Jul222017

Chinese graduate volunteers go west

East Asia

A group of 82 recent graduates from universities in Beijing set off Friday to serve as volunteers in the country’s remote and underdeveloped western regions, according to the Central Committee of China Communist Youth League (CCYL).

They departed Beijing onboard a train heading for Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking the start of the “Go West” program for in 2017.

Nearly 80,000 college graduates from 1,876 universities applied for the program this year; 18,300 of them were selected to take part.

The “Go West” program, which was jointly launched by the CCYL, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2003, aims to send university graduates to perform volunteer work in education, health, agriculture and social management sectors in the country’s western regions for a period of one to three years.

Over the past 15 years, the program has sent more than 270,000 young people to over 2,100 county-level regions in central and western China.

Jul222017

Rescued rare dolphin released back to sea

East Asia

A rare rough-toothed dolphin, Jiangjiang, was released back to sea earlier this week, two months after it beached itself and was rescued in south China’s Guangdong Province.

The 2.2-meter male dolphin was found stranded on the coast of Heisha Bay in the city of Jiangmen on May 3. It was suffering breathing troubles, according to Yang Naicai, a vet who joined the rescue operation.

Rescuers checked the dolphin’s breathing, gave an injection of antibiotics, and provided food and medicine to help it regain its strength.

The animal was housed in a pool designated for dolphin rescue at the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve.

“We maintained round the clock monitoring, hoping for a miracle,” said Chen Hailiang, from the reserve.

The dolphin, which weighs around 100 kg, was released back to the sea on Thursday as its physical condition had returned to normal.

Although the rough-toothed dolphin, a national second class protected species, can be found in deep tropical, subtropical and temperate waters around the world, it is a rare visitor to Chinese coastal waters.

In 2014, a rough-toothed dolphin stranded in Guangdong died despite rescue efforts.

Jul222017

News story: Drones to be registered and users to sit safety tests under new government rules

HM Government

Drones will have to be registered and users will have to sit safety awareness tests under new rules to better regulate their growing use, the government announced today (22 July 2017).

Owners of drones weighing 250 grams and over will in future have to register details of their drones to improve accountability and encourage owners to act responsibly.

Users may be able to register online or through apps, under plans being explored by the government. The move follows safety research that concluded drones could damage the windscreens of helicopters.

In addition, a new drone safety awareness test means owners will have to prove that they understand UK safety, security and privacy regulations.

Drones represent an exciting opportunity for the UK, are already of substantial benefit to business and the public and are central to the government’s Industrial strategy.

They can help boost productivity and safety, aid the emergency services and bring pleasure to those who use them for fun. We want Britain to be the first choice for businesses, scientists, innovators and investors in technology.

The government also plans to bring forward and expand the use of ‘geo-fencing’ in the UK that acts like an invisible shield around buildings or sensitive areas. The technology, which works on GPS coordinates, is built into the drone and stops it from entering zones such as prison or airport space. [1]

In line with the government’s ‘Industrial strategy’, will continue working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to help commercial drone users grow their businesses by making sure measures are updated to reflect the needs of the emerging market worth over £102 billion globally.

Aviation Minister Lord Callanan said:

The UK is at the forefront of an exciting and fast growing drones market and it is important we make the most of this emerging global sector.

Our measures prioritise protecting the public while maximising the full potential of drones. Increasingly, drones are proving vital for inspecting transport infrastructure for repair or aiding police and fire services in search and rescue operations, even helping to save lives.

But like all technology, drones too can be misused. By registering drones, introducing safety awareness tests to educate users we can reduce the inadvertent breaching of airspace restrictions to protect the public.

These measures come after a consultation looking at ways to make drone use safer while maximising their potential.

Findings by the Department for Transport (DfT), British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) and the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) published today in a summary report, reveal drones weighing 400 grams could damage the windscreens of helicopters in particular. However, airliner windscreens were found to be much more resistant. It would take a heavier drone of around 2 kilograms to critically damage an airliner windscreen, and only if the airliner is flying at a high speed; not during take-off and landing.

The government is feeding the data into relevant security and safety bodies alongside manufacturers, to ensure they implement improvements to safety.

The government worked with the CAA to develop a new drone code launched last year which has 6 key principles:

  • always keep your drone in sight
  • stay below 400 feet (120 metres) to comply with the drone code
  • every time you fly your drone you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions
  • keep the right distance from people and property
  • you are responsible for each flight
  • stay well away from aircraft, airports and airfields

Jul222017

Two police missing while battling floods

East Asia

Two police officers have gone missing after being sent to evacuate villagers from a flood-hit region of northeast China’s Jilin Province on Friday.

The two, Cao Zhiyu and Wang Yansong, fell from their moving vehicle into floodwater at around 2:40 a.m. Friday, while driving over a bridge in Antu County, Yanbian Korean Prefecture.

The men were returning from evacuating villagers after torrential downpours since Thursday night caused two rivers to flood threatening the safety of nearby villages, said Ding Weicai, deputy chief of the local police bureau.

As of Saturday noon, their vehicle had been retrieved, but Cao and Wang had not been located, Ding said.

“The two officers, both born in the 1990s, had just graduated and started working. They were both diligent workers. We will find them no matter how much it costs,” he said.

Jul222017

China sees fewer workplace accidents in H1

East Asia

China’s workplace safety record improved in the first half of 2017, with the number of accidents and fatalities both dropping, latest data from the country’s work safety watchdog showed.

The number of workplace safety accidents fell 25.4 percent year on year in the first six months, while related fatalities went down 17.4 percent, according to Fu Jianhua, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety.

No “extremely severe accidents” occurred, which in China refers to those that cause more than 30 deaths, leave more than 100 severely injured or result in more than 100 million yuan (about 15 million U.S. dollars) in direct economic losses.

Despite regular calls by the government for more focus on work safety, frequent tragedies still occur. A lack of safety awareness, poor regulations and lax implementation of safety measures are among the factors leading to accidents.

Earlier this month, the Work Safety Committee of the State Council announced the start of a four-month nationwide inspection on workplace safety to close loopholes and prevent major accidents.

The inspection, running from July to October, covers all regions, all industries, and all types of enterprises, as well as crowded places across the country.