China's Ministry of Natural Resources held an exhibition in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in celebration of the 56th annual Earth Day, which fell on Tuesday.
The exhibition highlighted China's achievements in earth science and sustainable development, with key themes including progress in deep earth exploration, polar research and marine science.
Several important pieces of technology were on display, including China's first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel Mengxiang, as well as the country's manned deep-sea submersible Jiaolong.
"We're taking April 22nd, Earth Day, as an opportunity, to use this event and highlight technological innovation achievements in various fields of natural resources in recent years. We hope to inspire natural resource workers to use innovative wisdom to paint a beautiful China and jointly compose a new chapter of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature," Feng Wenli, Director of the ministry's Department of Science and Technology Development, said at a press conference.
Exhibition marks 56th Earth Day in Chongqing, highlighting sustainability achievements
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.
Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.
The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.
Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.
Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest
