A website was launched on Friday to commemorate late Premier Zhou Enlai, born in 1898, in the lead-up to the 120th anniversary of his birth. The website, zhouenlai.people.cn, featured a 366-day countdown to the anniversary, an introduction to his life… read more
Beijing’s Tongzhou district, the capital city’s subcenter under construction, plans to spend 16 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars) treating polluted waterways. The investment will cover landscaping, pipelines, treatment of polluted creeks and wet… read more
China raised the curtain on its annual political season on Friday, with top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng pledging conformity to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core. As chairman of the Chinese People’s Po… read more
Teresa Pearce MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, responding to the IFS analysis of the business rates revaluation on local authorities, said:
“This business rates revaluation has
exposed the fundamental flaws in this outdated system of taxation. Those flaws
will be further magnified once 100% business rate retention comes into effect.
“Our high streets are already struggling – and this revaluation will signal the
end for many small businesses, such as independent pubs at the heart of
community life.
“The current system means that councils won’t see a sharp increase in their
revenue – but once 100% retention kicks in, some councils may be rolling in
cash whilst others are left out in the cold.
“Businesses and councils need far more support and stability than the
Government is currently offering. The Government must re-evaluate the business
rates system and produce something which works for communities across our
regions and the businesses they rely on.”
3 March 2017 – Access to good and safe support is of great importance for people with disabilities, as it helps them become independent and gain human rights, a United Nations independent expert said today, urging Member States to take legal, policy and financial actions to ensure their adequate support.
“Guaranteeing their access to support is not only a human rights obligation, but also a prerequisite to ensure that no one is left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said today while presenting her report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.
However, she stressed, in practice, people with disabilities have limited or no access to the support they need.
“Many have been segregated and disempowered in traditional care services, explained Ms. Devandas, adding that “for them, the very notion of ‘care’ bears a heavy historical connotation associated with oppression and invalidation.”
Today, people with disabilities still risk having their decisions overridden by the “caregivers,” the human rights expert underscored.
“This must stop,” said Ms. Devandas, while emphasizing that “States must promote support services that allow for the independence, autonomy and direct participation of all and invest resources in this.”
Voicing concern that not enough is being done to make sure persons with disabilities are getting support, as well as the fact that the demand for support is rising, her report offers guidance to Member States on how to best provide human rights-based support services.
She urged government authorities to develop legislation, implement policies and allocate funds to make support services available, accessible, adequate and affordable.
“States should guarantee the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities in the provision of support,” Ms. Devandas concluded.
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