CRI中国国际广播电台 News & Reports, 2012-08-19

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In This Edition

 

UN observers end mission in Syria at the failure to reduce violence in the country.

South Africa's mining company Lonmin PLC describes the police shooting at its striking miners as "a tragedy."

Muslims across the world prepare for the celebration of the end of Ramadan.

And Miss China -- Yu Wenxia of Heilongjiang -- wins the 2012 Miss World title.

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

UN observer mission in Syria ends with Russia rejecting no-fly zone

The UN's observer mission to Syria has acknowledged "some frustrations¹" at the failure to reduce violence in the country as the mission ends on Sunday.

Lieutenant² General Babacar Gaye, head of UN Supervision³ Mission in Syria, was speaking at his final news conference in Damascus.

 

"We have on several occasions made appeal for the cessation of violence.　It was in the U.N. mandate⁴, it was in the six-point plan to stop the use of heavy weapons, to stop the violence, and from this place I made an appeal to shift the mindsets from the military logic⁵ to a mindset of dialogue. In that regard, we have some frustrations, because this appeal is yet to be followed by acts, by operational decisions, from both parties."

The observers' departure comes after the Security Council agreed to end the UN mission and back a small new liaison⁶ office that will support any future peace efforts.

A UN spokesperson has said that the last UN observers still in Syria had started to leave the country as their mission officially ends at midnight on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated⁷ Moscow's rejection⁸ of a no-fly zone for military aircraft in northern Syria despite mounting violence there.

"I heard the statements by the military representatives of the United States. It's not the first time that the concept of the security zones has been mentioned, the concept of the no-fly zones. This would be a violation⁹ of sovereignty if the zones incorporate the territory of the Syrian state, and this would constitute a violation of the UN Charter."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Washington and Turkey were discussing a range of steps, including a no-fly zone over some parts of Syria.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said last week that he was confident the United States could successfully enforce such a prohibition¹¹ of flights.

Syrian rebels fighting heavily-armed government forces have put up persistent¹² calls that they need the added protection.

 

More Syrians Fleeing Conflicts

The UN refugee agency says there has been another sharp rise in Syrian refugees fleeing to Turkey and that the number headed to Jordan is also climbing.

Agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva that there are now almost 65,000 Syrians in Turkey, about 40 percent of them new arrivals this month.

He added that within this week alone some 3,000 Syrians fled to the border areas in Jordan.

It's estimated that the 18-month conflicts in Syria have forced 150,000 residents to flee to four neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, some Syrian refugees are deeply pessimistic about international mediating¹³ efforts to stop the bloodshed in their country.

"First they brought (General Mustafa) al-Dabi. Then, they put Kofi Annan in his place but he also turned out to be like al-Dabi. Now, they are bringing Lakhdar Brahimi in his place. He is not any different from the other two. Is the blood of Syrian people this cheap? The UN observers should make up their minds in helping¹⁴ the Syrian people."

Lakhdar Brahimi, former Algerian foreign minister and a longtime UN diplomat¹⁵, has agreed to replace former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as peace envoy¹⁶ to Syria.

Meanwhile, a United Nations spokeswoman said the last UN observers still in Syria have started to leave the country as their mission officially ends at midnight Sunday.

Their departure comes after the Security Council agreed to end the UN mission and back a small new liaison office that will support any future peace efforts.

 

South Africa mining company: shooting of miners "a tragedy"

South Africa's mining company Lonmin PLC has described the police shooting at its striking miners as "a tragedy."

Lonmin PLC is the owner of a mine in Marikana where a miners' week-long strike was put down by the worst police shooting in nearly two decades.

Thirty-four miners were killed and another 78 were injured.

Simon Scott is Finance Director of Lonmin PLC.

"I mean it has really been a tragic¹⁷ situation. A situation that has escalated¹⁸ from an industrial relations incident to one where public order and public violence has transpired¹⁹. It's a tragedy. Clearly, we send our condolences to all those that lost their lives, be they our employees or members of the South African police services, and those that are injured."

Following the shootings, wives of the striking miners staged a protest, demanding to know why police had opened fire with automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns on the strikers.

The incident has forced South African President Jacob Zuma to cut short a foreign tour, abandoning a regional summit in Mozambique to rush to the mine site.

He has issued an order to investigate the incident.

Meanwhile, shares in Lonmin PLC have fallen by as much as 20 percent since violence broke out last weekend at the Marikana mine.

The company, the world's third largest platinum²⁰ miner, has also been hit by Thursday's announcement that Chief Executive Ian Farmer is in hospital with a serious illness.

 

Global Muslims Prepare for End-of-Ramadan Celebration

Muslims across the world are preparing for the celebration of the end of Ramadan.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous²¹ Islamic nation, people crammed²² into trains, ferries, planes, buses and motorcycles, are returning to their villages for the celebration.

Government officials in Indonesia say the number of travelers is 10 percent higher than usual this year because of the country's booming economy.

Despite the European economic crisis and slackening Chinese economy, Indonesia remains²³ a powerhouse in Southeast Asia, fueled by strong domestic demand from the world's fourth biggest population.

Heavy demand for traditional dishes has pushed up the price of beef and chicken by 10 percent or more, so much that poorer families will have to do without and traders are worried.

Among them is Evi Sobari, a housewife in Jakarta.

"Well, it is only once a year. We celebrate the fasting month. We fast for the whole month and celebrate it on Ramadan. We're poor, but we do what we can to make a festive²⁴ celebration."

In Pakistan, bazaars²⁵, markets and shopping malls were illuminated²⁶ and open late into the night across Karachi ahead of the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

 

Far-right Group Holds Anti-Muslim Protests in Germany

A far-right group has staged anti-Muslim protests outside several mosques²⁷ in the German capital of Berlin, with leftists groups staging counter-rallies.

Around 50 members of the group called Pro¹⁰ Deutschland, Pro-Germany gathered outside the mosques considered to be meeting points of the radical²⁸ Salafist community.

Head of Pro Deutschland Manfred Rouhs:

"We are not trying to ridicule²⁹, we will bring forward arguments. But we are facing a situation, where we have to start the debate, which wouldn't have happened if we didn't come up with a series of demonstrations³¹ in west Germany in April and May. The political institutions only react when there is some attention."

Police were on high alert as they feared clashes at the rallies. There are roughly 4000 Salafists in Germany, whose religious roots are in Saudi Arabia, only a tiny proportion of the total Muslim population of about four million.

Burhan Kesici is the General Secretary of the Islam Council in Germany.

"We think of what is happening here as a provocation³² and have the opinion that these kind of events should become less in the future, especially because it harms the social and religious peace in Germany. And we are aiming not to let ourselves be affected³³ by it and just ignore the demonstration³⁰."

Germany banned the Millatu Ibrahim Salafist group in June in a crackdown on radical Islamists suspected of plotting against the state. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said they worked against the constitutional order.

 

Canadian Police Continue Search for More Body Parts

Canadian police said they have discovered two severed³⁴ human hands in a river at a park in Mississauga, Ontario, where a human head and foot were found earlier this week.

Sergeant³⁵ Pete Brandwood of Peel Regional Police said one of the hands was discovered in the Credit River close to where the foot was found. But it's not clear if the left and right hands are from the same person.

(in English, BJH/soundbites/0818 Canada) 0730

"Investigators³⁶ have not given me any information to suggest that there's any distinguishing feature on that hand to draw any similarity to the feet or the head, the foot or the head from yesterday. Again it's more of a commonsense³⁷ conclusion and solution that, based on the circumstances and totality of what's going on, the likelihood of it being the same person is, commonsense-wise, is probably pretty high."

Authorities discovered a woman's head in the river on Thursday.

A human head was found in a Montreal park in July belonging to Jun Lin, a Chinese student who was killed and dismembered in May.

Canadian porn actor Luka Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in that case.

 

 

Typhoon Kai Tak Hits China's Southern Provinces, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate³⁸

Typhoon Kai Tak has left a trail of destruction over the two days that it hit southern China after it had made landfall in the southern Guangdong province.

Authorities in Guangdong had evacuated³⁹ nearly 19,000 residents and called more than 51,000 fishing boats back to shore.

The province's Hailing island was forced to close its embankment from Friday afternoon when the typhoon hit, bringing gales⁴⁰ and sea waves as high as five metres.

A local motorist caught in a storm described how strong the wind was.

(in Chinese, BJH/soundbites/0819 typhoon) 6096AS

"There's no way to ride my motorbike. There's no way. The wind is too strong."

Train services in Guangdong and the nearby island province of Hainan were also stopped.

Rainfall in some regions were expected to reach 300 milimetres.

No casualties have yet been reported.

Kai Tak is the fourth typhoon to hit China since early August. Authorities say the storms have affected millions, left 51 dead and 21 missing.

 

 

Taiwan Farmers Break Rice Transplanting World Record

Farmers in Taiwan have broken the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people transplanting rice seedlings⁴¹ on a plot of land.

Over 1,200 farmers in the northern Taoyuan County transplanted seedlings on a 2.1-hectare plot of land.

They finished the job in 16 minutes and 20 seconds.

The previous record set in Thailand saw over 900 people planting seedlings on a 1.6-hectare plot in 30 minutes and 35 seconds.

Cheng Dong is a Guinness World Record judge.

"The record until now of the largest number of people planting at once was set in Thailand on May 6, 2010, and there were 904 participants. But today in Taoyuan, Taiwan the number is 1,215 people. This is a new world record."

Organizers say participants of the event were mostly middle-aged⁴² to elderly farmers, aiming at promoting farming and consumption of local rice in Taiwan.

Ninety-six-year-old Chen Huo-teng was the event's oldest participant, and has been a rice farmer for nearly 70 years.

"This is the happiest day of my life as a farmer. There are so many people, but I get to stand in middle. It's really fun. This event is good for agriculture."

Around 700 people stood on the sidelines and encouraged the farmers.

 

Chinese woman wins 2012 Miss World title

Miss China won the 2012 Miss World on Saturday, triumphing on home soil in northern China's mining city of Ordos.

The home candidate, named Yu Wenxia, has been awarded the title.

Last year's Miss World, Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela, handed over her crown to the Chinese woman.

Yu Wenxia:

"I am so excited at the moment. I didn't expect I could win the Miss World. I just want to cry. Thank you."

Yu Wenxia is from northeastern China's Heilongjiang province and she is a graduate of a local music school.

She is the second Miss China to win the Miss World pageant⁴³, after Chinese model Zhang Zilin won the title in 2007.

A total of 116 contestants⁴⁴, the highest number ever, took to the stage during the contest.

 

Tibetans celebrate Shoton Festival

Shoton Festival is one of the most important festivals in China's Tibet Autonomous⁴⁵ Region. This year's Shoton Festival kicked off yesterday and the theme of this year's Shoton is "Blessed Lhasa, Cultural Shoton". To tell you more about this happy festival with unique ethnic⁴⁶ flavor is our reporter Li Dong.

Reporter:

Every year, at the end of June or in early July on the Tibetan calendar, monks⁴⁷ in Tibetan regions are served yoghurt. This is said to be the origin of the 'Shoton Festival', which is also called the 'Yoghurt Festival'.

Awang Danzeng, the curator of Tibet Art Center knows the history of Shoton Festival intimately.

"It used to be a solely⁴⁸ religious activity. It appeared around the 5th Dalai Lama period. As time flew by, this activity gradually became a folk festival. Opera troupes⁴⁹ throughout the region perform in Lhasa and because of this, Shoton is also called the Tibet Opera Festival."

The "Buddha⁵⁰ Thangka Painting Show" is the main activity at the Shoton Festival. At dawn, Lama from Drepong Monastery⁵¹ spread out a giant "Thanka" of Buddha.

At Drepong Monastery, there are 'Cham' dances and the grand Thangka is unveiled early in the morning.

Awang says he goes to Drepong Monastery and watches the Buddha Painting Tangka custom almost every year.

"Normally at 3 am, I will go to Drepong Monastery and climb up the mountain to watch the show. When the Thangka is spread out and the rays of sunlight fall on it, I get quite excited. Then, I go to Norbulingka for the Tibetan Opera. Crowds fill the park, and it's impressive."

After devoutly⁵² viewing the Thangka, celebrators go to Norbulingka and other popular spots for a Lingka, or Tibetan style picnic. 'Shoton' is also known as the 'Tibetan Opera Festival' for the Tibetan operas held at the Norbulingka.

Norbulinka is situated⁵³ in the west of Lhasa and, for a long time, was the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. In Tibetan language, Norbulinka means "treasure garden". In summer, it is the best place for Lhasa citizens to spend their leisure time and enjoy the grasslands⁵⁴ and beautiful flowers.

For the Shoton festival, festival organizers built an open stage in NorbuLinka and many Tibetan opera troupes perform there for several days.

Yak⁵⁵ races are also a traditional sport and a special favorite of the Tibetans. People dress in their best finery and sing and dance to celebrate Shoton. The yaks⁵⁶' massive heads are adorned⁵⁷ with red flowers, their backs caparisoned with ornamented⁵⁸ saddles.

An ethnic group with such a long history and splendid culture is bound to have such profound folk customs and festivals. There are more than 40 festivals listed on the Tibetan calendar. Awang Denzeng says:

"Festivals are an important part of Tibetan culture. They express different meanings. For example, Ongkar festival held every autumn has significant meanings to those in pastoral areas. People sing, dance and walk around their fields to celebrate the harvest. Some prefectures name a festival after their most representative folk art. It enriches the lives of the local people."

This year's Shoton Festival is held from August 17 to 23.

For CRI, I am Li Dong

 

Xinhua: Japan should Take Further Steps to Ease Tensions

Following protests from the Chinese government, Japan has released all the 14 Chinese detained on and off the disputed Diaoyu Islands.

The group of Chinese was held by Japan after sailing to the Diaoyu Islands on Wednesday to assert China's sovereignty.

A commentary by the Xinhua News Agency welcomes the releasing of the Chinese activists⁵⁹, while urging Japan to take further steps to ease tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.

The article urges Japan to recognize China's inherent sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and its adjacent islets.

It says Japan's actual control over the islands are illegal and is a result of its aggression⁶⁰ against China in the last century.

Moreover, the Xinhua article contends that Tokyo needs to accept its responsibility for single-handedly causing the recent escalation⁶¹ of tensions over the islands.

The commentary notes that some ring-wing politicians in Japan recently initiated⁶² a plan to buy the islands from its self-styled private owners. The Japanese government failed to restrain such dangerous actions, and even announced to "nationalize" the islands.

Xinhua points out that these provocative⁶³ moves are detrimental⁶⁴ to overall Sino-Japanese relations and arouse anger of the Chinese people.

In conclusion, Xinhua urges Japan to handle the disputes over the Diaoyu Islands through dialogue and with restraint as the hard-won bilateral⁶⁵ relationship is at stake.

 

China Daily: Coordinated⁶⁶ Action Needed for Economic Recovery

It is obvious that both developed economies and emerging markets are being adversely⁶⁷ affected by the economic decline and recession, which is characterized by the shrinking trade and investment, weak stock markets, and the big swings in market confidence.

An editorial in the China Daily newspaper points out that all these negative phenomenon in the business sector⁶⁸ are all testimony⁶⁹ to the lack of a coordinated bailout plan among all economies.

The editorial calls on policymakers around the world to work together to stimulate⁷⁰ real economy and rein⁷¹ in price distortions.

The article cites the example in China as saying that product prices have risen at a slower rate than the cost of services and labor⁷², which has increased production costs for enterprises. And the excessive liquidity⁷³ in Europe, the US and Japan has forced their currencies to appreciate against the yuan, deteriorating⁷⁴ trade conditions for Chinese enterprises and offsetting⁷⁵ the partial recovery of Chinese manufacturing industry's competitiveness.

Therefore, the editorial suggests the Chinese government try its best to lower enterprises' production costs so as to cushion the slowing economy's influence on the real economy.

If China loosens its monetary⁷⁶ policy, the rising prices of land, raw materials and consumer commodities will further increase the costs for enterprises. So it is more rational to use taxation⁷⁷ and industry policies, instead of monetary policies, to directly stimulate the real economy.

However, the article says that China needs to have enough room to tighten⁷⁸ its monetary policy so it will be able to manage the imported inflation when the excessive liquidity of the West hits the world economy.

The editorial warns that only when China's decision-makers can effectively contain overseas speculative⁷⁹ capital, avoid sharp rises in the prices of staple⁸⁰ commodities and agricultural products, and let banks allocate⁸¹ capital more rationally among cash-hungry enterprises, can the nation increase liquidity prudently⁸² by lowering interest rates and the deposit reserve ratio.

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