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14/12/2019

Xi holds talks with Micronesian president

CHINA-BEIJING-XI JINPING-FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA-PRESIDENT-TALKS (CN)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Federated States of Micronesia David W. Panuelo before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday held talks with visiting President of the Federated States of Micronesia David W. Panuelo, calling for joint efforts to advance bilateral ties and better benefit the two peoples.

The two sides should maintain exchanges at all levels, expand communication and exchanges between governmental departments and legislatures, and enhance mutual political trust, Xi said.

Xi welcomed Panuelo’s visit to China as the two countries celebrate their 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, and spoke highly of Panuelo’s commitment to developing bilateral ties and firmly upholding the one-China principle.

China sticks to the path of peaceful development, maintains that all countries, no matter big or small, are always equal, firmly opposes unilateralism and hegemony, and advocates that all countries should work jointly to build a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.

For the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have respected, trusted and supported each other, and carried out pragmatic cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, advancing bilateral ties and bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi noted.

China respects the Micronesian side’s right to take the development path that best suits its national conditions and supports Micronesia’s efforts in maintaining national independence and boosting development, Xi said.

He called on the two sides to complement each others’ advantages and further expand cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure construction and tourism under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

He also welcomed Micronesia to export more products with competitive advantages like tuna to China, make full use of the policies and measures China has announced on cooperation with and support for island countries, and carry out more pragmatic cooperation projects benefiting people’s livelihoods.

“China is willing to offer economic and technical assistance to Micronesia within its own capacity,” he said.

The two sides should take the signing of the visa exemption deal for those holding diplomatic and service passports as well as passports for public affairs as an opportunity to enhance people-to-people exchanges, deepen traditional friendship, and achieve more practical results on local cooperation, Xi said.

He also called on the two sides to strengthen communication and continue to step up coordination on major issues including climate change and marine affairs.

Panuelo said the Micronesian side spoke highly of Xi’s proposal of building a community with a shared future for humanity, which would play an important role in promoting world peace and stability.

Micronesia, as a small country, is appreciative of the equal treatment and respect offered by China, he said, noting that China was the first country to provide support to Micronesia’s national independence and liberation movement as well as assistance to its national development.

He reiterated Micronesia’s stance on abiding by the one-China principle and maintained that Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet affairs are China’s internal affairs and brook no outside interference.

“I have had a personal experience of China’s time-honored history and remarkable development achievement during my visit,” he said, expressing his delight over China’s achievements and confidence in China’s bright future.

Hailing the two countries’ cooperation for the past 30 years, Panuelo pledged to further expand cooperation in economy and trade, infrastructure construction, agriculture, education, and jointly build the Belt and Road.

The Micronesian side spoke highly of China’s important role in global issues like tackling climate change, Panuelo said, hoping to continue strengthening coordination and cooperation with China and playing an active role in promoting ties between China and Pacific island countries.

The two heads of state witnessed the signing of several bilateral cooperation deals after their talks.

Panuelo is on a state visit to China from Dec. 11 to 18.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in agriculture, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping, David W. Panuelo, economy, education, fisheries, Hong Kong, infrastructure construction, Investment, one-China principle, President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Tibet, Tourism, Trade, Uncategorized, Xinjiang | Leave a Comment »

10/12/2019

China, Sao Tome and Principe pledge to forge ahead ties

CHINA-BEIJING-LI ZHANSHU-SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE-TALKS (CN)

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, holds talks with president of the National Assembly of Sao Tome and Principe Delfim Neves in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu held talks on Monday with visiting president of the National Assembly of Sao Tome and Principe Delfim Neves.

Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said China is willing to work together with Sao Tome and Principe to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, and jointly safeguard the basis of the bilateral relationship of the one-China principle.

The two countries restored diplomatic relations in 2016 and therefore opened a new chapter for friendly cooperation between the two sides.

Li expressed China’s readiness to cement ties with African countries, including Sao Tome and Principe.

He also expected the two countries’ legislative bodies to advance exchanges and coordination.

Neves said Sao Tome and Principe will firmly adhere to the one-China principle, expressing the willingness to enhance cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure construction, fishery, health and culture.

Neves agreed to deepen friendly relations with China’s legislative bodies.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislator Li Zhanshu, Culture, energy, fishery, health, infrastructure construction, one-China principle, president of the National Assembly, Sao Tome and Principe Delfim Neves, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2019

“One country, two systems” principle proves feasible, achievable, popular in Macao SAR: liaison office director in Macao

MACAO, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — The “one country, two systems” principle has proved to be feasible, achievable and popular in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) since Macao returned to the motherland in 1999, said Fu Ziying, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR.

Fu told Xinhua in a recent interview that the Macao SAR government, along with all walks of life, has comprehensively and precisely understood and implemented the “one country, two systems” principle and strictly abided by China’s Constitution and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR since Macao’s return to the motherland.

The Macao SAR government has ensured the steady and practical implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle by devoting to developing economy, improving people’s wellbeing, upholding inclusiveness and mutual support and promoting the unity of the compatriots in Macao under the banner of loving both the motherland and the region, thus opening a new horizon in practicing the “one country, two systems” with Macao characteristics.

Fu eulogized Macao’s success in implementing the “one country, two systems” principle in three aspects.

Firstly, for the past 20 years, the authority of China’s Constitution and the Basic Law has been firmly safeguarded in Macao and the executive-led system has been running smoothly.

The Macao SAR government and all walks of life have always firmly safeguarded the authority of China’s Constitution and the Basic Law by holistically combining upholding the principle of “one country” with respecting the differences of the “two systems,” and maintaining the power of the central government with ensuring the high degree of autonomy of the Macao SAR, ushering in a new era of good political situation in Macao.

The national sovereignty, security and interests are well safeguarded and the capability and level of law-based governance has been significantly promoted in Macao, Fu said.

Secondly, Macao has witnessed rapid economic development and continued improvement of people’s livelihood, with people feeling more satisfied and happier, Fu said.

Macao, by making good use of the advantages of the “one country, two systems” principle, has achieved a leaping development in economy, Fu said.

Over the past 20 years, Macao has witnessed the fastest development in its history, with outstanding performance in various macroeconomic sectors, Fu said.

With the full efforts from the SAR government in building long-term efficient mechanisms in social security, housing, education, health, human resources and disaster prevention and reduction, the social welfare and people’s livelihood have been greatly improved since Macao’s return to the motherland, said Fu,

Thirdly, Macao’s success could be seen in its harmony and inclusiveness in society, where both loving the motherland and the region has become the mainstream value, according to Fu.

He said education on the country’s Constitution and the Basic Law is deep-rooted in the society, as the “one country, two systems,” “Macao people governing Macao” and the high degree of autonomy are well-accepted by residents in Macao.

Fu said Macao has attached great importance to cultivating patriotism among the youth, with patriotic education legalized in Macao in 2006.

The development of the socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, so is the cause of the “one country, two systems,” said Fu.

Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the practice of “one country, two systems” is included in the Chinese Dream.

In the future, Macao should further exploit the advantages of “one country, two systems” principle, seize the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

“We will always comprehensively and precisely understand and implement the principle of ‘one country, two systems’,” said Fu.

Fu called on Macao to participate in the country’s reform and opening-up cause more actively so as to help boost the country’s people-to-people exchanges with other countries.

He highlighted the importance of the construction of the Greater Bay Area, hoping that Macao would, by participating in the development, further expand its industries and promote people’s livelihood so as to maintain the economic and social stability.

“Remain true to the original aspiration of the principle of ‘one country, two systems,’ Macao, the land of lotus, will for ever glisten,” Fu added.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in "one country, two systems", achievable, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Central People's Government, Chinese President Xi Jinping, feasible, Greater Bay Area, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Macao SAR, motherland, popular, The Chinese Dream, the land of lotus, Uncategorized, Xinhua | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2019

Indian police kill four men suspected of rape, murder, drawing applause and concern

HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) – Indian police shot dead four men on Friday who were suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad city, an action applauded by her family and many citizens outraged over sexual violence against women.

However, some rights groups and politicians criticised the killings, saying they were concerned the judicial process had been sidestepped.

The men had been in police custody and were shot dead near the scene of last week’s crime after they snatched weapons from two of the 10 policemen accompanying them, said police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar.

Thousands of Indians have protested in several cities over the past week following the veterinarian’s death, the latest in a series of horrific cases of sexual assault in the country.

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The woman had left home for an appointment on her motor-scooter and later called her sister to say she had a flat tyre. She said a lorry driver had offered to help and that she was waiting near a toll plaza.

Police said she was abducted, raped and asphyxiated and her body was then set alight on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Four men were arrested.

Sajjanar, the police officer, said the men – two truck drivers and two truck cleaners, aged between 20 and 26 years – had been taken to the spot to help recover the victim’s mobile phone and other personal belongings on Friday morning.

“As the party approached this area today (during the) early hours, all the four accused got together. They started attacking the police party with stones, sticks and other materials,” he told reporters near the site of the shootings.

The men, who were not handcuffed, then snatched weapons away from the police and started firing at them, but were killed after the police retaliated. He did not say how the accused were able to overpower their escorts.

“Law has done its duty, that’s all I can say,” Sajjanar said.

The National Human Rights Commission, a government-funded watchdog, said it had ordered an investigation. “Death of four persons in alleged encounter with the police personnel when they were in their custody, is a matter of concern for the Commission,” it said in a statement.

Indian police have frequently been accused of extra-judicial killings, called “encounters”, especially in gangland wars in Mumbai and insurrections in the state of Punjab and in disputed Kashmir. Police officers involved in such killings were called “encounter specialists” and were the subject of several movies.

Graphic – Police Custody Deaths in India: here

People shout slogans as they celebrate after police shot dead four men suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian in Telangana, in a residential area in Ahmedabad, India, December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Amit Dave

‘LONG LIVE POLICE’

The victim’s family welcomed the news the alleged perpetrators had been killed.

“I express my gratitude towards the police & govt for this. My daughter’s soul must be at peace now,” Reuters partner ANI quoted her father as saying.

A Reuters reporter saw the four men’s bodies lying in an open field, all of them face up and barefoot, with their clothes stained with blood, surrounded by policemen.

A large crowd gathered at the site and threw flower petals at police vans in support of the action. Some shouted “Long live police”, while others hoisted police officials onto their shoulders and burst firecrackers.

There was no immediate word from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on the incident, but Maneka Gandhi, a lawmaker from his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said the police appeared to have over-reached.

“You can’t take the law in your own hands. The courts would’ve ordered them (the accused) to be hanged anyway. If you’re going to shoot them with guns before due process is followed, then what’s the point of having courts, police and law?” she said.

Tough laws were enacted after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman in a bus in New Delhi that led to an outpouring of anger across the country, but crimes against women have continued unabated.

Graphic – Rape cases in India: here

Slideshow (9 Images)

SLOW JUSTICE

Fast track courts have been set up but cases have moved slowly, for lack of witnesses and the inability of many families to go through the long legal process. Some victims and their families have ended up being attacked for pursuing cases against powerful men, often local politicians.

Many Indians applauded the killings.

“Great work #hyderabadpolice ..we salute u,” badminton star Saina Nehwal wrote on Twitter.

In Uttar Pradesh state, where a rape victim was set ablaze on Thursday while she was on her way to court, opposition politician Mayawati said the police there should take “inspiration” from what happened in Hyderabad.

“Culprits should be punished, and if they are not punished then whatever happened in Hyderabad should happen,” the victim’s brother said in hospital.

She was on life support, hospital authorities said, news that could further inflame passions in a country where public anger over crimes against women has grown in recent weeks.

Indian police registered more than 32,500 cases of rape in 2017, according to the most recent government data. But courts completed only about 18,300 cases related to rape that year, leaving more than 127,800 cases pending at the end of 2017.

But some people said the lack of progress in the courts did not mean the police had a free hand to dispense justice.

“We now have to trust that a police force that managed to let unarmed suspects escape their custody, and needed to shoot them dead because they could not catch them alive, is somehow competent enough to have identified and arrested the real culprits?,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters from London.

Source: reuters

Posted in applauded, Bharatiya Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Citizens, drawing applause, drawing concern, Family, four men, Government, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Hyderabad, Indian police, kill, London, Murder, National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, outraged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, rape, Reuters, sexual, sexual violence, suspected, Telangana, Uncategorized, Uttar Pradesh, veterinarian, women | Leave a Comment »

27/11/2019

China, Suriname establish strategic partnership of cooperation

CHINA-BEIJING-XI JINPING-SURINAME-PRESIDENT-TALKS (CN)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Suriname’s President Desire Bouterse before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) — China and Suriname on Wednesday decided to upgrade their relationship to a strategic partnership of cooperation.

The announcement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Surinamese President Desire Bouterse at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

During the talks, Xi said Suriname is one of the first Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. The relations can be considered a model of friendly relations and equal treatment between countries of different sizes.

The development of bilateral ties is in an important historical period, and China is willing to work with Suriname to take the opportunity of the Belt and Road cooperation to uplift the ties to new heights, said Xi.

Xi stressed that the two countries should maintain support on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns.

Xi called on the two sides to deepen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, communications and energy, and explore cooperation in new areas such as new energy, digital economy, tourism and ocean economy.

“China encourages more capable Chinese companies to invest in Suriname,” said Xi.

Noting that Suriname is one of the countries with the largest overseas Chinese population in the Caribbean area, Xi said it is necessary to promote cultural exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges and strengthen cooperation in areas such as education and law enforcement. China will also send a medical expert panel to Suriname.

The two sides should maintain communication and coordination on global issues, practice multilateralism, build an open world economy and safeguard the common interests of both countries and all developing countries, said Xi.

China is willing to continue to speak out from a sense of justice for Suriname on multilateral occasions and work together with the international community including Suriname to constructively participate in the multilateral process on global climate issues, he said.

Xi added that China has always respected the right of Latin American people to choose their own development path and supported the process of Latin American integration and the handling of regional issues through dialogue and consultation.

China is willing to work with Latin America to promote the construction of the Belt and Road and deepen China-Latin America cooperation by the principles of equal treatment and mutual benefit, said Xi.

Bouterse extended congratulations on the 70th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, and said under Xi’s leadership, socialism with Chinese characteristics will be a success and will bring benefits to the Chinese people and people around the world.

Underscoring the historic and political significance of his visit, Bouterse said Suriname will firmly uphold the one-China principle and support China’s national reunification.

He said Suriname is grateful for China’s help in his country’s economic and social development, and ready to work with China to enhance exchanges at all levels, cement political mutual trust, expand economic and trade cooperation, deepen people-to-people exchanges and take the joint construction of the Belt and Road as an opportunity to upgrade bilateral strategic relations.

Suriname stands ready to work with China to safeguard multilateralism, international law and basic norms of international relations, Bouterse said.

After the meeting, Xi and Bouterse witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), 70th founding anniversary, Belt and Road (B&R), Caribbean area, China alert, China-Latin America cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping, education, largest, Latin America, law enforcement, medical expert panel, Overseas Chinese, People's Republic of China, Population, Suriname, Surinamese President, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

25/11/2019

Priya: India’s female comic superhero returns to rescue ‘stolen girls’

Image copyright PRIYASHAKTI

Comic crusader Priya, a gang-rape survivor who earlier campaigned against rape and acid attack, is back in a new avatar. This time she is fighting the trafficking of girls and women for sex.

The “modern-day female superhero” was first launched in December 2014, exactly two years after the horrific gang rape of a young woman on a bus in Delhi, to focus attention on the problems of gender and sexual violence in India.

In the first edition, Priya Shakti, the tiger-riding heroine challenges the stigma surrounding rape while in Priya’s Mirror, the second edition, she returns to fight acid attacks.

In the latest edition – Priya and the Lost Girls – she takes on the powerful sex-trafficker Rahu, the evil demon who runs an underworld brothel city where he has entrapped many women, including Priya’s sister Lakshmi.

Indian-American actor and writer Dipti Mehta, who wrote the script of the comic, draws on ancient Indian mythology to create larger-than-life fantastical characters and delivers a powerful feminist statement.

The story of Lost Girls begins when the protagonist returns home to find that there are no girls in her village.

She then mounts her flying tiger Sahas (Hindi for courage) and arrives in Rahu’s den. It’s a city ruled by greed, jealousy and lust, where women exist only to serve and please men – and those who resist are turned into stone.

Image copyright PRIYASHAKTI

Priya is threatened and attacked, a woman who works for Rahu tries to lure her into the sex trade saying: “If you work for us, you’d serve only five to six men and not 20”, but in the end, good wins over evil and she manages to vanquish Rahu and liberate her sister and all the other trafficked girls.

But victory still eludes her. The families of rescued girls refuse to take them back. The survivors are treated like “lepers”, facing stigma, scorn and ridicule.

But Priya and the other girls stand up to confront patriarchy, says Ms Mehta, “just as women have broken their silence to talk about MeToo”, the campaign against sexual harassment and abuse that started in Hollywood in October 2107 and later spread to many other parts of the world.

“I was very clear from the start that Lost Girls can’t be just another comic book where good guy wins and evil dies, it had to be much more than that,” Ms Mehta says.

Image copyright PRIYASHAKTI

Ram Devineni, the Indian-American creator of the comic series, told the BBC that he had decided to focus on sex trafficking in this edition after visiting Sonagachi, India’s largest red-light area in the eastern city of Kolkata, where he met several women engaged in sex work.

“Half of them told me they had been tricked into coming there and, once there, they were forced into the sex trade. The other half said they’d agreed to do this for a living because they were dirt poor and they had no alternative.

“Often there were two to three women sharing a small dingy room, many of them had young children who lived with them, and some of them said their children slept in the same bed where they serviced clients.

“I found that really disheartening.”

Image copyright PRIYASHAKTI

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is the second largest organised criminal business in the world after the arms trade. It is even ahead of the drugs trade.

“It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry,” anti-trafficking activist Ruchira Gupta told the BBC on the phone from New York.

Ms Gupta, who supports trafficked girls and women in India through her charity Apne Aap Women Worldwide, says there are 100 million people trapped in human trafficking globally, of which 27 million are in India alone, and most of the trafficking is in girls and young women.

India, Bangladesh and Nepal, she says, make up “the epicentre” of global sex trafficking.

Ms Gupta, who collaborated on Priya and the Lost Girls, says she plans to take the comic to schools and colleges in India and the US to use it as a talking tool, “as a conversation starter on what is a very difficult topic”.

The only way to fight trafficking, she believes, is to “de-normalise” sex trade – and cinema, art and pop culture are tools that can help do that.

The comic is made to appeal to young people. After its launch, it can be downloaded for free anywhere in the world; it also has “augmented reality features”, which means people can see special animation and movies by scanning the artwork with their smartphones.

Image copyright PRIYASHAKTI

“People often make flippant comments to say that prostitution is the oldest occupation in the world, but they don’t realise that trafficking is not some poor woman getting money in exchange for having sex with a man. It is the extreme exploitation of most vulnerable girls,” Ms Gupta says.

To stop this “commodification” of girls, she adds, we need to create revulsion in men’s minds about sex trade – and it’s best to catch them young.

“We must work with young boys and teenagers, 13 to 14 year olds, through storytelling and pop culture. They learn about sex from porn sites which portray sex workers as happy hookers, and no-one sees the girl behind her.

“I want to demolish that myth of the happy hooker. I want to ensure that people see the girl behind her.”

Artwork by Syd Fini and Neda Kazemifar

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Source: The BBC

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19/11/2019

It’s a dirty job and I’m the one to do it, says millionaire who risks his reputation to break China’s litter habit

Every morning and night for the past four years, businessman Zhong Congrong has been on the streets of Chongqing to stop people dropping their litter
Admired as a welfare champion, the 54-year-old says he has been beaten and insulted for his cause

Zhong Congrong is a familiar figure on the streets of his hometown. Photo: Handout

Zhong Congrong owns three businesses in southwestern China which together are worth more than 100 million yuan (US$14.3 million), but he prefers to risk being labelled as an environment “nut” who wants to clean up Chongqing.

Every morning after breakfast and each evening after supper, the entrepreneur pulls on an orange T-shirt, gets into his Mercedes-Benz SUV and heads downtown. For one or two hours, he walks the streets, picking scraps of rubbish off the road and talking to passers-by about littering.

“It is my mission to change people’s bad habits and to raise their awareness of protecting the environment,” said Zhong, who has been on this mission for four years. It has brought the 54-year-old civic rewards, earned him a bruising or two from people who do not want to listen to his message and it nearly cost him his marriage.

Throughout it all, he has remained a persistent voice for the environment in the city of more than 30 million people and, as some of them have learned, he refuses to give up.

Yang Zuhui (right) has come to admire Zhong Congrong’s dedication to his litter picking mission, but she fears for her husband’s safety. Photo: Weibo

On mainland China, cities have banned littering and some hit offenders with fines as high as 200 yuan. However, the rules are rarely obeyed and feebly enforced, and while there are plenty of dustbins in public places, litter is still a nuisance.

Zhong said his mission started in 2015 after he met a woman in her 70s in Sanya, the southern coastal city on the South China Sea island of Hainan. He was struck by how dedicated she and her husband were when they went litter picking each day.

“They are retired professors from a prestigious university in Beijing,” Zhong said. “I chatted a lot with her and I asked her, ‘What’s the point of collecting rubbish every day? You clean up the beach today, but tomorrow new rubbish appears’.”

The way to solve the problem was to teach people to not litter, she told him, but she said she “dared not” try to do that. Zhong said that encounter gave him his purpose and he would dare to change attitudes.

Shanghai recycling scheme slips up on 9,000 tonnes of waste

Back home, Zhong watched and learned – concluding that customers of restaurants and fast food businesses tended to be the people who dropped rubbish most.

“Perhaps it’s because when people dine in restaurants, they throw their rubbish wherever they like. Going outside, they keep on doing it,” he said.

“People in shopping malls are generally more civilised.”

Zhong says his mission began in 2015 during a holiday on the island of Hainan. Photo: Dickson Lee

While on patrol, Zhong makes himself easy to see in an orange T-shirt that bears his clean-up message. His tools include a metal pincer for picking up tissue paper, plastic bags, drinks bottles, nappies and other everyday detritus and putting it into bins.

He also carries a voice recorder that sends out an appeal to restaurant customers: “To protect our environment and not to affect our kids’ healthy growing up, dear friends, please don’t throw rubbish.”

Can China sort its household waste recycling problem by 2020?

Zhong said that at first he felt afraid and self-conscious when he stood in front of a crowd of diners with his green gospel. But time and practise taught him he had almost nothing to fear, he said.

One of the bigger challenges is getting through to the many people who do not listen to him and refuse to dispose of their rubbish the right way.

“It’s normal that our society has various kinds of people and I need to face this reality,” Zhong said. “I was prepared in my mind that I would be called ‘nut’ since this is such an arduous but fruitless cause.”

He tackles the problem with his usual persistence, so argument and persuasion is all part of the job. When Zhong insists the rule breakers take their rubbish and bin it, some ignore him and others walk away – but he is ready with an answer.

“I tell them, ‘If you don’t pick it up, I guarantee that you will lose face today. I will let passers-by see and hear what a humiliating thing you have done. Everybody will then condemn you and you will be embarrassed’,” he said.

When people tell him what they do is none of his business, Zhong replies that what he is doing is in the public interest.

Sometimes there is a heavier price. Zhong said he once watched several men in their 20s throw rubbish onto the road from their car. He set off after them in his SUV. He waylaid them and asked them to clean up after themselves – the men refused, swore at him and beat him up. Their day ended in a police station.

Zhong said he hoped his work would bring “positive energy” to the employees of his vehicle components and packaging materials companies, but his mission was not about business prestige.

However, last year, he was named as one of the top 10 public welfare figures of Chongqing by the municipal government, while his family was honoured as a Chinese good family by the semi-governmental All-China Women’s Federation, a women’s rights organisation established in 1949.

Street cleaner who found US$22,000 in rubbish refuses to accept a reward

There were trials for Zhong closer to home – his wife, Yang Zuhui, did not support his mission at first and threatened to divorce him.

“It’s OK that you picked up trash on the street and you were just another cleaner there,” she told him in an interview with Hunan Television in 2017. “But what worried me was that you tried to persuade others – physical violence [against him] was inevitable.”

She also said: “My husband is not very tall and, on many occasions, he was at a disadvantage and got beaten up. I am worried about his personal safety.”

Zhong impressed his daughter’s schoolfriends with an inspiring speech. Photo: Weibo

But two years ago, their 10-year-old daughter helped change Yang’s attitude towards her husband’s mission after a school outing.

After lunch that day, Zhong gave the adults and children who had left rubbish behind one of his lectures.

His daughter, who was embarrassed by Zhong’s speech, came to appreciate him when classmates told her: “Your father is awesome. He is like a hero who protects the Earth.”

Yang was won over because she knew her husband was a determined man and once he decided on a course of action would not change his mind.

Their son – who is in his 20s and has returned to Chongqing after studying in France – always stands by his father, Zhong said.

“My son told me that environmental voluntary work normal abroad and it is respected,” he said.

Going out to collect rubbish has become part of Zhong’s life, he said.

“In the evening, if I stay at home, my wife and daughter will ask me ‘Why don’t you go to pick up rubbish?’”

He said it was important to go litter picking every day because the more he did it the more people he could influence.

“By breaking the littering habit, Chinese people can stand tall when they travel abroad,” Zhong said.

Source: SCMP

Posted in abroad, Admired, All-China Women's Federation, beaten, Beijing, break, bruising, businessman, cause, China’s, Chinese people, Chongqing, civic rewards, civilised, concluding, customers, dirty job, downtown, dropping, Entrepreneur, Every morning and night, fast food, four years, France, habit, Hainan, Hunan Television, insulted, learned, litter, marriage, Mercedes-Benz SUV, millionaire, orange T-shirt, People, personal safety, prestigious university, professors, reputation, restaurants, retired, Risks, Sanya, Shanghai, shopping malls, South China Sea, stand tall, stop, streets, travel, Uncategorized, watched, welfare champion, Zhong Congrong | Leave a Comment »

17/11/2019

The truth behind India’s viral photo that got a girl into school

The viral photo in the newspaper — Image caption The photo that sparked an outcry

A five-year-old in the southern city of Hyderabad was enrolled in school after a photo of her peeking into a classroom sparked an outcry. BBC Telugu’s Deepthi Bathini reports on why the photo doesn’t tell the full story.

Divya is something of a local celebrity in the slum where she lives. The shy five-year-old was the subject of a recent photo which went viral – it showed her clutching a bowl and peeking into a classroom at the local government school.

The touching image was published in a Telugu newspaper on 7 November with a caption that translates from the Telugu as “hungry gaze”.

It quickly grabbed people’s attention: a children’s rights activist shared it on Facebook, lamenting that yet another child was being denied the right to food and education.

It had such an impact, the school enrolled Divya the following day.

But her father, M Lakshman, says the photo and the outcry it provoked was in fact unfair to him and his wife, Yashoda, who works as a sweeper.

Divya in school — Image caption Five-year-old Divya enrolled in school after a photo of her in a newspaper went viral

“I felt sad when I saw the photo,” he told the BBC. “Divya has parents and we are working so hard to give her a good future – but she was portrayed as a hungry orphan.”

Mr Lakshman says he was waiting for Divya to turn six so he could enrol her in a government hostel where his other two daughters are studying. The couple also have a son, who has finished school and is now applying to college while helping Mr Lakshman, who works as a rag picker.

Breaking the cycle

Divya and her parents live in a one-room hut in a shanty town in the heart of Hyderabad. The slum is about 100 metres from the government school, where Divya was photographed. Most of the 300 families living here are daily wage labourers and their children attend the school nearby.

The home is sparse and plastic and glass are piled outside, ready to be sold for recycling. He says between him and his wife, they earn about 10,000 rupees ($139; £108) a month, which pays for their food and clothes. Education, however, is free for the children, since they are all enrolled in government-run schools.

Mr Lakshman knows what it is to struggle: he himself grew up without parents and always battled to earn a decent living. “I never wanted my children to have the life I had. So I made sure they all go to school.”

The photo, he adds, was especially hurtful because he has also been taking care of his brother’s five children.

Divya with her father — Image caption Divya’s father said the outcry over the photo was “unfair” to his family

“My brother and sister-in-law passed away sometime ago. I didn’t want their five children to grow up as orphans. So, I enrolled all of them in a hostel and I take care of them.”

When asked why Divya had gone to the government school with a bowl in hand, Mr Lakshman explains that a lot of the younger children from the slum go there around lunch time to take advantage of the free midday meal – a government programme which provides cooked meals to children in more than a million schools – which they know about because their older brothers and sisters are already enrolled.

“Divya doesn’t go every day but she happened to go on that day and someone photographed her,” he explained.

This was confirmed by teachers at the school who told the BBC that some children brought lunch from home, so leftovers over from the free meal scheme would be given to the younger children who had not yet joined.

“Children are children. And there is no day-care centre, so a lot of these children hang around the school anyway,” says one teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Divya in her new school — Image caption Divya says she’s excited to go to school

Mr Lakshman and his neighbours acknowledged the lack of an anganwadi, or government-sponsored day-care centre, in the neighbourhood was a major problem as parents had no place to leave their children so they could go to work.

The local school inspector, SU Shivram Prasad, says he hopes the attention generated by the Divya’s photo will hasten the process of setting up one up.

“It will help the parents and the children can eat a nutritious meal,” he adds.

Teachers at the school also hope that the media spotlight will improve facilities. They say there is an acute shortage of staff and teaching materials, and the school did not even have a compound wall, which meant they have to constantly watch the children during their breaks.

Divya, however, is excited to be going to school. She insists on taking her school bag with her everywhere, even to the playground. Other than saying her name, she does not answer any questions.

“She is a very calm child,” says Mr Lakshman, as his daughter holds his hand and kisses it.

And he admits that despite everything, the photo did do some good.

“Now other children who are Divya’s age are also enrolling in school. So that makes me happy.”

Source: The BBC

Posted in activist, attention, BBC Telugu, child, Children's rights, classroom, denied, education, enrolled, Facebook, Food, Girl, government hostel, hungry gaze, Hyderabad, India's, lamenting, Local government, newspaper, outcry, peeking, people's, photo, school, shared, sparked, sweeper, Telugu, Uncategorized, viral photo | Leave a Comment »

15/11/2019

China signs 197 B&R cooperation documents with 137 countries, 30 int’l organizations

BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) — China has signed 197 Belt and Road (B&R) cooperation documents with 137 countries and 30 international organizations by the end of October, the country’s top economic planner said Friday.

Apart from developing and developed economies, a number of companies and financial institutions from developed countries have collaborated with China to expand the third-party market as well, Meng Wei, a spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a news conference.

The construction of the China-Laos railway, China-Thailand railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and Hungary-Serbia railway are making solid headway while projects including the Gwadar Port, Hambantota Port, Piraeus Port and Khalifa Port have gone smoothly, the NDRC said.

Meanwhile, the building of the China-Belarus industrial park, China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone and China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone is also forging ahead.

From January to September, China’s trade with B&R countries totaled about 950 billion U.S. dollars, and its non-financial direct investment in these countries topped 10 billion dollars, Meng said.

She noted that China has made bilateral currency swap arrangements with 20 B&R countries and established RMB clearing arrangements with seven countries.

In addition, the country has also made achievements with B&R countries in other sectors including technology exchange, education cooperation, culture and tourism, green development and foreign aid.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Belt and Road (B&R) cooperation, China alert, China-Belarus industrial park, China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, China-Laos railway, China-Thailand railway, China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone, Construction, Culture, education cooperation, foreign aid, green development, Hambantota Port, Hungary-Serbia railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, Khalifa Port, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Piraeus port, technology exchange, Tourism, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

12/11/2019

Guru Nanak: Sikh founder’s 550th birthday celebrated

Sikh pilgrims take part in a religious ritual as they gather to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, at Nankana Sahib

Celebrations have taken place in India and Pakistan to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak – the founder of Sikhism.

The anniversary comes just a few days after the historic opening of the Kartarpur corridor, which allows Indians access to one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines in Pakistan without having to apply for a visa.

Tensions between the neighbours have made it difficult for Indian pilgrims to visit the site in Pakistan in recent years. But an agreement reached last month allows Indians to make the 4km (2.5-mile) crossing to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur – where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life.

On Tuesday, Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan gathered at Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, which is about 80km (50 miles) from the city of Lahore.

Large numbers of devotees, including women, took part in the religious rituals.

The auspicious day for Sikhs was also marked in India, where Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary is an annual public holiday.

A Sikh devotee takes a holy dip on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi on November 12, 2019

Sikh devotees gathered in huge numbers at the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in the capital Delhi.

Sikh devotees gather to pay their respects on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi on November 12, 2019

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the nation on the occasion, saying it was “a day to rededicate ourselves” to Guru Nanak’s “dream of a just, inclusive and harmonious society”.

Though Guru Nanak’s anniversary is an important event for Sikhs annually, this time the celebrations were more special due to the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.

Devotees from across the world visit the Kartarpur shrine every year to commemorate his birth. Indian Sikhs will now be able to visit with just their passports, but they will not be allowed to leave the site or stay overnight.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, in north-western India, is the holiest Gurdwara (where Sikhs worship). On the eve of the anniversary, it was lit up to host processions as Sikh worshippers took part in the three-day celebration of Guru Nanak’s birth.

The Golden Temple lit up as Sikhs watch from a window

On the first day of the celebrations, Sikhs read the Sikh holy book – the Guru Granth Sahib – from beginning to end.

Celebrating Guru Nanak in Wolverhampton

As is the tradition on the second day, the holy book was paraded through the streets of Amritsar on Monday in a hand-held carriage.

The procession was led by five people representing the original Panj Pyare – the Five Beloved Ones – who helped shape the religion.

Sikh devotees carrying the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji - the holy book of Sikh religion - in a hand-held, golden carriage

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