Italy: Racism row erupts at Milan school

A racism row has erupted at a high school located in the outskirts of the northern Italian city of Milan. According to the Italian daily La Repubblica, several 13 year-old students refused to sit next to Chinese students because they said they “stink”.

Faculty members at the Trilussa school, in the area of Quarto Oggiaro, have made a decision and ordered students to change their seats every 15 days to overcome the racist attitude.

“To see the classroom divided into ‘neighbourhoods’ was painful. Now the students will have a chance to get to know each other,” said Italian teacher Adele Moroni, who teaches a class that includes nine foreign students, out of a total of 22.

According to the newspaper report, the Italian students reportedly complained that the Chinese “do not pay their taxes”, “they steal our jobs” and are “different than us”.

The school has informed the parents of 13 children about episodes of “intolerance against non-Italians”.

According to Moroni, the school is implementing a new strategy of integration and although they are only “at the beginning” they have already heard “moving” testimony from other students.

Moroni said that integration had been difficult for five Chinese students who arrived at the school this year.

“It is absurd that children are racist in 2009. We will go forward with the seat changes until we have overcome the challenge,” said Moroni.

bron: www.adnkronos.com

Gunmen rob Chinese restaurant in Portsmouth

Two black men with guns robbed a Chinese restaurant in Portsmouth.

They got cash from Hay Hing Chinese Restaurant on Deep Creek Blvd. on the evening of November 28.

Police say one suspect acted as a lookout as the other robbed the employees.

Authorities released surveillance camera images of the suspects, both of whom wore black clothing.

If you know anything about this robbery that can help police, call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

bron: www.wvec.com [1-12-2009]

Fil-Chinese family robbed, shot in Paranaque

Three members of a Chinese-Filipino family, including an elderly woman, aboard a van were shot and injured by motorcycle-riding men who robbed them Sunday morning at a stoplight of an intersection along the Roxas Boulevard Service Road in Paranaque City.

The driver and head of the family, Ruben Chua, 44, of 12th Street, New Manila, Quezon City, although wounded in the back, managed to drive from Parañaque City to Manila, to bring his wounded 41-year-old wife Joslyn, and mother-in-law Clarita Jo, 69, to a hospital. Only 13-year-old Denzel Chua escaped from the shooting unscathed.

Manila Police District (MPD) Ermita Station 5 operatives immediately responded to the scene when Chua’s red Toyota Lite-Ace GXL van (UFK-695) crashed into a tree near the Manila Diamond Hotel at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Dr. J. Quintos Street in Malate.

In his report, SPO1 Reynaldo Ferrer of the MPD station 5 said that the Chuas were attacked at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, several minutes after the Chua couple fetched their 13-year-old son and his 69-year-old grandmother from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Ferrer said that when the Toyota Lite-Ace stopped for a red light at an intersection along the Roxas Boulevard Service Road, two motorcycle-riding men armed with 9mm pistols approached the van on the two sides and ordered the passengers to open the doors.

When Chua refused to give in to the demand, the man near him started to fire shots at him and the van’s occupants. Chua was hit in the back when he protected his son with his body. His wife sustained a bullet wound in the right foot, while Jo was shot in the left foot. The teenager, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was spared from the hail of bullets let loose by the suspects.

The robbers then forced open the van, divested the injured passengers of their belongings, and fled with the loot aboard their motorcycle.

Although injured, Chua drove the van to the Manila Doctors’ Hospital through Roxas Boulevard. But upon reaching the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quintos Street, Chua fainted from loss of blood causing the van to swerve and crash into a tree.

Manila Diamond Hotel security guard Randy Gallardo saw the crash and immediately sought police assistance after which he and taxi driver Edgar Urata brought the victims to the Ospital ng Maynila.

The case investigator said that the wounded women were treated at the hospital while Chua was later transferred to the Metropolitan Hospital for surgery.

Ferrer revealed that taken from Chua was an undetermined amount of cash. His wife lost a Nine West bag containing US$700; P8,000, two passports, a mobile phone, and credit cards. The robbers also stole a Nine West bag from Jo, containing P10,000 in cash, a mobile phone and several credit cards.

The case was turned over to the Parañaque City police for investigation and the conduct of follow-up operations against the robbers.

bron: newsinfo.inquirer.net [1-11-2009]

Fil-Chinese family robbed, shot in Paranaque

Deliveryman robbed of $400 in Elyria, America

A deliveryman was robbed of $400 at gunpoint Thursday evening while delivering food to the Midview Crossing apartments in the 1800 block of Middle Ave.

China Wok took a food order around 6:15 p.m. for an apartment in M building, but when the 38-year-old deliveryman arrived, he was confronted by three men wearing black coats and stocking caps, police said.

Deliveryman Ai Qiu Lin told police one of the males pointed a black handgun at him and demanded his money. Lin gave the robbers $400 and ran from the area.

The deliveryman told security at the front gate what had happened. The guard at the complex told police he spotted a 17-year-old girl, often mistaken for a male because of her short hair, wearing a black coat and black stocking cap just after the incident near M building.

The security guard told police the girl and an unknown male jumped the fence and ran away when they spotted him.

bron: chronicle.northcoastnow.com [14-11-2009]

Undie-grads top marks

These undie-graduates are earning top marks with fans after stripping off for a sizzling calendar to boost their protest against university fees.

The students – from lecture rooms all over Germany – stepped up their campaign after a series of sit-ins across the country.

Now the 10 GBP a time calendars are being snapped up at website www.un.geniert.de.

Art student Anke Mauth, 25, from Soest said: “It was a lot of fun doing the shoot and it was all very relaxed. I’m really pleased with how the photos turned out.

“However I won’t be telling my parents. I was raised very conservatively and I’m really hoping they won’t see it.”

bron: www.austriantimes.at [24-11-2009]

Chinese company robbed in South Africa

Armed robbers assaulted a Chinese company here Thursday, fleeing with cash and laptops worth 50,000 U.S. dollars, Chinese consulate officials said Friday.

round 9:30 p.m. local time (1930GMT) Thursday, five armed men broke into the company’s house in northern Johannesburg, said Zuo Baoliang, consul from Chinese Consulate General in Johannesburg.

The company, Kunsan Tongyou Electric Lift Company, started doing lift installation business in South Africa this March. It has about 36 Chinese staffs.

The 28 Chinese staffs in the house were threatened by guns and tied up during the robbery.

Local police is investigating the case. However, no arrests have been made yet.

Lou Xiandi, police attache of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, urged all Chinese in South Africa to be vigilant and take adequate measures to protect themselves and their properties.

bron: www.chinadaily.com.cn [29-8-2009]

Police are searching for a woman who robbed a Chinese restaurant

Police are investigating a reported robbery at the New China Restaurant on Route 211 in the Town of Wallkill (Orange County, New York, America)
About 9 p.m. Monday, a woman reportedly walked into the New China Restaurant at 254 Route 211 East, armed with a black semiautomatic handgun.
Officials said the woman grabbed cash from the register and fled on foot. Police were searching the area Monday night.

bron: www.recordonline.com [10-11-2009]

Chinese tourists robbed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Around 25 Chinese tourists have been robbed in Amsterdam over the past few months, a number that is increasing very fast, Dutch media report. Many of the tourists take cash in stead of credit cards often to buy diamonds and criminals have discovered those easy targets.

China’s ambassador to the Netherlands Zhang Jun has asked the local authorities to look into the matter and – following a Dutch tradition – a steering group has started to look into the problem.

The larger number of tourist tour Europe on a fast track, doing many countries in a short time, and are mostly in Amsterdam for less than one day, visiting the diamond center Gazan and having dinner at a famous Chinese restaurant at the Jodenbreestraat.

While the trips are often low-budget tours in touring cars, many tourist use the opportunity to buy some high-value items. Not all robberies seem to have been reported, because most Chinese tourists speak only Chinese and the tour operators have no time for lengthy delays.

bron: www.chinaherald.net [31-01-2009]

In Philippines: 2 Chinese tourists robbed by ‘Ativan Gang’

Two Chinese tourists, who decided to stop over at Rizal Park before their flight back to Macau, were victimized Sunday afternoon by suspected members of the so-called Ativan Gang in Manila.

Chinese women Qijie Wen and Huang Qin, both 29, of Shanghai, China, lost P77,000—most of the amount charged to a credit card—and a notebook containing personal information, were reportedly stolen by a Chinese-looking couple whom they mistakenly trusted.

PO2 Reginald Delos Reyes of the Manila Police District General Assignment Section (MPD-GAS) said that the Chinese tourists arrived in the country on Sept. 27 from Macau and went to Busuanga Island in Palawan.

Delos Reyes revealed that the women, on Sunday, decided to drop by Rizal Park in Ermita, Manila to see the monument before they take the night flight back home.

The Chinese tourists met the couple at around 2:35 p.m. somewhere inside the park, where their acquaintances served as their guides and even brought them to a church.

The case investigator said that after a brief tour, the Chinese-looking couple invited the women to have snacks. It was after consuming the food and drinks that the tourists started to feel dizzy.

“All they (tourists) remembered was that the suspects flagged down a taxi and (sent them) on their way to the airport for their flight back to Macau, but they were late for the flight,” Delos Reyes pointed out.

It was when the dizziness subsided that Qijie received a text message from the China Merchant Bank informing her that she had accumulated a credit on her card of P76,000. She claimed she knew nothing about the expense and told the case investigator that the couple could have taken her credit card while she was dizzy.

The thieves took P1,000 cash and a notebook containing personal information from Huang.

MPD-GAS operatives are conducting follow-up operations for the arrest of the criminals and the possible recovery of the stolen items.

bron: newsinfo.inquirer.net [11-10-2009]

In America: 2 schools in Montgomery to offer Mandarin Chinese

Two magnet schools in Montgomery will share a three-year grant from the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Language Assistance Program to expand foreign language instruction at their schools, according to the school system.

The grants will fund a teacher position, textbooks, teaching resources and a summer immersion trip to Taiwan for 10 students, she said.

LAMP was able to partner with Alabama State University to write the grant, Principal Liz Norman in a statement.

“Last school year, we explored new courses we wanted to offer students and one of those courses was Chinese,” Norman said. “We also gave students choice forms to complete and there was a strong indication that many were interested in learning Mandarin Chinese.”

According to school officials, Baldwin students will also benefit from the grant since it serves as Loveless’ feeder school. Both schools will share the same teacher and instructional resources. Plans are under way to offer the course at both schools next semester, Davis said.

According to Vistawide.com, more than 1 billion people worldwide speak Mandarin Chinese, which is the most widely spoken form of Chinese, Davis said. It is the official language of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and is spoken by more people than Hindi, Spanish, English, Arabic and German combined, she added.

The grant will be a tremendous benefit to students, MPS Superintendent Barbara Thompson said in a statement. Thompson recently visited China as part of an economic development trip with the city of Montgomery.

“It’s imperative that we provide students opportunities that will prepare them to compete on a global stage,” Thompson said. “The educational and cultural benefits are important, but so are the applications for current and future international business. I am pleased that our schools are making an extra effort to offer students meaning learning experiences.”

bron: www.montgomeryadvertiser.com [21-11-2009]