China's first large cruise ship to embark on domestic port city tour

The Adora Magic City, China's first homegrown large cruise ship, will embark on a tour of Chinese port cities this year, starting with its maiden voyage from the eastern city of Qingdao in April, the brand Adora Cruises announced on Thursday.

The cruise ship will depart from the Qingdao International Cruise Port on April 6, the first trip a Adora Magic City ship sails from outside Shanghai.

The vessel will then operate two consecutive four-night, five-day international cruise itineraries covering Fukuoka of Japan, and Jeju of South Korea.

The brand's second homegrown large cruise ship, the Adora Flora City, is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2026. It will then begin its international routes from Nansha District of Guangzhou City in south China.

Adora Cruises' current two operational large cruise ships, the Adora Magic City and the Adora Mediterranean, started commercial trips in China since Jan 1, 2024 and Sept 30, 2023, respectively. To date, they have served nearly 500,000 domestic and international passengers, receiving widespread acclaim.

Russian forces attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure overnight on Saturday, for the second time in less than a week, Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The strikes targeted the Burshtyn and Dobrotvir thermal power plants in western Ukraine, as well as substations and overhead transmission lines, the minister said.

He further said personnel unloaded units at nuclear power plants as a precautionary measure.

Ukraine's state-run energy company Ukrenergo has requested emergency assistance from Poland in the wake of the attack, Shmyhal added, while the company said it has imposed emergency power outages across most of the country.

The previous attack on Ukraine's energy facilities was carried out on Tuesday.