[unable to retrieve full-text content]Lang Lang, a widely known Chinese concert pianist, has been appointed “image ambassador’ for the 16th World Leisure Conference, which will be held in Beijing’s Pinggu District in 2020. read more
Xiang Junbo, former chairman of China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), was expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office for corruption and violating the Party’s code of conduct. Xiang acted against the Party… read more
Three people were killed and 27 others injured when a bus mounted a pavement in Hong Kong on Friday evening.
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Photo taken on Sept. 22, 2017 shows the bus accident scene at a junction in the Sham Shui Po district in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 22, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The police said the accident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. local time at a junction in the Sham Shui Po district. When a taxi in front braked, the double-decker bus hit the rear of the taxi, then swerved left and mounted the pavement, smashing through railings and hitting a building’s canopy.
Pictures of the scene show that an overhanging advertisement on the building had partly pierced through the front window of the upper deck.
Choi Wai Fung, director of the Mong Kok Fire Station, said firefighters arrived at the scene minutes later and found four passengers trapped on the upper deck and four people rolled under the bus. It took around 30 minutes to rescue all the injured out.
Many ambulances were sent to the scene for rescue efforts. An official in charge of paramedic efforts for this accident said one person was declared dead at the scene, while another two succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
The injured were sent to four nearby hospitals, and eight of them were in critical conditions, according to the official.
The police has arrested the 44-year-old bus driver on suspicion of dangerous driving.
The bus company Citybus said the driver joined the company in May 2012 and he had started work at 5:25 p.m. It was his first shift of the day.
Citybus extended its condolences to the families of the dead, and said it would offer assistance to the families as well as those injured.
The crossroad was cordoned off. Traffic on nearby roads were temporarily suspended.
read moreChina has been making tremendous efforts in cracking down on international rhinoceros poaching and rhino horn smuggling, ahead of World Rhino Day Friday.
“Ivory and Rhino horn products dating from any historical period should be banned from public trade and auctions,” said Ma Weidu, a renowned antique collector in China, who endorsed WildAid’s latest promotional campaign on rhino protection.
“China’s top-down efforts to crack down on rhino horn poaching and smuggling are admirable and effective in dimming the illegal trade,” said Steve Blake, chief representative of WildAid, an international wildlife conservation agency, in Beijing.
Rhinos around the world are endangered. Rhino populations have plummeted 95 percent in the last 40 years. In addition to demand for rhino horn for use in medicine, there is also significant demand for collectibles carved from rhino horns.
In celebration of the seventh World Rhino Day, WildAid, National Geographic’s Traveler magazine and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) launched a promotional video featuring Ma Weidu.
“Collectibles rooted in killing are valueless,” Ma says in the video.
Since 2012, China has placed the building of a more ecologically focused society among its development priorities, with protection of fauna and flora a crucial element, according to Blake.
From 2013 to 2016, China organized and led worldwide cooperation against rhinoceros horn smuggling, alongside international law enforcement agency, wildlife charities and various authorities worldwide.
“With more stringent legislation and law enforcement, the world’s black market prices for rhinoceros horn are about one-third of what they once were,” Peter Knights, founder and CEO of WildAid, told Xinhua last month.
All sales in rhino horn have been illegal in China since 1993, and rhino horn has been removed from the Traditional Chinese Medicine handbook. Since 2011 all rhino horn items have been banned from auction house sales as well.
“China, from its authorities to the public, has been playing an important part in eradicating the brutal yet complex rhinoceros horn trade,” Blake said.
Ma also called on major international auction houses to put an end to all forms of rhino horn sales, including antiques.
“Despite the traditional appreciation of such crafts, rhino horn pieces are rarely sold at extremely high prices in China,” Ma said.
Ma pointed out that a number of international auction houses had scandalous sales records of rhino horn, which sent out the wrong message.
“If we must choose between protecting wildlife or cultural collectibles, wildlife is far more important,” he told Xinhua.
AWF Trustee Gordon Cheng welcomed the campaign and called for more global efforts to stop the trade in rhino horn.
“Today marks a new milestone for our Rhino Protection Initiative… We hope our program can help to convey the right messages for many existing collectors and users, and most importantly for the younger generation in Asia and around the world,” Cheng said.
On Friday, National Geographic’s Traveler magazine in Beijing launched its “Travel for Earth” program, focusing on ecotourism and experiences to see the surviving rhinos.
“Rhino-based tourism is hugely important for protecting rhinos,” said Yu Hui of Traveler magazine. “As one of the flagship wildlife species in Africa, tourism to view them generates revenue for both local communities and conservation efforts.”
Ma Weidu’s new rhino campaign will appear on television, online, at airports and outdoor media across China in October 2017.
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