Volunteer rescuers in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, also known as Saida, are hoping for a permanent ceasefire, as ongoing airstrikes by Israel have caused heavy losses, leading to severe resource shortages and pushing emergency workers to their limits.
The city has been hit by multiple rounds of Israeli airstrikes amid the spillover of wars launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, resulting in heavy casualties.
Amid the ongoing hostilities, ambulances routinely navigate through cities across southern Lebanon to rescue the wounded.
"We keep full records. All rescue missions have been registered here. Especially during this war, the number of operations has been incredibly, incredibly high," said Ali Daher, head of a volunteer rescue team in Sidon.
The team Daher commands is a mosaic of civil society, including many medical students. None of them are fully prepared for the psychological horrors of frontline scenes.
"When you see bodies charred, dismembered, and shattered in every way, it inevitably has an impact on the psyche of the paramedic. We have to sit in sessions with each other to pour our hearts out," said Daher, who works as a local school principal when not leading the team.
The urgent appeal for a permanent end to the fighting comes as volunteers face immense physical and psychological exhaustion. The constant sounding of emergency sirens has eroded the morale of the team, which is also grappling with a critical shortage of first-aid and medical supplies.
"Right now, it is only a one-sided ceasefire, because assassinations and airstrikes still happen every day, and our land remains occupied. I hope for a permanent ceasefire to finally be realized in this country," Daher said.
Volunteer rescuers in Lebanon hope for permanent ceasefire
The China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone is accelerating the implementation of reform measures including customs clearance facilitation at ports, in efforts to boost quality growth of the local region's open economy.
China expanded its pilot free trade zones (FTZs) to 23 in April with the establishment of the one in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The State Council's plan on the new pilot FTZ specifies 19 reform and innovation measures, including developing border trade in an innovative way, strengthening international logistics services, improving the efficiency of technology transfer and application, and expanding external exchanges across multiple fields.
The China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot FTZ covers 119.74 square kilometers and comprises three subzones in Hohhot, capital of the autonomous region, Manzhouli, a northern border city, and Erenhot, an inland port on the China-Mongolia border, each tasked with differentiated functions and the development of industries tailored to local conditions.
At the intelligent freight checkpoint of the Manzhouli inland port, drivers can complete customs clearance within just a few seconds by showing a QR code to the scanning machine.
The QR code is generated by a smartphone application, which collects the relevant customs clearance information in advance.
"Only one QR code is needed for customs clearance here. We can go through all the required formalities and have the entire application documentation processed through electronic data transmission. After getting the QR code and having it scanned at the checkpoint, the driver will be allowed to enter the country. It's very convenient and fast," said Zhao Shuang, general manager of a freight company in Manzhouli.
From January to April, Manzhouli's total foreign trade volume increased by 43.1 percent year on year.
Inner Mongolia pilot FTZ accelerates reform to boost quality growth
