The 20th Post-Forum Dialogue Partners ' Plenary opened here Thursday with focus on environment and resource protection.
The delegates are expected to hold discussions on environment and resources issues, as well as other regional and international issues as part of the agenda of the Pacific Islands Forum .
Niuean Premier Toke Talagi declared the opening of the plenary, welcoming the delegates traveling a long way for the meeting to improve their relationships and to "help each other, help the Pacific, help the countries."
Talagi said the meeting would discuss a number of issues, taking particular note of those being discussed by the Forum leaders.
Leaders from the 15 PIF countries concluded their two-day summit Wednesday, after discussions on climate change, food and fuel security and Fiji situation.
Since 1989, the PIF has held Post Forum Dialogues with key Dialogue Partners at ministerial level. The 14-member PFDP includes: Canada, China, European Union, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Britain and the United States.
After the plenary, Chinese delegation, led by Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jieyi, will hold bilateral meetings with Pacific island nations.
Source:Xinhua
Friday, August 22, 2008
Forum SG: Work between Pacific Islands and China essential
China's southwest quake-hit Sichuan Province is to add psychological counseling to the school curriculum to relieve possible post-quake mental stress of pupils.
More than 300 teachers would take their new posts as psychological tutors in primary and secondary schools in 39 counties and cities after attending a training session slated for September, Thursday's Chengdu Business Daily quoted the provincial education department as saying.
The 39 counties and cities, including the Aba Prefecture where the epicenter Wenchuan is, are the places hit hardest by the magnitude-8.0earthquake in southwest China.
Primary schools must have nine lectures while middle school and high schools must have ten lectures in one term, said the Sichuan Education Department on Wednesday.
The lectures, which feature group discussion, role play, games, and life value analysis, were designed to help survivors cope with possible post-quake syndromes, said Liu Li, a section chief with the department.
Students could learn the basics of psychological self-adjustment, and their psychological status would be recorded during the class, she said, adding those detected with serious psychological problems would be transferred to medical institutions.
More teachers would be trained to meet the increasing demand of psychological tutors, said He Shaoyong, deputy director of the department.
The program is to begin in the area worst affected by the quake, and later rolled out in other parts of the province, he said..
The aim is to have at least one psychological tutor for every 1,500 students within five years, he said.
In Sichuan Province, no specified psychology class is designed in school curriculum. Students are encouraged to cope with their inner problems with the help of seniors including teachers and parents.
Source: Xinhua
More than 300 teachers would take their new posts as psychological tutors in primary and secondary schools in 39 counties and cities after attending a training session slated for September, Thursday's Chengdu Business Daily quoted the provincial education department as saying.
The 39 counties and cities, including the Aba Prefecture where the epicenter Wenchuan is, are the places hit hardest by the magnitude-8.0earthquake in southwest China.
Primary schools must have nine lectures while middle school and high schools must have ten lectures in one term, said the Sichuan Education Department on Wednesday.
The lectures, which feature group discussion, role play, games, and life value analysis, were designed to help survivors cope with possible post-quake syndromes, said Liu Li, a section chief with the department.
Students could learn the basics of psychological self-adjustment, and their psychological status would be recorded during the class, she said, adding those detected with serious psychological problems would be transferred to medical institutions.
More teachers would be trained to meet the increasing demand of psychological tutors, said He Shaoyong, deputy director of the department.
The program is to begin in the area worst affected by the quake, and later rolled out in other parts of the province, he said..
The aim is to have at least one psychological tutor for every 1,500 students within five years, he said.
In Sichuan Province, no specified psychology class is designed in school curriculum. Students are encouraged to cope with their inner problems with the help of seniors including teachers and parents.
Source: Xinhua
A glimpse of Chinese calligraphy
The capital city is displaying works of calligraphy on the walls of subway stations for the entertainment of visitors to the Olympics.
Here are some facts about Chinese calligraphy.
ORIGINS OF CHARACTERS: The earliest identifiable characters appeared on bones, tortoise shells and bronze ware during the Shang Dynasty . They are called Jia Gu Wen.
Calligraphy evolved along with characters but did not emerge as a popular art form until the Wei and Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties .
MAJOR CATEGORIES: Seal script, or zhuan shu; official script, or li shu; regular script, or kai shu; running script, or xing shu, and cursive script, or cao shu.
FAMOUS CALLIGRAPHERS: Wang Xizi, Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhengqing and Liu Gongqun, who were well known for pioneering their own styles.
FOUR TREASURES OF THE STUDY: Brush, paper, ink stick and ink stone. To write characters in ancient times, these four things were essential.
-- BRUSHES: Can be hard, soft or mixed. Their handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.
Hu Writing Brushes from Huzhou City, east Zhejiang Province, are regarded as the best quality. The shafts are usually made of red sandalwood, mottled bamboo, white porcelain or even ivory.
The brush features goat hair, brownish rabbit hair, stiff weasel hair or a mixture of goat and weasel hair.
-- INK STICKS: A unique pigment is used for Chinese traditional calligraphy. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick. Press the stick hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid ink forms.
HUI MO: Also known as Anhui ink stick, it is the most famous. Made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in central Anhui Province, it is hard and exudes a pleasant scent.
-- PAPER: Quality papers include Xuan paper, produced in Xuanzhou, in Anhui Province, which is considered the best. The paper is soft and fine textured with a good tensile strength and mothproof quality.
-- INK STONES: Features common to all quality ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Only on a hard, smooth stone, can liquid ink be produced easily.
Duan ink slabs in Zhaoqing City of south Guangdong Province are the best-known. The slabs are made from natural stone found in remote mountains. A good quality ink stick with Duan ink stone will work together to produce extremely durable ink. Enditem
Source: xinhua
Here are some facts about Chinese calligraphy.
ORIGINS OF CHARACTERS: The earliest identifiable characters appeared on bones, tortoise shells and bronze ware during the Shang Dynasty . They are called Jia Gu Wen.
Calligraphy evolved along with characters but did not emerge as a popular art form until the Wei and Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties .
MAJOR CATEGORIES: Seal script, or zhuan shu; official script, or li shu; regular script, or kai shu; running script, or xing shu, and cursive script, or cao shu.
FAMOUS CALLIGRAPHERS: Wang Xizi, Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhengqing and Liu Gongqun, who were well known for pioneering their own styles.
FOUR TREASURES OF THE STUDY: Brush, paper, ink stick and ink stone. To write characters in ancient times, these four things were essential.
-- BRUSHES: Can be hard, soft or mixed. Their handles are usually made of bamboo, wood, lacquer or porcelain; ivory or jade handles are rare and precious.
Hu Writing Brushes from Huzhou City, east Zhejiang Province, are regarded as the best quality. The shafts are usually made of red sandalwood, mottled bamboo, white porcelain or even ivory.
The brush features goat hair, brownish rabbit hair, stiff weasel hair or a mixture of goat and weasel hair.
-- INK STICKS: A unique pigment is used for Chinese traditional calligraphy. Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick. Press the stick hard and rub lightly, slowly and evenly against the ink slab until a thick, liquid ink forms.
HUI MO: Also known as Anhui ink stick, it is the most famous. Made of pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in central Anhui Province, it is hard and exudes a pleasant scent.
-- PAPER: Quality papers include Xuan paper, produced in Xuanzhou, in Anhui Province, which is considered the best. The paper is soft and fine textured with a good tensile strength and mothproof quality.
-- INK STONES: Features common to all quality ink slabs are the stone's hardness and fineness. Only on a hard, smooth stone, can liquid ink be produced easily.
Duan ink slabs in Zhaoqing City of south Guangdong Province are the best-known. The slabs are made from natural stone found in remote mountains. A good quality ink stick with Duan ink stone will work together to produce extremely durable ink. Enditem
Source: xinhua
Focus switchesto Paralympics
As the Olympics draws to a close, Beijing is gearing up to host its next big sporting event, the Paralympic Games, which starts on Sept 6, a tourism spokeswoman said yesterday.
All hotels ranked three-star and above will provide special barrier-free parking spaces, toilets and rooms, Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the Beijing tourism administration, told a press conference at the Beijing International Media Center.
The city's tourism bureau has spent 2 million yuan on upgrading its facilities for people with physical and visual disabilities, she said.
The city's 16 contracted hotels for the Paralympics will provide a total of 174 barrier-free rooms, she said.
Authorities have also spent 67 million yuan to provide barrier-free access and other services for wheelchair users at 60 tourist attractions in the city, including the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, Xiong said.
Yang Xiaodong, manager of the Temple of Heaven, said 60 ramps have been built within the temple complex to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to get around. These will not, however, affect the venue's World Heritage status.
Some workers at the temple have also been taught sign language, he said.
"All of the Paralympic athletes and officials will be able to enjoy China's best kept and largest group of constructions for holding memorial ceremonies to heaven, with no obstacles," he said.
Meanwhile, despite the Paralympics being just around the corner, prices at some of Beijing's best hotels have been on the slide, according to one travel website.
Standard rooms at one five-star hotel for next Wednesday, for example, are being offered at just 600 yuan, compared with a rate of 3,000 yuan for tomorrow, Ctrip.com.
"But this price plunge was inevitable, as a lot of new hotels opened before the Olympics and the city's total number of rooms grew by 9,800," the website's Wu Jiaoli said yesterday.
"After Sunday's closing ceremony for the Games, a lot of athletes, officials, reporters and spectators will leave," she said.
"But this will create an attractive environment for post-Olympic tourism in Beijing," she said.
The average price today for a room at a five-star hotel is between 3,000 and 8,000 yuan, while prices at four-star hotels range from 1,000 to 3,000 yuan, both at least double what they were last August, she said.
Source: China Daily
All hotels ranked three-star and above will provide special barrier-free parking spaces, toilets and rooms, Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the Beijing tourism administration, told a press conference at the Beijing International Media Center.
The city's tourism bureau has spent 2 million yuan on upgrading its facilities for people with physical and visual disabilities, she said.
The city's 16 contracted hotels for the Paralympics will provide a total of 174 barrier-free rooms, she said.
Authorities have also spent 67 million yuan to provide barrier-free access and other services for wheelchair users at 60 tourist attractions in the city, including the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, Xiong said.
Yang Xiaodong, manager of the Temple of Heaven, said 60 ramps have been built within the temple complex to make it easier for people in wheelchairs to get around. These will not, however, affect the venue's World Heritage status.
Some workers at the temple have also been taught sign language, he said.
"All of the Paralympic athletes and officials will be able to enjoy China's best kept and largest group of constructions for holding memorial ceremonies to heaven, with no obstacles," he said.
Meanwhile, despite the Paralympics being just around the corner, prices at some of Beijing's best hotels have been on the slide, according to one travel website.
Standard rooms at one five-star hotel for next Wednesday, for example, are being offered at just 600 yuan, compared with a rate of 3,000 yuan for tomorrow, Ctrip.com.
"But this price plunge was inevitable, as a lot of new hotels opened before the Olympics and the city's total number of rooms grew by 9,800," the website's Wu Jiaoli said yesterday.
"After Sunday's closing ceremony for the Games, a lot of athletes, officials, reporters and spectators will leave," she said.
"But this will create an attractive environment for post-Olympic tourism in Beijing," she said.
The average price today for a room at a five-star hotel is between 3,000 and 8,000 yuan, while prices at four-star hotels range from 1,000 to 3,000 yuan, both at least double what they were last August, she said.
Source: China Daily
School curriculum to add psychological counseling in quake-hit Sichuan Province
China on Wednesday approved a draft law on the management of electronic waste, aiming to reduce the pollution it causes.
The proposed regulation on the recycling and treatment of used electronic products and home appliances received approval at an executive meeting of the State Council, China's cabinet.
The country will set up a mechanism to encourage recycling and centralized treatment of electronic waste. This will be supported by a special fund, according to the proposed law.
It also stipulated the respective responsibilities of manufacturers, retailers, repair and customer service providers and recycling companies in regards to the collection and treatment of electronic waste. These included used TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and computers, among others.
The draft was approved following years of debate over the issue in China, whose 1.3 billion people and rapid improvement of living standards made it one of the world's major manufacturers and consumers of electronic products.
With the rapid economic and social development and improvement of people's living standards, electronic waste has increased largely. It was therefore necessary to make a special law to regulate the treatment of such waste to encourage a better use of resources, while preventing and reducing environmental pollution, according to the meeting.
The meeting also approved a draft on the import and export of "genetic resources" of livestock and poultry. It aimed to promote the "sustainable development of China's animal husbandry" sector.
The regulation stipulated certain conditions where the import and export of the resources could be allowed, and the cooperation between Chinese and foreign researchers could be approved.
Source: Xinhua
The proposed regulation on the recycling and treatment of used electronic products and home appliances received approval at an executive meeting of the State Council, China's cabinet.
The country will set up a mechanism to encourage recycling and centralized treatment of electronic waste. This will be supported by a special fund, according to the proposed law.
It also stipulated the respective responsibilities of manufacturers, retailers, repair and customer service providers and recycling companies in regards to the collection and treatment of electronic waste. These included used TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and computers, among others.
The draft was approved following years of debate over the issue in China, whose 1.3 billion people and rapid improvement of living standards made it one of the world's major manufacturers and consumers of electronic products.
With the rapid economic and social development and improvement of people's living standards, electronic waste has increased largely. It was therefore necessary to make a special law to regulate the treatment of such waste to encourage a better use of resources, while preventing and reducing environmental pollution, according to the meeting.
The meeting also approved a draft on the import and export of "genetic resources" of livestock and poultry. It aimed to promote the "sustainable development of China's animal husbandry" sector.
The regulation stipulated certain conditions where the import and export of the resources could be allowed, and the cooperation between Chinese and foreign researchers could be approved.
Source: Xinhua
China quake death toll rises one to hit 69,226
The death toll from the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province and its neighboring region increased by one from Monday's figure to reach 69,226 as of Thursday noon, according to a statement released by the State Council Information Office.
The number of people listed as missing and injured remained unchanged and stood at 17,923 and 374,643 respectively.
As of Thursday noon, a total of 1,486,405 survivors had been relocated.
Among the 96,544 who had been hospitalized for injuries, 92,686have been discharged, the statement said.
Government spending on relief and reconstruction had exceeded 66.92 billion yuan , including 59.74 billion yuan from the central budget and 7.17 billion yuan from the local budget.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, domestic and foreign donations had reached 59.28 billion yuan in cash and goods by Thursday noon. Of this, 24.15 billion yuan had been forwarded to quake-hit areas.
About 1.58 million tents, 4.87 million quilts, 14.1 million garments, 3.16 million tonnes of fuel and 6.76 million tonnes of coal had been sent to the quake-hit areas, it said.
As of Wednesday, relief workers had built 658,400 temporary houses and another 2,600 were being installed.
Between Monday noon and Thursday noon, 611 aftershocks at or below magnitude 3.9 were monitored in the quake zone, while no aftershock at or above 4.0 magnitude were reported, according to the China Earthquake Administration. A total of 25,270 aftershocks had been detected since May 12.
The statement said 392,056 tonnes of grain and 9,435 tonnes of edible oil have been allocated to the quake zones from central reserves as of Wednesday. It also said that 127,937 of the 138,960businesses damaged had reopened.
And 32,398 km of the 37,028 km ruptured telecommunication optical cable had been restored.
As of Thursday noon, 175,858 survivors had found jobs outside of the area, while another 671,774 were employed in their home towns.
Source: Xinhua
The number of people listed as missing and injured remained unchanged and stood at 17,923 and 374,643 respectively.
As of Thursday noon, a total of 1,486,405 survivors had been relocated.
Among the 96,544 who had been hospitalized for injuries, 92,686have been discharged, the statement said.
Government spending on relief and reconstruction had exceeded 66.92 billion yuan , including 59.74 billion yuan from the central budget and 7.17 billion yuan from the local budget.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, domestic and foreign donations had reached 59.28 billion yuan in cash and goods by Thursday noon. Of this, 24.15 billion yuan had been forwarded to quake-hit areas.
About 1.58 million tents, 4.87 million quilts, 14.1 million garments, 3.16 million tonnes of fuel and 6.76 million tonnes of coal had been sent to the quake-hit areas, it said.
As of Wednesday, relief workers had built 658,400 temporary houses and another 2,600 were being installed.
Between Monday noon and Thursday noon, 611 aftershocks at or below magnitude 3.9 were monitored in the quake zone, while no aftershock at or above 4.0 magnitude were reported, according to the China Earthquake Administration. A total of 25,270 aftershocks had been detected since May 12.
The statement said 392,056 tonnes of grain and 9,435 tonnes of edible oil have been allocated to the quake zones from central reserves as of Wednesday. It also said that 127,937 of the 138,960businesses damaged had reopened.
And 32,398 km of the 37,028 km ruptured telecommunication optical cable had been restored.
As of Thursday noon, 175,858 survivors had found jobs outside of the area, while another 671,774 were employed in their home towns.
Source: Xinhua
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