5,000-yr-old ruins found at SW China construction site

Archaeologists announced Wednesday neolithic ruins dating back 4,500 to 5,000 years had been found in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

The ruins was found on Ling Mountain in the ancient city of Langzhong last July, when villagers were building a reservoir, said Sun Zhibin, from the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.

A team led by Sun excavated the ruins from September 2016 to January 2017.

A total of 108 items were found at the ruins, including porcelain pots and plates, and stone tools, such as axes and spears.

“The discovery has provided new material for the research on cultural blending in the Sichuan Basin and its surrounding culture,” he said.

The discovery, the first ruins dating back to the late neolithic period near the middle reaches of Jialing River, has put back human activity at Langzhong from 3,000 years ago to 4,500 to 5,000 years ago, said Sun.



China seeks breakthroughs in combatting smog

China will increase research on smog in its battle against air pollution in Beijing and surrounding areas.

Government agencies, including environmental protection authority, academies and institutions will work together to integrate resources, according to reports of a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

Scientists working on anti-smog research may be given extra funding from the central budget.

The work will focus on causes of the heavy seasonal air pollution, emission control and health.

The government hopes to improve air quality and explore transferable pollution control systems for all parts if the country which suffer from smog.

China is addressing air pollution with stricter measures on emissions and an emphasis on clean energy. Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining said earlier this week that Chinese cities reported more “good air” days in 2016.



Local parties taking 'brave' decisions on electoral alliances, says Lucas

26 April 2017

Caroline Lucas has responded to a decision by local Liberal Democrats not to stand in Brighton Pavilion. 

She said: 

‘Tonight’s decision by local Lib Dems is welcome, particularly after Greens stood aside in Richmond. They recognise that I will be fighting this government’s extreme Brexit every step of the way and I thank them for their support.’

‘In Brighton something amazing is happening. People are putting aside party allegiances and working together so we have the best possible chance of delivering a fairer voting system and beating the Tories at the next election. Greens will be standing for election across this country and putting across our unique vision, but in a handful of places members of local parties are taking brave decisions for the common good. It’s now up to the Lib Dem and Labour leaderships to sit down for talks about how we can make this movement for electoral alliances work. Let’s not condemn this country to five more years of Tory rule.’

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Local TV no more?

This week’s launch of STV’s new television service STV2 is, I feel, a disappointing missed opportunity.

STV2 has been created by STV by weaving together several local TV franchises it successfully bid for covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr into one single output.    The idea behind the local franchises had been separate, local TV output at each one and that STV has undermined the spirit of the local TV franchise deals by creating just one TV service spread across all 5 areas.

Katie Martin of STV’s public relations and communications team advised me :

“STV2 will deliver a single schedule across Scotland that includes local material from all five local licence areas in line with individual licence commitments; all programming will air across the channel with no local opt-outs.  Content will come from all areas with production bases and staff in all five licence areas and will be clearly marked as such, covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr.” 

This is not the local TV output that STV originally promised.   Whilst some additional local output from Dundee on STV2 is a step forward, the station will be, as is usually the case with both STV and the BBC, dominated by Glasgow and Edinburgh.    STV has fallen well short of what it originally promised and I am doubtful that what it is proposing truly meets the local and regional commitments of the Ofcom franchises covering Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Ayr that it won.

STV has attempted to create a second STV national service by the back door.     I am sure that there will be some good content on STV2 and I wish STV well with its venture, but for the many people who thought that, in winning in separate local franchises, we would see truly local and regional services in different parts of Scotland, STV has fallen short.

Bobby Hain, director of channels at STV, had confirmed “STV2 is the new channel for Scotland.”   

A new national channel has been created at the expense of local television and it is surprising that Ofcom, the regulator, has allowed this to happen.


3 investigated for damaging valuable tourist site

Three tourists are being investigated for causing damage to a valuable tourist spot in eastern China’s Jiangxi Province, local authorities said.

The suspects from neighboring Zhejiang Province drill holes in a 128-meter-tall rock on Sanqingshan Mountain, a world natural heritage site, and used ropes to climb to the top of the rock on April 15, according to the site’s administration committee. They also refused to listen to staff guidance at the site.

The rock, known as the “Giant Python of the Mountain,” is of scientific and aesthetic significance after more than 300 million years of geological evolution, but has poor stability and is only 7 meters in diameter at the thinnest part.

Geological experts found that the rock had sustained damage from the tourists’ drilling.

Further investigation is underway.