Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 5 March 2020
China's schools, forced online by virus, run into censors

By YANAN WANG tics classes are among the
Associated Press most vulnerable; subjects
BEIJING (AP) — Less than such as the Cultural Revo-
30 minutes into a lecture lution and the Great Leap
on bioinformatics, Chu Xin- Forward are regularly cen-
jian's class was abruptly cut sored in classes and online
short. discussions.
It was the first day of an un- Daily life in the world's most
usual semester. Across Chi- populous nation has under-
na, schools are shut indefi- gone a radical transforma-
nitely in a bid to contain tion in the past six weeks.
a new virus that has killed Once-bustling streets are
some 3,000 people. Chu's empty, fast-food restau-
class was one of tens of rants offer only takeout ser-
thousands of courses, from vice and group activities
grade school to university, have been replaced with
that have been forced on- remote everything — re-
line. mote work, remote fitness
Chu's professor was pains- class, remote schooling.
takingly sending voice re- "Classes have stopped
cordings to the class group but learning will not," the
chat when, without warn- Education Ministry said in
ing, the system disbanded a February notice. It has
the group for violating established 24,000 free
China's Internet regula- online courses on 22 web
tions — a pervasive, almost This Feb 27, 2020, photo released by Louis Wang, shows his work desk with laptop and textbooks platforms, covering both
mundane part of life under at home in northeast China. undergraduate and voca-
Communist Party rule. Associated Press tional disciplines.
The students were puzzled. Yet many lesson plans have
Was it because of some- guess we touched on some scrubbed for offensive con- the controls into stark relief. been stymied by the coun-
thing about the subject sensitive topic." tent by the state Cyber- Classrooms are confronting try's strict online regulators.
matter? Bioinformatics is Major social media plat- space Administration and the ubiquity and often ar- Louis Wang, a middle
the science of collecting forms including Facebook, police. bitrary nature of the ruling school history teacher in
and analyzing complex YouTube and Twitter are Now, the sudden arrival Communist Party's online northeast China, said his
biological data. "I'm not blocked in China, while of public education onto censorship. workload has ballooned
sure exactly what phrases homegrown ones such as platforms that are gener- Biology courses have been because of an arduous ap-
triggered it," said Chu, who Weibo and WeChat are ally the domain of celebrity blocked for "pornographic proval process for online
recounted the incident. "I heavily monitored and livestreamers has thrown content." History and poli- classes.q

Japan opens part of last town off-limits since nuclear leaks

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ever, is only being allowed about 10% say they plan to
Associated Press in a 2.4-square kilometer return.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's (less than 1 square-mile) Futaba's registered resi-
government on Wednes- area near the main Futa- dents already have de-
day opened part of the last ba train station, which will creased by 1,000 from its
town that had been off- reopen later this month to pre-disaster population of
limits due to radiation since connect the town with the 7,000. Many evacuees end-
the Fukushima nuclear di- rest of the region for the first ed up in Kazo City, north of
saster nine years ago, in a time since the accident. Tokyo, after long bus trips,
symbolic move showing the Access to the vast majority various stopovers and stays
region's recovery ahead of of Futaba is only allowed in shelters at an athletic
the Tokyo Olympics. for those who receive per- arena and an abandoned
All 7,000 people in the town mission for a day visit. high school. The town's
of Futaba were forced to Because key infrastructure government reopened in a
evacuate when three re- is still being rebuilt, residents makeshift office in another
actors at a nearby nuclear won't be able to return to In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, weeds grow in an abandoned Fukushima town, Iwaki.
plant melted down after live there until 2022. apartment complex, in Futaba, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. Even after radiation levels
being damaged by a mag- The three reactor melt- Associated Press declined to safe levels, the
nitude 9. 0 earthquake and downs at the town's Fu- region's farming and fish-
tsunami on March 11, 2011. kushima Dai-ichi nuclear marking their new town of- to see the residents come ing continue to be hurt by
The partial lifting of the power plant spewed mas- fice. back and live just like be- lingering concerns among
entry ban comes weeks sive amounts of radiation "I'm overwhelmed with fore." consumers and retailers.
before the Olympic torch that contaminated the emotion as we finally bring Officials say prospects for The nuclear plant is being
procession starts in an- surrounding area, and at part of our town operations the return of Futaba's for- decommissioned in a pro-
other town in Fukushima. its peak forced more than back to our home town," mer residents are grim be- cess that will take decades.
The torch could also pass 160,000 people to flee. Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa cause of lingering concern The government is also
through Futaba, about 4 The gate at a checkpoint said, pledging further re- about radiation. Many resi- building temporary storage
kilometers (2.4 miles) from was opened at midnight covery and reconstruction. dents have also found new for massive amounts of de-
the wrecked nuclear plant. Tuesday, and Futaba of- "Lifting of the no-go zone jobs and communities af- bris and soil from ongoing
Unrestricted access, how- ficials placed a signboard is not the goal. Our goal is ter evacuating, and only decontamination efforts.q