China Daily
There are 13 million blind people in China, but only 34 guide dogs. China Daily has a report today on how difficult it is for these guide dogs to do their job in China. The article mostly talks about a woman in Beijing named Chen Yan who has been barred six times from taking her dog on the subway near her house. She's also been shooed away from restaurants, airplanes, and restaurants, - even McDonalds. Apparently this is quite a common issue.
The problem is that guide dogs are so new in China that a lot of businesses and services just don't know how to deal with them.
China's Protection Law for Disabled Persons does say that dogs can work in public places – as long as they abide by local regulations. And that little "local" stipulation means that lots of places CAN refuse entry to guide dogs.
There are some places where they can't. Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Zhejiang province all have regulations that say guide dogs must be allowed into any workplace, museum, cinema, hospital or other public facility.
And as assistance dogs become more common and their use and training become more standardized, we'll probably see a change here.
BBC
This has been a year of protests the world over, and of course a lot of the attention has been put on the Middle East. But there have been demonstrations in Spain since mid-May, and today they've taken a turn for the worst.
The BBC is reporting that at least 20 people have been injured in clashes between protesters and riot police in Madrid, including seven police officers. The injuries have been reported as "slight" but four were taken to hospital for examination.
People across Spain have been protesting the government's handling of the economic crisis there. Spain has the highest rate of unemployment in the European Union, at 21 percent…and among people under 25 it's 44 percent.
Witnesses say police charged into crowds outside the interior ministry last night. Correspondents say it's the most serious incident since the protests started in May.
AFP
UNICEF has called on Australia today to ditch a plan to send unaccompanied minors to Malaysia, as part of a refugee swap. Australia has an agreement where it will send 800 boat people to Malaysia in return for 4000 registered refugees from Kuala Lampur over the next four years.
But the plan doesn't exempt children, including thirteen who are believe to be traveling without a parent or guardian. The report in the AFP says the United Nations children's agency has called the plan inhumane. They say the children shouldn't be sent to Malaysia, which isn't a signatory to the UN refugee convention.
UNICEF Australia chief executive Norman Gillespie says that deportation would be very traumatizing to children who have already been traumatized.
Australia is trying to slow the flow of refugees that have been streaming in from places like Afghanistan and Iran. The article seems to suggest that Australia is also trying to take away the incentive for people to put their kids on boats on a very dangerous journey over to Australia.
But UNICEF says there needs to be more assessment in Australia of children's vulnerabilities before a transfer is considered.
AP
Rowan Atkinson, better known as Mr. Bean, is in hospital right now after he crashed his supercar.
He's expected to be discharged soon after treatment for a shoulder injury, so Mr. Bean will be okay.
On Thursday night, Mr. Atkinson was driving his McLaren F1 supercar out in the country about 150 km from London. The McLaren F1 is one of the world's fastest road cars. It hit a tree, and then a lamppost, and then caught on fire. Luckily Mr. Atkinson wasn't trapped, and he was taken to hospital. |
