Roundup

DESERT RAIL LOOP

The last section of a 2,712-kilometer rail loop line around China's largest desert, the Taklimakan, in the country's northwestern-most Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was opened on Thursday. The Hotan-Ruoqiang rail line will enable trains to circle the desert for the first time, according to the China State Railway Group. The opening of this line has brought an end to the unavailability of train services in five counties and certain towns in southern Xinjiang and will shorten travel times, according to China Railway Urumqi Group.

FIRM FOUNDATIONS

LIV Marina Tower, a 48-story building of high-end apartments being built by China Railway 18th Bureau Group in Dubai, has completed its raft foundations. This means that builders are to start working on the project's main structure, according to the company. After it is completed in the second half of 2024, the building-which stands by a waterfront facing the Ciel Tower, the world's highest hotel under construction-will become another landmark in Dubai, the company said.