Tourists buy souvenirs in Liuxing block of Yining, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 8, 2025. Liuxing block in Yining is named for its hexagonal alleys where people of multiple ethnic groups live together. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)

China: Milk Tea Nourishes Grassroots Governance & Ethnic Unity in Xinjiang! (11.8.2026)

For some, the tea gathering may help boost their business. Local craftsman Abduxukur Abdukadir has a problem. His handmade leather boots are of fine quality, yet the steady stream of tourists during peak season has not translated into sales. At the gathering, the neighbours suggested he turn the boots into souvenir keychains, while Zulayat Nurat, a local gourd painting artist, offered to help.

Zulayat Nurat also put forward demands for wider promotion of her traditional gourd painting craft. The community responded swiftly, promoting her works on official platforms and offering a 30-square-metre studio free of rent. “The community truly values our efforts,” she said.

The milk tea gatherings started in 2023 and have been held monthly ever since, according to Nijat Parhat, Party chief of the community.

Amelia's mother, Kayley (r), says strict school policies resulted in her daughter becoming ill

UK: Parents & Pupils Took on “Cruel” & “Authoritarian” Devon & Cornwall “Athena Academy Schools” – & Won! (4.8.2026)

And Zara says her autistic daughter Hannah, who has hearing difficulties and attends Ilfracombe Academy, was repeatedly removed from class because her needs were not recognised.

“Behaviour is just put down to persistent defiance and bad behaviour, and they’re punished for it,” she says. “It’s never recognised as being linked to their disabilities.”

Athena told us that children with special educational needs are “not routinely sanctioned for behaviours associated with their needs”.

A lot of the anger we heard in Devon and Cornwall is, we were told, down to the lack of accountability.

Academy trusts do not have any supervision from local councils, meaning only central government can intervene.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the trust system is that it complicates the complaints process, says education journalist Laura McInerney, who co-founded Teacher Tapp, an app designed to track educators’ wellbeing, classroom practices, and opinions on education policy.

If parents are not satisfied with a specific school’s response, she says, they have to contact the trust, which could be miles way, and which “you may or may not hear from in anything other than a letter”.

The government says parents can take complaints about academy trusts to the Department for Education.

Across England, there is growing concern about punitive disciplinary practices in schools.

Civilised Islam - Free Food & Drink Given Daily in Dubai!

UK: NHS IT Worker Stole [& Sold] Government-Issued Laptops to Buy Food! (17.1.2026)

Instead of granting NHS staff more pay (fitting to their qualifications, profession, and workload – they work day and night 12-hour shifts contrary to Union legislation and trading law) – the Tories came-up with the demeaning idea that between shifts, Midwives and Nurses can present a special letter of dispensation to their nearest Food Bank and receive a Food Parcel to feed their families. This is part of the ongoing “de-skilling” and “false crisis” that has its root in a deliberate lack of government funding at source. We continue to pay for a fully-funded NHS through Income Tax (a tax that is currently at an all-time high) – but receive a sub-standard service which is getting worse everyday – in preparation for full-privatisation (our tax is being given to Zionist Israel, Neo-Nazi Ukraine, and privileged groups of incomers – with even North Americans now seeking asylum from Trump in the UK). Until 2010, people in the UK had never heard of Food Banks – but the Tories and LibDems abolished the old UK (1948) system of welfare – which granted a money income to retain dignity – and adopted the US system which is designed to demean as it assists (barely). I am not surprised this individual (below) stole UK government laptops to eat (I certainy do not judge him) – as these devices are military-grade, sold at cost price, and do not have the usual “redundancy” built-in that is common-place within the commercial market. Consumerism demands that longterm stability is abandoned for short-term market stimulation (i.e., things need to be replaced regularly – and this costs money). This prevents the working class from saving their income and using items designed to last decades – not weeks, months, or years (such as denim jeans and the like). Credit where credit is due – within Islam – free food and drink must be provided “free” to every citizen and it is not a crime to steal to eat.

Trump Drives Population into Poverty - Then Denies Federal Aswistance!

US: More Federal Employees Turn to Food Stamps as Government Shutdown Enters 6th Week! (8.11.2025)

Analysis by the U.S. think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that about 1.2 million households, or nearly 5 million people — roughly 1 in nine SNAP recipients — will receive zero benefits because their normal benefit amounts fall below the planned benefit reduction.

Apryl told Xinhua that, as a single mother, she is eligible for the SNAP, but she is concerned that her payments may not arrive on time as usual. “That would be more money that I have to put out into the grocery store, which is very expensive; that takes money from bills that I already have or something else I have to do for my kid,” she said.

“I think this current episode of punishing or abusing the poor … is yet another example of what has been a long-term truth about this country: how the poor have frequently been injured or deprived because of the contempt of those who are either wealthier and/or in power,” said Greg Cusack, a former member of the Iowa House of Representatives.

U.S. Library of Congress closes on Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo/China News Service)

US: Warning as Government Shutdown Deepens Impact on Travel & Livelihoods! (8.11.2025)

Baker noted that the U.S. has experienced shutdowns in the past decades, during which both parties had real differences but they also recognized the need for compromise. However, in this case, “that recognition does not seem to be there with the Trump administration and the Republicans.”

In his view, the Republicans “are mostly to blame in that they have not approached the deadlock in good faith”.

In order to streamline government and expand its own executive power, the U.S. administration wanted to use the “government shutdown” to advance large-scale layoffs of federal employees and closure of agencies related to the Democrats, according to U.S. media.

The Democrats also have their own calculations. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) noted the standoff has become a messaging battle, with each party betting the public will blame the other.

Life Expectancy Raises to 79!

China: Average Life Expectancy Rises to 79-Years! (12.9.2025)

It marked “a notable improvement” for a developing country, said Lei Haichao, head of the National Health Commission.
Lei, speaking on the country’s progress in the health sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), stated that infant and maternal mortality rates have continued to decline over the past five years, and the overall health level of residents has steadily improved.

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