The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Monday, February 02, 2015

Education (教育)

河南一高中要求学生集体跪拜孔子 每天读“圣贤书” (Henan high school requires students to kneel down to worship Confucius and read the “Saints’ classics” every day)
The Beijing News, January 30, 2015
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2015/01/30/352111.html

Environment (环境)

China says 90 percent of cities failed to meet air standards in 2014
中国环保:去年74个城空气质量平均达标241天,京津冀区域污染最严重
Reuters, February 1, 2015
EN: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/02/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN0L606R20150202
CH: http://cn.reuters.com/article/2015/02/02/idCNL4S0VC21Q20150202

Related:
环境保护部发布2014年重点区域和74个城市空气质量状况 (Ministry of Environmental Protection issues 2014 air quality study on special districts and 74 cities)
中华人民共和国环境保护部 (Ministry of Environment Protection of the People’s Republic of China), February 2, 2015
http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201502/t20150202_295333.htm

Hong Kong (香港)

Hong Kong democracy protesters march for "true universal suffrage"
Deutsche Welle, February 1, 2015
http://www.dw.de/showdown-looms-for-beijing-and-hong-kong/a-18228287

Hong Kong's protesters: We are still here
CNN, February 1, 2015
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/01/world/hong-kong-protest/

Related:
Photos from the February 1, 2015 March
Human Rights in China, February 2, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153160359936414.1073741864.94042326413&type=1

Labor (劳工)

Out brothers, out!
The Economist, January 31, 2015
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21641275-guangdong-province-pioneers-new-approach-keeping-workers-happy-out-brothers-out?fsrc=rss

China nears peak coal, But its rustbelt pays the price
Huffington Post, January 31, 2015
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/china-peak-coal-demand_n_6582336.html

Rural Issues (农村)

豫农民忆中南海座谈:总理称"你们是衣食父母" (Henan farmers remember statement made by PM at Zhongnanhai conference: you are our bread and butter)
Southcn.com, February 2, 2015
http://news.southcn.com/china/content/2015-02/02/content_117600263.htm

United Nations (联合国)

UN rejects China's move to black out NGO criticism
South China Morning Post, February 1, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1697488/un-rejects-chinas-move-black-out-ngo-criticism

Women (妇女)

Chinese woman sues government over forced abortion
因被强制堕胎 中国妇女控告政府
Voice of America, January 29, 2015
EN: http://www.voanews.com/content/chinese-woman-sues-government-over-forced-abortion/2618283.html
CH: http://www.voachinese.com/content/china-forced-abortions-20150129/2619839.html

XUAR (新疆维吾尔自治区)

Hundreds of Xinjiang officials probed over their loyalty
South China Morning Post, February 1, 2015
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1698877/hundreds-xinjiang-officials-probed-over-their-loyalty-not-corruption

Opinion and Editorial (观点和社论)

Why scrapping quotas in China’s criminal justice system won’t be easy
The Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2015
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/01/30/why-scrapping-quotas-in-chinas-criminal-justice-system-wont-be-easy/?mod=WSJBlog

This is getting serious: intellectual self-isolation in China
The Atlantic, January 30, 2015
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/01/this-is-getting-serious-intellectual-self-isolation-in-china/385053/

Yang Zili and the paranoid regime
The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2015
http://www.wsj.com/articles/xiao-shu-yang-zili-and-the-paranoid-regime-1422553650