China punishes 15 officials in Xinjiang for practicing faith
Beijing: Grappling to put down militancy in Muslim-majority Xinjiang province, China has punished 15 local officials for violating disciplinary regulations, including “practicing religion”, barred by the ruling Communist Party.
The local government of Kashgar, a town bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where a biggest attack involving dozens of militants took place last month, punished 15 officials for violating disciplinary regulations, including “practicing religion,” state-run Global Times reported on Wednesday.
The punishment of the 15 officials was announced at a government meeting Tuesday.
More than 800 local officials and heads of primary and high schools attended it. Xinjiang, home of the native of about 11 million Muslim Uygurs of Turkik origin, was restive over Uygur protests against the Han settlements.
One of the 15 officials was dismissed from his position for violating a rule that officials should not have any religious beliefs, the daily quoted state-run Xinhua News Agency as saying.
It said the official had a bad attitude and caused a negative impact.
The discipline of the Communist Party of China (CPC) stipulates that all Party members should be atheists.
Some local government websites in Xinjiang have posted notices during the holy month of Ramadan in July, calling for all CPC and League members, civil servants and students not to take part in fasting and other religious activities.
Another one of the 15 officials was warned and removed from position for illegally appointing religious personnel, while another was expelled from the local public security division for being “politically incorrect” and spreading audio and video containing ethnic discrimination content via WeChat. ]
The official is also said to have spread harmful information and rumours damaging ethnic unity online, it said.
Another local official received a warning and was removed from his position for holding an “ambiguous” attitude and inefficiently implementing counter-terrorism campaigns. Xinhua did not specify what this anonymous official had done.
Other 11 officials received punishments of warnings or removals for discipline violations like holding illegal publications and wrongly implement government policies. (PTI)
Japanese 111-year-old becomes oldest man
Tokyo: A Japanese man born months before the Wright brothers carried out the first human flight was recognised on Wednesday as the world’s oldest male at the age of 111.
Sakari Momoi, a former high school principal who was born on February 5, 1903, received a certificate from Guinness World Records confirming the achievement.
Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and silver tie, Momoi told assembled media at the Tokyo care home where he lives that he did not plan on going anywhere just yet.
“I want to live for about two more years,” he said in soft voice. Momoi bagged the title after the death in June of American Alexander Imich, who was born a day earlier.
The recognition means Japan is now home to the world’s oldest man and woman, with 116-year-old Misao Okawa of Osaka taking the female honours.
Except for poor hearing, Momoi is in good health and enjoys reading books and watching sumo on television, according to local press.
He was born in Minamisoma, Fukushima, an area that was badly hit by the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that triggered the world worst nuclear crisis in a generation.
According to Guinness, he moved to Saitama, north of Tokyo, many years ago. Japan, known for the longevity of its people, was previously home to the oldest man ever to have lived — Jiroemon Kimura, who died in June 2013 at the age of 116.
Around a quarter of Japan’s population of 128 million is aged 65 or older. The figure, already one of the highest proportions in the world, is expected to rise to around 40 per cent over coming decades. (AFP)
WWII bomb found near Frankfurt airport
Berlin: Authorities have found an unexploded World War II bomb by a highway close to Frankfurt airport and an operation to defuse it may cause flight disruptions.
The 500-kilogram British bomb was found during construction work and police were working to defuse it Tuesday evening.
One runway at the airport Germany’s busiest was closed for landings because planes weren’t allowed to fly directly over the site, news agency dpa reported.
Landings were expected to be suspended altogether for at least a short time, it said, citing air traffic control.
A stretch of the A3 highway near Offenbach, outside Frankfurt, was also closed.
Allied airplanes dropped millions of tons of ordnance on Germany during World War II. Unexploded bombs are still found frequently. (AP)
World’s first ‘green’ Hindu temple opened in UK
London: A Hindu temple, claimed to be the world’s first ‘eco-temple’ featuring solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system, has been opened in northwest London in the UK.
The ornate 20 million pounds Shree Swaminarayan Mandir temple in Kingsbury combines traditional Indian architecture and carvings with “green” technology.
It also features solar panels on the roof and a rainwater harvesting system.
The temple blends traditional Indian architecture, intricate carvings and masterful artistry with green technologies to create what is believed to be the world’s first ‘Eco-Temple’ by design.
The temple opened on Tuesday and a six-day festival would be followed to showcase evening shows of dance and music and street parades.
The opening ceremony was presided over by the temple’s global spiritual leader, Acharya Swamishree Maharaj. Earlier, over 150 India-Scottish pipers from around the world led a peace parade onto Parliament on Sunday.
The parade or Nagar Yatra through Westminster was a display of multinational and multicultural cohesion. Participants from India, the UK, USA, East Africa, across Europe and Australia created a spectacular medley of dance, music, colour, pageantry and artistry.
The parade started near Piccadilly and culminated in Parliament Square.
“Today(Wednesday), we bring another unique spectacle to the heart of this iconic city. The Trafalgar Square has seen countless demonstrations but will never have seen this kind of celebration of peace, harmony and brotherhood,” said Maharaj.
“This place is not only one of London’s main tourist attractions, it is surrounded on all sides by values that we, as British Indians, hold so dear, and are promoted by Acharya Swamishree Maharaj,” said Mahesh Varsani, the temple trustee.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the new temple and facilities as ‘stunning and impressive’ during his recent visit there. (PTI)