Linfen was listed as one of the top three most

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KANDAHAR， Afghanistan， Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Unknown armed men gunned down a pro-government chieftain and former resistance commander in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province on Monday， spokesman for provincial government Samim Khapalwak said.


"Unidentified armed persons shot dead Zainullah Khan， a pro-government and respected chieftain in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province today morning，" spokesman for provincial administration Samim Kapalwak told Xinhua.


The late Khan was a popular commander of resistance fighters against the former Soviet Union occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989， and a strong supporter of serving Afghan government in the war against armed militants including Taliban and Islamic State groups.


No group or individuals have claimed of responsibility for the deadly attack.



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SO2 density in Linfen has peaked at 65 times higher than the safe limit the WHO recommends


The Linfen government has used subsidies to promote ""clean coal"" to replace the ordinary coal that local residents burn for heating in winter


The Shanxi provincial and Linfen city governments have issued contradictory statements on the source of SO2


Smog blankets the city of Linfen Scarpe Uomo Nike Air Max TN Nere Rosse Scontate , Shanxi Province. Photo: CFP


Most of the conversations I had with relatives and friends from my hometown during the Spring Festival holidays were oddly similar - they all asked me ""have you written any articles about Linfen?""


Yes, as a journalist, I have read reports saying that in January the density of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in Linfen, my hometown in Shanxi Province Scarpe Uomo Nike Air Max TN Marina Rosse Scontate , reached 1,303 micrograms per cubic meter, a level 21 times higher than the national standard and 65 times higher than the WHO's recommended density limit, and comparable to London's infamous Great Smog of 1952.


But when I asked my friends and relatives about what precautions they take during periods of hazardous air pollution Nike Air Max Plus TN Ultra Scarpe Tutte Bianche Scontate , bitter smiles broke across most of their faces, they shook their heads and said, ""There is nothing we can do, no one can live without breathing.""


Breathing in excessive amounts of SO2 burns the eyes and the skin Donna Scarpe Nike Air Max TN Bianche Scontate , causes tracheitis, may result in the loss of taste and smell, and can even lead to premature death.


The remarks of my friends and relatives are not simply a pessimistic pose, but are reflected in their actions and in those of their neighbors. A friend showed me some pictures and videos he took in Linfen when dense smog blanketed the city Donne Nike Air Max TN Scarpe Nere Rosa Scontate , which showed people walking around without protective masks and seniors happily dancing in a public plaza.


But not everyone is indifferent to the heavy air pollution. My sister, who gave birth to her second child this winter, bought an air purifier that cost more than 2,000 yuan ($291) - almost half of the monthly salary she earns as a cashier in a local college.


A shop assistant in a local shopping mall told me that air purifiers Air Max TN Scarpe Nere Uomo Nike Scontate , especially those made overseas, are hot products this year, and they cost over 2,500 yuan on average. According to statistics released by job hunting website job592 Scarpe Uomo Nike Air Max TN Tutte Nere Scontate , the average monthly salary in Linfen in 2016 was around 3,400 yuan.


Linfen stands out on a map of SO2 emissions with hazardous levels of the pollutant on January 13.


Yesterday once more

It seemed to me that local residents were either too busy protecting themselves from the hazardous air pollution, or too busy ignoring it, to think about its causes. But that might because they are so familiar with its causes that they no longer consider them.


Linfen was listed as one of the top three most polluted cities in China from 2003 to 2005. Located in a coal-rich region Scarpe Uomo Nike Air Max TN Nere Bianche Scontate , the price of the fossil fuel was always rock bottom. The smog and chimneys belching smoke formed the background to my childhood and teenage years.


According to statements published on the website of the Shanxi provincial Department of Environmental Protection, the Linfen government has taken measures to improve the environment since 2006, including heightening emission standards, requiring steel and coking enterprises to improve their operations and shutting down more than 100 small coking firms.


The efforts were given official recognition when Linfen was selected as a model city for environmental improvement by the provincial government in 2012. But the dense smog that once again sat on the city in the winter of 2016 has returned the city's air pollution problem to the limelight.


The causes of the dense smog Nike Roshe Run Fiori Scontate , and particularly the density of SO2, have not changed much in the last decade. Facing huge pressure from the public, Linfen's environmental protection bureau told us in January what we all knew already, that the excessive emissions are mainly caused by domestic and industrial coal burning Nike Roshe Two Nere Scontate , according to news portal thepaper.


The city's deputy mayor made a public apology for the smog on January 11 and said they were willing to accept all the criticism and would take actions.


Battle with SO2

Actually the Linfen government had taken measures to deal with the SO2 problem before it was recently exposed by the media and it ramped up efforts after the whole nation began to keep a watchful eye on the city, though the effectiveness of these measures has been questioned.


I used to live in a residential community in the city's old quarter where there was no collective heating system and most residents used their own coal burners to warm their homes in the winter. Some of my neighbors told me during Spring Festival that the government asked them to buy ""clean coal"" in November and December for 275 yuan per ton, compared with the ordinary coal people used to burn which costs about 340 yuan per ton.


The government claimed that the clean coal is actually much more expensive than the ordinary coal. It said it would subsidiz. Authentic NHL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Free Shipping Cheap NBA Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys China Nike NBA Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Soccer Jerseys Free Shipping Authentic MLB Jerseys Online