Two heroin smugglers arrested in SW China

Police in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have arrested two suspects and seized 16.82 kg of heroin.

Police with the public security bureau of Longyang District of Baoshan City received reports on April 15 that two men had attempted to transport a batch of drugs to Kunming, capital of the province, according to the bureau on Saturday.

After investigation, police arrested the two suspects and seized the drugs in a car on a highway in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The suspects confessed that they had obtained the heroin from Myanmar and planned to transport it to Kunming.

The investigation is ongoing.



Officials in North China punished over sewage pits

Several officials in Dacheng County in North China’s Hebei Province were punished after media reports exposed the state of two sewage pits, local discipline inspection authorities said on Saturday.

Liu Guowang, director of the office of the county committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC), received an intra-Party warning, according to a statement by the Langfang Municipal commission for discipline inspection of the CPC.

From September 2013 to February 2017, Liu was the deputy head of the county in charge of the county’s environmental protection work. The county government failed to supervise or help Nanzhaofu Township deal with the sewage pits the statement said.

Liu Zenghuai, former secretary of the township committee of the CPC, who did not highlight the problem of the sewage pits and failed to deal with the pollution should be responsible for the problem, it said. Liu Zenghuai and Ma Donghao, head of Nanzhaofu Township, also received intra-Party warnings.

Deputy head of Dacheng County Xiao Jianjun, and director of the county’s environmental protection bureau Fan Junliang, and three other local officials receive a public notice of criticism since they have only been in their posts for a short time, according to the statement.

Pictures of the contaminated pools went viral on Tuesday after a report from an environmental organization exposed the pollution.

Two polluted pools — 170,000 square meters and 30,000 square meters — formed by years of digging and illegal dumping of waste acid in 2013, have contaminated water and soil in the area.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has sent investigation teams to look at the pits and ordered local authorities to intensify monitoring of water and soil in and around the pools.

Dacheng authorities have started to treat the pollution and has set aside 38 million yuan ($5.59 million) to treat the pits in 2017.



Xi inspects PLA Southern Theater Command, vows to build strong army

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), speaks at a meeting during an inspection of the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), April 21, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Friday and stressed building a strong army.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), urged all military personnel to resolutely safeguard the authority of CPC Central Committee and unswervingly follow the Party’s leadership.

He asked all military personnel to greet the 19th CPC National Congress scheduled for later this year with outstanding achievements.

Noting that 2017 is of great significance for the Party and the country, Xi urged the PLA to strengthen ideological building, combat preparation and reform implementation.

Xi urged PLA officers to eliminate the impact of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, two corrupt former CMC vice chairmen, and strictly observe political discipline and rules.

“It must be ensured that the PLA resolutely follows the command of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC at any time, in any circumstances,” Xi said.

A campaign, which focuses on the study of the Party Constitution and rules, as well as the speeches by Xi, and calls for being qualified Party members, is required to be further launched in the army.

He vowed to fight corruption and enhance the “sense of gain” among officers and soldiers.

Xi asked military personnel to strengthen their awareness in preparing for war, closely follow changes of situations and make unremitting efforts to enhance combat capabilities.

Xi required an accelerated building of the theater joint combat command system, vigorous development of a new-type fighting force and simultaneous improvement of national defense strength and economic development.

He asked for stronger military management, while caring for and loving officers and soldiers and ensuring the stability of troops.



The Tories’ promises to deal with energy bills should be taken with a huge pinch of salt

Andrew
Gwynne MP, Labour’s Campaigns and Elections Chair, in response to the Sunday Times
splash, said:

“The
Tories don’t stand for working people, their record is one of failure and
broken promises, letting ordinary people down at every turn.

"Under
the Tories working people have picked up the bill while those at the top have
has tax breaks. Wages have stagnated while in work support has been slashed.
And public services have suffered huge cuts, leaving our NHS in crisis with
longer waiting times, overcrowded ‎A&E departments and staffing
shortages.

"The Tories’ promises to deal with energy bills should be taken with a
huge pinch of salt. Time and again they’ve promised action but when it comes to
it they broke those promises. Under them energy bills have soared. At the last
election when Labour promised action the Tories opposed it, putting themselves
on the side of protecting the big energy companies’ profits rather the interest
of working people.

"Only
Labour can be trusted to deliver a country for the many rather than just the
few. All the Tories offer is broken promises and a record which has seen working
people worse off.”



Liberal Democrats rule out coalition with May’s Conservatives or Corbyn’s Labour

Tim Farron has ruled out doing any coalition deals with Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn after the election.

Every Liberal Democrat vote and every Liberal Democrat MP elected is a challenge to Theresa May’s Hard Brexit agenda. In the next parliament we will fight to stop a disastrous Hard Brexit, keep Britain in the Single Market and make sure people have their say on the final Brexit deal in a referendum with remain as an option.

We don’t rule out future coalitions – we believe in plural politics – but we won’t do one with May or Corbyn.

This election is your chance to change the direction of our country. If you want to stop a Hard Brexit, if you want to keep us in the Single Market, if you want a real opposition, this is your chance. But you can only do that by voting Liberal Democrat.

With a large number of pro-European Lib Dem MPs in the next parliament we can force the government to soften its approach to Brexit and give people the final say over what comes next.

What about the Tories?

Under no conditions can we sign up to Theresa May’s Hard Brexit agenda. She is going to be the Prime Minister – that’s not in doubt. Our job will be to hold her to account and fight for the things we believe in – above all else our membership of the single market and for the people to have the final say on the deal.

What about Labour?

Everybody knows Jeremy Corbyn won’t be the next Prime Minister. There is no prospect of a coalition that would put him in power. There are many issues that Labour and the Liberal Democrats agree on and many people on their side that we respect – but we won’t put Corbyn into power. He is pro-Brexit, has promised to pull us out of the single market and marched his MPs and Peers through the lobbies to vote for article 50 without any concessions from the Tories. On top of that, he would be a disaster for the country – he has no plan for the country, our economy and offers no leadership.

Are you ruling out a progressive alliance?

We want to work with like-minded, pro-European people of all parties and none to oppose Theresa May’s Hard Brexit agenda and fight for a Britain that is open, tolerant and united. But everyone knows Jeremy Corbyn won’t be the next Prime Minister and we wouldn’t want him to be. We will work with pro-European MPs in any party to stand up to the Conservatives over Hard Brexit, but Corbyn is not that – and there is no prospect of a coalition that would put him in power.

Would you join a coalition with the SNP?

We won’t be doing a deal with the SNP at Westminster because, whatever they might say, they are only interested in getting independence. They will not be interested in making a success of the UK.