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RM 152500797

Improve game management ahead of Olympics, says Australia women's football coach

Two-time Women's World Cup winner and current Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson says that his side will focus on elements they can control ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, and that game management is an important tool in preparation for the tournament. Gustavsson, who was announced as the new head coach of the women's national team by Football Australia last September, officially started his new role this month. The 47-year-old Swede said earlier this week that he had tried to speak with and get to know current Matildas players and staff via video calls. The Matildas, who qualified for Tokyo after securing a last-gasp 1-1 draw with China and then winning a playoff last year, are ranked seventh in the world and lead the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) teams in the rankings. Gustavsson told Xinhua that the game in Sydney between Australia and China in February 2020 was a great game of football. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TONY GUSTAVSSON, Head coach of Australia women's football national team "That was a great game by the way, great game of football, because I watched the game that you asked about. China showed a very well organized team, extremely disciplined and well organized, defended very well as a team, showed a lot of team commitment. And also I think they were dangerous in the counterattacks." Despite the COVID-19 creating uncertainty about the Olympics, Gustavsson said his charges would focus on things they can control and make the most of every minute in training ahead of the July tournament. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): TONY GUSTAVSSON, Head coach of Australia women's football national team "I've learned a lot that going into tournament, the better prepared you are, the more confident you are. And if you educate the players in what I call game management, they have a larger chance to succeed on the field as well, meaning they understand how to handle different (situations), not just you know a given goal or an overlap or a crossing on the back post, or defending or a heading or a clearance, but also the understanding of the momentum in game. And I think I've experienced that in the time in the United States Women's National Team. When you get team to understand that, it's very beneficial." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Canberra. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月22日

RM 152499834

Germany's tough COVID-19 lockdown beginning to pay off: Merkel

Chancellor Angela Merkel called it encouraging at a press conference in Berlin on Thursday that the COVID-19 surge in Germany was beginning to ease. "This shows that the tough cutbacks that people in Germany have had to endure for weeks are starting to pay off and it basically shows that the effort is worth it," she said. The number of daily COVID-19 infections was below the previous week's level and increased by 20,398 on Thursday, according to Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal government agency for disease control and prevention. To date, 2.09 million coronavirus cases have officially been recorded in Germany. The seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 population also continued to fall in Germany and stood at 119 on Thursday, which was the lowest value since the beginning of November 2020, according to the RKI. The incidence rate was a record high at 197 before Christmas. Due to the high COVID-19 infection rates last autumn, Germany entered a lockdown at the beginning of November. It failed to reverse the trend in infections, so the restrictions were tightened and only recently were extended again until the middle of February. Despite the recent decrease in infection numbers, Merkel said "we are in a very difficult phase of the pandemic because we have a mixed picture" as the country is dealing with "frighteningly high death rates." The number of deaths in Germany related to COVID-19 remained high and increased by 1,013 in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's official death toll to 49,783 on Thursday, the RKI said. The new strains of the virus continue to present a danger, she said. Citing scientific findings, Merkel said the new virus strains were many times more contagious than the previously known form, which meant that the spread of these variants had to be slowed down as much as possible. The RKI noted in its recent daily situation report that the new virus strains had already been detected in Germany. Merkel warned that a wait-and-see approach could lead to a third, possibly more severe, wave of the pandemic. SOUNDBITE (German): ANGELA MERKEL, Chancellor of Germany "We must to slow down the spreading of this mutation, to be concrete, we cannot just wait for the mutation until it is just by our side." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Berlin. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月22日

人物：アンゲラ・メルケル

RM 152499730

Turkey extends anti-terror campaign in eastern regions

Turkey has extended its fight against terrorists as the new phase of a domestic counter-terrorism operation has been launched in the country's eastern region, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. The anti-terror campaign, Operation Eren-2, is underway in the Lice region of the eastern Diyarbakir province with 116 teams, including over 2,000 personnel from the gendarmerie, police, and village guards. On Jan. 11, Turkey launched Operation Eren in the Tendurek region of the eastern Agri and Van provinces to target terrorists. The operation was named after Eren Bulbul, a 15-year-old martyred by the terrorist PKK on Aug. 11, 2017. The new push aims to remove PKK/KCK terrorists completely from the country's agenda and to neutralize terrorists in the region, the ministry added. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月22日

RM 152499714

Chinese scientists develop 3D-printed pipe-climbing robot

Scientists at China's Tianjin University have used 3D printing technology to produce a robot capable of conducting real-time scale and monitor of pipes at industrial facilities. The robot features a one-piece soft bending mechanism and modular grippers that allow it to climb pipes of different shapes. The robot has a maximum bearing ability of 1 kilogram that is almost 80 times its weight. Scientists plan to integrate sensors into the device, allowing it to become an autonomous pipe maintenance solution. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tianjin, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月22日

RM 152401944

ジョー・バイデン、46代目米国大統領　就任式

At an unusual inauguration closed to public due to the still raging coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday at the West Front of the Capitol, which was breached two weeks ago by violent protesters trying to overturn his election victory. Under the gaze of National Guard troops standing beneath the Capitol steps facing the reflection pool to guard the security for the ceremony, Biden took his oath of office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, putting his hand on a 127-year-old family Bible. Biden said in his inauguration speech that his "whole soul is in" unifying a nation torn apart by the many challenges that need to be overcome, urging the American people to come together at a "historic moment of crisis." "This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward," Biden said, referencing a "once-in-a-century virus" pandemic that took over 400,000 lives, as well as the existence of a "cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making." "To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words and requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity," Biden said. Moments before Biden's swearing-in, Kamala Harris was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the 49th vice president of the United States, becoming the first female and woman of color to hold the nation's second-highest office. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：ジョー・バイデン, ジル・バイデン

RM 152447967

India's active COVID-19 caseload lowest in nearly 7 months

The number of active COVID-19 cases in India fell below the 200,000-mark on Wednesday, showing a steady decline amid the pandemic in the country, said the federal health ministry. The active cases stood at 197,201, the lowest in 207 days, said the official data released by the ministry. The total active cases were 197,387 on June 27, it added. Describing it as a "significant achievement," the health ministry said the total number of active COVID-19 cases was 1.86 percent of the total cases registered in the country so far. As many as 16,988 cases have recovered and been discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, leading to a net decline of 3,327 from the total active caseload. Nearly 72 percent of these active cases are concentrated in five Indian states. Till Wednesday morning a total of 674,835 people have received the vaccination. Over the last 24 hours, 220,786 people have been vaccinated across 3,860 sessions. Nearly 11,720 COVID-19 vaccination sessions have been conducted so far. The number of those who have recovered stands at 10,245,741. The current recovery rate is said to be around 96.70 percent. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Delhi. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152473200

Chile approves emergency use of vaccine made by China's Sinovac

The Public Health Institute of Chile (ISP) on Wednesday approved the emergency use of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) developed by Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech. "We obtained very good results regarding the manufacturing quality and the strains being developed in the manufacture of this vaccine. We are approving a safe and effective vaccine for the population," acting director of the ISP, Heriberto Garcia, said. The vaccine "prevents hospitalizations and the severity of the disease," he added. Some 680,740 people in Chile have so far tested positive for COVID-19 and 17,594 have died from the disease, according to the health ministry. The Chinese vaccine has been tested since the end of 2020 on volunteers participating in a phase III clinical trial run by the Institute of Immunotherapy and Immunology at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Santiago. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152465235

President Biden orders U.S. to rejoin Paris Agreement on climate change

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order returning the United States to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Hours after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, Biden signed in the Oval Office an executive order that returns his country back to the Paris Agreement on climate change, reversing his predecessor Donald Trump's decision to abandon the deal. "We are going to combat climate change in a way we have not done so far," he said before the signing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the new U.S. administration's announcement to re-enter the Paris Agreement on climate change. "I warmly welcome President (Joe) Biden's steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on climate change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis," said Guterres in a statement. Biden had promised that he would rejoin the Paris climate agreement on his first day of taking office. "Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," Biden tweeted on Nov. 4 last year, the day the United States formally withdrew from the pact. Trump announced the withdrawal soon after he took office in 2017, citing concerns about the pact's threat to the U.S. economy. Biden picked former Secretary of State John Kerry to be his special envoy for climate, indicating the importance of this issue in his foreign policy. The Paris Agreement of climate change, agreed on by almost every country in the world in 2015 after lengthy negotiations, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the rise in the average temperature no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New York, U.S.. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152464534

Foundation works to revert extinction of species in Argentina

Rewilding Argentina, an organization aims to reverse the crisis of extinction of species in the wetlands of Northeastern Argentina, announced the re-introduction of jaguar cubs in the wetlands of the National Ibera Park last weekend. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): MARISI LOPEZ, Project Coordinator of the Foundation Rewilding Argentina "It is important that the jaguar returns to live in in these lands where it used to dwell, because it has a fundamental role as a key predator. The jaguar is the animal who regulates all the ecosystem from top to bottom, and who is also in charge of ensuring that those lower on the food chain have a fair shot." The cubs, named "Kari" and "Pora", were born in mid-September 2020 and were moved through the wetlands of Northeastern Argentina together with their mother "Marjua", who comes from Brazil. In addition to the return of the jaguar to the province of Corrientes, the Foundation Rewilding Argentina is working towards the re-introduction in this area of other species, such as the pampas deer, the giant anteater, red macaw, and the giant otter. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Buenos Aires. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152464533

Kangaroos "communicate" with keepers to ask for help: Aussie study

Australian kangaroos are able to communicate with their keepers and ask them for help, according to a study by the University of Sydney (UoS) and University of Roehampton (UoR) in London. The study, released on Wednesday, involved placing food in a closed plastic container that the kangaroos were unable to open. After trying and failing to reach the food, the kangaroos would gaze at and interact with nearby keepers, showing a remarkable depth of understanding. "We've previously thought only domesticated animals try to ask for help with a problem. But kangaroos do it too," said study co-author Dr Alexandra Green, a post-doctoral researcher at the UoS School of Veterinary Science. "If they can't open the box, they look at the human and back to the container. Some of them used their nose to nudge the human and some approached the human and started scratching at him asking for assistance." Nine of the 11 kangaroos tested altered their gaze between the container and the keeper, which is considered a heightened form of communication. Lead author Dr Alan McElligott from UoR, who is now based at City University of Hong Kong, explained that like dogs, kangaroos are social animals and may be able to adapt their natural social behaviors with each other for interacting with humans. "Through this study, we were able to see that communication between animals can be learnt and that the behavior of gazing at humans to access food is not related to domestication," McElligott said. "Indeed, kangaroos showed a very similar pattern of behavior we have seen in dogs, horses and even goats when put to the same test." While the kangaroos in the study were not wild and had past experience with humans, they were not considered "domesticated," as that is defined as animals selectively bred over generations to live alongside humans. Those behind the study, which is the first of its kind conducted with marsupials, hope it will lead to a greater appreciation regarding the cognitive abilities of different types of animals and more positive attitudes towards Australia's iconic kangaroos. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Sydney. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152464522

Turkey plans to reopen schools on Feb. 15 amid mass vaccinations: minister

Turkey plans to resume face-to-face education in mid-February with the "highest capacity possible" amid the ongoing mass vaccination process against COVID-19, Turkish Education Minister Ziya Selcuk announced on Wednesday. "We have a determination to open schools as of Feb. 15 with the maximum capacity possible when we observed the current situation of society, families, parents, and children," Selcuk said in an interview with the CNN Turk broadcaster. He noted that there has been a significant expectation at the point of opening school with face-to-face learning in public. Turkey had previously switched to online education in high schools due to the growing COVID-19 cases. According to teachers, there has been a serious learning loss in distance education, and its compensation would be laborious. Most of them believe that in-person education should be started as soon as possible with extra COVID-19 related measures if needed. Selcuk also assured that both teachers and students would be in a controlled environment at schools, paying the utmost attention to the rules against the coronavirus. The mass vaccination process started across the country on Jan. 14 with the COVID-19 vaccines developed by the Chinese company Sinovac. Since then, over one million citizens, including healthcare workers, people in nursing homes, and those aged 90 and over, have been vaccinated, according to the Health Ministry's data. The program would continue in the upcoming days with the vaccinations of people aged 65 and above and those working in specific sectors, including teachers and academics. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152464519

Vaccination campaign, economic recovery main priorities for Portugal's EU presidency

The success of the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 and achieving an economic and social recovery in accordance with the digital and climate transitions are the top priorities of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), European Parliamentarians were told on Wednesday. Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa told MEPs during a plenary session in Brussels that other challenges, such as the combat with climate change and social issues, will also be high on the agenda during the six-month presidency in first half of 2021. Under the motto "Time to Deliver", the Portuguese presidency will focus on adopting the European Climate Law, advancing on the Digital Services Act package, delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights, and strengthening international partnerships, especially with the United Kingdom, the United States and Latin America. Portugal will also host an EU-India Summit in May in Porto, on digital issues, trade, investment, pharmaceutical products, science and space, Costa said. EU executive chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the focus on social issues and said the European Commission will update its industrial strategy to help create quality jobs in the post-pandemic world. "The green, digital and fair recovery must be a jobs recovery," she stressed. She said the recovery depended on overcoming the pandemic so she called for a faster roll-out of vaccination across Europe. "This is a race against time! We have made progress at unprecedented speed. Work on developing vaccines that would normally take 10 years, has been completed in 10 months. We must speed up our vaccination effort. The speed at which the countries of Europe are vaccinating their people continues to vary too much," she said. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Brussels. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463409

EU officials express readiness to work with Biden administration

Top officials of the European Union (EU) rejoiced on Wednesday over the inauguration of the new administration of the United States, expressing their readiness to mend the broken partnership and laying out expectations for renewed transatlantic cooperation. "Today is a very special day. I am ready to present to President Joe Biden our proposals for a new transatlantic agenda," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter. She posted a video, in which she addressed the European Parliament early on Wednesday, saying that "there is no greater need for global cooperation in the short term than in tackling the pandemic, which has been so devastating on both sides of the Atlantic." Von der Leyen said she was delighted to know that "on day one, as they announced, the new American administration, the United States, will rejoin the Paris Agreement" on climate change. Charles Michel, president of the European Council, appeared along with von der Leyen at the European Parliament's plenary. He said: "Today is the opportunity to rejuvenate our transatlantic relationship, which has greatly suffered in the last four years." Michel called on the two sides to work on five priorities, which are boosting multilateral cooperation, combating COVID-19, tackling climate change, rebuilding economies while promoting a digital transformation; and joining forces on security and peace. He invited Biden to participate in an extraordinary European Council session in Brussels. Without giving the exact schedule, he suggested it could take place in parallel with a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in November 2020 that he would invite Biden to attend the next NATO summit set for 2021. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Brussels. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463388

China calls for efforts to advance political process, improve humanitarian situation in Syria

China's permanent representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun on Wednesday at a virtual Security Council meeting called for efforts to advance the political process in Syria and improve the security and humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese with English translation): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to the United Nations: "Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, ten years have passed. A political solution at an early date and the resumption of peace and tranquility in the country are the common wishes of the Syrian people and the universal expectation of the international community." He called for efforts to promote the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese with English translation): ZHANG JUN, China's permanent representative to the United Nations: "The fifth session of the Constitutional Committee will convene in Geneva next week. We hope that the two parties will work under the framework of the committee and use dialogue to resolve differences, broaden consensus, and promote substantial progress in relevant work. The constitutional committee's work must remain independent and free from outside interference. The international community should create favorable conditions for dialogue between the two parties in Syria and provide encouragement and guidance instead of willfully putting pressure on one single side." Zhang also called for efforts to stabilize the security, economic and humanitarian situation in Syria, adding that the current security threats for Syria are mainly from foreign occupation and terrorist activities. The international community should, in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions, adopt uniform standards and support Syria in enhancing its counter-terrorism efforts, and should not allow sustained presence of terrorist forces in the Idlib region, he added. Noting the dire economic and humanitarian situation in Syria, Zhang said the world community should assist the country and make efforts to ease its humanitarian crisis. China has provided assistance to Syria worth about 130 million U.S. dollars, and is ready to continue to help and support the Syrian people, Zhang said, calling on relevant UN agencies to take active measures to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian operations. He pointed out that unilateral coercive measures against Syria must be removed at an early date as they have severely undermined Syria's economic base and hinder Syrians' access to medical supplies and services. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463380

U.S. New Orleans holds memorial for COVID-19 victims

U.S. city of New Orleans held a memorial on Tuesday for those who lost lives to COVID-19. Nearly 700 white flags were put at the city's Lafayette Square to commemorate New Orleanais who lost their lives during the pandemic. People came and put photos, flowers, and tokens of remembrance around the flags to show their loves and condolences. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Orleans, U.S. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463332

Japan's foreign visitors drop by record amount in 2020 as pandemic takes toll

Japan saw the number of foreign visitors in 2020 plummet 87.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the largest decline in 56 years when comparable data keeping began, the Japan Tourism Agency said Wednesday. According to the agency, in 2020 the number of foreign visitors tumbled to 4.12 million, well below the government's lofty target of attracting 40 million foreign visitors in 2020 when Tokyo was originally scheduled to host the since postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games. As the government tightened entry restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in May last year, the number of foreign visitors here slumped 99.9 percent from a year earlier to just 1,663 travelers. Foreign visitors in December last year climbed to almost 59,000 although this was still 97.7 percent less than those who visited at the same time a year earlier and marked the 15th successive month of decline, the agency's data showed. Japan welcomed the largest number of visitors from China last year. The agency's data also showed that in 2020 the number of Japanese people traveling overseas dropped 84.2 percent from a year earlier to 3.17 million, marking the largest drop since comparable data became available. Adding to Japan's already battered tourism industry, the government here in late December suspended entries into the country of non-resident foreign nationals arriving from the majority of the world in a bid to prevent the spread of a new, highly transmissible coronavirus strain. As infections continued to surge, a state of emergency for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures was declared by the government here on Jan. 7, which was expanded almost a week later to cover 11 prefectures nationwide, including Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto and Aichi prefectures, further hammering the domestic tourism industry. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152459682

China now "locomotive" of world economy: German expert

With a strong economic rebound, China has now become the locomotive of the world economy, Horst Loechel, a professor of economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, has told Xinhua. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HORST LOECHEL, Professor of economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management "Very strong rebound. I think it's more than normally to be expected in this difficult year. Compared to other large economies in the Western world, it's a very great success for the Chinese economy." Loechel said the rebound has been mainly driven by the recovery in the manufacturing industry, as well as exports, which benefited from backlogged demand from countries outside of China. Loechel pointed out that China is now a major driving force on the global economic stage. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HORST LOECHEL, Professor of economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management "China is the locomotive of the overall world economy. For example, for the German economy, it's very much important that the Chinese economy is growing fast because that means we can also here from our industry export more goods and services to China. So the role of China has changed. China has now become the locomotive of the world economy." However, Loechel pointed out that the Western world's ability to get the pandemic under control remains a key risk for the world economy, including China. Looking ahead, Loechel expects to see more innovation in the development of the Chinese economy. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): HORST LOECHEL, Professor of economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management "For the Chinese economy, I think it's very clear what has to happen in the next 5 to 10, 15, 20 years. It's the upgrade of the economy, right? More and more innovation, more technological progress, this kind of stuff. The times that China simply manufactures goods are long gone. So China should become more and more innovative, innovative economy. I think this is the crucial point. " Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Frankfurt, Germany. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152451001

Kuwait: traditional housewares market combines history with present

Al-Saffafir Market, located in Kuwait City is one of the oldest heritage markets in Kuwait. This market has existed since the 19th century, which did not survive change, as there was little left after most industries in it turned to aluminum and iron. In the past, Kuwaitis imported non-metallic household utensils from China, India, and Iraq, while metal utensils - including copper ones - were made inside the country. The shops in the market offer copper pots, jugs and trays of various colors, and it was a pilgrimage for Kuwaitis who wanted to acquire copper pots for cooking. In Kuwait, Al-Saffafir Market is a destination for the acquisition of metal household utensils, especially as these preserved pots reflect the Kuwaiti folklore. The market has become part of the history of the capital city and the Arab country at the same time. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kuwait City. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152450978

Cambodia awards honorable medals to Chinese military doctors

Cambodia has awarded the government's honorable medals to five Chinese military doctors in recognition of their contributions to improving the medical standards of the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital, known as the military hospital. Lt. Gen. Pich Chhoeun, deputy director general of the General Department of Logistics and Finance at the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense, joined by Li Jingfeng, military attache of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, attended the ceremony at the hospital on Monday. Chhoeun presented the "Knight Class" medals to the doctors. The medals were conferred upon the five doctors of the 15th Chinese medical expert team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) after they had completed their one-year mission in Cambodia. During the past year, they assisted the hospital to provide medical and health services for Cambodian military personnel and ordinary people, to improve local medical standards, guide medical researches and strengthen its capacity in the fight against the COVID-19. Xinhua News Correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152450469

Turkey ready to support Iraq in clearing Sinjar of terrorists: defense minister

Turkey is closely following development in Iraq's Sinjar district, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday following his official visit to Iraq. SOUNDBITE (Turkish): HULUSI AKAR, Turkish Defense Minister "Turkey is ready to provide support for eliminating terrorists in Iraq's Sinjar region if needed." He noted that Turkey-Iraq cooperation will bring important development in the coming period in fighting terrorism. "We can say that we are determined to end the terrorists as a result of our cooperation with both the regional administration and Baghdad," he added. Iraqi security forces started to implement a deployment plan on Dec. 1, 2020 in the center of the Sinjar district of Iraq's Nineveh province to enhance stability and security in the area and enable displaced locals to return home. The Sinjar deal, inked under the auspices of the UN on the status of the region, seeks to clear the region of the Turkish outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152449102

Iran denounces "hostage-taking" of Iranian national by U.S. gov't

The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced on Wednesday "blatant hostage-taking of Iranian national" by the U.S. government, semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported. Khatibzadeh made the remarks during a visit to the agency's offices in Tehran, when asked about the arrest in the U.S. of Iranian university professor Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi for allegedly acting as an unregistered "foreign agent" on behalf of Tehran. "Unfortunately, the U.S. is addicted to this kind of actions and they take hostages under any pretext," the spokesman said. Iran's government, he further noted, hopes the new U.S. administration will move away from such approach, that Khatibzadeh linked to former President Donald Trump. Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, he went on to say, is a well-known university professor who has been arrested on "unrealistic charges." This is not, the official went on, the first time that Washington has relied on "baseless allegations" to "create trouble" for Iranian citizens in different countries and "take hostages." Khatibzadeh voiced hope that the Iranian professor's problem will be solved as soon as possible. Afrasiabi, a U.S. resident for more than three decades according to American media press reports, was taken into custody by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on the accusation that he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Washington Post daily reported on Tuesday. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tehran. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152449086

Germany extends COVID-19 measures until mid-February

German federal and state governments agreed on Tuesday evening to extend the current COVID-19 measures until at least Feb. 14. Most shops and schools will remain closed and people will continue to be asked to limit their contacts and stay at home as much as possible for the next few weeks. The governments also agreed to impose stricter mask rules for people travelling on public transport. Medical masks, namely surgical masks or KN95/N95, FFP2 masks will be required for those on public transport and in shops for better protection. In addition, the German government has also introduced a temporary ordinance requiring employers to allow employees to work from home when conditions permit. Germany's disease control agency Robert Koch Institute reported on Tuesday 11,369 new infections in the past 24 hours, raising the country's total confirmed cases to 2,052,028. The number of coronavirus-linked fatalities rose by 989 to 47,622. As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in many European countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines. Meanwhile, 237 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 64 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Jan. 15. SOUNDBITE (German): ANGELA MERKEL, German Chancellor "There are clues that the B1.1.7 mutation of the COVID-19 spreads broader among children and youth, we have to take is seriously." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Berlin. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：アンゲラ・メルケル

RM 152447968

Pakistan tests ballistic missile

Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful flight test of Shaheen-III surface to surface ballistic missile which has a range of 2,750 km, the Pakistani military's media wing said. The test aimed at the re-validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement. The successful flight test, with its impact point in the Arabian Sea, located off the southern coast of the country, was witnessed by senior military officials, scientists and engineers. The country's President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan and other officials congratulated on the successful conduct of the missile test. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152447901

UN envoy regrets lack of progress in political process in Syria

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Wednesday regretted a lack of progress in the political process in the war-torn country. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GEIR PEDERSEN, UN Special Envoy for Syria "The political process is not as yet delivering real changes in Syrians' lives nor a real vision for the future." The fifth session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee will convene in Geneva next week, COVID-19 conditions permitting. It will discuss the basic principles of the constitution, he said. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): GEIR PEDERSEN, UN Special Envoy for Syria "I do see this coming session of the Constitutional Committee as very important. For more than a year, many subjects have been discussed. I believe the time has come for the co-chairs to establish effective and operational working methods, so that the meetings are better organized and more focused. I believe that we need to ensure that the committee begins to move from 'preparing' a constitutional reform to 'drafting' one (constitution), as it is mandated to do." The Constitutional Committee can do this by beginning to consider specific constitutional issues and draft provisions. The co-chairs of the committee can and should reach agreement on a work plan for future meetings with clear agendas and topics, and there needs to be more urgency in the process, said Pedersen. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): GEIR PEDERSEN, UN Special Envoy for Syria "I believe that these are reasonable goals. But I cannot assure the (Security) Council that they will be met this time. I strongly appeal to the co-chairs and to all members of the committee to be ready to move to a new phase of work in this next session." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152446555

Spain reports weekend record of 84,287 new COVID-19 cases

According to the latest data released by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University on Thursday, Spain's confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 2,412,318. Earlier on Monday, the Spanish Ministry of Health said it had registered 84,287 new COVID-19 cases and 455 deaths in the period between last Friday and Monday, marking the highest number of new infections recorded over a weekend. At his daily press conference, Fernando Simon, director of the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, said that the "number of COVID-19 patients in hospital has risen significantly," with "32 percent of intensive care beds" occupied by coronavirus patients. He also said a "peak" in cases as a result of the year-end holidays could arrive in the coming days and gave his tentative support to a possible decision by the Spanish government to authorize the country's 17 autonomous regions to bring forward the start of a night-time curfew to 8 p.m. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152446306

Pakistan approves China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

STANDUP 1 (English): JIANG CHAO, Xinhua correspondent "The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has approved a vaccine by China's Sinopharm for emergency use amid rising cases of COVID-19 in the country. A handout by the authority on its official website late Monday read that Sinopharm vaccine, one of the two vaccines approved by the authority, has been given emergency use authorization after evaluating its safety and quality. The authority said the authorization will be reviewed every quarter keeping in view further data regarding safety, efficacy and quality. The handout said that a vaccine manufactured by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has also been given the authorization earlier. Pakistan's minister for science and technology said that the Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for procurement by a cabinet committee for its safety and affordability. Ejaz Ahmad Khan, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, who is also the principal investigator of the Chinese vaccine trials in Pakistan, said in an interview with us that Pakistan will greatly benefit from Chinese vaccine." SOUNDBITE 1 (English): Prof. EJAZ AHMAD KHAN, Pediatrician and infectious disease specialist in Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad "China is one of the leading countries in vaccine production. And so it is also for this coronavirus vaccine as well. So, the trial started in China initially, we know that a lot of Chinese vaccines are available to be used, some of them already in advanced stages of the trial. Some of them have been used under emergency authorization use. We hope that these vaccines which will formerly be recognized, formerly be approved, will be available in China and outside China so people can benefit from it." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152445406

Turkey vaccinates over 1 mln people against COVID-19 in first week

Turkey has so far vaccinated 1.04 million citizens during the first week of its nationwide mass inoculation program against COVID-19, the Turkish Health Ministry announced on Wednesday. The vaccination process started across the country on Jan. 14 with the vaccines developed by Chinese company Sinovac. Over 1 million healthcare workers were among the first group to get vaccinated, followed by citizens living and working in nursing homes, disabled care centers, and care homes. In the country's biggest city of Istanbul, with a population of 16.5 million, nearly 6,000 residents living and working in nursing homes and disabled care centers have taken their vaccines in the last two days, according to Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya. Yerlikaya said in a tweet earlier in the day that a total of 150,186 healthcare workers have been vaccinated so far. Meanwhile, citizens aged 90 and above in Turkey began getting their jabs at their homes or residences by mobile vaccination teams as of Tuesday. The program will move on with the vaccinations of people aged 65 and above and those working in specific sectors. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara, ISTANBUL, Turkey (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152443474

Painting inspires Afghan girls to break through confinements of tradition

SOUNDBITE 1 (Dari): HAFIZA MOHAMMADI, Painter "My prime objective is to portray the suffering of my fellow Afghans in paintings and exhibit them to highlight the pains of the war-weary people." Dressed in a style mixing Western and traditional features, drawing picture of a Western-styled girl in her rented office, Mohammadi said that girls in Afghanistan should have the right to choose how to dress and live for themselves. In the conservative Afghan society where people especially in the countryside deeply believe in old-fashioned traditions, women and girls are not allowed to wear Western-style cloths, nor to go to school. Women and girls living in Afghanistan's rural areas even cannot go outside unless they are accompanied by a close male relative. Describing Afghanistan as a traditionalist and militancy-plagued society, fine artist Mohammadi believes that her paintings and painting exhibitions would help gradually change people's mindset towards modernism. SOUNDBITE 2 (Dari): HAFIZA MOHAMMADI, Painter "Via painting and arranging exhibitions, I like to display the problems and pains of people particularly the women and girls faced in society." She also said that young people especially the girls in the relatively peaceful Mazar-e-Sharif city have welcomed the promotion of fine art and have approached her to learn. "Many people, especially the women and girls are interested in learning painting, but unfortunately many parents do not allow their girls to come out of their homes to learn the art due to cultural barriers and security incidents," the ambitious painter muttered. To muster the support of the parents and make sure that their girls are safe in learning painting, Mohammadi has rented a house in the city's safe area and changed it to "Art House for Women" for her teaching. "A number of talented girls have been learning the art of painting in the 'Art House for Women' and some have become skilled painters to feature the miseries of people especially the women with their paintings," said Mohammadi. The war-weary Afghans have hugely suffered over the past more than four decades of war, Mohammadi said, suggesting that a painter is in a good position to portray the outcome of war which is nothing more than killing, crippling of the people and destruction of the country. Habiba Yusufi, a third-year student of fine art who often attends Mohammadi's classes at the Art House for Women, said that working as a painter, especially for women, is difficult in Afghanistan's conservative society. Nevertheless, she believes that the "struggle to overcome challenges empowers you" to achieve the noble goals. SOUNDBITE 3 (Dari): HABIBA YUSUFI, Junior painter "This was my dream to highlight the problems of women and those who have been disabled due to the protracted war. Today I'm able to fulfill this dream." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152442516

Iran's president says nuclear deal "alive" after Trump's term ends

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday the 2015 international nuclear agreement is "alive and well" after Donald Trump's term ends as president of the United States, and the new U.S. government must fulfill its commitments for Tehran to fulfill its own. "The White House residents of today must return to the law, international regulations and resolutions, including UN Resolution 2231," Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting. Rouhani emphasized that if the new U.S. government acts according to its commitments, Tehran will fulfill its commitments. Iran is ready to "very quickly" solve the existing issues if the U.S. government shows political will sincerely, he added. Rouhani said that during the four years of Trump's rule, Iran suffered "sanctions, economic war and economic terrorism." Pointing to the Trump administration's foreign policy, Rouhani stressed "political isolation" as part of the outgoing president's legacy, and predicted "it will take a long time" before Washington recovers its previous position. Rouhani noted Trump's government unsuccessfully raised the JCPOA question on four occasions at international organizations to undermine the nuclear deal and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)'s Resolution 2231. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tehran. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152442243

EU aims to vaccinate 70 pct adults by summer

The European Commission on Tuesday called on the European Union (EU) member states to speed up the vaccination against COVID-19, with a target to inoculate 70 percent of the adult population by summer. According to a new communication unveiled by the EU's executive arm, at least 80 percent of the health and social workers as well as 80 percent of senior citizens over 80 years old should be vaccinated before the end of March. "By summer this year, member states should have vaccinated a minimum of 70 percent of the adult population," said European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas at a press conference. Margaritis also assured that the commission will work with vaccines producers to ramp up the production capacity and accelerate the supply. "That could be a turning point in our fight against this virus," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in the communication. The bloc has authorized conditional marketing for two COVID-19 vaccines, one developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, the other by Moderna. Von der Leyen has said her commission has secured a total of 760 million doses of the two vaccines, enough to vaccinate 380 million people, or 80 percent of the EU population. The newly published communication underlined a pledge to set up a mechanism to share the provision of vaccines with partner countries. It also required EU member states to update their testing strategies to account for new variants and expand the use of rapid antigen tests. With a vaccination strategy in place since June last year, the EU kicked off the massive vaccination across its member countries on Dec. 27, 2020. The move has been plagued with a shortage of supply and a cry for donations to partner countries. One of its partners, Serbia has turned to a wider portfolio that also comprises Russian and Chinese vaccines. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Brussels. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152442075

Tokyo reports 1,274 new COVID-19 cases as virus variant adds to woes

The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 1,274 new cases of COVID-19 in the capital, marking the eighth successive day the daily tally has surpassed 1,000 cases and bringing the cumulative total to 89,188 infections. The number of patients in Tokyo designated as being in a "serious condition" increased by five to a record 160 patients, the metropolitan government said. "Recently, the proportion of infected people aged 65 and over is increasing. Many of the deceased are elderly and have underlying illnesses," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said. "Today there were 10 people who suddenly became ill and died at home," she said, reiterating her calls for thorough preventative measures to be taken against the spread of the virus. With COVID-19 still showing little signs of abating in the capital and further afield, despite 11 prefectures including the hardest hit capital of 14 million currently under a government-issued state of emergency, the detection a day earlier of three cases of a new coronavirus variant has added to the country's woes. Three people in their 20s to 60s were confirmed to be infected with the virus variant in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka. None of them had traveled to Britain or had prior contact with people who have recently been to the country, known to be undergoing a rampant outbreak of the new coronavirus variant, as well as others thought to be associated with South Africa and Brazil. Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture Heita Kawakatsu said that it was now vital for preventative measures to be taken against transmissions as well as ensure the health care system is strengthened. "It is necessary to take more thorough infection prevention measures and further strengthen measures for medical care provision," Kawakatsu was quoted by local media as telling a press conference as he announced a virus emergency alert. "If the variant is as transmissible as the one hitting Britain, the number of new infections will surge, putting the health care system at risk of collapsing," Kawakatsu said. In Japan, about 40 cases of the highly transmissible virus variant have been detected among arrivals from overseas and people who had contact with those travelers, local media reported. The variant has been detected in around 60 countries as of Monday, and community-acquired infections were confirmed in 20 countries, according to researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Britain, the Asahi Shimbun reported. In Japan, the number of patients infected with the variant totaled 47 after the strain was detected in two asymptomatic patients on Tuesday, the newspaper said. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152442036

UN humanitarian chief voices concern over economic crisis in Syria

UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Wednesday voiced concern over the economic crisis in Syria. Lowcock briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARK LOWCOCK, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs "Syrians are starting 2021 with a currency whose value has drastically declined and food prices at historically high levels, partly because subsidies for key commodities like bread have been cut." In December 2020, monitoring by the World Food Programme showed food prices increasing again, by 13 percent compared with November 2020, and by 236 percent compared with December 2019, he said. Nearly one in five households reported poor food consumption in December 2020. That was double the level recorded in December 2019. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MARK LOWCOCK, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs "Bread shortages continue in many areas. Domestic wheat production cannot meet demand, and most of what is produced is grown in areas outside government control. In government areas, production fell significantly last year. As a result of decreased purchasing power, over 80 percent of households report relying on negative coping mechanisms to afford food. Perhaps the most worrying is a growing reliance on child labor. One family in 10 say they have to rely on their children to contribute to the family income. Fuel shortages and power cuts in the middle of winter are another manifestation of the deep economic crisis. Black market prices for heating fuel are up to 10 times the subsidized rate. There are shortages of fuel for transportation, and long queues at fuel stations." The United Nations' concerns that many vulnerable families would not be sufficiently prepared for winter this year are proving justified, said Lowcock. SOUNDBITE 3 (English):MARK LOWCOCK, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs "As a result of heavy rainfall affecting thousands of people in the northwest this week, people are telling us that they, their children and their elderly parents are spending whole nights standing upright in their tents because they are inundated with so much water. There are similar problems in other parts of the country." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from United Nations. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152439321

World Bank expects Thai economy to recover in next 2 years

The Thai economy is expected to recover over the next two years, underpinned by a rebound in domestic demand and supportive fiscal policy, the World Bank said Wednesday. The bank projected the Thai economic growth to rebound to 4 percent in 2021 and pick up further to 4.7 percent in 2022. As restrictive measures and social-distancing weighed on private consumption, leading to reductions in jobs and incomes, while private investment and exports were also hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank expected the Thai economy to contract 6.5 percent in 2020. The Southeast Asian country has performed relatively well compared to its peers in the region in terms of the scale, speed, and targeting of its fiscal response, which has centered on a one-trillion-baht (about 33.3-billion-U.S. dollar) package to fund cash transfers, the medical response, and economic and social rehabilitation, according to the report. However, the bank warned that the economic outlook remains highly uncertain due to risks from external and domestic sources. "If the new wave of infection in Thailand is not well contained, or if global cases continue to rise and progress on distributing a vaccine is slower than anticipated, economic activity could continue to be disrupted by social distancing measures and lockdowns," it said. As of Wednesday, the country's total COVID-19 caseloads rose to 12,653, with more than 8,000 of the infections reported since mid-December and more than 60 of the country's 77 provinces and regions having active cases. The Bank of Thailand said although coronavirus in the latest outbreak spread faster than in last year, the economic impacts would be milder as the government has been imposing more flexible restrictive measures, with fewer businesses being suspended. (1 U.S. dollar equals 30 Baht) Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bangkok. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463361

China's first solar probe to be lofted in 2022

China's first solar probe, Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), is scheduled to be launched into space in the first half of 2022, marking the country's first-ever mission to "touch" the sun. The satellite will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above Earth to keep a close tab on the sun 24 hours a day. Measuring about 1,000 kg in total mass, the satellite is expected to orbit the sun for at least four years, according to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a research institute based in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. The main scientific objectives of the probe include observing the sun's magnetic field and two major eruptive phenomena, or bursts on the star, that are solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). It will deploy three payloads, including Full disk Vector MagnetoGraph, Hard X-ray Imager, and Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope. Hitherto the sun is the only fixed star that can be studied in detail by humans. The vast majority of its radiation is blocked by Earth's atmosphere. Only by sending probes into space can a complete picture of the sun be presented for further studies. As the sun's temper varies on an 11-year cycle and the star enters Solar Cycle 25, it is estimated to reach its peak radiation around 2025. The solar probe can help obtain detailed records of solar activity during its rise to the peak years, said Gan Weiqun, a researcher with the institute. The satellite will also realize its potential in space weather forecasting. The CMEs can be detected at least 40 hours ahead of their arrival by the observatory, which is expected to further facilitate early warnings of damage to Earth's electromagnetic environment. Since the 1960s, more than 70 satellites related to solar observation have been launched globally. The ASO-S is expected to plug China's gap in the field, according to Gan. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanjing, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152463284

China's Jilin reports 33 new confirmed, 6 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

Northeast China's Jilin Province on Wednesday reported 33 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and six new asymptomatic infections, the provincial health commission said Thursday. Of the new confirmed cases, 29 were reported in the city of Tonghua, two in the provincial capital Changchun and the other two in the city of Songyuan. The new confirmed cases include 28 that were previously reported as asymptomatic cases. The new asymptomatic cases were all reported in Tonghua. As of Wednesday, there were 300 confirmed locally transmitted cases and 39 asymptomatic infections in the province. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changchun, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152460622

New Fuxing bullet trains start operation in China's Guangxi

New-type Fuxing bullet trains with a speed of 250 km per hour have been put into operation on a high-speed rail line linking Nanning with Guangzhou in southern China. A CR300AF bullet train departed from Nanning East Station Wednesday, marking the official operation of the new trains in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The train is a new addition to the Fuxing bullet train family that now covers the speed range from 160 km to 350 km. It boasts improved comfort and reduced noise over its predecessors. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): LUO HONGXU, Chief conductor, China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd. "The design of the new-type Fuxing bullet trains allows passengers to know how many seats have been sold on the train at a glance. The screen below the luggage rack shows the ticket sales system. Red for sold seats, green for available seats, and yellow for booked seats. The train also makes it more convenient to use electronic device for travelers who love watching movies or listening to music online. The train has full coverage of WiFi. There are also two sockets installed in each three-seat row, up from one on the previous Hexie trains." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanning, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152459218

How should officials behave to benefit people? | Stories shared by Xi Jinping

STORY: How should officials behave to benefit people? | Stories shared by Xi Jinping DATELINE: Jan. 21, 2021 LENGTH: 0:03:12 LOCATION: NEIXIANG, China CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: various of Neixiang County Yamen a shot of Xi Jinping's photovarious of the coupletvarious of Neixiang County YamenSOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YAO WENSHU, Director, Office of Compilation of Neixiang County ChroniclesSOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YAO WENSHU, Director, Office of Compilation of Neixiang County ChroniclesSOUNDBITE 3(Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese PresidentSOUNDBITE 4(Chinese): ZHAO JIAN, Associate Professor, Party School of Nanyang Municipal Committee of the CPCvarious of Neixiang County YamenSOUNDBITE 5(Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese PresidentSOUNDBITE 6(Chinese): CHEN YAN, Associate Professor, Party School of Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC STORYLINE Neixiang County is known for its upright officials with clean governance throughout history. There is a couplet hanging in the Museum of Neixiang County Yamen, which was once the office and residence of a county governor in ancient China. It says, "As an official, do not have prejudice on your job because it is you the officer on whom the civilians rely to address even trivial matters; do not bully the civilians since it is they who raise you up and one of whom you are." The couplet was composed by Gao Yiyong in 1680 during the Qing Dynasty, when Gao was the governor of Neixiang County. In November 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned Gao's couplet at a meeting with local officials in Heze, Shandong Province. Xi said the couplet reveals the relationship between officials and the people in simple and clear terms, which are still relevant today. Neixiang County is located near Xiangyang, an important military area in ancient times where troops were based. Some soldiers often harassed the local people. However, Gao always upheld justice for the local civilians by punishing any soldiers who committed crimes against them. At that time, the county's land was barren and the economy was depressed. Gao felt that he was taking on a great responsibility, so he wrote down the couplet to remind himself how to be a good official. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YAO WENSHU, Director, Office of Compilation of Neixiang County Chronicles "This couplet expresses a simple but profound philosophy of being an official: Because you're one of the people, you shouldn't bully them." SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YAO WENSHU, Director, Office of Compilation of Neixiang County Chronicles "Gao taught peasants to cultivate deserted land, and gave them seeds to plant mulberries, flax, jujubes and other cash crops. What he did greatly encouraged the peasants to better themselves." SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese President "You should devote yourself with passion. As long as you are in office, you should work to benefit your people. There must be change for the better in your county during your office, and stagnation must not happen." SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): ZHAO JIAN, Associate Professor, Party School of Nanyang Municipal Committee of the CPC "The key to improving Party conduct, upholding integrity and combating corruption is that the Party should always remain firmly reliant on the people, maintain close ties with them, and never become isolated from them." When Gao Yiyong was transferred from Neixiang County, local people set up a stone tablet to remember him by. As he had nothing valuable when he died years later, his relatives and friends raised money to buy a coffin and bury him. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese President "You must choose between office and riches, and choose only one. Once in office, you must always be upright, clean and honest in governance." SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): CHEN YAN, Associate Professor, Party School of Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC "General Secretary Xi Jinping told the couplet story to call on all Party members and leading officials to win people's hearts, and be honest and self-disciplined, so that they can truly benefit people when they're in office." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Neixiang, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152448943

Xinjiang adds record power generating capacity in 2020

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region connected 10.84-GW installed power generating capacity to its grid in 2020, up by 11.76 percent year on year. The yearly record came after a construction boom of new energy-powered projects in the region due to a government subsidy policy for wind and solar power projects. New energy projects contributed about 5.8 GW, or over half of the newly installed power generating capacity last year, according to State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. Xinjiang's total installed power generating capacity has exceeded 100 GW, accounting for about one-twentieth of the country's total, according to a white paper on China's new energy development. New energy power projects contributed 35.61 GW or over one-third of the total power generating capacity in Xinjiang. It is of the largest reserves of wind and solar resources across the country. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152439324

One miner dead in China's gold mine rescue

Rescuers said Wednesday that the previously comatose miner no longer showed any vital signs, as the rescue mission continued for the 21 other workers trapped in a gold mine in east China. Twenty-two miners have been trapped about 600 meters underground following a mine blast on Jan. 10 in Qixia under the city of Yantai, Shandong Province. Twelve of them were found alive on Sunday through a drilled channel, though one later lost contact, and rescuers are still working to save them. The rescue headquarters at the site said the dead miner suffered severe head injuries during the explosion and later fell into a coma. Medical personnel managed to deliver medicines to other miners and instructed them to offer treatment, but his condition did not improve. Among the other ten workers in contact with rescuers, eight were reportedly in good condition, and two were slightly indisposed. Rescuers have used a narrow channel for food and medicine deliveries to the miners, and a wired telephone was also installed underground through the channel. They had also been lowering life detectors and nutrient solutions to other sections to locate the other missing miners but continued to receive no life signs. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yantai, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152434471

アンドルーズ空軍基地を後にする元米国大統領のドナルド・トランプ氏

Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning delivered his final remarks as president at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for Florida. Addressing family members, a few staffers and some supporters in the chilly morning wind, Trump said it was his "greatest honor and privilege to have been your president," while wishing the administration of Biden, whom he didn't mention by name, "good luck," claiming that "they have the foundation to do something really spectacular." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：メラニア･トランプ, ドナルド・トランプ

RM 152433687

UN chief looks forward to working with new U.S. administration

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres looks forward to working with U.S. President Joe Biden and his team as the United States "has a key leadership role to play," Guterres' spokesman said on Wednesday. That includes peace and security matters in the UN Security Council, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman. "We also look forward to working with the administration to advance sustainable development, human rights for all the world's people." In a regular press briefing, the spokesman said he expects the Guterres-Biden engagement will be very active and positive. "I know he looks forward to working with President Biden and, obviously, with the secretary of state-designate (Antony Blinken) and, of course, with the permanent representative-designate (to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield), once she is confirmed and arrives here on site," Dujarric said. SOUNDBITE (English): STEPHANE DUJARRIC, Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General "The U.S. has a key leadership role to play across the international agenda, including in the Security Council, on matters of peace and security. We also look forward to working with the administration to advance sustainable development, human rights for all the world's people. "We have also seen the press reports of expected executive orders to be signed later this afternoon, notably on issues of climate, on global health, WHO (World Health Organization), pandemic," he said. "We welcome these reports. We welcome these developments." "As soon as these executive orders are officially signed and become policy, we will, obviously, welcome them more formally," the spokesman said. If the U.S. re-engagement with the WHO happens, it will send a clear and strong signal, he said. "And American leadership within many realms, including public health, is critical." Biden was sworn in on Wednesday. His predecessor, Donald Trump, at almost the beginning of his four-year term, demonstrated his dislike for the United Nations by withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the WHO, as well as the Iran nuclear deal. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from United Nations. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152432270

Democrats take control of U.S. Senate as 3 new senators sworn in

The Democratic Party became the majority party in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday after Vice President Kamala Harris swore in three Democrats as new members of the upper chamber. Stepping onto the Senate floor for the first time as vice president of the United States -- thus president of the Senate -- Harris swore in Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock from Georgia, as well as her replacement from California, Alex Padilla. The party breakdown in the Senate is 50-50 now, with Harris having the power to cast the tie-breaking vote. Warnock, 51, and Ossoff, 33, won runoff elections in Georgia earlier this month that determined the control of the Senate. Padilla, 47, was picked by California Governor Gavin Newsom to fill Harris's Senate seat when she resigned to become vice president. Meanwhile, Democratic leader in the chamber, Chuck Schumer, became the Senate majority leader. "We have a lengthy agenda, and we need to get it done together ... This will be an exceptionally busy and consequential period for the United States Senate," he said in the first speech in his new role. "The divisions in the country are real. We have no choice but to try to work together every day," Schumer said in remarks to Republican senators. Mitch McConnell of the Republican Party became the minority leader. Schumer and McConnell will have to reach a power-sharing deal in the coming weeks on how the business of the Senate will be run, with issues remaining to be resolved including the number of senators each party will have on committees and the mechanism to break ties in the panels. McConnell in a floor speech noted Joe Biden, who was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States earlier in the day, "made unity the major thing of his inaugural address," acknowledging that both Biden and Harris are alumni of the Senate and pledging cooperation with the new president "wherever possible." The Democrats have now controlled the White House, the Senate and the House, but the evenly-shared senate seats and the shrinking majority they have in the House -- the slimmest in decades -- show just how divided the country is. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：カマラ・ハリス

RM 152429140

バイデン大統領、就任直後に米国のパリ協定再加入を指示

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order returning the United States to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. Hours after being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, Biden signed in the Oval Office an executive order that returns his country back to the Paris Agreement on climate change, reversing his predecessor Donald Trump's decision to abandon the deal. SOUNDBITE (English): JOE BIDEN, U.S. President "We are going to combat climate change in a way we have not done so far." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the new U.S. administration's announcement to re-enter the Paris Agreement on climate change. "I warmly welcome President (Joe) Biden's steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on climate change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis," said Guterres in a statement. Biden had promised that he would rejoin the Paris climate agreement on his first day of taking office. "Today, the Trump Administration officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. And in exactly 77 days, a Biden Administration will rejoin it," Biden tweeted on Nov. 4 last year, the day the United States formally withdrew from the pact. Trump announced the withdrawal soon after he took office in 2017, citing concerns about the pact's threat to the U.S. economy. Biden picked former Secretary of State John Kerry to be his special envoy for climate, indicating the importance of this issue in his foreign policy. The Paris Agreement of climate change, agreed on by almost every country in the world in 2015 after lengthy negotiations, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the rise in the average temperature no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：ジョー・バイデン

RM 152401133

GLOBALink | Biden sworn in as 46th U.S. President

STANDUP (English): TAN YIXIAO, Xinhua correspondent "The U.S. presidential transfer of power happened in Washington D.C. today. This year's inauguration ceremony drew wide attention, and is deemed to be one of the most unusual in American history, mainly in three aspects. Firstly, former President Donald Trump left Washington D.C. on Wednesday morning shortly before Joe Biden's inauguration, with a grandeur ceremony being held for his departure. There were only three times in the history of the United States that the outgoing president had skipped the successor's inauguration, and it goes way back to the history, and no one in the modern era has seen this being done. Secondly, the potential threat of violence. The capital area has been dramatically transformed because of potential threats. Up to 25,000 National Guard members have been authorized to ensure the security of the inauguration, transforming the city into what some U.S. media called "a war zone." Military vehicles were seen parking at intersections downtown, blocking every street and every alleyway that leads toward the scene of Joe Biden's inauguration. Thirdly, the raging pandemic. The U.S. has continued to lead the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths. And its death toll from the pandemic has just topped another chilling mark of 400,000. The COVID-19 has forced the original schedule of the inauguration to be scaled back and become mostly virtual, and made the inauguration ceremony look very different from previous ones. Every attendee is required to take a COVID test before attending the ceremony, and everyone on-site is required to wear face masks." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：ジョー・バイデン, ドナルド・トランプ

RM 152394764

GLOBALink | Biden sworn in as 46th U.S. president

At an unusual inauguration closed to public due to the still raging coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday at the West Front of the Capitol, which was breached two weeks ago by violent protesters trying to overturn his election victory. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

人物：ジョー・バイデン, ジル・バイデン

RM 152390745

At least 2 dead, several others injured in Madrid explosion

Two people have lost their lives and several others were injured after a large explosion destroyed a building in the center of Madrid on Wednesday afternoon. The Mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, told reporters at the scene that an 85-year-old woman and an as yet unidentified man had died in the blast, which occurred at Toledo Street in the center of Madrid close to the emblematic Plaza Mayor just before 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT). A man, aged 26, was in "moderately serious" condition, a man in his 50s suffered "light" head injuries, and others sustained minor cuts and bruises. Although the cause of the explosion has yet to be confirmed by the Fire Brigade, Martinez-Almeida explained that a gas leak was the most likely cause. The explosion completely destroyed the top three floors and damaged the remaining floors of the six-story building where it occurred. Nine fire engines and 11 ambulances were sent to the scene. The surrounding streets were strewn with rubble, and several vehicles were damaged by falling masonry. The number of casualties was initially feared to be a lot higher given that the building where the explosion occurred is situated next to a nursing home for the elderly and a school. But early reports suggested that nobody in those buildings was hurt. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月21日

RM 152373779

Bangladesh mobile users exceed 170 mln in 2020

The total number of Bangladesh's mobile phone users hit over 170 million at the end of 2020, with an addition of 4.57 million new users last year, showed the latest statistics of the country's telecom regulator. According to data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the number of subscribers in the country reached 170.137 million in December 2020. Currently the country has four mobile companies, three of which are foreign-backed cell phone operators. The number of subscribers of mobile operators, Grameen Phone Ltd., Robi Axiata Limited, Banglalink Digital Communications Limited and Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd. stood at 79.037 million, 50.901 million, 35.272 million and 4.927 million respectively at the end of last year, the BTRC data showed. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Dhaka. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152373763

Turkey extends COVID-19 vaccination to nursing homes, elderly over 90

Turkey's vaccination campaign on Tuesday extended to the people staying and working in care and nursing homes and the citizens over 90. The state-run TRT news broadcaster released footage of the elderly and their caregivers getting their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac at the nursing homes on Tuesday. The elderly over 90 also received their vaccines at home. In the first phase of the vaccination campaign since Jan. 14, 830,000 health workers have been vaccinated and their inoculation will be completed by Jan. 20, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. Turkey confirmed on Tuesday 6,818 new COVID-19 cases, including 761 symptomatic patients, raising the total number in the country to 2,399,781, according to its health ministry. The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 167 to 24,328, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,277,987 after 7,218 more recovered in the last 24 hours. The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients stands at 5.1 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 2,162 in the country, said the ministry. A total of 175,133 tests were conducted over the past day, bringing the overall number of tests in Turkey to 27,698,556. The Turkish authorities have approved the emergency use of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152373375

8 killed, over 20 injured in road accident in SW Pakistan

At least eight people were killed and over 20 others injured in a road accident in Pakistan's southwest district of Lasbela on early Wednesday morning, local media reported. The reports quoted rescue officials as saying that a passenger bus was rolled and turned turtle after skidding off the road near Bela town of Lasbela district in southwest Balochistan province. Following the accident, police and rescue officials rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to a public hospital in Quetta. Medics at the hospital feared that the death toll might further rise because several of the injured with broken limbs were in critical condition. The deceased included women and children besides two security personnel, the reports added. Local police told media that the over-speeding bus was heading towards the country's southern port city Karachi from the southwest provincial capital of Quetta when it slipped due to moister at the road. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Islamabad. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152371430

Egyptian oud making workshop exports to musicians in 12 countries

Dozens of workers in several adjacent workshops on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo were working on producing different parts of oud, an ancient Arabian lute-like music instrument, to be assembled and polished for sale to musicians in Egypt and abroad. The workshops together form the largest oud making workshop in Egypt, which belongs to veteran oud maker Khaled Azooz, who refers to them as a complete factory exporting ouds to 12 Arab and Western countries. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): KHALED AZOOZ, Oud maker "I started with a small workshop about five years ago, then it gradually expanded until I have now 50 workers in my factory." Azooz, who inherited oud making from his father and grandfather, said unlike other workshops in Egypt, his factory is the only one that makes the oud from A to Z, starting from importing the wood, designing the oud shapes, carrying out their wooden structures, assembling them, polishing the final products, and tailoring their bags too. The large workshop exports ouds to Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Jordan and Sudan, and to Western states including the United States, Canada, Germany and Sweden. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): KHALED AZOOZ, Oud maker "Saudi Arabia is the largest oud consumer in the world. It imports between 700 and 800 ouds monthly from Egyptian oud makers. My workshop produces from 600 to 700 instruments per month in addition to the special ouds that I craft for famous artists." Azooz is proud to be the official oud provider to the Arabic Oud House, an oud learning school founded in Cairo in 1998 by Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Azooz said he begins making small-sized ouds that will be available soon for the children of the Arabic Oud House starting from the age of 7. The workshop is home to around 50 workers. Azooz's 18-year-old son, a high school student, works with him in running the workshops. Azooz plans to establish a large several-story oud making factory in the same neighborhood in the near future. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152371397

Chile unveils plan to spur electromobility with Chinese-made electric taxis

The Chilean government on Tuesday unveiled a plan to encourage transition from fossil-fuel taxis to electric-powered ones, with the participation of Chinese company BYD. "Today, taxi drivers face major hurdles in accessing electric vehicles, mainly it comes down to the initial investment, familiarity with the technology and charging," Chile's Minister of Energy and Mining Juan Carlos Jobet said during the plan's launch. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): JUAN CARLOS JOBET, Chile's Minister of Energy and Mining "This program is going to have two very important benefits. The first thing for taxi drivers will allow them to access with a state subsidy, at preferential prices, to the replacement of their taxis, which run on gasoline or oil for electric taxis. And the second very important benefit is going to be for the passengers who will have a better quality of service." The program will offer subsidies to transition from conventional to electric taxis, as well as sell and install residential electric chargers, and provide a one-year follow-up of the electric vehicles. According to the ministry, electric vehicle makers were invited to participate in the selection process to elect the single supplier for the program and China's BYD was the winner. The electric vehicle to be offered in the program is the BYD e5, the most autonomous electric vehicle currently available on the Chilean market, according to a statement from the company. Its battery provides up to 400 km of travel on a single charge, and charging takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. In addition, the BYD e5 has regenerative brake technology, which allows it to recover battery life during braking and deceleration. Tamara Barrios, manager of BYD Chile, said the company hopes that the plan "will show drivers that in addition to being sustainable, these vehicles generate great savings in operation and maintenance." Chile's transportation sector accounts for 36 percent of the country's energy consumption, with costly imported fossil fuels that pollute the environment, according to data from the Ministry of Energy. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Santiago. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152370712

New Orleans holds Dinosaur Adventure event

Dinosaur Adventure Drive-Thru event is held in the U.S. city of New Orleans from January 14th to 24th. Life-sized dinosaur models are in display in the exhibition. People can download audio-tour in advance or listen online during the adventurous tour. Families brought their children in cars to experience the adventure. The activity perfectly integrates the visual, auditory, and dynamic aspects, making the audience immerse themselves in the scene. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Orleans, U.S. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152370659

Russia marks Orthodox Epiphany

January 19 is an important festival of the Orthodox Church, Epiphany, also known as the Day of Baptism. On Epiphany, Russian Orthodox believers immerse themselves in rivers and lakes to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from St. Petersburg. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152370633

New Zealand reports 6 cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation

New Zealand has reported six more cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation since the last media statement on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. The newly reported imported cases came from South Africa, Britain, Zimbabwe, the United States and Russia. There are no new cases in the community. One of these cases is classified as historical and deemed not infectious, said a ministry statement. Fourteen previously reported cases have now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 76, and the total number of confirmed cases is 1,911, it said. All travelers arriving into New Zealand, excluding those from Australia, Antarctica, and some Pacific nations, are now required to have both pre-departure and day 0/1 tests and stay in their rooms until the result is known, according to the ministry's new rules. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Wellington (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152370367

Dugongs found dead on Thai beach

Two dead dugongs, a relative of the manatee, were found on or near the beaches of Thailand's southern coastal province of Krabi on Sunday. The marine animals are believed to have died around three days ago. The first dugong was found floating in the Andaman Sea between Nui Island and Por Island, by a fisherman who alerted the chief district officer of Lanta Island. It was later found on a Lanta Island beach. The second one was found on a Kwang Island beach and was badly decomposed. The carcasses were taken to a research center in the province of Krabi to determine the exact causes of the animals' deaths. Dugongs are an endangered species, most often spotted in Thailand in waters off Trang province. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Krabi, Thailand. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152366417

U.S. COVID-19 deaths hit 400,000, vaccine rollout still slow

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): XIE E, Xinhua correspondent "Nearly a year after the United States confirmed its first case of COVID-19, 24 million people have been infected, the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. California became the first state to reach 3 million cases. The country's death toll, now over 400,000, is still the world's worst, even though it makes up less than 5 percent of the world's population. It is more than the number of Americans who died in World War I, the Vietnam War and the Korean War combined, and nearly as many Americans who died in World War II. Here in New York City, with confirmed cases here remain several thousand each day, not to mention the UK variant already spreading, and hospitals under severe stress in the next few weeks, vaccination might be one of the most effective ways to bring the number down. Right now I am at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Functioned as a massive field hospital last spring when the city was the epicenter of the pandemic, the center now serves as a mega vaccination site. Some groups of people are eligible to get vaccinated, including first responders, public safety workers, education workers, and people over 65 years old. 24/7 vaccination sites are opening in all five boroughs of the city. However, the vaccine rollout is so slow that it has drawn criticism from health experts and officials. The country planned to inject 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. But only about 12.28 million total doses have been administered as of Jan. 15, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The city mayor Bill de Blasio warned that the vaccine would run out very soon, delaying the prospect of rapidly achieving herd immunity and reopening the city safely. New Yorkers are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment. At this vaccination site, we see mostly elderly people coming here to get vaccinated. We tried to talk to them, but most of them were not willing to elaborate. However, they say they feel great that with the vaccination, they are better protected." SOUNDBITE 2 (English) XIE E, Xinhua Correspondent: "Health experts criticize the slow vaccine distribution rollout, saying strong leadership at the national level has been lacking. With the Biden administration taking over, people are looking to the federal government to carry out more efficient measures to better manage the "vaccine shortage" situation, to bring some hope and eventually normalcy back here for everyone." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New York City, U.S. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152363225

Barcelona, Madrid make "World's Best Cities" top 10

Barcelona and Madrid are among the top ten most attractive cities in the world to live, work or visit, according to this year's "The World's Best Cities Report" by the Resonance Consultancy. This year's ranking of the world's 100 best-performing cities puts Barcelona in eighth place and Madrid in tenth, rubbing shoulders in the top ten with such global cities as London, New York and Dubai. The report calls Barcelona "an almost ideal European city," though the city's promotion director believes there's still plenty of room for it to grow. SOUNDBITE 1 (Catalan): MARIO RUBERT, City promotion director of Barcelona City Council "If we can forge alliances with the metropolitan area, where there are many more municipalities, and create a coordinated structure and strategy, then we'll have the economic muscle and size necessary to compete with the largest cities." Madrid debuted on the list's top ten this year, being praised by the Resonance Consultancy for its "people-powered rebirth". According to Ana Alemany, head of the Madrid promotion and brand service of Madrid City Council, its people are one of the city's main assets. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): ANA ALEMANY, Head of the Madrid promotion and brand service of Madrid City Council "We want people to get to know us, to experience the city and above all to experience the warmth of the people of Madrid, as people's warmth is a feature that distinguishes us and puts us ahead of other large European cities." The annual list considers a wide range of factors when evaluating cities, including their attractiveness to investors, their gastronomy, cultural assets, and even feedback about them on social media. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152363022

Israel extends nationwide COVID-19 lockdown by 10 days

Israel's cabinet decided on Tuesday to extend a weeks-long nationwide lockdown by 10 days to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministers voted in favor of extending the tight lockdown until Jan. 31, according to a cabinet statement. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew): BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister "We need to decide immediately about an additional extension of the existing lockdown. Perhaps this will not be popular and is uncomfortable during an election period but this is what we need to decide on today and I expect everyone to support it." The cabinet also decided that travelers entering the country will be required to present a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before their flight. "We are in a close race between the vaccines operation and the surging morbidity in the world due to the mutations," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the cabinet meeting, according to a statement issued by his office. Israel has seen spiking numbers of new COVID-19 cases despite a fast vaccination rollout, which started on Dec. 19. The country entered its third lockdown on Dec. 27. Originally, the lockdown was planned to be lifted after two weeks but, instead, the government decided to tighten it and later also extended it. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jerusalem. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152359278

Italian PM Conte wins Senate confidence vote

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won a confidence vote on Tuesday at the upper house of parliament. He won in the 321-seat Senate by 156 to 140, with 16 abstentions, falling short of the 161 votes needed for an absolute majority. It means Conte's government has survived a political crisis triggered after former prime minister Matteo Renzi, now a senator who leads the Italia Viva party, pulled out of the ruling majority last week. As a result of Renzi's move, Conte needed to find other political allies with enough votes in parliament to give him a new majority. The government he leads is currently backed by the Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party. Renzi cited disagreements with the government over its handling of the pandemic and its National Recovery and Resilience Plan, a massive investment project using European Union funds, as his reasons for quitting. This was the second of two confidence votes the Italian prime minister faced in a bid to keep his government afloat. On Monday, he won a confidence vote in the lower house by 321 in favor, 259 against, and 27 abstaining. According to Italian law, the cabinet can survive only if it has the confidence of both houses of parliament. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rome. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152359188

Chinese medical team treats over 4,000 Ghanaian patients in 2020

The 9th batch of Chinese medical team in Ghana has treated a total of more than 4,000 local patients and performed around 200 operations in the year of 2020, the team leader said on Tuesday in the Capital city Accra. Shi Yongyong, Chief of the 9th batch of Chinese medical team said all team members were persistent on their duties in the China-Ghana Friendship Hospital despite the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. According to Shi, the team also played an active part in combating the pandemic with their Ghanaian counterparts. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): SHI YONGYONG, Chief of the team "Despite the pandemic, we still continued our duty in China-Ghana Friendship Hospital. We treated a total of more than 4,000 local patients and performed around 200 operations last year." The Chinese medical team mainly consisted of doctors from Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, one of the best hospitals featuring Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)in China. Shi said the team has been committed to using TCM therapies to treat local patients and promoting TCM culture to local medical staffs, which has received heartwarming feedback. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152358703

Ghanaian teachers, students worry about rising COVID-19 cases as schools reopen

Many teachers and students in Ghana said on Monday that after several months of school closure due to COVID-19, it is good the government has reopened schools for academic work, but they also voiced their concern over the country's rising cases. A visit to some junior and senior high schools (JHSs/SHSs) in Ghana's port city Tema by Xinhua on the reopening day indicates COVID-19 safety protocols have been widely followed on campus. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PAUL AMOASI BAIDOO, Headmaster of the St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School "I am pleading with all students and parents that the sickness is not an individual affair but concerns everybody, so they should take good care of themselves, so they lower the risk of infecting others. If you get it here, you will send it home." SOUNDBITE 2 (English): RAMATU GARIBA, Municipal Education Director for Ayawaso East "We are doing cleaning today as the government said. In case the enrollment is too large in some classes, we would separate them into two different classes or let them run shifts." Ghanaian schools were closed on March 23 last year at a time when the country's COVID-19 case count was 16. After prudent management of the virus, the government opened schools partially for final year students in the JHSs and SHSs as well as tertiary institutions to enable them to write their exit exams between June to September last year. Second-year students in both junior and senior high schools were also made to return to school between October and December last year to complete their academic work. In all instances, few cases of COVID-19 were recorded in some schools which the health authorities handled. The country's case count has, however, seen an upsurge in recent times at a time when all levels of schools have resumed. Ghana's COVID-19 cases as of Monday according to the GHS stood at 58,065 with 55,789. The country's total active cases are 1,924 with 351 being new cases while 356 people have died from the virus. Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo assured in an address Sunday night that the government had taken steps to ensure the safety of students with the reopening of schools. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152358393

Hundreds of Hondurans return home after migrant caravan falls apart in Guatemala

Hundreds of Hondurans, who were part of a migrant caravan headed north to the U.S. border, were returning home after the caravan met with resistance from authorities and fell apart in Guatemala, the Honduran government said on Tuesday. The caravan fell apart on Sunday when authorities in Vado Hondo, in the eastern Guatemalan department of Chiquimula, used tear gas to prevent its progress north, Honduras' deputy foreign affairs minister for consular and immigration affairs, Nelly Jerez, said in a statement dated Monday. According to Jerez, the Honduran migrants were transported by bus to the El Florido border crossing between Guatemala and Honduras, where they are being processed. The Honduran Security Secretariat estimated between 3,500 and 4,000 migrants joined the caravan as it departed from northern Honduras last week. "Returning to the country is the only sure thing that our compatriots have when they migrate irregularly. Currently, both Mexico and Guatemala have redoubled their security, so reaching the U.S. border is increasingly difficult," said Jerez. She also lamented that the caravans of mainly poor migrants seeking opportunities abroad had become a business for human traffickers. As proof, she cited the more than 300 human traffickers that the Security Secretariat has captured in the last three years. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guatemala City. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152357114

10th Future Congress kicks off online in Chile due to pandemic

The 10th Congress of the Future kicked off on Monday in Chile's Santiago. The four-day event is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the conference, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said that he hoped Chileans would become "a first-class citizen in the society of knowledge." SOUNDBITE (Spanish): SEBASTIAN PINERA, Chilean President "We recognize science as an efficient instrument to face together the immense challenges we must confront as humans, and to improve the quality of life of all human beings." The opening talk of the conference was given by writer and science commentator David Quammen, who commented that pandemics "will always accompany us, and they will never leave us." The Future Congress 2021, one of the primary forums of science and technology discussion in Latin America, will have more than 80 speakers from Chile and around the world, including 4 Nobel Prize winners. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Santiago. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152355152

Japanese expert sees high-quality development of China's economy

Official data from China showed Monday that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 2.3 percent year on year in 2020. The country is expected to be the only major economy to post growth in the pandemic-ravaged year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In a recent interview, Japanese expert Kiyoyuki Seguchi highlighted China's high-quality economic development. SOUNDBITE 1 (Japanese): KIYOYUKI SEGUCHI, Research Director, Canon Institute for Global Studies "China's GDP growth in 2020 is higher than I expected. In the fourth quarter, in particular, China's GDP expanded 6.5 percent, much higher than my expectation which was 6 percent. Also, China's consumption recovered smoothly. That is great. I think that the containment of COVID-19 is the main reason why China surpassed other countries' economic recovery. On top of this, the Chinese government has provided generous support to various companies, including domestic and foreign companies, and policies that enabled enterprises to quickly resume production. It has also provided practical support to groups in difficulties. China's goal is not to look at economic scale data, but to enter an era of emphasizing the improvement of economic and social quality. From this point of view, the significance of economic figures as before is no longer so important for China. Without paying much attention to figures, the government has made more efforts to prevent the fiscal and financial risks, reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, and improve the environment. I think this is very remarkable for China." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tokyo. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152355098

China provides mine-clearance devices to Cambodia

China donated mine-clearance devices and vehicles to the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) on Tuesday. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian handed over the donation to CMAA's first Vice-President Ly Thuch at a ceremony held in Phnom Penh. The donation included landmine detectors, demining personal protective equipment outfits, protective helmets, boots, and pick-up trucks, among others. Ambassador Wang expressed his belief that China's humanitarian assistance would help reduce landmine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) casualties in Cambodia. Ly Thuch extended his profound gratitude to China for providing mine-clearance assistance to Cambodia, saying that the aid was essential to save lives of people living under threat of landmines and ERWs. Cambodia is one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from nearly three decades of war that ended in 1998. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354808

Rwanda's capital back to lockdown due to surge in COVID-19 cases

Rwandan cabinet on Monday brought the capital city of Kigali back to a lockdown due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The lockdown, which became effective immediately and will be reviewed after 15 days, prohibits unnecessary movements in the city. A cabinet communique released after a virtual meeting recognized a recent "unprecedented rise in cases, deaths and transmission rates in the community," and called on Rwandans to raise vigilance in observing health guidelines in order to slow the spread of the virus. The cabinet also urged Kigali citizens to significantly reduce social interactions and limit movements only to essential activities. Travels between Kigali and other places are banned, and public transport in the city is suspended. The lockdown measures also include the closure of businesses and working from home. However, essential services are excluded from the restriction. Tourists are permitted to leave the capital city and tourism activities will continue in strict adherence with COVID-19 health guidelines, said the communique. The cabinet also allowed farming for the current agricultural season and funeral gatherings with no more than 15 persons. The country's aviation hub Kigali International Airport will remain open, according to the communique. The central African nation on Monday reported 227 new cases in the past 24 hours, including 139 in Kigali. The rise took the national tally to 11,259, with 7,412 recoveries and 146 deaths. SOUNDBITE 1 (Kinyarwanda): MOSES TWAGIRA, Kigali resident "Given the surge in new infections of COVID-19, the lockdown was necessary, because people were seemingly failing to comply with social distancing measures, so this lockdown made us relieved. For us to curb the spread of this pandemic, we would definitely get rid of it, if we fight it tirelessly." SOUNDBITE 2 (Kinyarwanda): MARTHE UWAMUGIRA, Kigali resident "Imposing lockdown in Kigali was important because the death toll and new infections are dramatically climbing. But the lockdown is also raising the cost of living. Prices have gone up on markets. We are experiencing losses and other challenges because it surprised us. If we knew earlier, we would have saved money for this period." Xinhua correspondents reporting from Kigali. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354741

Australia's "dinosaur trees" afforded special status after narrowly escaping bushfires

A group of exceptionally rare wollemi pine trees in Australia's Blue Mountains were officially designated an Asset of Intergenerational Significance by state authorities on Friday. Having narrowly avoided extinction during last summer's bushfire crisis, the trees have been allowed to get extra protection measures. Prior to their discovery in 1994, wollemi pines were known only in fossil records, with evidence suggesting they existed up to 90 million years ago during the late-cretaceous period. "The wollemi pines are often described as a living fossil, having been around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth," New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean said. Some of the adult trees are estimated to be up to 1,000 years old with their exact location being kept secret from the public. During the widespread bushfires of last summer, emergency services undertook an extensive operation to protect the trees when the site came under threat from out-of-control bushfires. "Despite the incredible efforts by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Rural Fire Service teams last summer, several hundred juvenile trees in the protected site were impacted and are yet to resprout," Kean said. "That's why we need to act now to put long-term protections in place that reduce the risk of fire exposure and allow the slow-growing juvenile trees to thrive." The wollemi pines' new legal status allows for protections including requiring a dedicated fire management strategy, ecological monitoring, and ongoing conservation management. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Sydney, Australia. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354728

Egypt's New Administrative Capital 90 pct completed: official

Spokesperson of Egypt's New Administrative Capital Khaled Al-Husseiny said on Tuesday that 90 percent of the construction work of the New Administrative Capital (NAC) has been completed. The ministries, parliament, and governmental agencies are moving to the NAC by June 30, according to the central government's plan. About 40,000 government employees will work in the NAC and they are all granted residencies in Badr City, which is only a few kilometers away from the NAC. Al-Husseiny also said the land price in NAC has risen to 50,000 Egyptian pounds (around 3,185 U.S. dollars) per square meter, which will bring positive impacts on the country's economy. The construction of the NAC is one of the most important and high-profile projects that top the national agenda of Egypt Vision 2030. China State Construction Engineering Corporation is currently constructing a 20-tower business district in the NAC. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354487

U.S. COVID-19 deaths top 400,000 -- Johns Hopkins University

The United States reached the grim milestone of 400,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. With the national case count topping 24.16 million, the death toll across the United States rose to 400,022 as of 2:21 p.m. local time (1921 GMT), according to the CSSE data. New York State reported 41,350 fatalities, at the top of the U.S. state-level death toll list. California recorded the second most deaths of 33,763, followed by Texas with 32,729 deaths and Florida with 24,274 deaths, the CSSE tally showed. States with more than 12,000 fatalities also include New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts and Georgia. The United States remains the nation worst hit by the pandemic, with the world's highest caseload and death toll, accounting for more than 25 percent of the global cases and nearly 20 percent of the global deaths. Last year, U.S. COVID-19 deaths hit 100,000 on May 27, topped 200,000 on Sept. 22, and crossed 300,000 on Dec. 14. It took nearly four months for the national death toll to climb from 100,000 to 200,000, less than three months to jump from 200,000 to 300,000 and only more than one month to soar from 300,000 to 400,000. An updated model forecast by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projected a total of 566,720 COVID-19 deaths in the United States by May 1, 2021, based on the current projection scenario. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New York, U.S. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354249

Chile reports 3,400 COVID-19 infections in a day

Chile on Tuesday reported 3,400 new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and 26 deaths from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 677,151 and the death toll to 17,573, the Ministry of Health said. So far, a total of 24,025 people have received an initial dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 8,360 have received the second dose, according to the ministry. On Wednesday, Chile's Public Health Institute is set to review the CoronaVac vaccine developed by Chinese biotech firm Sinovac to determine its approval, which would allow the country to continue vaccinating its population, Health Minister Enrique Paris said. Contagious disease experts have recommended the government restrict mobility between regions and plan for total lockdowns in light of a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks that could worsen in the coming weeks. Amid the busy summer travel season in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile has allowed families to travel within the country and kept its borders open to foreign tourists. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Santiago. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354094

Malawi rural communities benefit from energy-efficient stoves

As one way of conserving the environment, people in Malawi are making energy-efficient stoves out of clay. According to Eric Nyekanyeka, marketing officer for Malawi's United Purpose, the stoves are user-friendly designed to reduce heavy use of firewood compared to the traditional three-stone one. The stoves also reduce concentrations of indoor pollution that cause respiratory illnesses. Nyekanyeka revealed that their organization recently surpassed a 2-million stove sale across the country. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ERIC NYEKANYEKA, Marketing officer of United Purpose "We have been overwhelmed that we have reached that target, but it has not been easy. To us, it is a positive success story, and we all smile because we know that the fight against deforestation has been won in that regard. But then, we still have more to do to sustain the project, so that we keep on conserving the environment." In central Malawi's Ntcheu district, 31 people are beneficiaries of the project. They produce the stoves individually but sell as a group to various markets. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chichewa): NETESI WAYISONI, Project member "We are happy to be at the forefront of conserving the environment. Afforestation we feel is our responsibility, and we try as much as possible to conserve the environment in our activities." 39-year-old Crissy Mbalame is a member of the Kalata Mbaula Club in Ntcheu which also contributes to the mass production of stoves countrywide. She joined the group in 2011 and has been economically independent since then. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chichewa): CRISSY MBALAME, Member of Kalata Mbaula Club "I have benefited more than I can imagine. Out of the project, I have built houses, I manage to pay fees for my four children in secondary schools, and I can buy fertilizers for my farm fields." SOUNDBITE 4 (English): ERIC NYEKANYEKA, Marketing officer of United Purpose "Stove production is in a way that we use to promote members' income, because most women are coming from a background that they literarily did not have any means of raising income. In a way, we are empowering them to achieve certain goals they couldn't achieve in the past." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ntcheu, Malawi. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353705

urkish prosecutors issue warrants for 238 suspects over failed coup

STORY:Turkish prosecutors issue warrants for 238 suspects over failed coup DATELINE: Jan. 20, 2021 LENGTH: 0:01:37 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Turkey CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1.various of operation against Fetullah Terrorist Organization 2.various of anti-terrorism police taking suspect out of the building into the police car 3.various of anti-terrorism cops taking the criminals to the police car after their health check is over STORYLINE Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued detention warrants for 238 military personnel over their alleged links to a network believed to be behind a coup attempt in 2016, the state-run Anadolu agency reported. The suspects, including 218 soldiers on active duty, were accused of contacting the network headed by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen via payphones, it added. So far, 160 of those targeted in operations have been detained, according to the agency. The Turkish government blames Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup bid in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed, and has been pushing for his extradition. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Turkey. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353687

Turkey starts vaccinating citizens in nursing homes against COVID-19

Turkey started vaccinating citizens residing or working in nursing homes against COVID-19 on Tuesday, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced. Speaking at a meeting with the provincial health directors on Monday, Koca said the vaccinations would also cover people in disabled care centers and care homes, as well as citizens aged 90 and above. The minister noted that the program aims to complete the inoculations of this group by the end of this week. On Jan. 14, Turkey began the mass vaccination process with the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese company Sinovac. Since then, 851,745 of a total of 1.1 million healthcare workers, defined as the first group, have been vaccinated, according to the Health Ministry's data. The program will move on to people aged 65 and above and those working in specific sectors in the upcoming period. Turkey received the first shipment of 3 million doses of vaccines from China at the end of December, as part of a bigger deal, and expects to get the rest in the upcoming period. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353660

China's economic recovery "a blueprint" for others, WEF director says

China's faster than expected economic rebound after the COVID-19 shock is a bright spot and could serve as a roadmap for other countries, said Saadia Zahidi, a Managing Director at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in an interview with Xinhua on Monday. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SAADIA ZAHIDI, WEF Managing Director "It is clearly one of the few large economies in the world that has seen that kind of recovery in the growth numbers." China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday that the country's economy grew more than expected in 2020 by 2.3 percent year-on-year. Accordingly, China is expected to be the only major economy to post growth in the pandemic-ravaged year. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan (15.42 trillion U.S. dollars) threshold in 2020, NBS said. This marked a new economic milestone for the Chinese economy after the country's GDP per capita exceeded 10,000 U.S. dollars in 2019 for the first time in history. Zahidi said that the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic should be "green." SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SAADIA ZAHIDI, WEF Managing Director "We need to ensure that coming out of that crisis, economies are dealing with mitigating some of the potential future concerns. One, the concern around social fragmentation. For that it is important that the future economy provides jobs, inclusion, skills, education for everybody." SOUNDBITE 3 (English): SAADIA ZAHIDI, WEF Managing Director "And the second element is, we have to ensure that our future economies are actually embedding sustainability from the beginning. And that endogenous growth model, one that actually includes inclusion and sustainability at its core, that is what is going to be critical for China and for other big economies." China is currently transitioning to a green and low-carbon economy. The country aims to see its CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, according to the expert. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Geneva, Switzerland. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353654

Thai PM says only public hospitals allowed to use imported COVID-19 vaccines

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday that the government will only allow public hospitals to use imported COVID-19 vaccines in the initial stage of the vaccination program. Thai people will be vaccinated only by public hospitals and public health units in the initial stage, during which no private hospitals will be allowed to do so for health safety reasons, Prayut said. However, Prayut said private hospitals are allowed to import vaccines and reserve them for future use. All imported vaccines for use either by government agencies or private sectors must obtain prior permission from both the health authorities in the vaccine-manufacturing countries and Thailand's Food and Drug Administration, he said. Thailand has ordered 63 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and is scheduled to start vaccination next month. The first shipment of 200,000 doses of vaccines, developed by China's pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, is expected to arrive in February. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bangkok. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353627

Police officer killed, 4 including journalist wounded in S. Afghanistan's blast

One police officer was killed and four people, including a local radio journalist, were wounded in a motorcycle bomb blast in Tirin Kot, capital of Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan province on Tuesday, the provincial governor confirmed. "The explosion occurred when an improvised bomb attached to a motorcycle was detonated at midday when highway police vehicles were passing by the area," Governor Mohammad Omar Shirzad told Xinhua. The wounded were transported to a nearby hospital, he said, blaming the Taliban militant group for the attack. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kabul. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353591

Afghanistan reports 137 new COVID-19 cases, 54,278 in total

Afghanistan reported 137 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising its national tally to 54,278, including 6,864 active cases, said the country's Ministry of Public Health. SOUNDBITE (Dari): MASSOMA JAFARI, Deputy spokesperson for Afghan Ministry of Public Health "Laboratories conducted 2,097 tests during the past 24 hours. Out of the total tests, 137 were positive COVID-19 cases in 22 provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces." Laboratories across Afghanistan have completed 230,202 tests since the outbreak of the pandemic in February. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Kabul. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353558

At least 3 dead as petrol tanker explodes in SW Nigeria: official

At least three persons were killed while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a petrol tanker explosion on Tuesday morning in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun state in the southwest part of Nigeria, the road safety agency said. Ahmed Umar, head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, who confirmed the incident to Xinhua in Abeokuta, said three persons are so far confirmed dead while several others were injured, adding that both the deceased and injured were taken to a local hospital. "The cause of the accident is still under investigation, we have to conduct a thorough investigation, but it was an accident involving a tanker loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which fell and caught fire which affected other vehicles," Umar said. Also speaking on the incident, the State Commissioner for Special Duties Femi Ogunbanwo who was at the scene of the incident, said the state government would await the report from necessary agencies before an appropriate response. Ogunbanwo added that the injured were going to be treated in the hospital at the state expense. Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the tanker experienced a brake failure while descending from a bridge, lost control and fell, thereby going up in flames which affect other vehicles nearby. Road accidents are frequent in Nigeria mainly due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Abeokuta, Nigeria. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152353026

Iran says to produce uranium metal "not contrary to NPT": spokesman

Iran's plan to produce uranium metal for fuel needs is not contrary to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in his press briefing on Tuesday. Iran's plan to produce uranium metal at the factory in Isfahan is stipulated in the Iranian parliament's legislation, Khatibzadeh said. Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the plan two years ago and has recently provided the UN nuclear agency with the designing information, he noted. The Design Information Questionnaire for Isfahan uranium metal plant has not been yet submitted to the IAEA, and it will take place after necessary procedures, said the spokesman. On Saturday, Britain, France, and Germany alleged that Iran's move to begin work on uranium metal-based fuel contravened the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Their call came after the IAEA said Iran had notified the nuclear watchdog that it had resumed research on uranium metal production for fuel needs. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has dismissed European countries' concerns about the military implications of producing uranium metal. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tehran. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152375354

Athletes, workers encouraged by Xi's visits to winter Olympics venues

"We will contribute our part in bringing about a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Winter Olympics in 2022." Athletes, construction workers and venue operators were encouraged and inspired as Xi Jinping made visits on the preparatory work for Beijing 2022. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LIU KUN, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Beikong Jingao Construction Co. "After General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the National Sliding Center, he met with the construction team, the athletes, and the operation support team. What impressed me most was that the general secretary mentioned in his speech that the construction of the project was particularly difficult and arduous. This is really a great recognition of our work on the venue building and it's very encouraging for us. In the following year, before the Winter Olympics opens, we will make comprehensive improvements, and cooperate with the various arrangements of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. We will contribute our part in bringing about a fantastic, extraordinary and excellent Winter Olympics in 2022." SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): ZHEN HENG, Athlete of China's National Bobsleigh Team "When the general secretary came, we were actively preparing for the Winter Games. The general secretary watched the entire process of our sliding training. He cheered us on and encouraged us. This track is the first in the world to have a 360-degree loop, which is very challenging. We are fully dedicated to the training at the moment. We are aiming for the top in Beijing 2022!" SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI CHUNJIAN, Athlete of China's National Bobsleigh Team "When we saw the general secretary, we got very excited, and then we felt full of energy. My goal is to go as fast as possible and then try to get the best result. We have full confidence that we will present world-class speeds on the Chinese tracks. As the general secretary said, "to encourage 300 million people across China to be involved in winter sports," I hope that through my efforts as an athlete, my achievements can encourage more people to be involved in winter sports. " SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WU GAOSHENG, Staff member of Beijing Beikong Jingao Construction Co. "The general secretary pointed out that we'll advance our national fitness program through the Winter Olympics. After listening to the general secretary's words, not only I but also our entire Alpine skiing support team became more confident about our support work regarding the 2022 Winter Olympics. We hope that in 2022, our Alpine skiing team could present a satisfactory answer to all the Chinese people, and to the people in other parts of the world. Go for it, 2022!" Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152373769

China's Jilin reports 46 new confirmed, 7 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

Northeast China's Jilin Province on Tuesday reported 46 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven new asymptomatic infections, the provincial health commission said Wednesday. Of the new confirmed cases, 10 were reported in the provincial capital of Changchun and the other 36 in the city of Tonghua. The new confirmed cases include 34 that were previously reported as asymptomatic cases. The new asymptomatic cases were all reported in Tonghua. As of Tuesday, there were 267 confirmed locally transmitted cases and 61 asymptomatic infections in the province. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changchun, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152371207

China launches new mobile telecommunication satellite

China successfully launched a new mobile telecommunication satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday. The Tiantong 1-03 satellite was launched at 00:25 a.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. Tiantong-1 is a satellite mobile communication system independently developed and built by China. It consists of a space segment, ground segment, and user terminal. Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the Tiantong 1-03 satellite will establish a mobile network with ground facilities to provide all-weather, all-time, stable and reliable mobile communication services such as voice, short message and data for users in China and its surrounding areas, the Middle East, Africa and other related regions, as well as most sea areas in the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Wednesday's launch was the 358th by the Long March rocket series and also the country's first space launch in 2021. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xichang. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152366616

GLOBALink | Inside Hong Kong's new medical facility for COVID-19 treatment

Hong Kong has built an infection control centre in the North Lantau Hospital, a medical treatment facility for COVID-19 patients. The construction of the facility, fully supported by the central government, was completed within four months and officially opened on Wednesday. The North Lantau Hospital Infection Control Centre covers an area of around 30,000 square meters, including six ward areas, one medical area and one energy centre. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG YI, General manager of China State Construction International Medical Industry Development CO. LTD. "Before the facility was put into use, Hong Kong only had 1,200 negative pressure wards for COVID-19 patients. But now the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre is open, it can offer 816 negative pressure isolation wards, which brings a significant increase of 75 percent to the number of such wards in Hong Kong. This marks a great improvement of the anti-epidemic capacity of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government." A total of 136 negative pressure wards inside the facility are equipped with ventilation outlets to refresh the air 12 times per hour, keeping the air pressure of all wards at -10 pa. The air exhaled by patients will be filtered before being discharged through outlets three meters above the building, a practice conforming to international standards. Ultraviolet disinfection lamps on outdoor-facing windows on wards also help with disinfection. Each ward is equipped with cameras for medical staff to remotely monitor patients, while there are also separate bathrooms for patients and staff, reducing the risk of infection for medical workers. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): ZHANG YI, General manager of China State Construction International Medical Industry Development CO. LTD. "The hospital is designed to be a permanent building. Its structure can withstand hurricane-force winds. The hospital is also designed to withstand floods that occur once in 50 years. It's also equipped with a complete set of fire-fighting facilities. In general, the hospital has all the equipment of a common infectious disease hospital, except operating rooms, which are not built here as required by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152362449

Meet the Chinese man with the world's "fastest hands"

Twenty-nine-year-old Xia Yan from Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province is keen on time challenges. Xia currently holds eight Guinness World Records for his mind-blowing speed skills, including one for taking the shortest time to type the alphabet on a touchscreen smartphone. Despite his success, the Xi'an resident says he wants to attempt even more world records. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): XIA YAN, Eight Guinness World Records holder "Challenging world records brings me happiness. There's no secret behind achieving such speeds. The success requires a lot of hard practice and correct methods." Xia has made a career out of his hobby, setting up a training institution with more than 3,000 students. In recent years, he's also provided free courses to students in primary and middle schools in Xi'an, as well as remote mountainous areas of the neighboring Sichuan Province. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xi'an, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152361950

Beijing's subway uses robot to disinfect carriages

The Beijing Metro Transit Rail (MTR) Corporation has introduced an AI disinfection robot to spray atomized hydrogen peroxide disinfectant in the carriages of subway trains. The box-shaped robot operates autonomously once a cleaning range is set through its app, requiring minimal human interaction. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): TANG JIMING, Vice general manager of Beijing MTR Corporation "The atomized hydrogen peroxide disinfectant sprayed by the robot can reach places which ordinary disinfectant sprayed by humans can't reach, such as very tiny cracks. It has a better disinfecting ability, so it can kill viruses and bacteria more effectively." In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Beijing has been conducting daily disinfection and body temperature checks of passengers in 23 subway lines covering 405 stations. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152359346

Small village in China's Chongqing thrives through flower industry

A small village in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has been thriving in recent years, thanks to the development of its flower industry. Suxin Village is located in Jingguan County's Beibei District. Jingguan County has been growing wintersweets for over 500 years across plantations of more than 650 hectares. In 2015, village official Li Wei was inspired by a tourist to develop an essential oil industry, with the village's annual output of essential oils growing from 300 milliliters to ten liters. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI WEI, Local official "Every rural location has its own advantages and products, so it's not feasible to imitate each other's models. We've found our own advantages, and we believe they're benefiting the local people." SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI SITING, Official, China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products "I think the quality of the village's products has reached the very top of this industry." The new industry has also brought new employment opportunities to villagers, through its combination of planting, processing, and tourism, Li Wei said. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Chongqing, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152357578

Are red pandas and giant pandas the same species?| Pandaful Q&A

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): @JINGXIANG, Netizen "Are red pandas and giant pandas the same species?" SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU PING, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding "The red panda and the giant panda are not the same species. They only have some connections in their names, but they're two completely different species. The red panda belongs to the red panda family, while the giant panda is an animal in the Ursidae family. The distribution area of the red panda overlaps with that of the giant panda, so the red panda is also a very important companion animal of the giant panda. In addition to the red panda, there are also such animals as the Sichuan golden monkey, wildebeest, golden pheasant, and Asian black bear. These are all endangered animals native to southwest China." Anything else you want to know about pandas? No matter the question, just ask us! Film a video of yourself asking your panda-related question, and send it to us at panda@xinhua.org. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Sichuan, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354553

Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games field hockey stadium nears completion

The roof of the 5,000-seat open-air field hockey stadium for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games was completed on Monday. With a total construction area of over 13,000 square meters, the field consists of a basement and two above-ground levels. Wu Mingxi, one of the project leaders, told Xinhua that PTFE was used as the material for the translucent wing roof, whose design was inspired by the traditional Chinese oil-paper-and-bamboo umbrella. The next step in the stadium's construction will be to lay its playing field, which will double as a landscape feature that can be converted to host outdoor events after the Games end, including concerts, night markets, and community gatherings. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hangzhou, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354515

Hong Kong's jobless rate hits 16-year high

Hong Kong's jobless rate hit a 16-year high in the October-December period as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak further compounded the labor market situation, official data showed Tuesday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 6.3 percent in the September-November period to 6.6 percent in the October-December period, the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said in a press release. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.4 percent, showed the official data. Law Chi-kwong, secretary for labor and welfare of the HKSAR government, said the unemployment rate in the consumption- and tourism-related sectors, including retail, accommodation and food services, rebounded by 0.5 percentage point to 10.6 percent in the October-December period, and that the situation in the sector of food and beverage services was the most severe, with the jobless rate being up to 13.8 percent. The unemployment rate in many other sectors also rose, Law said. Looking ahead, Law predicted that the labor market will remain under notable pressure in the near term as the coronavirus epidemic will continue to weigh on local consumption sentiment and disrupt economic activities. The ongoing epidemic will dampen the consumption activity during the upcoming traditional peak season, said Chow Man-kong, deputy director of China Economic Research Program of Lingnan University, adding that business incomes will be negatively affected as consumption potential cannot be unleashed. Wong Kah-woh, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, expects about 3,000 restaurants may shut down during March to May if the epidemic continues to rage and social distancing measures maintains. The HKSAR government has rolled out unprecedented relief measures to help businesses and individuals weather out the hardship. Earlier this month, Hong Kong authorities launched an employment scheme to encourage local college graduates to pursue their careers in the mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The scheme involves as many as 2,000 job opportunities with government granting enterprises for each graduate they employed a monthly allowance of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (1,290 U.S. dollars) for up to 18 months. The jobless rate in essence is determined by the epidemic, Yang Yuchuan, a professor with the Hong Kong Financial Services Institute, said. After the epidemic is brought under control, the cross-border travel will resume normal and the tourism and other sectors will also recover, Yang said, adding that businesses will then see hope and the labor market will improve. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152354188

Chinese mainland reports 88 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 103 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 88 locally transmitted cases and 15 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Wednesday. Of the locally transmitted cases, 46 were reported in Jilin, 19 in Hebei, 16 in Heilongjiang, and seven in Beijing, the commission said in its daily report. No suspected cases or deaths related to the disease were reported on Tuesday, said the commission. By the end of Tuesday, the mainland had reported 4,545 imported COVID-19 cases. Among them, 4,269 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 276 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 88,557 by Tuesday, including 1,473 patients still receiving treatment, 62 of whom were in severe condition. A total of 82,449 patients had been discharged from hospitals following recovery on the mainland, and 4,635 had died of the disease, according to the commission. There were no suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland on Tuesday, and 34,966 close contacts remained under medical observation. Tuesday also saw 58 asymptomatic cases newly reported, of which 15 arrived from outside the mainland. On the same day, 39 asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed cases. A total of 819 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, of whom 266 arrived from outside the mainland. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152345333

Condition of Chinese trapped miners improves after receiving supplies

The physical condition of 11 trapped gold miners in east China's Shandong Province has improved after they received nutritious supplies, rescuers said. A miner's head injury has been bandaged, and two miners who were very weak are now able to walk, according to Song Xicheng, a member of the rescue and medical team at the site. The fourth batch of the nutrient solution was delivered to the miners Tuesday morning, in addition to millet congee, thermometers and blankets. Counselors have been in place to boost the miners' confidence, said Song. Twenty-two miners have been trapped underground following a mine blast on Jan. 10 in Qixia under Yantai City. Eleven of the miners were found Sunday through a drilled channel. They had a phone conversation with rescuers on Monday after a wired telephone was installed underground through the channel. The conversation revealed that 11 miners were stuck in one section of the gold mine and one person in another, while the whereabouts of the other ten workers are still unknown. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shandong, China. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月20日

RM 152301339

Tourism industry calls for aid from Australian gov't as borders remain closed

Australia's tourism industry has called for more government support as it faces another bleak year. Margy Osmond, the chief executive of the Tourism and Transport Forum, said on Tuesday that the industry has "no hope" of recovery while Australia's borders remain closed. "There is no way that domestic tourism can fill the gap that will be left by inbound international travel," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "Essentially your average Chinese visitor to Australia probably spends 8,500 Australian dollars (about 6,551 U.S. dollars) while they're here. Your average Aussie who heads off for a holiday is probably spending about 1,500 Australian dollars (about 1,156 U.S. dollars)." "Make no mistake, while international borders remain closed, we have no hope of recovery." Her comments came one day after Brendan Murphy, Department of Health Secretary, revealed that "substantial border restrictions" would likely remain in place for "most" of 2021. In response, Ormond called for the federal government to announce support for the tourism industry beyond the planned end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme in March. "The government is going to have to think very seriously about how it supports this industry for the next couple of years, not just the next couple of months, if it wants to have a tourism industry when we actually reopen our international borders," she said. However, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday again ruled out any extension to JobKeeper saying the temporary scheme had served its purpose during the worst of the pandemic in Australia. "I'm confident that the key pillars of our economic response are in place," he said. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Canberra. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152301317

Cambodia reports 2 imported COVID-19 cases, 441 in total

Cambodia on Tuesday reported two more imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to 441, said a health ministry (MoH) statement. The new cases were a one-year-old Indonesian boy and a 31-year-old Cambodian woman, the statement said. The boy is the son of an Indonesian couple who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Cambodia from Indonesia via Singapore on Jan. 12, it said, adding that the female patient is a migrant worker returning from Thailand on Jan. 15. Currently, the boy is undergoing treatment at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control in Phnom Penh and the woman at the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital in Banteay Meanchey province. The Southeast Asian nation has registered a total of 441 confirmed COVID-19 cases so far, with zero deaths and 386 recoveries. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152301267

Mongolia reports 10 more locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

A total of 10 more locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 were reported across Mongolia in the last 24 hours, taking its national tally to 1,536, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Tuesday. "We conducted 17,646 tests for COVID-19 yesterday, and 10 of them were positive," Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's surveillance department, said during a press conference. Meanwhile, 28 more patients have recovered from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 994. The Asian country has recorded two COVID-19-related deaths since confirming its first case of COVID-19 in March. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ulan Bator. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152300209

Bangladesh COVID-19 cases rise to 528329

Bangladesh recorded 697 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 16 new deaths on Monday, bringing its total tally to 528,329 with 7,922 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. The official data showed that 12,707 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across the country. The total number of recovered patients from the coronavirus epidemic in the country stood at 473,173 including 736 new recoveries on Monday, said the DGHS. According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is currently 1.50 percent, and the recovery rate 89.56 percent. Bangladesh recorded the highest number of daily cases of 4,019 on July 2 and the highest number of deaths of 64 on June 30 last year. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Dhaka. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152300183

Science project started by youths from Mexico makes global impact

In the Mexican state of Queretaro, a pair of students from the Baccalaureate Center of Industrial Technology and Services 118 (CBTIS) presented an idea to the Nobel Committee, winning the elite global prize. Sarah Michelle Diaz and Martin Morales worked on an interesting alternative to fossil fuels produced by vehicles. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): SARAH MCHELLEL DIAZ, Student from CBTIS 118 "The prototype is a filter for gasoline-derived automobiles with four cylinders, and basically transforms the oxides of the vehicle into innocuous gases, through a chemical solution and different mechanisms." SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): DIANA RUBIO NAVARRO, Advisor "The two students generated a device to capture CO2 from automobiles, and we participated in international events. But this is the most meaningful event for me as an advisor. For Martin Morales, he's been the clear winner of the National Science Expo in last year." SOUNDBITE 3 (Spanish): MARTIN MORALES, Student from CBTIS 118 "It was a very rewarding experience. I had the opportunity to present this project and speak with the Nobel Committee. My intention was to represent my country in the best way I could." At an online seminar, Martin met with Canadian physicist Donna Strickland, 2018 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, who plans to visit Mexico to inspire more young scientists like Martin. Xinhua News Correspondents reporting from Mexico City. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152300117

Jordanian king, Egyptian president discuss ties, regional developments

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held talks on bilateral ties as well as regional issues on Monday. During the talks in Amman, the two sides discussed means to bolster cooperation across all sectors, and expand Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation while building on the progress made at the three previous summits, according to a statement by the Royal Court. On the latest Arab and regional developments, mainly the Palestinian cause, the king stressed Jordan's steadfast position, which calls for a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution. He also welcomed the outcomes of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, which contributed to enhancing solidarity and stability in the Gulf Arab region. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Amman. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152300086

Italian economist sees resilience of China's economy

China's official data showed Monday the country's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 2.3 percent year on year in 2020. The country is expected to be the only major economy to post growth in the pandemic-ravaged year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In a recent interview, Italian economist Michele Geraci highlighted China's efforts in combating the COVID-19 and developing the economy. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MICHELE GERACI, Former Undersecretary of State, Italian Ministry of Economic Development "The thing that has impressed me most is that China back in March had understood that the economic goal and saving lives from the virus were not two conflicting objectives, it doesn't need to choose either one or the other, giving priority to the economy and not saving lives or the other way around. China indeed understood those two things are not in conflict but needed to be addressed together. So what they did at the end of January 2020, a strict lockdown in Wuhan, Hubei and then little by little in other parts of the country in two and half months. It was a sacrifice of two months' GDP in exchange for a quick and immediate restart of economic activity in April." Geraci also said that other countries should try to learn from China's experience. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MICHELE GERACI, Former Undersecretary of State, Italian Ministry of Economic Development "What I always tell my friends in Italian government, even if we have different political and social systems, we can still learn from Chinese experience. Look at what China has done and let's try to get some learning points. The positive result of Chinese economy 2020 and the future expectations of goals shows the key concept in the global economy today in one word: resilience. China is really showing resilience from internal and external shocks." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rome. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152300007

Athens welcomes Sino-Greek cooperation in green transition

Greece has made significant progress in recent years on shifting to a greener energy model, and supporting investments in renewable energy sources (RES), the country warmly welcomes the expansion of Sino-Greek cooperation in this field, Alexandra Sdoukou, secretary general for energy and mineral resources at the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, told Xinhua in a recent interview in Athens. Last September, Greece broke both a national and a European record. On Sept. 14, 2020, RES (wind, photovoltaic) covered for 51 percent of the country's energy needs (57 percent including hydroelectric power), according to the Independent Power Transmission Operator S.A. (IPTO or ADMIE in Greek). On the same day, wind power covered 40 percent of Greece's energy use, the highest percentage in Europe, according to WindEurope, an association that advocates wind energy policies for Europe on behalf of more than 400 member companies. Greece is moving forward at a fast pace and is ahead of many larger European countries in terms of RES penetration in the energy mix, Sdoukou said. The share of RES in the country's final energy consumption was 20 percent in 2020, higher than the initial national target of 18 percent and aligned with the European Union (EU) target for 2020 of 20 percent. SOUNDBITE 1 (Greek): ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy "Greece is at the forefront among countries which face with determination the issues of climate change and promotion of RES. Overall, we have a strategic goal as a country for an energy model that is greener, cleaner, more efficient, but also more competitive, which we want to implement through individual energy policies based on the support of RES investments." Greece's National Energy and the Climate Plan which was revised a few months ago, provides for installed electricity generation capacity from wind power to rise from 3.6 GW in 2020 to 5.2 GW in 2025 and seven GW by 2030. Installed photovoltaic capacity is projected to rise from 3 GW in 2020 to 7.7 GW by 2030. Greece's greenhouse gas emissions reduction, energy saving and RES penetration targets are more ambitious than those of the EU as a whole, proving the country's determination to move away from traditional energy sources sooner, the official explained. Greece aims to phase out the use of lignite in power generation by 2028 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2030, she said, outlining the national goals. Greece also wants one in three new cars sold in the country to be an electric vehicle by 2030 and the RES share in gross final energy consumption to be higher than 35 percent by 2030, while the EU goal currently is 32 percent. Likewise, the country aims to improve energy efficiency to 38 percent by the same year, while the EU target is 32.5 percent. The transition to a greener energy model under Greece's national plan is estimated to require 44 billion euros (53 billion U.S. dollars) worth of investment by 2030, with nine billion euros allocated to the further development of RES, Sdoukou told Xinhua. Greek officials would like to see the first investments in offshore wind farms in 2025. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic not only has not slowed down their plans, but fueled the country's determination to utilize all available European funds and attract private investment in the green economy to cope with the new challenges and pave the way to economic recovery, according to Sdoukou. SOUNDBITE 2 (Greek): ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy "We believe that the policy of our country for ending the use of lignite and the gradual abolition of the use of fossil fuels in combination with RES technologies is by itself enough to give a boost to development, but also to certainly compensate the losses from the ten-year crisis that our country has gone through, as well as the consequences of the COVID pandemic." SOUNDBITE 3 (Greek): ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy "Our ambition is to combine the recovery from the recession with green economy and significant investments in the energy sector." When the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out, Greece had just returned to growth after an acute debt crisis which brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy. In 2020, Greece's gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by about 10 percent, with the government expecting a strong rebound in 2021, according to the Greek Finance Ministry. Domestic and foreign interest in RES is high as investments in this sector are profitable in many countries. In Greece, the state offers a stable regulatory framework and simplified licensing procedures, Sdoukou said. In this drive to scale up renewable energy model, Greece welcomes technological solutions, know-how and capital from China, she noted. SOUNDBITE 4 (Greek): ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy "We always look with admiration and attention, I have to say, technological developments in this great Asian country. China has undoubtedly become an innovation champion in green energy and of course this knowledge and experience is now transferred to Greece. We now have tangible business partnerships between the two countries." In the energy sector, of particular note is the participation of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), one of the global leaders in energy systems, as a strategic investor and shareholder in the IPTO, with the Greek state holding a majority stake in the company, she noted. This very successful and mutually beneficial partnership is a great opportunity for IPTO to share expertise and technical advances with the SGCC, she said. In 2017, the Shenhua Group Corp. Ltd, one of the largest energy producers from conventional sources but also from renewablesin China, and the Capelouzos Group, one of the largest infrastructure investors in Greece, signed a three-billion-euro agreement on development cooperation in the green energy sector and on the environmental upgrading of energy generating units in Greece and other countries. SOUNDBITE 5 (Greek): ALEXANDRA SDOUKOU, General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy "I believe the road is open for many similar investments of Chinese companies in energy. We in the Greek government want to expand this cooperation of our countries in RES, but also in many other sustainable development projects." Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Athens. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日

RM 152299787

More people in hospital than at any other time during coronavirus pandemic: UK Health Secretary

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday that there are more people currently in hospital than at any other time during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a virtual press conference at Downing Street, Hancock said that hospitals in Britain are under enormous pressure amid surging coronavirus infections with someone admitted every 30 seconds. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MATT HANCOCK, British Health Secretary "Today, 37,535 positive cases of coronavirus were recorded. The NHS is under significant pressure in all parts of the country. There are 37,475 people in UK hospitals with coronavirus - that is the highest that it's been throughout the pandemic and someone is admitted to hospital every 30 seconds." Meanwhile, a study suggested that nearly a third of people who were discharged from hospitals in England after being treated for COVID-19 were readmitted within five months, and almost one in eight died, the Guardian newspaper reported Monday. In a more positive note, Hancock said the government's plan to vaccinate all the four most vulnerable groups covering 15 million people by mid-February is on track. People aged 70 and over and those listed as clinically extremely vulnerable in England have begun to receive the first dose of coronavirus vaccine from Monday. Hancock confirmed that Britain is aiming to offer all adults the vaccine by September, noting that 4 million jabs having been delivered so far. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MATT HANCOCK, British Health Secretary "We're on track to deliver our plan to vaccinate the most vulnerable groups by the middle of February, the groups that account for 88 percent of COVID-19 deaths. And I'm very glad to report that, as of midnight last night, we have now vaccinated 4,062,501 people across the United Kingdom, and we're currently vaccinating more than double the rate - per person per day - than any other country in Europe." Earlier Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that the easing of lockdown will be "gradual" despite progress of vaccine roll out. "I'm afraid I've got to warn people it will be gradual, you can't just open up in a great open sesame, in a great bang, because I'm afraid the situation is still pretty precarious," Johnson said during a visit to the manufacturing facility for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Another 37,535 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, the lowest daily increase since the start of the year, according to official figures released Monday. The daily figure, down from 38,598 on Sunday, brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,433,494, the data showed. Another 599 have died within 28 days of a positive test. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 89,860, the data showed. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from London. (XHTV)

日付：2021年1月19日