Photo taken on March 27, 2017 shows damaged houses at quake-hit Puping Village of Yangbi County in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. [Photo/Xinhua] A magnitude 5.1 earthquake that hit southwest China has affected the lives of 15,786 people, acco… read more
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People place flowers on a lawn for the deceased in Chaoyang District’s Changqing Cemetery. |
Beijing held a “natural burial” ceremony to inter ashes of 31 deceased persons on March 25, officially providing a free method of the burial for the first time.
The deceased would rest in the lawn of Chaoyang District’s Changqing Cemetery, with their ashes placed into a biodegradable container, which will dissolve in about six months. The ashes will become part of the soil. The public need not pay if choosing this method of interment.
The cemetery can house 15,000 caskets, equaling ten urns per square meter, which helps to restore hundreds and thousands of acres used for traditional cemeteries.
Relatives who choose the lawn burials can obtain bronze commemorative plaques engraved with the person’s name and a QR code.
Upon scanning the code, one can view online the person’s photos, videos, biography, family tree and leave condolences in a message section.
In 2016 Beijing organized 61 sea-burial funerals, which is also free, for the cremated remains of 2,456 deceased persons.
read more[unable to retrieve full-text content]Birmingham today hosts the joint Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum read more
The Prime Minister welcomed His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, to Downing Street this afternoon for a bilateral meeting.
Prime Minister May welcomed the close relationship between the two countries. And she reiterated the commitment she made at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in December to step up the UK’s relationship with the Gulf.
They discussed our growing trade and investment partnership, and agreed that the Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum taking place in London and Birmingham this week will provide opportunities to deepen these ties.
They also agreed on the importance of our security cooperation, and committed to strengthening our collaboration on cyber security and defence.
Finally, they discussed regional issues, and the importance of securing lasting political settlements in Syria and Yemen, while ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need.
They ended by looking forward to the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit to be hosted by the UK later this year.
read moreDefence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon’s speech from today’s conference on international security. read more