Briefs | Guangdong to raise allowances for unsupported children

Guangdong Province will improve basic services and social protection for de facto unsupported children by raising their cost of living allowances. According to the provincial department of civil affairs, de facto unsupported children are those under 18 who have permanent residence in Guangdong, with both parents suffering from severe disability or illness, serving a prison sentence or compulsory drug withdrawal, or subjected to enforced restriction of personal freedom. Children with a single living parent who also belong to one of the above groups are also included within this category. Every such child is expected to receive 1,110 yuan (about $160) a month starting from Jan. 1, 2020, equal to the amount received by unsettled orphans, more than double the figure from 2016 when the allowance system was launched in Guangdong. The province, which currently has about 21,000 de facto unsupported children, called for more efforts on guardianship, medical treatment, education and care services for these children.

10 detained over possible links to Foshan forest fire

Ten people were detained for a forest fire which broke out early this month in Guangdong Province, local authorities said Saturday over the weekend. The fire started in a mountain area in Foshan City on December 5 and spread across 800 hectares due to strong winds. It was put out on December 9 with no causalities reported. The public security department of Gaoming District of Foshan City said in a statement that the fire was caused by a drilling project carried out by an engineering company. A total of 10 people involved in the incident have been detained. Further investigation is underway. More than 3,100 people, 133 firefighting trucks, three aircraft and six drones were dispatched to battle the fire. Over 1,300 locals were evacuated to safe areas.

Direct flights launched between Shenzhen, Fukuoka

A new air route will be launched between the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and Japan’s Fukuoka on April 11, 2020, according to sources with the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport Saturday. The route will be operated by Shenzhen Airlines with a Boeing 737 every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A single trip takes about three hours and 40 minutes. Sources with the Shenzhen Airlines said the new air route will not only provide convenience for tourists from the Pearl River Delta but also boost the exchange and cooperation between Shenzhen and Fukuoka in various fields. Over 8 million Chinese tourists visited Japan in 2018, up 13.9 percent year on year.