Village grocery store reopens in quake-hit Xizang, bringing hope to affected residents

A village grocery store virtually destroyed in a powerful earthquake early this month has reopened in Dingri County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region thanks to the efforts of its owner and timely government aid, bringing hope to local residents who lived on the store's remaining supply after the earthquake.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Dingri County on Jan 7, leaving 126 people dead and 337 others injured.

The powerful quake virtually destroyed Tonglai Village, where Norbu, a father of two boys, ran the grocery store with his wife.

"[When the earthquake took place] I tried to run out of my house, but I couldn't move, so I had to hide under the bed," said Norbu.

Shortly after the earthquake, Norbu joined rescuers to search for survivors, and suddenly it struck him that there were still bundles of food in his van that he had purchased the previous day for his store.

"There was food like instant noodles, bottled water, snacks, and chicken legs in my van. By about 14:00 or 15:00 on that day, I had sent food to every impacted village," he said.

Before the store owner risked his life to gather more foods for residents in need, Norbu was stopped by the armed police on duty, who said they themselves would instead go to the site of the destroyed store to transport out the remaining food stocks there.

"I was deeply moved, and I wept. The police were normal people like me. I have a family and so do they, but they risk their lives for affected villagers like me," said Norbu.

Thanks to the rescuers, most of the remaining goods were transported to a tent next to the prefabricated houses which Norbu had been relocated to after the quake. Despite the quickly restored life, the shop owner always dreamed of rebuilding his grocery store.

After thorough searching and planning, Norbu chose a prefabricated house near his relocation site as his new grocery store, and he named the shop after his wife, hoping the reopening of his small business will symbolize an auspicious year ahead.

"My wife and I reopened the grocery store earlier this year and we will make concerted efforts in striving to build a better and happy life in the future," said Norbu.

Village grocery store reopens in quake-hit Xizang, bringing hope to affected residents

Mexico will unveil retaliatory tariffs against the United States on Sunday, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Tuesday, condemning the U.S. tariff hike as "unjustified."

Sheinbaum, who had called for "temperance, serenity and patience" ahead of the tariff enforcement, reaffirmed that Mexico would not tolerate subordination or foreign intervention. She also accused Washington of violating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and rejected White House claims linking her government to organized crime, calling them "offensive and baseless."

The 25-percent U.S. tariffs, which took effect at midnight between Monday and Tuesday, have already impacted Mexico's financial markets. The Mexican peso depreciated nearly 1 percent on Tuesday, reaching 20.90 per U.S. dollar in interbank trading. Analysts attribute the decline to concerns over escalating trade tensions, warning that further U.S. tariff hikes could follow.

With roughly 80 percent of Mexico's exports heading to the United States, analysts warn that the dispute poses significant challenges for both economies.

Despite the ongoing tensions, Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico remains open to dialogue while preparing countermeasures to safeguard its economic interests.

Mexico to impose retaliatory tariffs on US: President