Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, commenting on
reports that the Treasury has taken back £384 million originally promised for
schools in England, said:

“It is astonishing that the Treasury is now clawing money
back from the Education budget at the same time as schools spending is being
drastically cut.

“There is no better investment a government can make than
in education and it is deeply depressing that the Tories have chosen to
take money away from schools like this.

“Theresa May needs to answer some serious questions on what this
money is now going to be used for if not to help ease the pressure on
struggling schools.”

John
McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the Public Affairs Committee (PAC)
report on HMRC’s tax collection efforts from high net worth individuals, which
shows that the very wealthy are receiving preferential treatment, said:

“This latest report from the PAC shows how the Tories have run a rigged economy
where the super-rich pay less and less in tax while earnings for average
working households are still below their level of a decade ago. It’s a national
disgrace that the amount lost in tax from a super-rich elite under the Tories
would be enough to help end the crisis in social care.

"Labour will call time on the super-rich tax-dodgers and give HMRC the
legal and staff resources it needs to close the tax avoidance loopholes and
scams. We’ll stop the Tories using the excuse of Brexit to turn Britain into a
tax haven off the coast of Europe, and build an economy that leaves no-one and
no community behind.”

Chinese police are on alert for firework crimes and violations.

A statement by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday said that the ministry has ordered police nationwide to intensify checks of illegal production, sales, transport and storage of fireworks and firecrackers.

Chinese people traditionally set off fireworks and firecrackers during the Spring Festival, China’s lunar New Year.

The ministry statement said that police nationwide have dealt with 203 pyrotechnic cases since December and a total of 419 suspects have been taken into custody.

The statement also advised the public to reduce the use of fireworks for safety and environmental reasons.

Passengers get off a charter flight at Yongxing Airport in Sansha city of south China’s Hainan province on Thursday, January 26, 2017. [Photo: hinews.cn]

A charter flight linking China’s southernmost cities of Haikou and Sansha is taking Chinese home to their loved ones in Sansha for the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year.

“Eventually I can see my daughter during Spring Festival,” said Li Chang’an who arrived at Yongxing Airport, Sansha, Thursday morning, together with 112 other passengers.

He came to Haikou from his home in central China’s Henan Province to catch the flight to Sansha. His daughter is a civil servant at Sansha’s industry and commerce bureau.

The charter flights started five weeks ago from Haikou, capital of Hainan, to Yongxing Island, one of the Xisha Islands and the administrative base.

Li could have joined his daughter last Spring Festival by sea but never made it, fearful of a voyage of more than 10 hours.

An air ticket to Sansha might be the best gift that Jin Honglian has ever received. Wife of a soldier stationed in Sansha, Jin previously had to lay in bed for more than 10 hours because of seasickness when she visited her husband. With the charter flight, her trip is much shorter and more comfortable.

“I’m planning to spend more time here with my husband,” said Jin, who also enjoyed a discount for military families.

Sansha City was officially established in 2012 to administer the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha Islands, and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

The daily charter flight has carried more than 3,300 passengers since Dec. 22.