rings blogs rings weblogs, rings blog, ring weblog

Two 46-year-old officials Monday became China’s youngest provincial-level Party chiefs as the country announced major leadership reshuffles ahead of the 18th Party Congress in 2012.

Former Hebei governor Hu Chunhua and ex-minister of agriculture Sun Zhengcai, both born in 1963, took the Party chief posts in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Jilin province respectively.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) also announced that Sun Chunlan, deputy chairwoman and Party secretary of All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), replaced Lu Zhangong, 57, as secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.

Lu, who was Fujian’s Party chief for nearly six years, was named Party chief in Henan, the most populous province.

Former Jilin provincial Party chief Wang Min, 59, was appointed to the same post in Liaoning province.

Three of the five officials who were succeeded by the younger leaders - namely, Zhang Wenyue, Chu Bo and Xu Guangchun - were 65 this year, the standard age at which minister-level cadres must retire.

Appointments have not yet been made to the posts left vacant by the Suns - ACFTU deputy chairperson and minister of agriculture.

Hu Chunhua was governor of Hebei for a year. He had previously studied at Peking University, worked in Tibet and served as the First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

Sun Zhengcai had worked in the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and was head of the capital’s Shunyi district. He holds a doctorate degree in agriculture and was minister of agriculture for three years.

“Hu and Sun’s appointments as provincial Party secretaries are important steps toward selections of Party officials at younger ages,” said Wang Yukai, a professor with the National School of Administration. “It was rare in the past for such younger officials to be named provincial-level Party chiefs.”

Vice-President Xi Jinping said the training and selection of young cadres was “of great importance for the lasting stability of the Party and the state”.

Wang said all five newly appointed Party chiefs will be younger than 65 when the CPC holds its 18th plenary congress in 2012.

“They will have more promotion chances.”

Wang also noted that Hu has governing experience in regions populated by ethnic minorities.

As to Sun, he has experience related to agriculture, and Jilin is a big agricultural province.

In a related development, the Central Committee of the CPC yesterday removed Wang Hongju from his post as mayor of Chongqing, China’s largest municipality.

The widely influential 64-year-old had been mayor for six years.

Huang Qifan, a vice mayor for eight years, has been nominated as a candidate for Chongqing mayor.

Huang, 57, had three decades of studying and working in Shanghai.

A senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has urged officials and governments at all levels to serve the people by addressing their concerns.

He Guoqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during his visit in Chibi City of central China’s Hubei Province on Saturday.

He said officials and governments must solve well the problems that concern people’s immediate interests to ensure social harmony and stability.

When visiting a local village and urban community of the city, He urged local officials to help residents increase their incomes and answer the needs required by the people.

He asked the officials to improve their ability of resolving practical problems to bring about more tangible benefits to local people.

He, also secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, also called on local Party organs to improve their organizational construction, promote intra-party democracy and strengthen the struggle against corruption.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Guo Boxiong here on Thursday to discuss prospects for bilateral military cooperation.

Guo, during the meeting at the presidential residence, conveyed Chinese President Hu Jintao’s regards to Medvedev.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic ties, and the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation has developed in an all-around way, Guo said.

The Chinese and Russian heads of state met several times this year and reached broad consensus on efforts to deepen such a partnership, he added.

Currently, political mutual trust has been further enhanced and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, said Guo.

The two countries support each other on major issues concerning sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintain sound communication and coordination in dealing with international affairs, and make contributions to regional and world peace and stability, Guo said.

Thanks to the promotion of both leaders, the relationship between the two armed forces — as an integral part of bilateral strategic partnership of cooperation — has been continuously boosted and enriched in recent years, he noted.

Guo expressed China’s willingness to advance comprehensive and multi-level exchanges and cooperation with Russia in a bid to push forward the China-Russia strategic partnership of cooperation and ensure global peace and joint development.

Medvedve, for his part, welcomed Guo’s visit and sent greetings to his Chinese counterpart Hu.

The friendly ties between Russia and China have kept its momentum of continued development, he said, noting that both sides have maintained frequent high-level exchanges and cooperation in various areas has been strengthened.

Both countries cooperate with each other closely on international affairs and make due contribution toward international and regional security, said Medvedev.

Russia considers military cooperation with China as an important part of bilateral ties, and is willing to work with China to deepen the Russia-China strategic partnership of cooperation, he said.

Guo is leading a Chinese government delegation on a five-day visit to Russia, which started on Monday.

The first full-scale inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war opened with testimony suggesting Washington was gearing up for possible conflict two years before Tony Blair led London to war.

More than six years after the US-led invasion, inquiry chairman John Chilcot said no one was “on trial” in the year-long probe but promised not to shy away from criticism as he seeks to learn lessons from the conflict.

The highlight of the public inquiry will be an appearance by then prime minister Blair, who is due to give evidence in January.

The first day of hearings was dominated by testimony from top civil servants who told how some in the US administration were already considering toppling Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime two years before the 2003 invasion.

However, they said Britain distanced itself from these “voices” and said they remained sidelined even within the United States until after the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.

“No one is on trial here. We cannot determine guilt or innocence. Only a court can do that,” Chilcot said in his opening remarks.Chilcot profile

“But I make a commitment here that once we get to our final report, we will not shy away from making criticisms, either of institutions or processes or individuals, where they are truly warranted.”

The United States said it was willing to cooperate with the inquiry.

“Of course, we would be happy to cooperate, insofar as that can be helpful, if they need information, and if it’s in our power to provide that kind of information,” a State Department spokesman told reporters in Washington.

Chilcot’s five-member inquiry committee has already met with families of the 179 British troops who died in Iraq, some of whom attended Tuesday’s session.

“I just want the truth,” Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon died in Iraq in 2004, told AFP afterwards, adding: “I’ve never had any answers. I’ve never been told anything. Why we went in, whether it was legal.”

A small group of protesters gathered outside the inquiry venue in central London, wearing masks of Blair, former US president George W. Bush and current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and with fake blood on their hands.

Anti-war campaigners want a ruling on the legality of the conflict, which took place without explicit approval from the UN Security Council.

Inside, there seemed to be little public interest. In contrast to the one million people who marched against the invasion on one day in 2003 — only about half of the seats in the public gallery were filled.

Some British newspapers described Wednesday the inquiry’s first day as lackluster, but The Times warned against dismissing the committee, saying its task was both important and difficult.

The inquiry heard senior civil servants outline how Iraq was considered a threat in 2001 because of a “clear impression” that it intended to “acquire WMD (weapons of mass destruction) capability.”Timeline: Britain’s role in Iraq

Iraq’s suspected possession of such weapons was the main justification for the invasion in March 2003, but they were never found.

The officials described “voices” in Washington talking about deposing Saddam as early as 2001, but insisted US and British policy was focused on containing the Iraqi leader’s ambitions through sanctions and a no-fly zone.

William Patey, head of the Middle East department at the Foreign Office in 2001, said he ordered a memo in late 2001 detailing “all the options” for Iraq. It included regime change, but he said this was quickly dismissed.

He added: “We were aware of these drum beats from Washington and internally we discussed it. Our policy was to stay away from that end of the spectrum.”

Thinking in Washington shifted after the September 11 attacks, said Simon Webb, then policy director at the Ministry of Defence, “to say that we cannot afford to wait for these threats to materialise.”

The inquiry, the third official probe into the war, is looking at all elements of British involvement in Iraq between 2001 and 2009 when nearly all its troops withdrew.

Iran on Sunday began large-scale air defense war games aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack, state TV reported, as an air force commander boasted the country could deter any military strike by Israel.

It said the five-day drill will cover an area a third of the size of Iran and spread across the central, western and southern parts of the country.

Gen. Ahmad Mighani, head of an air force unit in charge of responding to threats to Iran’s air space, said Saturday the war games would cover regions where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located.

The drill involves Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with the Guard as well as army units.

The United States and its European allies accuse Iran of embarking on a nuclear weapons program. Iran denies the charge and insists the program is only for peaceful purposes.

Israel has not ruled out military action to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The commander of the Guard’s air force, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, meanwhile sought on Sunday to play down the significance of Israel’s threats against his country, saying they amounted to psychological warfare.

“We are sure they are not able to do anything against us since they cannot predict our reaction,” Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the Guard’s official Web site, Sephahnews.

“If their fighter planes could escape from Iran’s air defense system, their bases will be hit by our devastating surface-to-surface missiles before they land,” he said.

Also on Sunday, Iran’s defense minister, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, said Iran planned to pursue designing and producing its own air defense missiles, according to the official IRNA news agency.

His comments were apparently in response to the delay in the delivery from Russia of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, meant to be a key component of Iran’s air defense.

Iran complains that the delay is apparently the result of Israeli and U.S. pressure.

Israel and the United States have opposed the missile deal out of fear Iran could use the system to significantly boost air defenses at its nuclear sites — including its main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.

Commenting on this week’s war games, a senior Obama administration official urged Iran to engage with the international community.

“We would prefer that the Iranian regime follow through on their offer to engage,” said Ellen Tauscher, the U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

“It is more important for them to build confidence with the international community,” she said at a news conference Sunday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia.

South African Cape Town is ready to host the draw for the 2010 soccer World Cup next month, the South African Press Associatin cited mayor Dan Plato as saying on Friday.

“The city will be pulling out all stops to demonstrate its professionalism, creativity and expertise through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said, adding the event was a “dream becoming a reality”.

The draw will be conducted on December 4 and will determine the fixing schedule for the 32 teams participating.

It will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and be broadcast to 200 countries. Plato said a series of celebratory events leading up to it had been planned.

On November 29, the traditional switching on of festival lights in Adderley Street in the city centre would take place. About 100,000 locals and visitors are expected to attend the carnival-themed event. The street would be turned into a pedestrian zone.

Two days later, Plato will hold a welcoming ceremony for FIFA delegates at the Noon Gun on Signal Hill.

A street party, themed “Cape Town Loves Football” will be held in Long Street in central Cape Town at the same time as the draw.

On December 5, about 500 international journalists get to continue the party, as a beach function is held in their honour at Maidens Cove.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) have planned a nationwide crackdown on bank card crimes in 2010, the central bank said Wednesday.

The crackdown would last for 10 months, starting from January 2010, the central bank said on its website.

In the first eight months of 2009, public security departments placed on file 6,362 bank card fraud cases, doubling that of the same period last year, involving 440 million yuan (64.4 million U.S. dollars), an annual rise of 138 percent, the PBOC said.

Bank card crimes were commonly committed by making overdrafts from credit cards under fake names, and steeling and selling credit card information, according to an official with the MPS.

The official also said the Internet had become a “hotbed” for credit card crimes.

With bank card crimes on a sharp rise, the central bank and the ministry established a special organization to investigate into and tackle bank card crimes in June.

The organization would step up efforts to start a mechanism on enhancing bank card risk management, set up an information-sharing forum of bank card cases, and raise card users’ awareness on protecting their card information, an official with the PBOC said.

Two billion bank cards had been issued in China by the end of this June, according to the central bank.

Students at the United Nations International School (UNIS) in central Manhattan, New York City (NYC), may have to face all daily battles that kids elsewhere do as they struggle to fit in with their classmates from all over the world.

But with 120 different cultural backgrounds converged at this building, dynamics is created among the 1,550 students here.

“The differences here are wide so somebody who is more different can feel more comfortable and then become part of UNIS,” High School Principal Dr. Radha Rajan told Xinhua.

Diversity of these students brings them together in their host city of New York — a limitless boundary of culture and experiences in itself where students gravitate toward each other because of their differences.

Founded in 1947 in Queens, New York, by a group of parents working for the United Nations and seeking education for their children, UNIS quickly grew to include families outside the UN community. By late 1950s, campuses in Queens and in Manhattan had been established.

Today, 55 percent of UNIS children have their parents working for the UN or UN-related missions; 25 percent are from international families, while the rest are families from the United States.

“I believe for an international student, coming to UNIS (it’s) easier than going to another national system,” said Rajan.

Executive Director Stewart Walker told Xinhua that a welcoming committee helps facilitate the adaption to school and to living inthe city.

He explained that the goal of UNIS is to make every student, including parents and the family, feel at ease even if their true home is overseas. “At every level, we’re trying to do that.”

Walker said there was an orientation program for every new student.” They’ve had the chance to become a part of the school before the rest of the students come in.”

One-on-one attention for new students is a major advantage of UNIS.

Coming from more than 60 countries, the multinational staff help those students who may feel lost or nervous adapt to their new environment.

A child may find it easier to relate to someone who shares his cultural background so that they can open up their shell and make their transition easier.

“There are usually teenager problems, but in addition, sometimes there are problems because they are coming to a new country,” Rajan said.

In addition, language barrier is also a challenge these new comers have to face.

The program of English as a second language (ESL) is offered to students who have limited proficiency of the language. First assessed by ESL teachers, then the student is placed in classes of beginning, middle, or advanced level, along with the option of a full mainstream program depending on grade level.

Skills such as writing and reading are emphasized to allow students to become active in class discussions.

“I had a student. When he came to UNIS, he hardly spoke English and had difficulty in learning the language. Later on, he reached out and helped other students saying ‘it was very difficult and teachers and some students helped me, so I want to do the same forthe others’,” Rajan said.

As their language fluency increases, Rajan sees them “become New York kids” fast because much of the learning comes from their peer interactions, she said.

There were also students who confused about who they were as they had been in many different countries, Rajan said. “It (getting to strengthen their identity) is a struggle. It is a challenge and I have seen students doing that and turning confident.”

“My belief is that unless you are comfortable with who you are and your own rules, you can not become international because if you don’t know who you are, how can you (have an) international outlook if you are confused,” Rajan said.

UNIS works to create an environment where students are “comfortable and happy in their own.” The curriculum itself, she said, encourages students to have shared cultural experiences and perspectives where it’s taught both formally in a classroom as well as informally from peers.

“It doesn’t matter what you look like, it doesn’t matter how you speak,” Rajan said. “We are all one.”

The prestigious World Cup trophy on a world tour has finally arrived in the East African country of Uganda on Saturday night.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni commanded the sport of football as he received the World Cup trophy at a welcoming ceremony at Entebbe statehouse, about 40km south of the capital city of Kampala.

“Football in particular is a very good mechanism of imparting certain qualities in society, fitness, coordination, competition but also gentleman behavior,” he said.

The President believes the cup epitomizes the efforts of sportspeople all over the world competing against each other in order to get this epitome of excellence in football.

“We are happy to receive this epitomization of football efforts in the whole world. This is very important. Our football fans, the youths will be very interested in associating themselves with this football movement in the world,” he added.

Uganda’s Education and Sports Minister Namirembe Bitamazire, who also attended the ceremony, is very excited with the arrival of the world’s most coveted sports icon and symbol of football supremacy. “I believe today is a great moment for our country. Ugandans are very great fans of football,” she said.

As FIFA regulation rules that it is only the Presidents and former winners allowed to hold the trophy, Museveni became the first ever Ugandan to touch and hold up the trophy.

Uganda is the sixth country in East and Central Africa and the 37th in the African continent to host the coveted trophy on the first round of its tour that will climax next month in Cape Town, South Africa, where the 2010 World Cup will be staged.

The Ugandan football fans will also have the chance to take souvenir photo, view a special 3-D movie showcasing memorable moments of the World Cup, participate in interactive displays and enjoy other entertainment at the Lugogo cricket oval in Kampala on Sunday.

Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau will pay a good-will visit to Sudan andSouth Africa in the second half of this month.

Zhou is invited by Sudan’s National Congress Party and African National Congress of South Africa (ANC), said Li Jun, spokesman for the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.