News

The father, the daughter and their legacy with the CPC

Published

2 years ago

27/11/2021

MNN

Qu Duyi had a remarkable career as a journalist, covering momentous historical events.

In 1949, when Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), she was the one who broadcast it in Russian to the world.

She co-founded Xinhua News Agency’s Moscow bureau and was among the first correspondents stationed abroad from the PRC.

But, it was her father’s exemplary work and the family’s legacy with the Communist Party of China (CPC) through generations that brought her to the spotlight.

Her father, Qu Qiubai, was an early CPC leader and a revolutionary hero.

In 1920, he landed up in Moscow in search of ways to salvage China. There he researched and wrote about the changes after the October Revolution as a journalist, and listened to Vladimir Lenin’s passionate speeches.

He joined the CPC in 1922 and became one of its early leaders. Qu Qiubai earned acclaim as a writer, editor and theorist among his comrades. He was also fluent in Russian.

In 1935, Qu Qiubai was captured by enemy forces and was later executed. He walked through the gates of death unfazed, humming “The Internationale,” a song he had translated into Chinese. “Communism is the greatest ideal of humankind,” he said before the execution. “Sooner or later, it will be realized, and the CPC will win the final victory.”

Qu Duyi, then 14 years old, learned about her father’s death from a newspaper in the Soviet Union. She had not seen her parents for five years. They were called back at a time China was reeling under white terror and the Party’s underground activities needed them most.

It was an abrupt departure and Qu’s father sent her a postcard and flowers from Berlin on the way home.

“Was my father more of a scholarly gentleman or a revolutionary martyr? I was confused,” she said in a 2016 interview.

(160630) — BEIJING, June 30, 2016 (Xinhua) — File photo shows a family portrait of Qu Qiubai (R), a key leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in its early days, his wife Yang Zhihua (L) and their daughter Qu Duyi. Qu was an active leader of the cultural movement of the Chinese revolution and was once the president of the Red China News Agency, the name under which Xinhua News Agency was founded in 1931. Qu was captured and killed by the Kuomintang army in 1935. This year marks the 95th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC). (Xinhua) (wyl/wjq)

Qu was born in 1921, the same year the CPC was founded. Revolutionary vibes permeated her life early on.

At the age of seven, she had already helped her mother provide cover for delegates to cross the border to the Soviet Union to attend the CPC’s sixth National Congress. At a tender age, she understood that a communist is one who does good deeds for the people.

In the early 1940s, Qu and her mother were captured and imprisoned by enemy forces upon their return to China. During an interrogation when she was asked whether she would choose death or abandon the revolutionary, Qu said: “I always believe in communism and I won’t think twice. The Party is fighting for the interests of the nation… People’s liberation, rights, freedom and well-being are what I pursue. Death is glorious.”

By the time Qu was rescued and she formally joined the Party in 1946, she had known what lifelong dedication to communism really meant.

At the Party’s base in Yan’an, Qu and her husband used to work for Xinhua News Agency, and on Oct. 1, 1949, they truly saw the rise of “Xinhua” — meaning New China — with the founding of the PRC. A day Qu said she never forgot.

“The most exciting part was when Chairman Mao announced the founding of the central government of the PRC,” she said in a memoir. Fourteen years after her father’s martyrdom, the day turned a new page in history.

File photo taken on Oct. 1, 1949 shows Qu Duyi broadcasting the news of the founding of the People’s Republic of China to the world in Russian. (Xinhua)

Qu was called to the state radio station where she broadcast Chairman Mao’s speech to the world in Russian. It made her the first journalist to report the PRC’s founding to a global audience.

In March 1950, Qu and her husband were among the first correspondents China sent abroad. They helped build Xinhua’s Moscow bureau from scratch. They dispatched many first-hand reports about the Soviet Union for the audience of the young people’s republic.

At times, Qu would double as a translator for the Chinese embassy. She did interpretations for the then premier Zhou Enlai and the visiting Chinese delegations.

Qu started working with Xinhua’s international news department in Beijing in 1978 and retired in 1982.

In 2021, prior to the Party’s centenary, Qu was awarded the July 1st Medal, the highest honor of CPC, becoming the only journalist to receive the title.

“The CPC is 100 years old. So am I,” she said in a June interview.

On Nov. 26, Qu passed away in Beijing, marking an end to her extraordinary life. But her remarkable works and the family’s legacy shall live on.

World

Gaza truce uncertain, Hamas to deliver ‘final response’ in two days

Published

60 mins ago

06/05/2024

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared uncertain on Sunday as a Hamas delegation left Cairo.

A Palestinian source, who preferred not to mention his name, said the Hamas delegation, who departed Cairo on Sunday for consultations with the movement’s leadership in Doha, Qatar, will return with a “final response” to the Egyptian proposal two days later.

According to the source, during the two-day talks in Cairo, the Hamas delegation met with Egyptian security officials and addressed “all issues” that could hinder reaching an agreement on the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange with Israel, confirming that “significant” consensus has been achieved between the delegation and the Egyptian mediators.

The Egyptian proposal consists of three stages, aimed at exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, taking necessary measures to reach a ceasefire, and restoring sustainable calm.

The first stage would span 40 days and bring out a temporary halt of military operations between the two sides, an exchange of hostages and prisoners, and the return of internally displaced civilians to their areas of residence in Gaza. It also includes facilitating the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid, relief materials and fuel into Gaza, as well as the equipment needed to remove rubble, establish camps for the displaced, and rehabilitate and operate hospitals, health centers and bakeries in the strip.

Also on Sunday, Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that his movement is keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that ends the current conflict in Gaza and ensures a prisoner exchange with Israel. Meanwhile, he accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “inventing constant justifications to continue the aggression, expand the scope of the conflict, and sabotage mediation efforts.”

Israel has not officially commented on the proposal. The main point of contention between the two sides remains the duration of the truce, with Hamas demanding that Israel halt the conflict, while Israel insists on continuing until it deems Hamas defeated.

Despite intensive mediation efforts and international calls for a ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Israel assesses the likelihood of reaching an agreement with Hamas as low, adding the order to launch an onslaught on Rafah, the enclave’s southernmost city, will be given “very soon.”

About 1.2 million people have been sheltering in Rafah, according to estimates by the United Nations, escaping Israeli bombardments in other areas as well as the famine-stricken northern Gaza.

World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said in an NBC News interview broadcast on Sunday that based on the “horror” on the ground: “There is famine, full-blown famine, in the north, and it’s moving its way south.”

Also on Sunday, Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters.

Netanyahu’s cabinet has agreed to shut down the network’s local operations for as long as the conflict in Gaza continues, saying it threatened national security.

Al Jazeera said the move was a “criminal action” and the accusation that the network threatened Israeli security was a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that put its journalists at risk. It reserved the right to “pursue every legal step.”

Source(s): CGTN

News

MWSC contracted to upgrade Addu City’s water view

Published

1 hour ago

06/05/2024

Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) was contracted to upgrade the water view of Addu City’s Hithadhoo and other linked islands to resolve the difficulties faced in the provision of water services across the city.

Fenaka said MWSC was contracted to resolve the difficulties in the provision of water services across Addu City within a one-year period, adding all prevailing issues in the provision of water services will be resolved at the conclusion of this project.

They further noted that efforts are underway to ensure there are no service interruptions while the work is ongoing.

Underscoring an increase in the usage of water in Addu City has been observed day-by-day, Fenaka said the usage of the water exceeds the capacity the plants established at the city have to produce water.

Fenaka strongly criticized the former administration’s failure to renovate the water plants or upgrade the water view in the past five years despite these conditions.

Water shortage in Addu City has posed its residents with various difficulties. It remains one of the most prevalent concerns of the residents, triggering continuous complaints.

Source(s): sun.mv

News

Freedom of journalism must be practiced within the responsibilities

Published

2 days ago

04/05/2024

Minister at the President’s Office for Strategic Communications Ibrahim Khaleel has underscored the importance of exercising the freedom of press within the responsibilities. He made the remarks while speaking at a programme aired on PSM News.

Commemorating the 7th anniversary of PSM News, Minister Khaleel was invited to the programme, as he played a pivotal role in founding the PSM News Channel during his tenure as the Former Managing Director of the Public Service Media (PSM). The minister worked in the field of journalism and broadcasting for several years, actively engaging in various media positions, including reading and writing news articles.

Highlighted the convenience within the field following the advancements of technology, Minister Khaleel revealed articulated his vision for PSM News to serve as the primary national channel, delivering reliable and timely news coverage across the entirety of the country. In observance of World Press Freedom Day, the minister noted the continuous expansion of press freedom over the years. On this stance, he stressed the significance of media outlets to execute obligations in disseminating news, urging the spread of credible information.

Furthermore, Minister Khaleel revealed the government’s plan to expand and promote journalism. As such, efforts are underway to provide educational opportunities and to strengthen the financial stability of media organisations.

Source(s): PsmNews