China Media Group (CMG) unveiled 21 awards to TV artworks, groups and individuals for their outstanding contributions in the field in a special broadcast of its third annual Chinese TV Drama Awards that aired on Wednesday.
TV Series of the Year went to "Northwest Years", a story about Chinese revolutionary Xi Zhongxun and his journey in the War against Japanese Aggression and the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The prize also went to "City of the City", a story featuring two generations of bankers in Shanghai, and their challenges and choices in the world of finance.
Best actor and actress awards went to Yu Hewei, Jin Dong, Song Jia and Liu Yifei, respectively.
The TV Series Annual Gala will be rebroadcast on CCTV-1 at 17:00 on Thursday and on CCTV-8 during prime time on Sunday. The show is also available on new media platforms of China Central Television (CCTV).
CMG honors most outstanding television series produced in 2024
A blistering heatwave has swept across Europe in recent days, triggering the highest-level red heat warnings in Spain, France and other nations as temperatures climb far above seasonal averages.
Spain has been among the hardest hit by the extreme weather, with mercury soaring past 40 degrees Celsius across most of the country on Monday. In the capital Madrid, thermometers at street bus stops registered 45 degrees Celsius under the blazing sun.
In a rare announcement, Spain's national meteorological agency issued a red alert for the northern Basque region. The coastal city of San Sebastian is forecast to hit a peak temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, nearly double the average temperature for the same period in typical years.
Amid the extreme conditions, Spain's State Meteorological Agency has urged the public to limit prolonged outdoor exposure, stay hydrated, and take extra precautions to protect vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly and children.
Further north, France is confronting a similarly severe thermal onslaught. The national weather service has escalated its highest-level red heat warning to 54 departments, with the extreme conditions expected to affect approximately 39 million people.
The widespread extreme heat has also caused immediate disruptions to daily life in neighboring Belgium.
As Belgian forecasters warned of a prolonged spell of sweltering weather, rail operators suspended select peak-hour services between Monday and Tuesday. In Brussels, authorities took proactive measures to protect students' health, allowing several schools to dismiss classes early so children could avoid the most intense afternoon heat.
Extreme heatwave scorches multiple countries across Europe
