown at the 1994 Lillehammer Games and Super G event two years earlier in Albertville.

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S.Korea's export falls 14 pct in November

STORY: S.Korea's export falls 14 pct in November DATELINE: Dec. 1, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:32 LOCATION: Seoul CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of city scenes of Seoul 2. various of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy 3. various of Sunkwang Newport Container Terminal 4. various of a container port (courtesy of Yonhap TV) STORYLINE: South Korea's export recorded a double-digit fall last month, leading to trade deficits for the eighth consecutive month, government data showed Thursday. Export, which takes up about half of South Korea's export-driven economy, plunged 14.0 percent from a year earlier to 51.91 billion U.S. dollars in November, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The outbound shipment kept sliding for the second straight month after reducing 5.7 percent in October, the first export decrease in two years since October 2020. Import rose 2.7 percent to 58.93 billion dollars in November, sending the trade deficit to 7.02 billion dollars. The trade balance has stayed i

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Hungary welcomes back Chinese tourists with resumption of direct flights

STORY: Hungary welcomes back Chinese tourists with resumption of direct flights DATELINE: Nov. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 0:02:01 LOCATION: Budapest CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Budapest 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Hungarian): ZSOFIA JAKAB, Deputy CEO of Hungarian Tourism Agency 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Hungarian): ZSOFIA JAKAB, Deputy CEO of Hungarian Tourism Agency STORYLINE: Two direct flights were resumed between China and Hungary earlier this month, one linking Shanghai with Budapest and the other linking Budapest with Chongqing. These two routes complement the Budapest-Beijing direct connection, which was reopened in July this year. Zsofia Jakab, deputy chief executive officer of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTU), said the number of direct flights between China and Hungary has increased in recent years in line with Hungary's eagerness to welcome visitors from the Asian country. SOUNDBITE 1 (Hungarian): ZSOFIA JAKAB, Deputy CEO of Hungarian Tourism Agency "It is very important that we restore as many direct flight

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Venezuela-Colombia border formally reopens

STORY: Venezuela-Colombia border formally reopens DATELINE: Sept. 27, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:32 LOCATION: Caracas CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: various of the ceremonyvarious of trucks STORYLINE: The border between Venezuela and Colombia was formally reopened Monday, after a symbolic act led by Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan ministers at the Simon Bolivar Bridge linking the two countries. Petro said he hoped the reopening would benefit the residents on each side, who for years had to risk passing through unauthorized crossings. After the ceremony, trucks with merchandise began to cross the border, with aluminum material from Venezuela and a shipment of medicines from Colombia. Earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro commented on his Twitter account that "firm steps were taken to advance in the total and absolute opening of the border between brotherly peoples: Colombia and Venezuela. It is a historic and transcendental day!" Since Petro took office in Colombia this year, C

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Dominican musician in Hong Kong cheers people up amid pandemic

STORY: Dominican musician in Hong Kong cheers people up amid pandemic DATELINE: Sept. 25, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:27 LOCATION: HONG KONG, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Hong Kong and Dominican musician Chris Polanco related footage 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHRIS POLANCO, Dominican musician 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CHRIS POLANCO, Dominican musician 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CHRIS POLANCO, Dominican musician 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): CHRIS POLANCO, Dominican musician STORYLINE: Earlier this year, Hong Kong was hit hard by the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying at home, 44-year-old Dominican musician Chris Polanco started to produce short videos and put them on social media, calling on people to sing Cantonese songs with him to overcome the difficult time. In just three months, around 80,000 fans followed him. Twenty-two years ago, Polanco left his home country for Hong Kong. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CHRIS POLANCO, Dominican musician "It's kind of weird, because when I arrived here, I

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Supply of labor falls short in U.S. after COVID-19 pandemic

STORY: Supply of labor falls short in U.S. after COVID-19 pandemic DATELINE: Sept. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:03 LOCATION: NEW YORK, U.S. CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): XIA LIN, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of street views STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): XIA LIN, Xinhua correspondent "While the United States emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have been desperate to hire. Demand for goods and services has rebounded, but the supply of labor has fallen short, holding back the economy. 'More than two years after the COVID-19 recession officially ended, some sectors haven't found the workers they need to operate at capacity,' reported The New York Times earlier in September. In simple numbers, some of that gap is due to the pandemic's death toll: more than a million people, about 260,000 of them short of retirement age. 'For decades, a large generation aging into retirement has been the strongest factor dragging down overall labor force participation,' said the newspaper. The pand

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Israel begins vaccinating children under 5 against COVID-19

STORY: Israel begins vaccinating children under 5 against COVID-19 DATELINE: Aug. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:26 LOCATION: Jerusalem CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: 1. various of a four-year old before and after receiving COVID-19 vaccine STORYLINE: A nationwide vaccination campaign against COVID-19 for children aged six months to five years was launched in Israel on Sunday. The vaccination will provide children "with an important protection layer against serious illness and post-COVID symptoms," said a statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health on Sunday evening. The vaccine is especially recommended for children at risk of severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying health conditions that impair the immune system, the ministry noted. The shots will either be three doses of the Pfizer vaccine or two doses of the Moderna vaccine, said the ministry. Vaccination for children under the age of five was approved by the ministry's Director General Nachman Ash earlier this month, following a recommendation by a pan

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Exploring Lushanmao site of Neolithic Age in Yan'an, China

STORY: Exploring Lushanmao site of Neolithic Age in Yan'an, China DATELINE: July 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:46 LOCATION: XI'AN, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of Lushanmao Site STORYLINE: Lushanmao Site, in Baota District of Yan'an City in northeast China's Shaanxi Province, was discovered in 2018. Archaeological findings show that the history of Yan'an can be traced back 4,500 years, 2,300 years earlier than the previous estimate. Archaeologists have discovered housing and cooking sites and city walls at the site. A large number of cultural items including pottery, stoneware, boneware and jadeware have been unearthed. The site, covering an area of two million square meters, is one of the largest prehistoric settlement sites in China. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xi'an, China. (XHTV)