Shepherds in Nileke County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, are dipping more than 800,000 sheep this summer to curb parasites and strengthen disease resistance.
As temperatures rise, parasites spread quickly among livestock, heightening the risk of illness.
The sheep dipping campaign combines orderly herder participation with professional oversight to ensure thorough treatment across the county.
"After dipping, the sheep are less likely to develop parasites or get rotten wool or skin. They grow faster and stronger, and when it's time to sell them, their quality is better and they fetch higher prices. With professional disease-prevention personnel coming to provide guidance, the process is both standardized and hassle-free," said a local shepherd. Local authorities prepared early, deploying professional staff to villages to provide technical support. Forty percent of the work is complete, with full coverage expected in the second half of June.
Xinjiang shepherds step up summer disease-prevention measures
Japan's economy grew at an annualized real rate of 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, revised down from the preliminary estimate of 2.1 percent, government data showed Monday.
Quarter on quarter, real gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for inflation, expanded 0.45 percent in the January-March period from the previous three months, down from the initial reading of 0.51 percent, the Cabinet Office said.
In the reporting period, capital spending, the main factor behind the downward revision, contracted 0.7 percent from the previous quarter, compared with the initially reported 0.3 percent increase, due to weak investment in software and production machinery.
Meanwhile, public investment was revised slightly higher to a 1.5 percent gain from a 1.4 percent increase.
Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of Japan's GDP, expanded 0.35 percent in the quarter, revised up from 0.27 percent in the preliminary reading.
Exports rose 1.8 percent from the previous quarter, revised up from a 1.7 percent climb, while imports increased 0.4 percent, slightly below the initial estimate of 0.5 percent.
In nominal terms, Japan's GDP grew at an annualized rate of 2.5 percent in the January-March quarter, revised down from a previously reported 3.4 percent expansion.
Looking ahead, analysts warned that prolonged tensions in the Middle East could cloud Japan's economic outlook in the April-June quarter by fueling inflation, dampening private consumption, and disrupting petroleum and petrochemical supplies.
Japan's Q1 real GDP revised down to 1.8 pct
