EDIRNE Authentic Ryan Strome Jersey , Turkey, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- As Muslims are preparing to celebrate the traditional festival Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice, thousands of Syrian refugees gathered in Turkey's western border city of Edirne, shouting desperately again and again "We want to cross the border!"
This is one picture depicting the life of more than 1,000 Syrian refugees who have waited over 10 days near the Turkish border with Greece and Bulgaria in an attempt to reach Europe.
Above the shouting crowds are banners reading in English and Arabic: "Open the border," "EU save children" and "I don't want to die in sea."
Edirne, which is known for Turkey's traditional oil wrestling, has turned into a new hot spot in the escalating refugee crisis.
Many refugees have built makeshift camps outside of the wrestling fields, waiting for their chances for a new life.
"I have waited here for eight days. I just want to cross the border to my final destination Germany," Mohamed Mohsin, from Syrian town of Deir Ezzor, told Xinhua.
"If I can not cross the border in land, I will try to go by sea despite the danger of life. Life now is difficult in Turkey," he said.
As his wish for the Eid al-Adha, he said "I wish European countries will find solution to our problems and accept us as legal migrants."
When addressing a large crowd of refugees, Edirne Governor Dursun Ali Sahin tried to convince the refugees to return to Istanbul, claiming that both Greece and Bulgaria have sent additional forces in order to prevent refugees from crossing their borders with Turkey.
As the civil war in Syria has now entered its fourth year, about two million refugees have fled from the war in their country. About 300,000 Syrian refugees are living in camps in southern Turkish cities close to the Syrian border.
In the first five months of 2015, over 42,000 people arrived by sea in Greece, most of them refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The UNHCR said more than 300,000 people have risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea so far this year, with around 2,500 refugees and migrants have died or gone missing trying to reach Europe.
The Solar Impulse 2 takes off at Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi, at the start of an attempt to fly around the world in the solar-powered plane March 9, 2015. Two Swiss pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, on Monday embarked on the attempt to fly around the world on the solar-powered airplane that is expected to last for five months and is aimed at promoting clean technology in the aviation sector. On its five-month journey of 35,000 km (22,000 miles), the engines will be powered only by solar energy.[PhotoAgencies]
The first solar powered plane attempting to make a round the world trip, left Abu Dhabi at 7:12am local time on Monday, embarking on the first leg of its flight to Muscat, Oman.
The long-awaited moment came after years of preparation by the Solar Impulse team, its sponsors and partners, who are turning a dream into reality with the goal of promoting an increased use of clean and renewable energy.
Andre Borschberg was at the controls of the single-seater aircraft as it left and will share duties with co-pilot Bertrand Piccard.
Take off came after a 40 minute delay while the team checked an electrical device.
At Mission Control Center (MCC) in Monaco, where flight information is collected and monitored, the atmosphere was anxious as the team awaited take off.
Around 20 engineers and specialists are taking care of meteorological data monitoring, air traffic control, mission control and flight strategy control. Another team of around 20 media specialists work at the MCC to take care of communications work.
Prince Albert said it was an honor to host the MCC in Monaco because it was great to have the principality's name associated with the project as it supports renewable energy.
The Solar Impulse 2 takes off at Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi, at the start of an attempt to fly around the world in the solar-powered plane March 9, 2015.[PhotoAgencies]
"I'm sure this will be an incredible message for renewable and solar energy," he said.
Solar Impulse will make a round the world tour, returning to Abu Dhabi in late June or July. It is expected to set a new record for flying 40,000 kilometers on solar power alone.
Because of its huge reliance on good weather, take off was delayed from March 1 until Monday.
Luc Trullemans, a meteorologist working at the MCC, explained that the delay was due to the presence of dust in the atmosphere and wind in the desert of Abu Dhabi, which led to sand falling slowly to the ground, affecting visibility.
The MCC's media team has been keen to spread the message about Solar Impulse around the world, raising awareness of clean energy.
"It is not about the airplane flying around the world, it is really about how many voices we can raise for an amazing cause," said Bruno Boehm, digital marketing manager at MCC.
Boehm said the dream behind the project belongs to many people contributing to the same cause, including Solar Impulse's sponsors. His team will take the views of all contributors to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year.
BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Friday for the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Vietnam.
After attending the APEC summit in Da Nang, Xi will pay state visits to Vietnam and Laos.
It is Xi's first overseas trip after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October.
Xi's entourage includes Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; Liu He, mem.