‘The Prophet’ of cult-like church near Owen Sound, gets 18 months for assaulting members

　 Fred King, 2nd from right, and members of his legal team arrive at court on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 in Owen Sound, Ont. ‘The Prophet’ of cult-like church near Owen Sound, gets 18 months for assaulting members OWEN SOUND — Disgraced Chatsworth church leader Fred King, known to his parishioners simply as “The Prophet,” was sentenced today to 18 months jail followed by two years probation.His church, which came to public attention first through a W5 television expose, has disbanded, according to defence lawyer Paul Mergler. King, 57, pleaded guilty in May to nine assaults which took place between Dec. 12, 1988 and Aug. 10, 2008, mostly in Chatsworth Township or elsewhere in Grey County, and in one case in Peel Region, involving four church members.　The abuse included squeezing a child’s hand with crushing force for fighting with a sister, and beating a teen in church in front of its members after she’d tried to run away. King also beat a young man stripped of clothes in front of his mother, leaving him standing outside for hours at night as mosquitoes bit him. Grey County Crown attorney Michael Martin said King, who led the church since 1986, was “all powerful within that religious denomination” and often preached for hours on end. He alone decided when behaviour needed “correction” and what form it took.　King, a tall, heavyset man, would “sadistically humiliate and repeatedly assault women . . . and children with complete impunity,” Martin said. Fred King, centre (in green jacket), and his brother Joseph King, right (in blue jacket), leave the Ontario Court of Justice following Fred King's bail hearing in Owen Sound on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. Fred King faces 25 charges from 1978-2008 following an investigation of allegations surrounding his Chatsworth area Church of Jesus Christ Restored. This breach of trust was often carried out in front of the congregation, Martin noted. Victims worked in “church-controlled jobs, either as farm labour or within the printing business.”King had nothing to say when given the opportunity to speak in court Wednesday.King admitted in the Superior Court of Justice in May to a litany of physical abuse, often designed to humiliate, something Justice Clayton Conlan said he found particularly disturbing as he accepted the sentence recommended by Crown and defence.He called King’s abuse of his church members a “gross violation” of King’s position of trust. Emotional scars left, he suspects, will never heal. The “sordid” facts were the primary aggravating factor in deciding the sentence. But to his credit, King pleaded guilty, saving the justice system time and avoiding aggravation the victims would have had to endure at trial. He’s a first offender, Conlan said.King’s victims in the charges he admitted to include three males between 11 and 19 years of age at the time, and Carol Christie. She and husband John Christie did not attend the sentencing because they attended a funeral instead. Fred King, center, follows an unidentified woman, left, and a member of his legal team into the courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 in Owen Sound, Ont. James Masters/The Owen Sound Sun Times/Postmedia NetworkFred King, center, follows an unidentified woman, left, and a member of his legal team into the courthouse on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 in Owen Sound, Ont. Only Christie, 63, of Owen Sound, may be named under terms of a publication ban, which was lifted on her name with her agreement. The ban was imposed to protect the privacy of the other victims at the Crown’s request.After a particularly severe and humiliating attack in front of parishioners, which was detailed in court, Christie ran from the church in March 2008, never to return. Two of the charges King pleaded to related to assaults on her when she was roughly 35 to 55 years old.Christie came forward and was featured on a W5 investigative report, and in local media in 2012, which detailed abuse allegations. The television report led the OPP to investigate, Martin said.Christie and her husband wrote a book about her experiences in the church. A former church member has alleged that Fred King had many wives at once who were handed down from his father, Stan King. But no polygamy charges ever resulted from the 16-month police investigation.Among charges that were withdrawn Wednesday were six allegations of sexual misconduct including on a young girl and a woman. In two cases the charges alleged repeated sexual assaults. The Crown said he stands behind the credibility of Christie, one of those complaints. Defence lawyer Mergler said late disclosure of information led to the plea arrangement and withdrawal of the sex related charges.Mergler, said its been tough on his client while facing these charges and before, when a civil suit was settled with a number of complainants who all received “very significant” damage awards.So it could be argued, he said, financial “restitution” has already been made to the extent possible. He also said there were “numerous and huge triable issues” in this case which had been set for three weeks of trial before a judge alone. Fred King, the church leader and alleged polygamist who was arrested Friday in Hamilton. Before Friday, the rural Ontario man hadn't been seen for two years, after church members in Chatsworth, Ont., accused him of sexual exploitation and assault. “There have been death threats,” against King, at least one of which police were told about and which led to imposition of a peace bond, Mergler said. “There was vandalism, including people urinating on the gates to the property. There has been some effective banishment and public vilification, one could say.”King’s “health has suffered” from stress-related issues which arose with this court matter. A term of bail required him not to live at home in Chatsworth, but instead in Oakville with his wife and brother Joe, one of his bail guarantors, who died this summer. That required Fred to take on many more duties n the family printing plant, which will miss him while he’s in jail, Mergler said. Letters from three of King’s children, all adults now, and from his wife, who attended court Wednesday, were submitted for the judge to consider. They work for the family printing business too. “The church has been disbanded. So so all of those people are there because they want to be,” Mergler said.King always “adamantly denied” any of the sexual charges, he noted. But his crimes, court case precedents and terms of the Criminal Code all “cry out for a jail term” in this case, he said.“Clearly the time for impunity has past.” Fred King’s brother, Judson King, is charged with assault with a weapon, sexual assault and three counts of assault between 1981 and 2007. He is to appear in assignment court in the Superior Court of Justice Nov. 7.

Dog poop cake' pulled from shelves following outcry

Dog poop cake' is pictured at a specialty store on Shanghai's Nanjing Road last month. Yin Liqin / For China Daily 'Dog poop cake' is pictured at a specialty store on Shanghai's Nanjing Road last month. Yin Liqin / For China Daily As the saying goes, "You are what you eat". And according to a manufacturer of mung bean cakes in Shanghai, if one eats its product labeled "dog poop cake", you are likely to be "blessed with the kind of luck that would see you step on dog poop". While tourists in the city have been intrigued by the product, locals are said to be indignant that the manufacturer is calling it "a specialty of Shanghai", leading to production of the cake being suspended and the product being pulled from shelves since Wednesday, after receiving wide media attention. "I don't get it. I just want to be innovative, which is supposed to be encouraged," said Zhang Neirong, owner and manager of Shanghai Fengdu Food Co, which began labeling its signature mung bean cakes as "dog poop cake" this year. Zhang said that due to overwhelming criticism and pressure, he has withdrawn the product from his partnering food stores in Shanghai. He has also stopped producing the cake's packaging - a linen bag and a post-it-size label that reads, "Savor the dog poop cake, enjoy the luck of stepping on dog poop" on a background featuring Shanghai's skyline. The mung bean cakes inside look and taste no different from the regular offerings prevalent at the city's food stores and supermarkets. But the price, 42 yuan ($6.2) for 200 grams, is almost twice the average price. A shop assistant working at a specialty store near the Bund, who refused to be named, said shoppers intrigued by the cakes are not usually concerned by the price, adding that more than 90 percent of purchases at her shop are made by tourists. On Tuesday last week, a local newspaper published a front-page article about how the cakes have been labeled a specialty, and questioned whether the product is creative or vulgar. The report quoted historians and food critics slamming such labeling of the cakes, although the government said there is no law or regulations defining the city's "specialty food". Zhang said he renamed his mung bean cakes after learning that a specialty in Sichuan province is "dog poop candy", while stating on his packaging that "dog poop cake" is a specialty of Shanghai to drive up sales. Made of yellow bean and peanuts, "dog poop candy", a specialty of Ya'an, Sichuan province, is believed to have gained its peculiar name because of its shape and color.

Taipei Palace Museum to sue Beijing museum for copyright infringemen

The Taipei Palace Museum will file a lawsuit against the Palace Museum in Beijing for violating its copyright by including three of its collections in a painting album without authorization. According to the Beijing Youth Daily, the Taipei Palace Museum has been preparing documents since November 3, but is yet to file them in a Beijing court. Law experts say that if the Taipei Palace Museum files a lawsuit in Beijing, due to the different intellectual property regulations, the Taipei side has to not only prove that it owns the copyright of the litigated paintings, but also that the Beijing side has conducted the infringement act according to China's Copyright Law. Three paintings including Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains are referred to as copyright offense According to Taipei Palace Museum staff, a painting album published by the Palace Museum in Beijing contains images of three paintings: Travelers among Mountains and Streams, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, and Early Spring, which are now among the Taipei museum's collections. Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains is one of the few surviving works by the painter Huang Gongwang, and was burnt into two pieces in 1650, with one of them stored today at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou while the other kept at the Taipei Palace Musuem. The two halves were reunited for the first time in 2011 at the Taipei Palace Museum during an exhibition. Though the Palace Museum in Beijing marks below each image that they are from the Taipei Palace Museum, the Beijing side shall submit official application for an authorization before usage, according to Taipei museum's copyright usage regulations. The Taipei side claimed that after finding the three paintings, they had tried to contact the Beijing side in November and December last year to ask for a supplementary application, but no reply was received. Therefore, the Taipei Palace Museum decided to file a lawsuit against the Palace Museum in Beijing for copyright offenses. So far, the Beijing side hasn't made an official response.

真实的唐伯虎原来这么惨！

President Xi urges independent R&D for aviation engines, gas turbines

President Xi Jinping on Sunday called for acceleration of independent research, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines and gas turbines to make China an aviation industry power. His words came on the heels of the establishment of the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) Sunday in Beijing. The founding of the firm is a strategic move that will help enhance national power as well as the capacity of the armed forces, Xi said in a written instruction. The move will also benefit the reform of state-owned enterprises and the restructuring of the aviation industry, he continued. Xi encouraged AECC employees to be bold in innovating to make the country an aviation power. The AECC received investment from the State Council, the Beijing Municipal Government, Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, with a registered capital of 50 billion yuan (around 7.5 billion US dollars). The firm has 96,000 employees. Premier Li Keqiang said in his written instruction that aircraft engines are sophisticated products of the equipment manufacturing industry.Making breakthroughs in this area as soon as possible will have great value for improving China's economic and military power and national strength. Li urged indigenous innovation to make the AECC a world-class aircraft engine company. Vice Premier Ma Kai, who attended the opening ceremony, also stressed indigenous innovation and continued reforms to build the AECC into a modern enterprise full of vitality. He called for personnel training to cultivate scientific and skilled personnel as well as innovators. China will launch at least 100 key projects over the next 15 years to increase the country's technological capability and improve people's livelihoods, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan unveiled earlier this year. Aviation engines and gas turbines were listed among the top 10 of the 100 projects.

Ethnic peace talks test Suu Kyi

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi faces what could be the toughest test of her leadership yet when she opens a major ethnic peace conference Wednesday aimed at ending wars that have blighted the country since its independence. The five-day talks will bring hundreds of ethnic minority rebel leaders to the capital, along with military top brass and international delegates such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The conference is Suu Kyi's flagship effort to quell the long-running rebellions rumbling across Myanmar's impoverished frontier states, fuelled in part by the illegal drugs, jade and timber trades. Myanmar is home to more than 100 ethnic groups and many minorities harbor deep seated historical suspicions of the Bamar majority group - which includes Suu Kyi - complaining that they have endured decades of discrimination. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has made ending the nearly 70 years of fighting the first priority of her newly minted government, which took over from the military in March after sweeping the first free election in generations. "If you ask me what my most important aim is for my country, that is to achieve peace and unity among the different peoples of our union," she said during a recent visit to China. "Without peace, there can be no sustained development." The 71-year-old is hoping to expand a shaky ceasefire signed last year between some rebel armies and the military-backed government. This week's conference will include both signatories to the ceasefire agreement and non-signatories, although some groups are still locked in intense fighting with government forces and their role in the talks remains unclear. Success also depends heavily on the military, which controls key levers of government and whose leaders are thought to have made billions from the vast natural resources of Myanmar's borderlands. "Anyone who is suggesting there could be any sort of agreement in the coming days or weeks is dreaming," said Anthony Davis, a security analyst and writer for IHS-Jane's, predicting the negotiations could take "many years." The conference has nevertheless been hailed as an important first step and one loaded with symbolism in a nation emerging from a dark military past. It is dubbed the '21st Century Panglong' - a reference to a 1947 agreement signed by Suu Kyi's independence hero father that granted a level of autonomy to major ethnic groups.

N. Korea fires back at UN over missile tests

North Korea hit back on Sunday at a UN Security Council statement condemning its latest test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and threatened to take further steps as "a full-fledged military power." The 15-member council issued the toughly-worded condemnation in a unanimous statement and agreed to "take further significant measures" against North Korea, just days after the SLBM launch. Council members agreed to "continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures," according to the statement, without elaborating. North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology, but has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January. A spokesman for the North's foreign ministry labeled the UN statement a "product of brigandish acts of the US" and said Washington had ignored a warning about "hurting its dignity." "Now that the US posed threats to the dignity and the right to existence of the North Korea defying its serious warning, it will continue to take a series of eventful action steps as a full-fledged military power," the spokesman said. "The DPRK has substantial means capable of reducing aggression troops in the US mainland and the operation theatre in the Pacific to ashes in a moment," the spokesman added in a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday described the latest SLBM test as the "greatest success" and said it put the US mainland and the Pacific within striking range. The missile was fired from a submarine off the northeastern port of Sinpo on Wednesday. It flew 500 kilometers towards Japan, far exceeding the range of the North's previous sub-launched missiles. A proven SLBM system would take North Korea's nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a "second-strike" capability in the event of an attack on its military bases. While Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment, analysts said. North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006. In March, the council adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date, targeting North Korea's trade in minerals as well as tightening banking restrictions. The council met behind closed doors on Wednesday after North Korea launched a missile from a submarine towards Japan, the latest provocation from Pyongyang.

Obstacles continue to stall China-Vatican ties: experts

Obstacles remain in the way of diplomatic ties between China and the Vatican, experts said, as the Vatican expressed its hope Saturday of establishing formal relations with China. "There is much hope and expectation that there will be new developments and a new season in relations between the Holy See and China," Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was quoted by Reuters as saying on Saturday. "[This] will benefit not just Catholics in the land of Confucius, but the whole country," Parolin said, adding that it also serves world peace. China, however, is not eager to establish formal ties with the Vatican, the only European country that has not established such relations with China, because it is not an urgent issue which will affect China's international status if it is not dealt with immediately, Yan Kejia, director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. Yan said formal Sino-Vatican ties could materialize if the Vatican cuts off official ties with Taiwan. "The Vatican should stop its political relations with Taiwan and focus on religious matters with the island," Yan noted. Taiwan's deputy leader Chen Chien-jen will visit the Vatican next month for a ceremony declaring Mother Teresa a saint, Reuters reported. China has said countries should be prudent when dealing with Taiwan-related issues, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Thursday and stressed the one-China principle when asked whether China had lodged a protest with the Vatican over the visit of Taiwan's deputy leader. Another major dispute between China and the Vatican involves the appointment of bishops, Hu Benliang, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. The Vatican expressed its deep regret to China after the latter consecrated several bishops in 2010 without its approval, saying that it was a "painful wound upon ecclesial communion and a grave violation of Catholic discipline." The situation improved when Zhang Yinlin, a coadjutor bishop in the Anyang diocese in Central China's Henan Province, became the first bishop recognized by both Beijing and the Holy See in August 2015.

Saudi prince visit eyes vast Chinese oil export market

China and Saudi Arabia are eyeing deeper energy cooperation as Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prepares to visit China. Prince Mohammed is scheduled to visit China from Monday to Wednesday and will co-chair a high-level meeting between Saudi and Chinese officials led by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last week. During his visit, Prince Mohammed will meet Chinese officials on further strengthening economic ties with a number of deals, including the signing of memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the power sector and one on cooperation on oil storage, Saudi Arabia's English-language newspaper Arab News reported on Thursday. Deals expected to be signed during Prince Mohammed's trip also include investments in Saudi Aramco, the country's largest state-run oil producer, the Arab News said. Aramco is reportedly planning to go public, issuing about 5 percent of its shares as part of the kingdom's economic reform plan. Though other areas such as security cooperation are expected to be discussed, the main focus of the prince's trip will be on further opening the Chinese market, as the country faces deteriorating global market conditions for its oil exports and as China moves to bolster its strategic inventory, experts noted. Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest oil exporters, has been suffering from sluggish global demand, shrinking prices and rising competition from countries like Russia and Iran. "At a difficult time like this, it is natural for Saudi Arabia to turn to China, the world's second-largest oil importer," said Lin Boqiang, director of the Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University. "I expect a relatively good deal for both sides during the visit." The potential deal would guarantee Saudi Arabia more access to the huge and expanding Chinese market, while helping China secure a steady oil supply at lower prices, according to Lin. China is already one of the largest importers of Saudi oil. In the first half of 2016, China imported about 1.07 million barrels of oil per day from Saudi Arabia, or 14 percent of China's foreign oil supply, according to Bloomberg. Strategic oil storage The potential for growth in Chinese oil imports is promising, as China needs to fill its strategic stock, according to Wang Jun, deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges' Department of Information. "Our strategic crude oil inventory only covers about 30 days, which is low, compared to other countries' 180-day stock. Furthermore, China's oil storage infrastructure has improved significantly and can store much more oil now, so there is a huge potential," Wang told the Global Times. Crude oil deals with Saudi Arabia would also diversify the supply channels for Chinese oil imports, which is conducive to the country's energy security, Lin noted. Prince Mohammed, who is scheduled to return to China after a visit to Japan to attend the G20, will present his country's economic reform plan, under which the Saudi government would spend $72 billion on projects aimed at diversifying the kingdom's economy.

Trump could feel sting from new Clinton ads depicting him as racist

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could feel some pain from a new line of political ads from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's team depicting him as a racist, at a time when he is trying to catch up in the polls. Clinton's campaign this week put out a new TV advertisement claiming that among Trump's supporters are the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) -- a white supremacist group that has killed, terrorized and intimidated blacks and other minorities in the United States, although the group has very little power now compared to when it was in its heyday several decades ago. While Trump has no ties to white supremacists, the ad makes the case that they support him and that if he wins they will run the country. Experts said the ads could hurt Trump and damage his campaign, which is just three months from the November elections. "They are damaging for Trump because they draw on things he or his campaign have done to paint a picture of someone who is completely insensitive to the concerns of the minority community," Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua. The ads not only reinforce points already made that Trump is rude and impolite, but also take this critique several steps further by labeling him a racist, West said. For his part, Trump blasted the ads as untrue, while using social media to refute Clinton's attacks. But that move is risky for him, as experts say Trump must get the public eye off of his bombast and onto Clinton's perceived missteps and corruption while she was secretary of state. Experts also argued that the New York businessman should continue his message that law and order is declining in the United States, and that a Clinton presidency would only exacerbate this, as Clinton would be an extension of the current Obama administration. Trump has a few times tried to do this by making cogent and well-argued speeches on US foreign policy and the economy, only to later ruin any gains he might have made by reverting back to insults and bombast. In the past week Trump has resisted the temptation to make over-the-top statements that hurt him with the broader American electorate, but it remains unknown how long he can do this. "The risk for him is that he gets off his law and order message and has to defend himself from the racism charge. It never helps a candidate to have to give an 'I' m not a racist' defense," West said. Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that Trump did avoid the temptation to go off script and has been more effective in message discipline recently. If Trump continues to focus on hitting backon Clinton and avoiding collateral damage, he may turn the corner and start to close some of the polling gap that has him behind Clinton in key states, Mahaffee said. US media has exposed that Clinton has in the past closely associated with known racists, as shown in her statements in 2010 when she referred to former Senator Robert Byrd, a KKK member, as a mentor and friend.

Activist jailed for subversion, harming national security

Activist Zhai Yanmin, who had posted online statements and comments that harmed national security and social stability, has been sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for trying to subvert State power. Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court announced the verdict about three hours after it publicly heard Zhai's case on Tuesday morning. The verdict said that Zhai began publishing statements and comments online in 2012. He also manipulated public opinion and organized several protests to disturb public order with lawyer Zhou Shifeng after joining an unregistered organization led by another man named Hu Shigen, the statement said. Zhou and Hu are being prosecuted in separate cases. The court ruled that Zhai committed the crime of subversion, damaging national security and social stability. Zhai pleaded guilty and cooperated with judicial organs following his arrest, which could be regarded as the reason for the reprieve and his lighter punishment, the court said. Zhai said he accepted the judgment and would not appeal.

Activist Hu Shigen jailed for subverting state power

Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced activist Hu Shigen to seven years and six months in prison for subverting state power on Wednesday, following a three-hour hearing. Hu, 61, who used to be a teacher at a Beijing university, said after the announcement: "It is a fair judgment and I accept it. I will not appeal to a higher court." The verdict said that Hu had asked another man named Gou Hongguo to attend anti-China forums overseas. He also worked with lawyer Zhou Shifeng and activists Zhai Yanmin and Li Heping to protest the government by making use of hot topics to manipulate public opinion and petitions, according to the verdict. All these activities were illegal and were carried out under an unregistered organization, which claimed to be a religious body led by Hu, the verdict said. Hu confirmed that he broadcast subversive ideas to other members of the organization, saying that he aimed to overthrow the government, the court said. He was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for counter-revolution in 1994, but was released in 2008 following a sentence reduction. Zhai was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for subversion on Tuesday. Zhou, Li and Gou are being prosecuted in separate cases.

Activist Hu Shigen pleads guilty to subversion

An activist accused of subversion, damaging national security and harming social stability pleaded guilty at Tianjin No 2 Intermediate People's Court on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that Hu Shigen led an "underground organization", which claimed to be a religious body, but in fact taught its members how to take advantage of hot topics and sensitive issues to protest the government. The organization, which was unregistered, is alleged to have "built a systematic ideology, method and steps" to achieve its goals, the municipal No 2 People's Procuratorate said in a statement. Hu had allegedly, since 2009, instructed a member of the organization named Gou Hongguo to attend forums overseas that were against the country and the government, while also working with lawyer Zhou Shifeng and activists Li Heping and Zhai Yanmin to organize activities that manipulated public opinion and disturbed public order, the prosecutors said. Hu, a native of Jiangxi province, was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for counter-revolution in 1994. After a sentence reduction, he was freed in 2008. "Hu's ideology and his behaviors have seriously harmed the country and social stability," the prosecutors said during the trial. Zhai was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve for subverting State power on Tuesday. Zhou, Gou and Li are being prosecuted in separated cases. Hu's case is still being heard in court.

Ludovic Trarieux was refused by #Wangyu of Beijing Fengrui Law Firm

https://view.inews.qq.com/a/2016080103907300

Political manipulation behind arbitral tribunal will be revealed: Chinese FM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that the political manipulation behind the arbitral tribunal will be revealed, in response to the comments made by some foreign ministers on the South China Sea arbitration case. Wang expounded on China's position when attending the 6th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in the Lao capital Vientiane. Wang said China has not participated in the arbitration case and will not accept the so-called ruling, a position that China has made clear since day one and is supported by strong legal basis. By adopting this position, China is safeguarding the sanctity and impartiality of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), said the Chinese foreign minister. First, the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the former Philippine government violated the principle of having the consent of concerned parties as the basis of arbitration and failed to meet the prerequisite of conducting full exchange of views beforehand, thus lacking the legal conditions to be initiated. What the former Philippine government had done also abandoned bilateral agreements between China and the Philippines and violated Article 4 of the Declaration on Conducts of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) as well as the principle of estoppel prescribed in international law, according to Wang. Second, he said, the subject matters of the arbitration, however packaged, in fact directly concern territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation which are beyond the scope of the UNCLOS and the jurisdiction of the ad hoc tribunal. It is a typical act of overstepping the power and ultra vires as well as the abuse of dispute arbitration mechanism. Wang said by citing a prominent legal expert from Europe that the arbitration case undoubtedly touches upon territorial sovereignty which is not governed by the UNCLOS. The tribunal's practice of separating territorial sovereignty dispute with the status of islands and reefs is unseen in international law, which is like "putting the cart before the horse." Third, the ruling of the ad hoc tribunal is full of obvious mistakes, Wang said. It blatantly uses its self-invented rules to negate and deprive the lawful and legitimate territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests of parties concerned. In particular, it says that Taiping Dao, the largest island in the Nansha Islands with an area of 500,000 square meters, is a rock and has no relevant maritime rights. If such a judgment can legally stand, the sea map of the world will need to be redrawn, Wang said. Wang stressed that this ruling runs counter to the spirit of international rule of law as well as the principle and spirit of the UNCLOS. "This arbitration is imbued with question marks and fallacies in terms of procedure, legal application, fact finding and evidence gathering," he said. The so-called ruling is illegal in three aspects: the initiation of the arbitration is illegal, the set-up of the tribunal is illegal, and the result of the arbitration is illegal. Therefore, China's stance is fully legitimate which serves the purpose of upholding international equity and justice and regional peace and stability, Wang said. The Chinese foreign minister said more and more countries have come to see the nature and danger of the arbitration case, and understand and acknowledge China's stance to resolve disputes through direct negotiation and consultation, calling for respect to the rights of sovereign states to independently choose dispute settlement means including respecting the declaration on optional exceptions made under Article 298 of the UNCLOS. There are also more and more legal experts around the world questioning the legality of the arbitration case and the fairness of the ruling, Wang said, noting that the illegal nature of the so-called South China Sea arbitration case and the political manipulation hidden behind the ad hoc arbitral tribunal will be further revealed.

One of church attackers tried to join IS in Syria: Paris prosecutor

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins on Tuesday said one of the church attackers was known to intelligence services and tried to join radical insurgents in Syria twice in 2015. One of the knifemen who slaughtered a priest in a church northern France was "categorically identified" as Adel kermiche, 19, Molins told reporters. He was arrested twice last year after being intercepted by German police in March and Turkish authorities two months later last year while he tried to reach Syria using the ID of his cousin. Returning home, he had been under house arrest and had been wearing an electronic tag allowing police to monitor his moving. The identification of the second attacker was underway, Molins added. The two men armed with knives entered a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, on Tuesday morning mass and seized six people before killing a priest and seriously wounding another person. Paris prosecutor also confirmed that a 16-year-old teenager was placed under custody in the investigation. He was believed to be the brother of someone wanted by police for trying to go to Syria in the previous year. The two men shot dead by police had fake explosives and used nuns as human shields, he added.

Boycott calls grow against South Korea

Although the Chinese government has not imposed any sanctions following the US announcement to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in South Korea, public calls to boycott South Korean pop stars and products have been growing on Chinese social media. The decision of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province to postpone the visit of an official delegation from a South Korean sister city due to the "inappropriate atmosphere," as the local government puts it, is believed to be another sign of increasing strains in China-South Korea ties at the grass-roots level. "The visit of a delegation headed by Daegu mayor Kwon Young-jin in August was postponed for various reasons," an official at the Qingdao Foreign Affairs Office told the Global Times on Tuesday. "The timing is not appropriate and the atmosphere is not good," said the official, who requested anonymity. The official neither admitted nor denied whether the THAAD issue led to the postponement, only saying that some local people showed discontent after the deployment. Kwon and 90 city officials were scheduled to attend the Qingdao International Beer Festival in August, and the group was to open 11 booths at the festival to promote Korean fried chicken, South Korea's Joongang Daily reported on Monday. Qingdao and Daegu have been sister cities since 1993, a year after China and South Korea established diplomatic relations. The host of Qingdao's beer festival told the Global Times that they have not heard of any report saying the Daegu delegation is unwanted or was refused entry. The government official said that 19 people from Qingdao, including performers, will not attend the Daegu Chimac Festival which begins on Wednesday, though some Qingdao companies will still participate in the festival. In 2013, when the first Daegu Chimac Festival was held, and the following year, Qingdao sent 10 artists to perform at the festival. No one was sent last year because of the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the Joongang Daily reported. 'No idol before country' On July 8, the US and South Korea announced their decision to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea, which drew angry protest from Beijing. The decision, which was announced a few days before an arbitration court in The Hague was expected to rule on the maritime territorial disputes between China and the Philippines, has also hurt the feelings of many Chinese people, who previously regarded South Korea as a friendly neighbor, and the image of the country has been deteriorating ever since, Zheng Jiyong, director of the Center for Korean Studies of the Shanghai-based Fudan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. The deployment also tarnished South Korean President Park Geun-hye's image among many Chinese, who felt the "always smiling and friendly president" had stabbed China in the back, said Dong Xiangrong, a research fellow at the National Institute of International Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Park won praise from China after she resisted US pressure and visited Beijing in September last year to observe a military parade to mark the defeat of Japan in World War II. Chinese netizens are calling for a boycott of Korean pop stars, such as boy bands BigBang, EXO and iKon, and actors like Song Joong-ki and Lee Jong-suk. The hashtag "No idols before country" on Chinese social media Sina Weibo has been viewed more than 15 million times as of press time, with many saying they had un-followed the South Korean entertainers' Weibo accounts. "Farewell, Big Bang, fried chicken, cosmetics made in South Korea, I love my country and there's no way I will contribute to the GDP of South Korea so that the country could buy weapons and use it against China," Sina Weibo user "Emily-Chun" wrote on Friday. The boycott also covers South Korean-made products and travel to the country, with Net users compiling a list of the 10 most visited South Korea tourist sites and 100 most popular products, with calls to support domestic substitutes. South Korean concerns Many South Koreans are also worried that the THAAD deployment will damage bilateral ties, and protests against the deployment have not stopped since the announcement was made. More than 2,000 people from Seongju County, where one THAAD battery will be deployed, staged a rally at a square in Seoul on Thursday to protest the THAAD deployment, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Also last week, hundreds of young people rallied outside South Korea's foreign ministry, holding signs saying "Peace and No THAAD" to protest the deployment and to demand its withdrawal, said Dong. Many South Koreans reject THAAD because they say it cannot protect the country and the deployment will create trouble in the region, experts said.

FM slams 3 countries’ ‘inappropriate’ statement

China's foreign minister on Tuesday condemned a statement on the South China Sea issue jointly released by the US, Japan and Australia, saying it is "inappropriate" and not conducive to regional peace and stability. The statement issued by the three countries on Monday said they strongly support the rule of law and called on China to abide by the arbitration tribunal's award. The statement said the ruling is final and legally binding. "From yesterday to today, what we can see is that countries in the region are determined to strengthen cooperation, hoping to de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea. However, the statement is still creating tensions," Wang Yi said on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit Foreign Minister's Meeting. Wang said that the statement is very "inappropriate" and runs counter to the situation's development. "If the three [the US, Japan and Australia] truly wish for stability in the South China Sea, they should support China and the ASEAN in implementing the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, support the resolution of disputes through consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned. It is time to show who they really are, whether they are the peacekeepers or troublemakers," Wang said. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Monday. The three ministers released the joint statement after their meeting. Meanwhile, another senior Chinese diplomat on Tuesday said he has confidence in the dialogue between China and the Philippines. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin confirmed to the Global Times on Tuesday that Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay has shown openness to talks. "He welcomed talks with China and said that he will make arrangements. It is a positive sign the Philippines, too, recognizes that negotiations are the right way to resolve disputes," Liu said. Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos has accepted his appointment as a special envoy to China after an arbitration tribunal ruled that China's claims within the nine-dash line are "baseless." China rejected the ruling and called it "null and void." Liu said China is waiting for further details from the Philippines, and aside from naming Ramos a special envoy, the Philippines probably has a lot of other things to do before bilateral talks can take place. "In fact, we are confident in talks between the two countries," Liu said. The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings ended on Tuesday.

Chinese airline denies flying over restricted airspace

A Chinese airline company Tuesday denied Russian media reports that four of its planes had entered restricted airspace above Seversk City in Southeast Russia's Tomsk state, where Russia's largest nuclear facilities are located. The planes were at least 10 kilometers away from forbidden airspace above Seversk, an anonymous official from the airline company claimed to the Global Times Tuesday. "Civil aircraft will not drift off the course provided by local national air traffic control departments," said the official. A Seversk resident, Evgeny Kornev, said he witnessed Friday four Chinese planes flying over the city, Russian newspaper Vzglyad reported Sunday, citing Tomsk News Agency TV2. "First I heard the noise of an airplane flying," said Kornev, "[Then I] logged on to flightradar24.com and saw a Chinese plane flying directly above Seversk, which had never happened before." Kornev said that the website recorded three other Chinese planes flying over the city in the next 24 hours. The airline company official said that the 24-hour flight radar website, whose data was quoted by Russian media, is incorrect. Seversk is an industrial city where Russia's largest nuclear facility is located, and all types of aircraft are forbidden from flying above the city, according to Vzglyad.

Foreign Ministry expecting fruitful Mongolia trip by Premier Li

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Mongolia will encourage closer alignment of China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with Mongolia's Prairie Road program, according to a senior official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Li's visit to Mongolia from July 13 to 14 will be the first by a Chinese premier in six years, and the first by any Chinese leader since the recent formation of Mongolia's new government. Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou told a press conference on Monday that the trip will strengthen bilateral relations and lead to more cooperation between the two neighbors. Li will hold talks with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat and they will jointly meet the press, said Kong. Li will also meet with Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Chairman of the State Great Hural (Mongolia's parliament) Miyegombo Enkhbold. Li and Erdenebat will exchange views on dovetailing the two countries' economic corridor initiatives, and more cooperation in trade, industrial capacity, energy, finance, agriculture and animal husbandry. The two sides will also discuss people-to-people exchanges and international and regional issues of common concern, said Kong. A number of cooperative agreements will be signed during Li's visit, which will inject new impetus into the development of bilateral ties and benefit people of the two nations, he added. Li will also attend the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Mongolian capital Ulan Bator from July 15 to 16. This year marks the 20th anniversary of ASEM since it was inaugurated in 1996 in Bangkok, Thailand. ASEM is now an intergovernmental forum with 53 members. The Chinese premier will deliver keynote speeches during the summit to elaborate China's proposition on ASEM's future development, Asia-Europe cooperation, as well as major international and regional issues, Kong said. During the summit, Li will also held bilateral meetings with leaders of some ASEM members, he added. As a founding member of the ASEM, China has put forward 28 proposals on Asia-Europe cooperation in fields including infrastructure connectivity, technology innovation, environmental protection, trade and investment, and urbanization. The members should foster a sense of community, enhance communication and coordination on policies and actions, so as to build the ASEM into an effective framework for coping with global challenges, including climate change, terrorism, refugee problems and infectious disease, said Kong.

President Xi says China rejects any proposition, action based on S. China Sea arbitration award

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will not accept any proposition or action based on the award issued on Tuesday by the South China Sea arbitral tribunal unilaterally initiated by the former Philippine government. Xi said China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests in South China Sea, under any circumstances, will not be affected by the award. Xi made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon while meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in downtown Beijing.

No immediate copycat moves expected: observers

The final ruling of an international tribunal on territorial disputes between China and the Philippines, which favored the latter, may encourage other claimants to consider international arbitration or at least seek greater interference in the South China Sea from outside powers, observers warned on Tuesday. However, because of each claimant country's unique political and economical interests, coupled with the need to strike a delicate balance between powers like China and the US, it will be hard for these countries to move toward challenging China any time soon, observers said. "China must be prepared to reduce the fallout of the arbitration case with other claimant countries," Gu Xiaosong, an expert on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Scholars agreed that among the other claimant countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Vietnam will most likely challenge China's maritime territories. "Vietnam occupies the biggest number of islands or islets in the South China Sea and has the biggest area of overlapping maritime claims with China," Gu said. "With strong nationalistic sentiment, Vietnam is unlikely to back off on its claims," Gu noted. Ei Sun Oh, principal adviser of Malaysia-based think tank Pacific Research Center, also said he does not rule out the possibility of Vietnam seeking a similar arbitration, emboldened by the favorable ruling the Philippines received. In a July 1 comment on the arbitration court's decision to deliver its final ruling, the Vietnamese foreign ministry said it was closely watching the case and expects a "just and objective" decision. It stressed that resolving the maritime disputes is "in accordance with international law," and it supports the "strict implementation of the 1982 UNCLOS." The Philippines filed an arbitration case under UNCLOS in January 2013. But China insists the court has no jurisdiction over the case and refuses to participate. Oh said the tribunal decision that turned down the legal basis of China's nine-dash line, which marks its sea borders in the south, will have a bearing on the other claimant countries' sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, most of which intersect with the nine-dash line coverage. "Of course, the criteria used by the court in determining the status of those maritime features may also be applied to those countries' claimed South China Sea maritime features," he said. What next? However, observers believe the claimants will not take immediate action after the Philippine case, citing various considerations. Indonesia is not likely to challenge China since it is the "big brother" of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and will consider preserving relations between China and the ASEAN a priority, said Gu, adding that China has said it has no objection to Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands. Malaysia will value its overall ties with China, being China's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, experts said. "Although Vietnam hopes it could use the influence of the US to gain its own territorial interests in the South China Sea, it does not want to lose its long-term political and economic cooperation with China," Gu said. "The nature of Sino-Vietnamese relations is such that, due to similar ideologies, they succeed in patching up their differences, at least temporarily, through party-to-party channels," said Oh. Pan Jin'e, a research fellow of Vietnamese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the tribunal's decision favoring the Philippines may not necessarily be a good thing for Vietnam, as Vietnam also has disputes with the Philippines over some islets. The bigger threat to China, analysts said, is that regional countries may allow the greater presence of outside powers. "If the countries' perception of China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea does not subside, they are likely to be open to or even encourage the participation of powerful extra-regional countries, such as the US, Japan and India, to provide what they perceive as a 'balance' against China's weight," said Oh.

Over 20,000 people sign open letter against South China Sea arbitration award

Over 20,000 people have signed an open letter contesting the award on the South China Sea (SCS) arbitration case by an ad hoc tribunal here on Tuesday. The 2,500-word letter, drafted by a group of young Chinese scholars who currently study international law in the Netherlands, slams the controversial case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines for its lack of legality, noting that the arbitral decision violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Shortly after the tribunal issued the award, the scholars sent the letter to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea under the United Nations (UN) Office of Legal Affairs, and required the institution to forward it to all parties of the UNCLOS. Copies of the letter were also sent to international judicial and arbitral organs, such as the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, as well as major law schools across the world. The letter has been posted online and circulated on social media platforms, inviting people to participate and show solidarity against the ungrounded ruling. It has collected over 20,000 signatures in less than two hours. Many law schools have voiced support for the letter and retweeted it on their official social media accounts. The letter criticizes the tribunal for ignoring the nature of the SCS disputes, and ruling on a case that it has no jurisdiction over. "The real disputes in the arbitration are those regarding territory and maritime delimitation," it says. "With respect to the jurisdiction, the UNCLOS does not address territorial disputes, and delimitation disputes have been excluded from compulsory procedures by China's declaration under Article 298." Therefore, the case demonstrates how the legal process is abused by one party to the dispute, and how the arbitral organ acts beyond its power, according to the letter. "By obscuring the real disputes and bypassing the limits to compulsory procedures, the Philippines does abuse the legal process, the tribunal does exceed the state consent and act ultra vires (acts beyond one's legal power or authority)," the letter says. "According to Article 296 (of the UNCLOS), the awards on jurisdiction and on merits will have no binding force whatsoever." In conclusion, the letter requests international judicial and arbitral organs to act strictly within their mandate under international law, calls on all parties to the UNCLOS to join China in the efforts to combat abuse of legal process, and invites scholars, students and lawyers to further study the UNCLOS disputes settlement mechanism so as to contribute to a peaceful settlement of SCS disputes. Among 8,000-more Chinese students studying in the Netherlands, over 100 are in faculties of law across the country. Those specializing in international law and the Law of the Sea set up a research group for the drafting of the open letter. "We cannot believe that such a bizarre case was able to keep advancing in The Hague, capital of international law," said Peng Qinxuan, 29, PhD candidate of international law at Utrecht University and active member of the group. "In this case, the arbitrators failed to see the wood for the trees. But we scholars of international law have the duty to present the truth," she said. Peng and her peers spent three months drafting the letter in English and translating it into Chinese and Dutch. "In my six years of life in the Netherlands, I have noticed that the Western media coverage on China is full of bias and there is no exception when it comes to the arbitration," said Wang Zhili, a candidate for master degree from the Ultrecht University who also participated in circulating the open letter. "In-depth articles with a neutral stance over the issue are really hard to find. That's why we decided to post the letter online," Wang added.

Bernie Sanders endorses Hillary Clinton for 2016 US election

Hillary Clinton's bitter rival in the Democratic Party presidential nomination race Bernie Sanders on Tuesday endorsed Clinton for the 2016 US election. "Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process," said Sanders during his first joint campaign appearance with Clinton after a chaotic primary season. "She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States," said Sanders. Sanders' endorsement came more than a month after Clinton clinched the Democratic Party nomination, and brought to the end a chaotic and divisive Democratic primary season where Sanders questioned Clinton's judgement as the country's future leader.

All eyes on new Philippine president for repairing China ties

As Rodrigo Duterte takes over as Philippine president on Thursday, sparks of hope have arisen for a rapprochement between his country and China after relations soured during his predecessor's tenure. Yet whether those sparks can turn into flames heating up bilateral relations depends on whether Duterte can translate his positive signals into concrete and effective action. The tough-talking former mayor of Davao City in southern Philippines has pledged sweeping policy changes on both domestic and diplomatic fronts. Since winning election, he has made a string of overtures on Philippines-China relations, signaling that mending fences with China would be a foreign policy priority. He has said that China will be the first country he visits after taking office. Such gestures are encouraging, particularly against the backdrop of the strained bilateral relations during the presidency of Benigno Aquino III, whose government repeatedly stoked tensions over the South China Sea. In violation of Manila's agreement with Beijing to solve their South China Sea disputes via bilateral negotiations, the Aquino government unilaterally launched a compulsory arbitration case against China, not only undercutting its own trustworthiness but further complicating the row and the bilateral relationship. Yet as many observers have noted, Duterte is also seeking US support on the South China Sea issue among others and help in building the island country's regional clout. So the new president still keeps his cards close to his chest. Whether he means what he has said about pursuing bilateral talks with China over the South China Sea disputes remains to be seen. However, although the arbitration case has stolen much of the limelight on China-Philippines relations, the political farce staged by the Aquino government is far from being the whole picture of bilateral ties. In 2015, China stood as the Philippines' largest source of imports second-largest trading partner, and third-largest export market. Bilateral trade reached 45.65 billion US dollars, up 2.7 percent. Those figures offer just a glimpse of the close interaction between the two neighbors. The incoming Philippine government has also voiced hopes for cooperating with China to develop the Southeast Asian country's infrastructure. Duterte has even reportedly said that he might seek joint exploration in the South China Sea, a principle China has long been advocating. With China having rightly kept the door of dialogue open, the ball is in Manila's court. If Duterte's words about putting China-Philippines ties back on the right track are genuine, it is time for him to act.

No single-market access for UK

EU leaders agreed Wednesday that Britain cannot have access to the single market after leaving the union without accepting the bloc's rules on free movement, president Donald Tusk said. "There will be no single market a la carte," Tusk told a news conference in Brussels after the 27 leaders met without British Prime Minister David Cameron, AFP reported. "Leaders made it crystal clear today that access to the single market requires acceptance of all four freedoms including freedom of movement," Donald Tusk added. The 27 EU leaders will also hold a summit - without Britain - in Bratislava on September 16 to discuss further the fallout from Britain's decision to leave the bloc, Tusk said. The summit will come just days after Britain's ruling Conservative party is due to choose a successor to Cameron, who resigned on Friday after his country voted in a referendum to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48. "This was a first exchange so it is too early to draw conclusions. This is why we started a political reflection with 27 states and we'll meet on September 16 in Bratislava to continue our talks," Tusk said. The former Polish premier stressed that negotiations on Britain's future relationship with the EU cannot start until it formally triggers the two-year process leading to a divorce. Cameron has said this is a task for his successor. Tusk meanwhile said at the "calm and serious" discussion -- the first EU talks without a British leader present for 40 years -- they agreed it was a "serious moment in our common history." Leaders are absolutely determined to remain united, he added. Acting Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday said Madrid would oppose any separate talks with Scotland on its future in the EU after Britain voted to leave the bloc. "The Spanish government is opposed to any negotiations with anyone else but the British government. The UK leaves and with it, all those who make up the UK," Rajoy said after the meeting.

林荣基的谎言和泛民的炒作都是徒劳的

林荣基的谎言和泛民的炒作都是徒劳的 这些天来，铜锣湾书店事件又成为舆论的焦点。民主党立法会议员何俊仁上周在立法会为铜锣湾书店店长林荣基召开记者招待会，炒作林荣基内地被拘和李波所谓「在港被内地公安跨境掳走」事件，矛头直指「内地公安越境执法」，继而得出「一国两制名存实亡」的结论，并引发了一些市民的抗议活动。林荣基先是振振有词，后来却不断改口，短短几天，一波三折，耐人寻味。 那么，泛民为何再次炒作铜锣湾书店事件？笔者认为，这实际上是一种选举操作，与一国两制扯不上关系。这件事说明，在立法会选举前夕，泛民阵营的分化日益严重，泛民中的温和派已陷入困顿之中。 林荣基不断改口漏洞百出 要分析泛民的炒作，我们先归纳一下林荣基漏洞百出的谎言。他在16日的记者招待会上称，自己曾遇见李波，李波对他说在港被内地公安跨境掳走。他继而表示「中国政府已经逼到香港人无路可退」、「一国两制名存实亡」云云。此言一出，泛民阵营如获至宝，纷纷炒作，接着便「兴师问罪」，导致一些市民上街抗议游行。 然而，林荣基的说法很快被当事人李波否认。李波发帖声明，自己从来没向林荣基说过「非自愿被带返内地」，更没有听说过所谓的「中央项目组」，自己当时是配合宁波警方调查。他还表示「希望大家能给我和我的家庭一点安宁和私隐」。李波发声之后，林荣基又忽然改口，称自己只是从李波的语气中，意会到对方是「非自愿被带走」，并承认李波「没有直接讲」。 在记者会上，林荣基还说自己在深圳被带走审判是「违反了一国两制」，自己要站出来「向强权说不」。但铜锣湾书店总经理吕波公开表示，他和林荣基等人涉嫌从事违反内地法律的事情而被带走调查，此外吕波进一步透露他是在深圳一个小饭馆里被抓的。林在内地帮其非法寄售政治书籍的「女朋友」胡某也站出来指林在撒谎。显然，内地警察在深圳依法抓捕林荣基并不违法，与一国两制毫无关系。 林荣基还说自己「只售卖书籍」，「不明白违反了何种法律」。事实上，林荣基在今年2月份亲笔写下的认罪悔过书中表示「认识到我的错误行为」，明确表明自己是犯下了「协助经营非法书刊罪」，愿接受法律处罚。 林荣基不断改口，前言不搭后语，已经难以自圆其说。由于林尚在保释期间，他在香港所作所为有可能涉嫌进一步违法，这样做的风险成本有多大？他心知肚明。但为什么还要如此撒谎、欺骗舆论？是因为背后民主党撑腰。林荣基无中生有，杜撰「内地公安越境执法」，民主党本想借题发挥，倒一国两制的米，没想到这个「题」是个伪命题，很快被揭穿，失去了立论的根基，「司马昭之心，路人皆知」，真是自欺欺人！ 泛民分化让温和派陷入困顿 值得关注的是，这次炒作铜锣湾书店事件的，并非激进的政党，而是被视为泛民中的温和派民主党。这说明泛民阵营的分化，已经令温和派处于十分焦虑的境地。最近一段时间，主张「香港前途自决」的激进派向温和派发起了围剿。他们在互联网攻击温和派「提出更换行政长官梁振英是虚晃一招，转移社会视线，实际是接受共产党招安，出卖了香港的民主」等等。他们又提出「重新启动政改，不过是继续向着共产党靠拢，按照一国两制的框架继续前进，背弃了香港重新制宪、命运自决的事业」。显然，激进派不遗余力地要给温和派戴上一顶「红帽子」，就是提醒选民不要再投「染红」的温和派的票，然后，激进派就可以瓜分温和派的选票。 与此同时，激进派还盯上了17万「首投族」，这部分人当中「80后」占了很大比例，由于他们涉世不深，很容易被激进的思想所感染，激进派围剿温和派，也是提醒「首投族」不要投温和派的票，甚至期望通过此次选举，对泛民阵营重新洗牌，让泛民的政治取向更加接近「港独」势力。 激进派的选战进攻，赢得了一定的曝光率，这让温和派坐立不安，不知如何出牌。温和派担心被戴上「红帽子」，失去原有的支持者，为了证明自己不「红」，就要搞点「去红化」的动作，这个动作当然愈大愈好、愈快愈好，在「功课」还没做好的情况下就炒作铜锣湾书店事件，这也就不足为怪了。从这个角度看，温和派的「不温和举动」，也是被激进派逼出来的。 泛民温和派的炒作是拉不到选票的选举日一天天临近，泛民温和派的「选前焦虑症」值得同情。但感情不可代替理智，愈是在选情复杂的时候，愈要冷静应对。 事实上，倾向于「港独」和激进派的年轻选民大约占15%，将这些选票平分到5个选区，平均一个选区约4万到8万票。如果泛民温和派被激进派牵着鼻子走，也把「不沟通」、「倒梁」、「拒中」、「香港自决」作为参选口号，那就向选民昭示其政治立场与激进派、「港独」势力一致，都走向了极右。试想，每个选区有七八个候选人去追逐4万到8万选票，泛民温和派的胜算几何？因此，在笔者看来，泛民温和派如向右转，适得其反。 泛民温和派的出路在于争取中间选民。这部分选民以中产阶层为主，大约占30%左右。他们在有些事情上与港府有分歧，但他们并不希望香港出现政治动荡，不希望立法会变成政党争斗的场所，他们反对「港独」，支持一国两制在港的实践，希望香港提升国际竞争力，创造更多就业岗位，年轻人失业现象得到改善，住房、扶贫、安老等民生难题尽快破解。能否赢得中间选民，其实是9月立法会选举各党派决胜的关键。从这个角度观察，泛民温和派再次炒作铜锣湾书店事件的做法是不明智的。人云亦云，亦步亦趋，反而迷失了自己。泛民温和派的确需要厘清思路、瞄准目标了。如今要争取选票，去炒作什么书店、炒作什么绑架，是站不住脚的。而林荣基的谎言，只会拖他们的后腿。值此选情复杂多变之时，泛民温和派都应与谎言切割、与假相分道、与炒作再见。一句话，他们铁定都是徒劳的。 作者是中国和平统一促进会香港总会常务副会长、香港侨界社团联会永远名誉会长

German prosecutors push for prison time for Colonia Dignidad member

German prosecutors have asked a court to enforce a verdict from Chile and send fugitive Hartmut Hopp to jail. Hopp was among the top members of the Colonia Dignidad cult and allegedly aided the sexual abuse of children. In the 1980s, Hopp often acted as a spokesman for the cult German officials urged the court to uphold Hopp's five-year sentence, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in the western town of Krefeld said on Tuesday. The 72-year-old doctor fled Chile in 2011, after a court in the South American country found him guilty of 16 counts of aiding child abuse. As a German citizen, Hopp is protected from extradition while in Germany. During his time in Chile, Hopp was a member of a closed community called Colonia Dignidad, which consisted mostly of German expatriates. He also acted as a deputy and right-hand man to the enclave's founder, Paul Schäfer - a former Nazi and convicted pedophile. The Chilean authorities have discovered that the community functioned as a cult, where children were abused for decades and residents forbidden to leave the colony. The cult leadership also cooperated with the Pinochet regime, which used Colonia Dignidad's premises as a torture camp and warehouse for weapons and poison gas. Lawyers ready to appeal Cult leader Schäfer was arrested in 2005 and died in prison five years later. His deputy Hartmut Hopp, however, managed to find refuge in Germany before his own verdict took legal effect. He has denied any wrongdoing. On Tuesday, German prosecutors said that they had reviewed the trial in Chile and found it to correspond with German standards, prompting them to recommend enforcing the sentence. The move was greeted by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) in Berlin. "The victims of Colonia Dignidad crimes have already waited too long for justice in Germany," said ECCHR chair Wolfgang Kaleck. The court is due to announce its decision in the coming weeks. Hopp's lawyers said they would appeal if necessary. Germany's ministries of justice and foreign affairs also need to approve the verdict before Hopp can be imprisoned.

Arbitration board rules against HIV-positive man suspended from work

A man with HIV in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on Wednesday lost his arbitration case addressing job discrimination against HIV-positive individuals. The local labor dispute arbitration committee in Guangzhou on Wednesday dismissed the request of plaintiff Ah Ming (pseudonym) that he be given his job back because he was suspended from work at a public institution in Guangzhou after being found to be HIV positive during a physical exam in April. The arbitration committee stated in its ruling that it believes infectious disease prevention and treatment regulations stipulating that HIV-positive individuals should be quarantined until they are proven to no longer be infectious are still in effect, so the employer's decision is appropriate. Disappointed by the result, Ah Ming told the Global Times on Thursday that he will ask the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), which issued the regulations on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, to explain its reasons for requiring people living with HIV to be treated in quarantine. Qiu Hengyu, Ah Ming's attorney, said his client will lodge an appeal against his employer, most likely at the People's Court of Baiyun district, Guangzhou. "The Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases already excludes HIV carriers from those needing to be treated in quarantine," Qiu told the Global Times on Thursday. "However, the arbitration committee totally ignored a law that was passed by the National People's Congress, while citing the regulation only," Qiu added. "The Rules on AIDS Prevention and Treatment have been in effect for 10 years since 2006. But their goal of ensuring HIV carriers' equal employment rights has never been achieved," Peng Yanhui, director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, told the Global Times.

China-EU partnership maturing: spokesperson

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday said the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership was maturing. Hua Chunying noted that China-EU relationships have seen a sound development in recent years, and both sides have enhanced pragmatic cooperation in various areas and cooperated more in international affairs. European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini on Wednesday adopted a Joint Communication, which maps out the EU's relationship with China for the next five years. The Joint Communication identifies major opportunities for the EU-China relationship, in particular job creation, growth in Europe and greater opening up of the Chinese market to European businesses. The Joint Communication also highlights opportunities for closer cooperation and partnership in the fields of foreign and security policy. Reports quoted Mogherini as saying, "The EU and China already cooperate on so much: we work together on the global and political issues of our times, such as Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, migration and climate change. But we can and must do more to connect the EU and China." The China-EU partnership for peace, growth and reform provides a blueprint for China-EU ties in the future, the spokesperson said. She also reviewed the 17th China-EU leaders' meeting last year.

Police kill armed man in German cinema, all safe

A masked armed man barricaded himself in a German multiplex cinema with dozens of people inside Thursday before being killed by police, officials said. No hostages were injured in the complex in the western town of Viernheim, 75 kilometers south of Frankfurt, Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth was quoted by AFP as saying on Thursday. The gunman had a rifle or "long gun" and special forces intervened and shot him, Beuth told the Hesse state parliament, according to Reuters. "The assailant moved through the cinema complex, according to the information we have now, and appeared confused," he said, AFP reported. "There were hostages inside and there was a struggle [with police] until in the end he was dead." Beuth added that "We have no information that anyone [among the cinema-goers] was injured." A police spokeswoman in the nearby city of Darmstadt confirmed that "all the hostages were unhurt and led out of the building." Initial reports had referred to dozens of wounded people and several shots fired, and police dispatched heavily armed special units to the site. Later accounts said that several people had been hurt by tear gas during the police raid but this was also denied. Authorities said they had no information on the man's identity or motive. Security sources quoted by DPA news agency said there was "no link to terrorism." The police spokeswoman said they were investigating what type of weapon the assailant used. She added that it was possible it fired blanks.

Soccer fields built into fitness plan

China on Thursday announced it will include the construction of soccer fields in its overall plans for urbanization and rural development in a drive to accelerate efforts to develop the sport. Nongovernmental sectors will be encouraged to build small soccer fields compliant with various standards in line with local conditions, according to the National Fitness Program for 2016-2020 released by the State Council, China's cabinet, on Thursday. More people, including the physically disabled as well as the middle-aged and elderly, should be encouraged to participate in a variety of soccer activities, the program said, noting that the population that plays soccer should be expanded. By 2020, 700 million people will take part in physical exercises at least once a week, including 435 million who exercise regularly, the program said, noting that the total consumption of sports activities in 2020 will reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($228 billion). "A lack of soccer fields is one of the practical problems facing the development of the sport in China," Ma Dexing, deputy editor of Changsha-based magazine Titan Sports, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Promoting soccer in urban communities may contribute to social harmony by increasing interpersonal contact within neighborhoods, said Ma. "More participation in sports like soccer will also contribute to the future development of the sports industry," he added. By the end of 2013, China had around 10,000 soccer fields in "relatively good condition," far fewer than those in major soccer-playing nations, said an announcement released by the National Development and Reform Commission in May. In early May, the State General Administration of Sports released the five-year plan for China's sports development, which said the total number of soccer fields across the country will reach 70,000 by the end of 2020. The inclusion of soccer development plans in the national fitness program shows that China is gradually changing its past utilitarian goal for the sport's growth, which overemphasized competition results, Liu Xiaoxin, chief editor of Guangzhou-based newspaper Soccer News, told the Global Times on Thursday. "Compared with the program for the last five years, we have changed our perspective on sports. Now we believe sports should be integrated with education, culture, tourism and the medical industry," Liu Guoyong, an official of the State General Administration of Sports, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying on Thursday. School soccer will be promoted extensively, the plan noted. The plan added that a system connecting regular soccer competitions in primary schools, secondary schools and universities should be improved soon. According to the Mid- and Long-Term Development Plan of Chinese Soccer Development released in April, by 2020, there will be 20,000 schools specializing in soccer in China, while over 30 million primary and high school students will regularly play soccer.

Leave in lead after over 500,000 votes declared in EU referendum

The Remain side is now a little bit behind of Leave as more than 500,000 votes from five voting stations have been declared on early Friday. According to local media, a total of 266,721 people voted to leave the European Union (EU), while 259,790 voted to remain in the early morning. After first counting venue Gibraltar declared its result as 19,322 voted to stay in the EU and 823 voted to leave, another seven areas have also announced the results. Orkney Islands voted to remain as 7,189 people voted to stay and 4,193 voted to leave. There was a narrow Remain win in Newcastle after 65,404 cast votes prefer to remain and 63,598 in favor of leaving. A big Leave win has been witnessed in Sunderland, northeast England city, as 82,394 voted to leave and 51,930 voted to stay. Clackmannanshire and Isles of Scilly voted to remain, while Swindon and Broxbourne voted to leave. The final result is expected to be declared at around breakfast time on Friday.

China, Uzbekistan elevate ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

China and Uzbekistan upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership Wednesday after talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov. The two countries outlined the cooperation plan for their new partnership in such areas as political mutual trust and support, the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, national and regional security, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and collaboration on international affairs. The upgrade was based on the "unprecedented high standard of China-Uzbekistan high-level interaction, political mutual trust and win-win cooperation" they have scored since establishing a strategic partnership in 2012, said a joint statement. The two countries pledged to continue supporting each other on issues concerning their core interest, and not allow a third country or any group to conduct activities on their soil that will harm the other side's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. China and Uzbekistan will maintain regular contacts on all levels, have timely exchange of views on major bilateral, regional and international issues and promote cooperation between government departments, legislatures, social groups, enterprises and financial institutions of the two countries, said the statement. The Chinese side thinks highly of Uzbekistan's development achievements since its independence 25 years ago, firmly supports its choice of development path based on national conditions, and understands as well as respects the Uzbek government's measures to maintain stability and to advance social and economic progress, said the document. For its part, Uzbekistan reaffirmed its stance in upholding the one-China policy and against "Taiwan independence" in any form, stating that Taiwan and Tibet are indispensable parts of the Chinese territory, and that the Uzbek side supports the peaceful development of cross-strait ties and all efforts made by the Chinese government to realize peaceful reunification. On the economic front, the two countries will push for the implementation of previously agreed projects and strengthen win-win cooperation in wide-ranging fields such as high-tech, trade, investment, energy, transportation, agriculture and finance, so as to render full support to the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt. They will also explore joint projects in such areas as road machinery production, oil and gas, chemistry, food processing, building materials, transportation infrastructure, irrigation, soil reclamation, rural housing and people's livelihood, said the document. China and Uzbekistan both consider the "three evil forces," namely terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as drug trafficking, cyber crimes and various forms of organized cross-border crimes to be grave threats to their two countries' and regional security and stability. In addressing these problems, the two sides will carry out law enforcement cooperation, share intelligence and jointly crack down on such crimes. They will also keep closer communication and exchanges on cyber security, defense and military technology. The statement included further China-Uzbekistan cooperation on culture, education, science, sports, tourism and archaeology, as well as friendly communication between their media outlets, academic institutions and non-governmental groups. Noting that collaboration on international issues will demonstrate their high-level strategic mutual trust, the two countries agreed to strengthen mutual support and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), coordinate their stances on major international and regional issues, and jointly address such challenges. They called on the international community to respect Central Asia's history, culture and traditions and join hands in promoting regional development and prosperity. The Chinese side highly appreciates Uzbekistan's contributions as the SCO presidency in driving the organization's development and preparing for the SCO Council of Heads of State in Tashkent, the statement said. Xi is in Uzbekistan for a state visit. He will also attend the SCO summit on Thursday and Friday. Uzbekistan is the third and final stop of Xi's three-nation tour, which has taken him to Serbia and Poland.

China, Uzbekistan agree to focus on Belt and Road development

China and Uzbekistan agreed on Wednesday to focus on jointly promoting the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. During the talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, the two sides pledged to seek synergy between their respective development strategies and fully tap into the potential of their economic and trade cooperation on the principles of consultation, joint development and sharing. The two leaders said they will actively boost industrial capacity cooperation and build the Jizzakh Industrial Park into an important platform in this regard. Cooperation in infrastructure construction and energy will be expanded and deepened, and new highlights will be created in agricultural cooperation. The two heads of state also vowed to increase financial support for major cooperation projects between the two countries. "We should comprehensively deepen our practical cooperation in all fields ... to push for the common development of our two countries and enrich the meaning of our comprehensive strategic partnership with more cooperation outcomes," Xi told Karimov. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi in 2013, refers to the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes. Xi arrived in the Central Asian country on Tuesday for a state visit, the second in three years. He will also attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). During the talks, the two leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership so as to cement traditional friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. They decided to continue to strengthen mutual support on issues concerning their core interests such as territory, sovereignty and security, render strong support to each other in their choices of development paths, and enhance communication and coordination on major international and regional issues. On security, the two sides vowed to resolutely crack down on "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and actively cooperate on cyber security, drug control and combating cross-border organized crimes. The two heads of state also agreed to carry out closer cultural and people-to-people exchanges. "China stands ready to work closely with Uzbekistan to boost the development of our bilateral relations and achieve more practical results, " Xi said. For his part, Karimov described Uzbekistan and China as "good neighbors and partners," noting that Xi's visit will forcefully promote the traditional friendship and reciprocal cooperation. He said that Uzbekistan supports China's great cause of reunification and China's principles and positions on such issues as Taiwan and Tibet. The two leaders also exchanged views on the SCO development. A joint statement was issued after the summit talks and a raft of cooperation deals were signed between the two sides, covering diplomacy, economy and trade, intellectual property rights and financing. Uzbekistan is the third and final stop of Xi's three-nation tour, which has taken him to Serbia and Poland.

Putin’s China visit expected to expand economic relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to China on Saturday is expected to extend the two nations' economic, military and cultural cooperation, while a multi-billion-dollar high-speed deal expected to be signed, experts said. Leaders of the two countries will discuss further developing Russia-China relations and cooperation in trade, economy, investments, science and humanitarian efforts, according to the Kremlin Press Service. "Putin's visit may mainly focus on the two nations' economic cooperation, as well as propelling the signed contracts and projects forward, including a high-speed rail deal," Li Xing, a professor of Russian affairs at Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. China has agreed to provide a 400-billion-ruble ($46.2 billion) loan for Russia's Moscow-Kazan High Speed Rail Project, Russian news portal sputniknews.com reported in April. "High-speed rail is a crucial part of Sino-Russian economic cooperation as Russia revitalizes its economy. The railway deal is expected to be signed during the visit," Li said. Russia is also considering a free trade agreement with several countries, including China, which experts believe might be discussed during the visit. "Russia's economy is still floundering, which may lead to a diminished Eurasian Economic Union. The group needs to cooperate with other major economic entities to thrive, and China might be a good partner," Zhang Hong, a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. "Some experts used to believe that China's Belt and Road initiative might hinder Russia's Eurasian economic plans, but the two countries actually can benefit from cooperating with each other, as China also needs Russia to fulfill its plans in the region," Sergey Komissarov, director of the Confucius Class of the Humanitarian Institute at Novosibirsk State University, told the Global Times. Komissarov said he believes the two countries will also deepen their cooperation in military matters and coordinate in response to common security threats in the future. Earlier in June, the Chinese and Russian navies almost simultaneously sailed into the disputed waters near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. "Russia's strategic space in Europe has been squeezed, while China is facing territorial disputes over the South China Sea. The similar situations may lead to further military cooperation," Li said. However, Zhang said that Russia will not support China in the South China Sea dispute, and the drills are more symbolic than anything else. "China and Russia will not be allies in a traditional sense, and future military cooperation is not meant to confront other countries, but to express the two countries' stance on certain international issues," Zhang said. More cultural cooperation is likewise expected during the visit, experts said. "I think it's a good time to develop the two countries' cultural cooperation, as many Russian students and their parents are interested in studying Chinese and the Chinese culture. We hope the visit can [promote] greater bilateral cooperation in science and education," Komissarov pointed out.

China's Internet watchdog starts online comments cleanup

China's top Internet watchdog on Tuesday announced plans to clean up online comment sections, a move observers stressed is necessary despite concerns about how it will affect Net users' right to free expression. According to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), efforts will focus on cleaning up the comments sections of websites by removing harmful content that violates the "seven bottom lines" - including the socialist system, national interests and the legitimate rights and interests of citizens - and laws and regulations like Measures on the Administration of Internet Information Service. Malicious Internet comments disturb the order of digital communications and damage "public opinion ecology," repulsing the public and underscoring the necessity for an overhaul, Ren Xianliang, deputy head of the CAC told representatives of both Party-run and commercial news media - including senior executives from popular news portals such as Tencent and NetEase - on Tuesday. Internet media outlets should shoulder their due social responsibilities rather than blindly pursuing a higher number of clicks on their websites, Ren stressed, urging them to enhance self-disciplined management of online comments. An easily accessible channel to accept Net users' reports of harmful content should be made and a healthy and positive Internet culture should be promoted, the CAC added. "Such a regulation campaign is necessary, as a large number of online comments containing spam ads and personal abuse are flooding the Internet," Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Communications Law Research Center at China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Zhu noted that stricter keyword filtering rules might be applied to webpage comments sections, as Net users often use alternative expressions such as homophones to bypass the current regulation system. Last year's real-name registration requirement has made the new regulation feasible, as the authorities can now find out who created any harmful comment, Zhu added. In February 2015, the CAC announced regulations requiring those who use platforms that provide information exchange services - such as microblogs, instant messaging services and online discussion forums - to register on those platforms using their real names. However, Qin An, director of the China Institute for Cyberspace Strategy, told the Global Times that, "Net users' rights of expression might be to some extent affected," as online comments are sometimes deleted "indiscriminately." It is paramount to publish detailed criteria for the deletion of online comments according to relevant laws and regulations, Qin stressed, adding that the regulation of online information should be carried out in a way that "will not discourage the public from participating in political discussion." Commenting on well-meaning critical comments raised on the Internet at a symposium on cyber security and informatization in April, President Xi Jinping said, "We will not only welcome them, but also carefully study them for future reference," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Nine factories closed after toxic school tracks exposed

Authorities in Cangzhou, North China's Hebei Province shut down nine factories and detained "related personnel" on Wednesday after China Central Television (CCTV) reported that a number of workshops had been using recycled industrial waste to produce materials for the track ovals widely used in schools. Hebei provincial authorities also vowed to investigate its rubber track producers on Wednesday following the CCTV investigative report that said dozens of companies in Hebei's Baoding and Cangzhou had been using used automobile tires, electrical wires and other plastic or rubber items to produce track oval materials. These recycled materials are believed to contain toxic chemical substances and heavy metals harmful to human health, the report said. Following the CCTV report, the Cangzhou government on Wednesday set up a special task force composed of industry supervisors and police to inspect all related factories, sealing the equipment, materials and semi-finished products in these workshops, news portal thepaper.cn reported. The CCTV report has added fuel to the ongoing uproar from parents of school children in more than a dozen provinces across the country. They have been complaining that the pungent smell of newly-built rubber sports fields and tracks are causing the students nosebleeds, headaches and allergies. Nearly 100 parents of students at Beijing No.2 Experimental School in the capital's Xicheng district gathered outside the school on Wednesday night claiming that the school had cheated on them in a school-hosted test report that claimed its newly-built track oval met national emission standards. The latest test results of an independent institution invited by the parents showed that the content of toxic formaldehyde in the classrooms have all failed national standards, the parents told the Global Times. The school's principal and parents failed to reach an agreement as of press time. Dozens of students at the school suffered from nosebleeds, dizzy spells and coughs after running on the synthetic track oval in Baiyunlu School, the parents said. The Ministry of Education said in a statement published on its website Wednesday night that it is urging all educational authorities to make sure rubber tracks that fail to meet national standards be removed immediately, and halt all tracks under construction until they pass new inspections to ensure safety. No standards Similar incidents have been reported in the past two years in cities that include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Shenyang. Experts said that clashes between parents and the schools are a result of the absence of a national standard for track and field facilities. "We can only call it a 'questionable track' for now, because we haven't received the test results to prove that the track caused all of these problems," Shi Jianhua, who helped draft rules for synthetic materials for track surfaces, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "But the 'questionable tracks' do contain certain toxic substances, such as methylbenzene which emits a foul smell, and the smell surfaces in high temperatures," Shi said. "If children are exposed to that smell for extended periods, it could damage their liver, kidney and other organs, and this damage is irreversible." A Beijing-based quality inspection organization said they have received 200 track samples from all over the country the past year. Some samples contain methylbenzene and xylene, according to news cite caixin.cn. Shi said many 'questionable tracks' were produced by small uncertified workshops, and they won the contract by offering lower prices. "A qualified track costs 250-300 yuan ($38-$45) per square meter, but these small factories do it for only 130-140 yuan per square meter," Shi said. Shi added 60-70 percent of the tracks are low-budget ones, but could not say how many were harmful to humans. When asked why there is no national standard for such tracks, Shi explained it is a complicated procedure which requires long-term testing. "It will probably take one year at best," said Shi.

Xinijiang expo exhibits Silk Road leadership

As the 5th China-Eurasia Expo is set to kick off in September in Urumqi, the strategic importance of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as a core area for China's Silk Road Economic Belt continues to rise. During the expo from September 20 to 25, Chinese leaders, foreign envoys of Asian and European countries, specialized agencies, business leaders and heads of international organizations will be invited to attend both the expo's opening ceremony and the China-Eurasia Economic Development Cooperation Forum, Shohrat Zakir, Xinjiang's chairman, told a news conference on Wednesday in Beijing. Six other ministerial-level forums will also be held during the expo, including the China-Eurasian Forum on Cooperation in Entry-Exit Health Quarantine at Ports, the Financial Cooperation Forum, the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Forum and the Forum on Development of Overseas Chinese Businesses and Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt. The expo will be divided into 14 sections to better meet the needs of domestic and foreign enterprises attending the event. Shi Dagang, vice chairman of Xinjiang, said at the press conference that despite the fact that the exhibition space's total area will be doubled this year, it is still unable to fully meet the demand. Xinjiang has its eyes set on playing a greater role in China's Belt and Road initiative, as the region borders eight countries in Central Asia. Its status as a transportation hub will be further strengthened with the upcoming completion of the China-Pakistan railway and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. According to Zakir, Xinjiang plans to become a regional center for transportation, logistics, medical services, finance and culture in addition to science and education. He said by the middle of this century, Xinjiang plans to establish itself as a base for oil and gas production, processing and storage, coal power and wind and solar energy. The region also intends to construct 10 import and export industrial parks for fields such as machinery and equipment, textiles, building materials, chemical products, information services and animal husbandry products. These industries will also be featured at the expo. Since its establishment in 2011, the China-Eurasia Expo has witnessed the signing of agreements worth a total of 900 billion yuan ($136.7 billion). In 2015 alone, 149 projects worth 129 billion yuan were inked during the expo. Tong Daochi, an assistant commerce minister, said at the Wednesday press conference that direct investment in countries related to the Belt and Road initiative reached $14.8 billion in 2015, an increase of 18.2 percent over the previous year.