Briefs, November 19, 2012
The bodies of five children have been found in a dumpster in Bijie, a city in Guizhou province after they apparently climbed inside it to escape the night-time cold, a newspaper reported Sunday. A garbage collector discovered the bodies of the five boys, aged about 10 on Friday morning, according to a report in quoting city officials. Police believe they suffocated in the container where they started a fire with wood to keep themselves warm, Xinhua reported last night. Agence France-Presse
Heavy fog in Urumqi, capital of northwest Xinjiang on Sunday morning has left 20 flights delayed at its airport or diverted to other airports. By 2 pm yesterday, five inbound flights have been diverted to nearby alternate airports, and 15 outbound flights have been delayed as heavy fog disrupted air traffic of the Urumqi International Airport from 11:45 am. Foggy weather was also seen in other parts of the mainland yesterday morning, such as provinces of Jiangxi and Jilin, affecting road and air traffic there. Xinhua
A ethnic Tibetan mother-of-two has died after setting herself on fire, rights groups said, the latest in a wave of such protests against Chinese rule. Chagmo Kyi, who worked as a taxi driver and farmer, set herself on fire in Tongren county in northwest Qinghai province on Saturday, the US-based International Campaign for Tibet said in a release. The incident was also reported by London-based rights group Free Tibet, which identified the woman as Chakmokyi, a slightly different spelling. Both groups said monks and others gathered after the death at a cremation site amid what was described as a heavy security presence. If confirmed, the latest incident would bring the total number of people who have set themselves on fire in Tibetan areas to 13 since November 7 - the day before the start of the Communist Party's 18th party congress in Beijing. Agence France-Presse
Police in Tianjin confirmed that 20 rare birds were found dead and another 13 poisoned in wetlands tainted by a toxic pesticide. Police said the water was confirmed to have contained carbofuran, also known as Furadan, one of the most toxic carbamate pesticides, according to . The remains and poisoned birds were discovered after an amateur photographer found a dead stork on November 11. Other kinds of birds have also been found dead. The birds, oriental white storks, stopped at the city's Beidagang Wetland Nature Reserve along a migratory route. Xinhua
