Holiday consumption boom mirrors Chinese economy's vitality, potential

STORY: Holiday consumption boom mirrors Chinese economy's vitality, potential DATELINE: Oct. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:23 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of tourists 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese) SHEN YILIANG, Official with Yanguan Scenic Spot in Haining, Zhejiang 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese) LYU SHU, Visitor 4. various of tourists 5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHANG NA, Restaurant owner at Wudadao area in Tianjin 6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WEI YIJI, Restaurant owner at Wudadao area in Tianjin STORYLINE: Chinese residents' fervor for travel and leisure over the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday has reflected the country's strong consumption demand. From top domestic destinations, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Hangzhou, to cities in the northwest like Urumqi in Xinjiang, known for their scenic autumn landscapes, resorts across the country were flooded by visitors during the holiday. Latest data show that more than 52 million trips were made by rail, highway, wate

CHINA-GANSU-GANNAN-MAQU WETLANDS-CONSERVATION-RESTORATION (CN)

CHINA-GANSU-GANNAN-MAQU WETLANDS-CONSERVATION-RESTORATION (CN)

(230915) -- GANNAN, Sept. 15, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Villagers sow grass seeds on a grassland management point along the Yellow River in Oula Town of Maqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 6, 2023. Located on the northeast rim of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Maqu County boasts an extensive presence of grasslands and wetlands. Maqu, meaning "the Yellow River" in the Tibetan language, is the only county named after "Yellow River" in China. Covering an area of 5.62 million mu (about 374,667 hectares), the Maqu wetlands serve as an important water reserve and eco-zone in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. However, the Maqu wetlands once suffered from shrinking lake areas, grass degradation, and decreasing water conservation capacity. In order to protect the Maqu wetlands from degrading further, Maqu County has continued to implement integrated conservation and restoration projects of its environment in recent years. The wetlands are expanding with increasing wate

CHINA-GANSU-GANNAN-MAQU WETLANDS-CONSERVATION-RESTORATION (CN)

CHINA-GANSU-GANNAN-MAQU WETLANDS-CONSERVATION-RESTORATION (CN)

(230915) -- GANNAN, Sept. 15, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Villagers sow grass seeds on a grassland management point along the Yellow River in Oula Town of Maqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 6, 2023. Located on the northeast rim of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Maqu County boasts an extensive presence of grasslands and wetlands. Maqu, meaning "the Yellow River" in the Tibetan language, is the only county named after "Yellow River" in China. Covering an area of 5.62 million mu (about 374,667 hectares), the Maqu wetlands serve as an important water reserve and eco-zone in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. However, the Maqu wetlands once suffered from shrinking lake areas, grass degradation, and decreasing water conservation capacity. In order to protect the Maqu wetlands from degrading further, Maqu County has continued to implement integrated conservation and restoration projects of its environment in recent years. The wetlands are expanding with increasing wate

TANZANIA-MWANZA REGION-WATER SUPPLY

TANZANIA-MWANZA REGION-WATER SUPPLY

(230617) -- MWANZA, June 17, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Villagers fetch water from a stream in Sahwa of Mwanza Region, Tanzania, June 11, 2023. Mwanza Region is situated in the northwest of Tanzania, bordering the southern shores of Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest in the world. Unfortunately, due to inadequate infrastructure, the residents living along the lake have faced water scarcity issues. Kelvin Josephat Kituruka, a native of Mwanza, joined the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) as a quality engineer upon completing his studies in Dar es Salaam. In May 2017, the water supply project for satellite cities in Mwanza was launched, prompting Kelvin to return to his hometown to address the water problem. Since its implementation in November 2019, the water supply project has successfully met the water demands of approximately 150,000 local residents and the water cost has also dropped to one-fifth of the original. CCECC has constructed seven wate

Italy declares state of emergency to confront drought

STORY: Italy declares state of emergency to confront drought DATELINE: July 5, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:55 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of Tiber River 2. various of people under the hot sun STORYLINE: The Italian government on Monday declared a state of emergency related to the prolonged heatwave and drought conditions that have badly hit the country, particularly its north. The state of emergency, which will remain in force until at least the end of the year, will give the government extra funds and power to deal with the hot and dry conditions that threaten to reduce the country's agricultural output by as much as a third. The government also earmarked a total of 36.5 million euros (38.1 million U.S. dollars) for the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto to tackle their water shortages. Focus will be placed on easing droughts along the Po River -- Italy's longest waterway that is running 85 percent below its normal wate