Foreign

Building a modern Antarctica research hub: Chinese team behind Qinling Station

Published

3 months ago

September 6, 2025

By Li Xinping, People’s Daily

As the last glimmers of sunlight faded across the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica entered its long polar winter. Against this stark backdrop of ice and snow, China’s Qinling Station stood firm like a sturdy gray ark, already equipped with a microgrid system, hydrogen energy facilities, and a communications network.

Qinling Station is China’s fifth research station on the continent, filling the gap in the country’s scientific presence in the Ross Sea region. At present, 32 construction personnel remain on site through the winter, carrying out interior outfitting and electromechanical installation while ensuring the station’s operation and maintenance.

China’s polar construction efforts date back to the early 1990s, when teams from China Railway Group, China Construction Technology Consulting Group, and other companies began making regular journeys south. Over the past three decades, they have traveled to Antarctica more than 20 times, steadily advancing China’s scientific footprint at the Earth’s southernmost frontier.

Qinling Station is located on Inexpressible Island, where the average temperature hovers around minus 20 degrees Celsius and can plunge to minus 45 degrees. Fierce gales lash the island on more than 100 days each year. To meet these extreme conditions, the station adopted an innovative prefabricated, modular construction approach from the outset: steel structures and functional modules were manufactured in China, shipped south, and assembled on-site like building blocks, ready for immediate use upon assembly.

Since welding is impossible in Antarctica, all steel structures had to be bolted together. “Even turning a screw here is a battle,” recalled Xie Shuaishuai, a young assembler born after 2000. Wearing gloves to stave off frostbite, he found they quickly became damp with sweat, froze stiff in the wind, and stuck to his tools. “You have to warm your gloves, put them back on, and repeat the process again and again,” he said. In the end, he tightened 11,000 screws in this way.

The construction of Qinling Station officially began on December 16, 2023, during China’s 40th Antarctic expedition. In less than 30 days, the steel structure of the main building was completed. Within 60 days, the main construction was in place. The project set five records in Antarctic station construction: the largest workforce deployed, the greatest volume of materials handled, the largest single building erected, the harshest conditions endured, and the fastest construction achieved.

When the 41st Antarctic expedition departed on November 1, 2024, more than 100 builders from China Railway Group and China Construction Technology Consulting Group joined the mission. “Most had already taken part in the 40th expedition, and some had worked on more than 10 Antarctic projects,” said team leader Luo Huangxun.

Luo himself joined China’s polar construction team in 2007. Over the past 18 years, he has completed 13 Antarctic projects, at times spending up to 17 consecutive months on the continent.

After a grueling 29-day, 7,570-nautical-mile voyage through equatorial heat and the turbulent westerlies, the expedition reached Chinese research base Zhongshan Station on Nov. 30, 2024. There, a massive unloading operation began: cranes worked continuously as crew members formed human chains to transfer materials piece by piece. In less than five days, nearly 6,000 tons of cargo were brought ashore.

Construction then moved into full swing. “This time, we introduced the most advanced building methods to Antarctica, integrating design, manufacturing, transportation, and on-site assembly,” Luo said.

A key innovation was the extensive use of digital simulation.

“Antarctica is too remote, and transport capacity too limited. Any unexpected problem could derail the schedule,” explained project manager Zheng Di of China Railway Construction Engineering Group. To address this problem, the team used building information modeling (BIM) to refine designs and simulate optimized construction plans.

One example was the station’s electromechanical system, which required more than 100,000 meters of pipelines. By breaking the system into modular units through digital simulation, the team reduced complexity and boosted efficiency by 72 percent.

The energy system is now largely complete, comprising wind turbines, solar panels, battery storage, hydrogen production and storage, and hydrogen fuel power generation. “These renewable systems will provide Qinling Station with a sustainable and reliable energy supply,” Zheng noted. Even during the long polar night, they can supply at least 14 days of continuous power at 30 kilowatts.

When the summer construction season ended, more than 30 crew members remained behind to keep the station running through the Antarctic winter. “Spending the winter here is far more challenging than working during the summer season,” said Luo, who has already endured two Antarctic winters. “We face 58 days of unbroken darkness. But whenever I see the station gradually taking shape through our efforts, I feel nothing but pride and accomplishment.”

Now 59, Luo is often asked whether he plans to return again. His answer remains firm: “As long as I’m needed, and as long as I’m fit, I’ll be right here with the team in Antarctica.”

Foreign

BREAKING: Trump Orders Investigation into Reported Christian Killings in Nigeria

Published

4 weeks ago

November 1, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has directed lawmakers to launch an immediate investigation into reports of widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria, describing the situation as a “Christian genocide.”

In a statement released Friday evening via his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed grave concern over the violence, blaming radical Islamist groups for what he called a “mass slaughter.”

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.

The U.S. President announced that he is designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing alarming figures of killings within the country compared to global totals.

“When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria — something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me,” Trump stated.

He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” pledging that his administration remains ready “to protect Christian populations around the world.”

Defence/Security

Polish MEP Raises Alarm Over Killings of Christians in Nigeria

Published

1 month ago

October 20, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

Polish Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Dominik Tarczyński, has once again drawn global attention to what he described as the ongoing persecution and killings of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post on his verified 𝕏 account on Monday, Tarczyński shared an image of a blood-stained Nigerian flag alongside a viral video showing a pastor conducting a burial ceremony for victims of violence.

In the video, the pastor lamented the frequent killings, saying:

“We are tired of performing burial every day, and they expect us to remain silent. It has become an order, and the Nigerian government came out to deny the massacre, saying there is no genocide of Christians in Nigeria. United Nations, you’re watching me. The American Parliament is aware of what we are doing now. My special request is to President Trump to save our lives in Nigeria. They are killing more Christians. If they say they kill Muslims, the Muslims are killed by who? Muslims are killed by Muslims.”

Tarczyński’s post quickly went viral, sparking widespread reactions and renewed calls for the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to combat banditry and terrorism.

However, the Federal Government has repeatedly rejected claims of a religiously targeted genocide. In a recent statement, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described such allegations as “false, baseless, despicable, and divisive.”

Idris maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges are complex and not driven by religious motives, warning that framing the fight against terrorism as an anti-Christian campaign could deepen existing social and religious divides.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and called on international partners and media outlets to “refrain from narratives that distort the country’s security realities.”

Foreign

Two Dead After Cargo Plane Skids Off Hong Kong Runway Into Sea

Published

1 month ago

October 20, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Fabian Apechihin

Two airport security officers were killed early Monday after a cargo plane skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport, struck their patrol vehicle, and plunged into the sea.

The incident involved Emirates flight EK9788, a Boeing 747 arriving from Dubai around 03:50 local time (19:50 GMT Sunday). The aircraft veered off the north runway, crashed through perimeter fencing, and collided with the patrol vehicle, pushing it into the water. Both occupants of the vehicle died, while the plane’s four crew members survived.

According to officials, the plane ended up partially submerged, making it one of Hong Kong Airport’s deadliest aviation accidents in years. Two other runways remain operational as investigations continue.

Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the patrol vehicle had been travelling on a service road outside the runway’s perimeter at a “safe distance” when the plane suddenly turned off course.
“Normally, the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea,” Yiu said during a press briefing. He emphasized that the patrol car “definitely did not enter the runway” and that the aircraft had not sent a distress signal before landing.

Divers later recovered the bodies of the victims—two men aged 30 and 41—about five meters from the shore and seven meters underwater. One was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other died in hospital.

Hong Kong’s transport bureau expressed condolences to the victims’ families, describing the event as “deeply saddening.”

Emirates confirmed the accident, saying the cargo plane “sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong.” The airline noted there was no cargo onboard and that the aircraft had been wet-leased—meaning operated with crew and insurance—from Turkish carrier ACT Airlines.

Firefighters reached the scene within two minutes, rescuing all four crew members who had escaped via the aircraft’s emergency slides. Photos from the crash site show the plane broken in half, with part of its fuselage submerged in water.

Authorities are now searching for the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders (“black boxes”). A police spokesperson said criminal investigations have not been ruled out.

The affected runway will remain closed pending the outcome of the investigation. At least 11 incoming cargo flights were cancelled on Monday, according to airport authorities.

This is only the second fatal aviation accident at Hong Kong International Airport since it relocated to Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The previous one occurred in 1999, when a China Airlines jet crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.