Headline

80-year-old Chinese Language Teacher Makes World Guinness Records With Longest 64-year Career

Published

1 year ago

May 27, 2024

An 80-year-old Chinese woman, Yeyu Ying, has been officially recognised by the Guinness World Records for having the title of longest career as a female language teacher of an incredible 64 years and 33 days.

GWR said Yeyu Ying started her teaching career at the tender age of 17 in a rural elementary school in Zhejiang, China.

She was born into a poor family in Ruian, Zhejiang Province, but chose to become a teacher to help support her family, and this choice marked the beginning of a remarkable journey.

After initially retiring in February 1999 at the age of 55, she founded Yuying Elementary School, where she continued to teach to this day.

However, currently, she still teaches six Chinese language classes each week. Her dedication embodies the spirit of lifelong learning, constantly updating her teaching methods and resources, even as she grows older.

“I remember seeing record challenges on TV long ago and thinking about my own passion for teaching. I always believed my lesson plans were the most meticulous in the world,” Yeyu Ying said.

“Maybe I harboured a secret desire to challenge the record but never dared to speak it out loud for fear of being laughed at,” Yeyu Ying recalls.

“Earlier this year, while chatting with my daughter, we watched some Guinness World Records challenge clips again. I decided to discuss applying with my colleagues, and to my surprise, we succeeded!”

She disclosed that her journey as a teacher from a humble family but with incredible feats gives her joy.

“This recognition is a testament to my lifelong passion. Coming from a rural village in southern China, establishing a school in Lishui in the 1990s, and receiving such an honour for what seemed like an ordinary career fills me with gratitude,” she added.

Yeyu Ying has always faced life’s challenges with courage, never thinking of giving up. At 17, she was tested by mischievous students.

After retiring, she faced the challenge of founding a school on her own, moving locations three times in four years. Over her decades-long teaching career, even walking to school became a strenuous task at times.

As a principal, Yeyu Ying would rise at 5 am and be at school by 7:30 am to monitor teachers and students before starting her teaching duties. When teachers were away for meetings or training, she would step in to save on school expenses.

She recalled, “In any spare moment, I was preparing lessons. Unlike today, we didn’t have convenient electronic devices. Every lesson was meticulously handwritten with a calligraphy brush, taking six hours to prepare each class. If I wasn’t satisfied with my handwriting, I would tear up the pages and start over.”

Remarkably, at 80, Yeyu Ying still has new goals of establishing a nursing home to make life comfortable for the aged.

“I plan to open a nursing home next, dedicating my remaining life to society and helping the elderly live their final years with joy,” she said, noting she is currently conducting social research for this new project.

Headline

David Lammy Appointed UK’s Deputy PM

Published

46 minutes ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a major cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, in a move that could reshape the direction of his administration.

As part of the shake-up, David Lammy, a senior Labour figure and former Foreign Secretary, has been appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, taking over key roles previously held by Rayner.

The cabinet reshuffle comes at a politically sensitive time for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose leadership is under growing pressure from both within the Labour Party and the broader electorate.

The sudden resignation of Angela Rayner, a high-profile figure with strong working-class support, has exposed internal tensions and sparked concerns over the party’s unity and electoral strategy.

According to BBC News on Friday, the reshuffle is seen as a crucial test for Starmer’s leadership, especially as Rayner had been a prominent and working-class figure whose departure may weaken his appeal to core Labour voters.

Key Cabinet reassignment

-Lammy transitions from Foreign Secretary to Deputy PM and Justice Secretary.

-Yvette Cooper moves from Home Secretary to Foreign Secretary.

-Shabana Mahmood is promoted from Justice Secretary to Home Secretary.

Other notable appointments include:

-Steve Reed as Housing Secretary

-Pat McFadden as head of a newly expanded Work and Pensions department

-Douglas Alexander as Scotland Secretary

-Liz Kendall moves to Science and Technology

-Emma Reynolds becomes Environment Secretary

-Peter Kyle appointed Business Secretary

-Jonathan Reynolds named Chief Whip

-Alan Campbell becomes Leader of the House of Commons

Meanwhile, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray were removed from their cabinet roles.

Political Fallout and Internal Tensions

Labour now faces mounting political pressure. Observers note Rayner’s exit leaves a vacuum for constituents drawn to her working-class credentials, possibly intensifying internal party divisions.

Her resignation also triggers a deputy leadership contest, opening up a battleground between the party’s centrist and left-leaning factions.

Moreover, Labour’s popularity has waned, with opposition to policies on welfare and immigration increasing support for Reform UK.

Starmer’s government’s handling of economic pressures and an upcoming £40 billion budget shortfall deepen the political stakes.

Lammy Steps into Key Role at a Crucial Juncture

Lammy’s appointment is viewed as strategically significant. Known for his reform credentials and advocacy for criminal justice reform, his new position comes as Parliament prepares for the Sentencing Bill.

The Prison Reform Trust welcomed his appointment, noting the timing offers “an important opportunity to move away from the failed cycle of overcrowding and crisis management.”

This reshuffle represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of Keir Starmer’s administration. With Labour under heightened scrutiny and internal frictions rising, the effectiveness of the newly configured cabinet will be a litmus test of Starmer’s leadership, particularly as the party approaches a difficult budget season, rising populist pressures, and internal power shifts ahead of the next deputy leadership election.

Headline

Nigerian Arrested In Poland For Using Fake Residence Permit

Published

1 hour ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Polish authorities have confirmed the arrest of a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen on charges of using a counterfeit residence document.

The individual was detained by the Polish Border Guard, known as Straż Graniczna, as part of ongoing efforts to combat irregular migration and document forgery.

This information, which was obtained by PUNCH Online on Friday, was published on the Border Guard Headquarters’ news outlet on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

The BG HQs of Poland is the central unit which services the Border Guard Commander in Chief by supporting and coordinating actions of the BG units.

The report indicated that, “the Nigerian man admitted that he ordered the document online while still in the UK, received it by post, and paid €2,000 for it.

“It turned out that the Nigerian had no legal basis for staying in Poland as he had been in the country illegally for four days.”

Consequently, the Commander of the Border Guard ordered him to leave the country within 20 days and imposed a three-year ban on entry to the Schengen Area.

In addition, he was charged under Article 270 § 1 of the Penal Code – for using a counterfeit document.

The man pleaded guilty and voluntarily submitted to the penalty, but declined to provide further explanation.

According to sources specialising in immigration law, many individuals who use these fake documents are victims of elaborate scams.

As one legal expert noted in a report, “Until the situation was clarified, Ibrahim was detained in prison.”

Law enforcement agencies across Poland have been actively working to dismantle these criminal networks.

A recent, large-scale operation supported by Europol led to the arrest of dozens of suspects and the seizure of thousands of counterfeit documents, including residence permits, visas, and other identification.

Headline

US To Cut Military Aid To European Countries Near Russia — Official

Published

1 hour ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The United States is to end long-running military assistance for European countries close to Russia, as it pushes the continent to play a greater role in its own defence, an official in one of the countries confirmed on Friday.

“Last week, the US Defense Department informed the countries that, starting from its next financial period, funding will be reduced to zero,” the defence policy director in Lithuania’s defence ministry, Vaidotas Urbelis, told reporters.

The decision comes as US President Donald Trump struggles to end Moscow’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.

Urbelis confirmed reports in The Washington Post and The Financial Times, citing unnamed officials saying the move was part of Trump’s efforts to cut US expenditure abroad.

The FT said US officials had told European diplomats last week that Washington would no longer fund programmes to train and equip eastern European militaries along Russia’s border.

The Washington Post said the funding to be cut was worth several hundred million dollars.

In Lithuania’s case, the cuts would impact “the purchase of US weapons and other equipment, and training”, Urbelis said.

He added that it “will not have an impact on the US troop presence in the region”, which was funded through a separate US budget allocation.

A White House official said the move hewed to a January executive order Trump had signed that reevaluated US foreign aid.

“This action has been coordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s longstanding emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defence,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Trump has long been sceptical of both US defence spending in Europe and aid for Ukraine, pushing some of Washington’s closest allies to play a greater role on both fronts.

The Lithuanian defence ministry official said that the US funding for training and equipping its military covered between a third and 80 percent of total military aid received by the country.

Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur told the Postimees daily that he viewed the US move as “especially symbolic, in a negative way.

AFP