Int'l outdoor rescue skills competition kicks off in Yunnan

The "Cloud 2025" Rescue Skills Competition started on Sunday in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, with over 300 contestants from four countries participating.

The four-day competition, held at the Shimen Pass scenic spot in Dali, focuses on the increased demands on rescue teams brought about by theorizing popularity of outdoor sports.

The participating countries include China, Nepal, Cambodia, and Laos.

The competition simulates scenarios such as casualty rescue, cliff falls, and ravine entrapment.

It also recreates all the rescue steps, from dispatch and navigation to trace detection and casualty transport.

"For rescue and these kinds of adventure activities, it's my first time, and it's totally amazing for me. And we have seen lots of drones, lights for rescue, and some rescue technologies -- everything. And this is amazing for us," said Sudarshan, president of the Everest Alliance Nepal.

"Our rules in this year's event are inclusive and open -- our rescue techniques, equipment and concepts are all open for sharing. Through this 'firefighting plus sports' model, we hope to bring together domestic and international rescue teams to truly embody our concept of 'Rescue Knows No Borders,'" said Ma Jun, director of the operational training division of the Yunnan Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps.

Since its inception in 2020, the competition has attracted over 60 teams from seven countries.

Myanmar exported 305,821 tons of rice and broken rice in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2026-27, which began in April, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation on Sunday.

The Southeast Asian country earned about 93 million U.S. dollars from the exports during the period, the federation said.

According to the federation's data, rice exports in April and May this fiscal year were lower than the over 400,000 tons exported during the same period last fiscal year.