Beijing authorities have banned people from burning the clothes of dead relatives — a traditional funerary rite — as an anti-pollution measure for an international summit, state-run media said yesterday.
The move comes days ahead of the opening of the APEC forum, at which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to host leaders from the US, Russia and Japan among others.
Authorities in the notoriously smog-ridden capital have imposed tight limits on car use, ordered factories to close and are giving public sector employees a six-day holiday, with some neighboring areas also following suit with restrictions.
A notice at Beijing’s sprawling Babaoshan cemetery says that “the incineration of the clothing of the deceased will be suspended” from Saturday last week to Nov. 15 due to APEC, according to the Beijing News.
“We kindly ask your understanding for any inconvenience this may cause,” the notice reads.
The burning of clothing to make it available to the deceased — along with paper representations of other goods — is part of the rituals of death in much of China.
It is not the first time that small-scale smoke sources have been targeted in the country’s battles against pollution, with street-side barbecue stands sometimes blamed.
China’s heavy air pollution is primarily caused by the enormous use of coal to generate electricity to power a booming economy, and by more vehicles on the roads.
Last month, the toxic smog made international headlines as thousands of runners battled a thick white haze at the Beijing Marathon, with some athletes donning masks as the pollution soared to 16 times the WHO’s recommended maximum.
Organizers had rejected calls to postpone the race, saying it would have been “very difficult” as a significant portion of the athletes came from places outside Beijing.
However, ahead of the APEC conference, authorities have sought to clear the skies, which have been blue in recent days.
Hebei Province, which borders Beijing, is to suspend production at more than 2,000 companies and halt work at nearly 2,500 construction sites, according to the state-run China Daily.
“Blue skies ready to greet APEC,” read a front-page headline in yesterday’s paper.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS