To address a nationwide sheep shortage ahead of Eid al-Adha, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has announced plans to import one million sheep, a move that has sparked mixed reactions.
North Africa has been grappling with a six-year drought, severely affecting multiple sectors, particularly agriculture and livestock production.
As Eid al-Adha - one of Islam's most significant holidays - approaches, the tradition of sheep slaughtering remains deeply cherished.
However, climate change has placed immense pressure on local sheep supply, driving prices beyond the reach of many households. In response, Tebboune has directed authorities to source one million sheep from international markets to meet the growing demand during Eid al-Adha.
The decision has been welcomed by consumers but criticized by local breeders, who warn of financial losses.
"As a livestock breeder, I cannot profit from this political decision taken by the President of the Republic. This will lead me to a certain loss as a breeder, and I do not know any other profession. This measure will eliminate this profession in Algeria," said Benaissam, a livestock breeder.
Meanwhile, the Ministries of Agriculture and Trade will move swiftly to secure imports, aiming to curb soaring inflation that has made essentials, including meat, increasingly unaffordable.
"The decision taken by the president will affect some greedy livestock breeders, as they used to sell sheep for 200 dollars, but now they sell them for about 600 dollars. Some of them do not pay attention to you as a buyer and treat you badly. When you go to buy, they tell you that the livestock has been sold. To whom? The market is empty. Unlike before, the commodity was available in abundance. The decision is appropriate. Rather, two million livestock must be brought in, not just one million," said Daoudi Karim, a butcher.
Algerian presidential order on sheep imports for Eid sparks mixed reactions
China's latest high-speed train model has reached 450 kilometers per hour in test runs, pushing the frontier of the country's high-end manufacturing and further underpinning its strategy of promoting industrial upgrading through technological innovation.
The CR450 high-speed train, China's newest-generation high-speed train, has completed half of its road tests, marking a milestone for the country's railway industry and reflecting closer integration between manufacturing and research, according to a leading railway scientist.
"Extensive work has been carried out on the CR450 project since 2025, and significant progress has been made. So far, the train has completed about 300,000 kilometers of testing, with more than half of the evaluation process already finished," said Zhao Hongwei, a chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.
Developed entirely with independent intellectual property rights, the CR450 also demonstrates stronger resilience in China's industrial supply chains. The project is boosting related sectors such as machinery, metallurgy, electronics and chemicals, as key components are now produced domestically.
"A high-speed train is a highly complex piece of engineering equipment. We estimate it contains more than 40,000 components, along with multiple control systems. These parts come from many different sectors, supported by an entire industrial ecosystem. So projects like this naturally drive the development of the broader industrial chain," said Zhao.
The train also offers a glimpse of the direction China's manufacturing sector is heading for, as the government has pledged during this year's" two sessions" to promote the full integration between technological and industrial innovation.
Speaking at the Ministers' Corridor during the annual meetings, Li Lecheng, China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, emphasized the need to translate scientific breakthroughs into tangible industrial progress.
"We will follow the principle that industry sets the questions and technology provides the answers. A new round of initiatives will upgrade key manufacturing supply chains, drive breakthroughs across the entire chain, and speed up their conversion into new quality productive forces," said Li.
China’s new high-speed train unveils ambition to bridge technology, manufacturing
