Foreign

Xiong’an innovation center moves toward zero carbon

Published

3 months ago

September 8, 2025

By Zhang Tengyang, People’s Daily

At the construction site of the Xiong’an Energy Internet Innovation Center of China’s State Grid in Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei province, cabling and interior finishing are proceeding in an orderly fashion. This is Xiong’an New Area’s first all-electric, smart, zero-carbon park.

The complex’s design features a circular layout, with a spherical conference and exhibition center at its core, surrounded by four research, development, and industrial buildings. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

A notable architectural feature is the installed glass curtain walls. These panels are noticeably thicker than standard ones, measuring nearly 10 centimeters. “Each unit is composed of three glass layers with two cavities filled with argon gas, significantly reducing heat transfer,” explained Li Peng, safety manager for the project at State Grid Digital Technology Holdings Co’s subsidiary in Xiong’an.

“With over 8,000 such panels, the curtain walls form a highly efficient barrier that retains heat in winter, blocks it in summer, and optimizes natural lighting, thereby cutting energy consumption for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and illumination,” he added.

But energy savings and carbon reduction require more than good insulation. Above and below ground, the park has installed a “circulatory system” to maintain stable temperatures.

“The park has drilled 1,136 geothermal wells, each exceeding 130 meters in depth,” Li said. “U-shaped pipes within these wells facilitate heat exchange with the surrounding soil, and geothermal pump units then transfer this thermal energy to the building’s internal water circulation system.”

This mechanism extracts heat from the ground to warm buildings during winter and dissipates excess indoor heat underground during summer, maintaining a stable internal temperature between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius. This method is far more efficient than conventional HVAC; calculations indicate that each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed returns over five kilowatt-hours worth of heating or cooling effect.

Complementing this, the building rooftops are being fitted with photovoltaic (PV) panels. “Approximately half of the park’s rooftops will be covered with solar panels, generating electricity for on-site consumption,” said Xu Huiming, a smart energy expert at State Grid Digital Technology Holdings.

The PV system’s design takes building orientation and roof slope into full consideration to maximize energy capture. During periods of high solar generation and demand, all rooftop solar power will be consumed locally. The system’s annual PV output is expected to reach 2.73 million kilowatt-hours, covering a quarter of its electricity demand.

In addition to these physical infrastructure solutions, the park employs a smart “cloud-based” carbon management system. An integrated smart operations platform enables real-time monitoring and management of energy use, carbon emissions, and facility operations.

Wang Shuanghu, the platform manager, demonstrated a digital dashboard providing a panoramic overview of the park’s energy, facilities, maintenance, and safety.

The system manages an extensive network of 146,000 pieces of equipment, from air conditioners and faucets to lightbulbs, tracking their usage and electricity consumption in real time. It can calculate energy use and carbon emissions for every building, floor, and room. Supported by big-data analytics, the platform dynamically adjusts energy loads to ensure flexible and efficient operation. Wang illustrated this with the smart lighting system, which can be manually adjusted based on time of day, pedestrian flow, and ambient light levels.”

At the heart of the park, the conference and exhibition center is nearing completion, which will function as a direct-current, zero-carbon building. It is also planned to host a future electricity-carbon trading platform, serving as a hub connecting power consumers, enterprises, and energy markets.

These measures have already reduced the park’s carbon emissions by more than 60 percent. While the facility remains connected to the conventional power grid, a source of indirect emissions, Xu clarified the strategy: “Through our trading platform, we will directly purchase green electricity to offset these residual indirect emissions.”

Projections indicate the park will reduce carbon emissions by 3,370 tons annually through passive energy-saving designs and clean-energy stations; by 1,386 tons through smart lighting and efficient fixtures; by 541 tons through energy-efficient data centers and smart operations; and by 1,367 tons through rooftop PV generation. The remaining 4,104 tons of indirect emissions will be neutralized through the procurement of green power and carbon trading mechanisms, ultimately realizing the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.

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.