On June 10, China’s capital Beijing launched a new effort to “civilize” its residents by clamping down on queue-jumping and smoking ahead of the APEC summit later this year.
The campaign, labelled “Embracing APEC Wonderful Pekingese-Citizen Civilized Behavior Promotion,” also promises to crack down on jaywalking, drunk driving and drivers refusing to stop at crosswalks.
The Beijing municipal government said in a press release that it aims to encourage “civilized orderly and courteous transport, to improve people’s overall quality to display [their] wonderfulness.”
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
It follows a similar campaign ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which saw authorities target spitting, littering and disorderly lines for public transport.
The Beijing city government’s Civilization Office spokesman Han Longbin told reporters that the Olympic campaign had achieved results, but “people are still running red lights.”
“We still need to promote better queuing, and we will depend on promoting civilization and also legal measures,” he added, without giving details.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
Residents will be encouraged to tackle Beijing’s chronic smog by taking part in a “clean atmosphere blue day action,” which involves taking public transport and buying “green” products.
Other behaviors due for censure include “making a racket,” smoking in public places and eating while on public transport.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which includes China and the US, will see leaders from more than 20 countries and economies descend on Beijing in November.
(AFP)
在年底亞太經濟合作會議(APEC)舉行前,中國首都北京於六月十日推行一項致力於教導其居民提升「文明化」素養的新運動,以取締插隊與吸菸等行為。
這項被定調為「擁抱APEC美妙活動、提倡市民文明行為」的運動,同時還承諾將取締亂穿越馬路、酒醉駕車與駕駛在斑馬線前不停車禮讓行人等違規行為。
北京市政府在一份新聞稿中寫道,其目的是鼓勵「文明有序、交通禮讓與提高人民的整體素質,進而表現(他們的)美好」。
這個運動依循二00八年北京奧運會前推行的類似運動,當時鎖定隨地吐痰、亂丟垃圾,與不排隊搭乘大眾運輸工具等違規行為。
北京市政府文明辦公室發言人韓龍彬告訴記者說,奧運會時所推行的運動已獲成效,但是「民眾仍然闖紅燈」。
「我們將推進文明,依靠法律措施,以促進民眾更好的排隊習慣,」他補充道,但並未透露更多的細節。
政府將鼓勵民眾參與一個名為「藍天行動與清新空氣」的活動以解決北京霧霾問題,其中包括搭乘大眾運輸與購買「綠色」產品。
其他取締行為包括「限制製造噪音」、禁止在公共場所吸菸,與禁止在大眾運輸工具上飲食等。
來自包括中國與美國等二十國代表將於十一月齊聚北京,參加APEC論壇。
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
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It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110