Xinjiang visit

China said on Monday it welcomes the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Xinjiang but the tour should not be used as a form of political manipulation to pressure China.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks as reports quoted United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as saying the international agency was holding serious negotiations with China on gaining unfettered access to the Xinjiang region. “Xinjiang’s door is always wide open,” Zhao stressed at the regular press conference. He said China has sent the invitation to the U.N. high commissioner and the two sides have maintained communication.

Sturgeons released

Over 3,000 captive-bred sturgeons were released into the middle reaches of the Yangtze River on Sunday to revive the wild population of the endangered Chinese sturgeon and Dabry’s sturgeon.

The release of 2,020 Chinese sturgeons and 1,000 Dabry’s sturgeons took place in the city of Jingzhou, Central China’s Hubei Province. In recent years, China has stepped up efforts to rescue the Dabry’s sturgeon and other endangered endemic species in the river, such as Chinese sturgeon, said Wei Qi of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences that jointly launched the event.

Air quality

The second sandstorm in two weeks hit Beijing on Sunday, dyeing the skyline yellow and plunging air quality readings to severely polluted.

The Chinese capital experienced strong winds on Sunday morning and its visibility reduced to between 1 and 2 kilometers in most areas, according to Beijing’s meteorological service.

Mental damages

China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) on Thursday introduced a set of new rules for the awarding of damages for mental anguish in State compensation cases.

The new rules clarify the different types of mental injuries and what constitutes a “serious consequence,” which will lead to different levels of compensation. Mental injuries resulting in serious consequences shall result in damages totaling no more than 50 percent of the total personal injury damages, while those suffering from especially serious consequences may be awarded damages beyond the 50-percent threshold, said the SPC. The new rules do not change the scope of damages for mental anguish as prescribed in State compensation law.(SD-Agencies)