2021年CRI 国务院港澳办驳斥七国集团声明 芝加哥枪击案致2死13伤（在线收听）

China has expressed strong opposition to a statement by the Group of Seven on a decision to improve Hong Kong's electoral system.

The group expressed concerns about the decision, claiming it will — quote — "erode democratic elements" of the electoral system.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council says the decision is expected to serve as a fundamental solution to realizing the long-term peace and stability in the city.

He says the illegal activities once rampant in Hong Kong, including riots, were directly supported by some Western countries.

A member of the joint team involving the World Health Organization and China has suggested continuing to look for possible early COVID-19 cases in a wider range around the globe.

Liang Wannian made the remarks when briefing European diplomats on the origin of the novel coronavirus.

The joint tracing the origin of the outbreak has found that a coronavirus with a gene sequence that is highly similar to COVID-19 occurs in bats and pangolins, but the similarity is still not enough to make it a director ancestor.

It found that the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan could be an outbreak site and amplifier of the pandemic.

The team also found that the virus was found in environmental tests at the market after its closure, but what channels the coronavirus at the market might have been introduced through is still uncertain.

A sandstorm swept across Beijing on Monday, turning the sky orange, limiting visibility to less than 1,000 meters, and disrupting traffic.

The Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center said the sandstorm originated in Mongolia.

Nine people involved in a forest fire in Ningxia have surrendered to the police.

The people visited graves on a barren hill in a village in Guyuan on Saturday, and caused the fire when paying tribute by burning fake paper offerings.

Over 2,000 people were mobilized to extinguish the fire and they have eventually put it out.

The fire left two dead and six others injured, scorching over 260 hectares of land.

Iran will appoint a special rapporteur to assess the impact of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Europe on the people of the country.

The results of the assessment will be submitted to judicial and human rights authorities at international, regional and national levels.

Officials say the rapporteur will take steps to form a global front against the violation of human rights of independent nations caused by unjust sanctions.

They say Iran will support the victims of such sanctions in various human rights forums.

Two people have been shot dead and 13 others wounded in a shooting on Chicago's South Side.

Superintendent David Brown of the Chicago Police Department says the shooting happened at a party on Sunday morning.

"15 people were shot. Two of those 15 people shot are deceased. Four guns were recovered at the scene. Our detectives are continuing to do their preliminary investigation and their interviews, but several of the witnesses who were wounded are still in surgery and have yet to be interviewed."

Seven of the wounded victims were taken to hospital in serious to critical condition.

The city of Lynwood and nine other cities in the U.S. state of California have held a memorial event to commemorate the lives lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lists of the names of loved ones who died of COVID-19, submitted by the local residents, were read out.

Solar torches, one for each member of the community who died due to the pandemic, were lit at the end of the ceremony to commemorate their lives.

中国对七国集团关于完善中国香港选举制度的声明表示强烈反对。

该集团对完善制度这一决定表示担忧，声称这将“侵蚀选举制度中的民主元素”。

国务院港澳办发言人表示，这一决定是确保香港长治久安的治本之策。

他表示，“暴乱”等违法活动在中国香港一度肆虐，与西方一些国家的支持直接相关。

中国—世界卫生组织联合专家组的一名成员建议，继续在全球更广泛的范围内寻找可能的早期新冠肺炎病例。

梁万年在向欧洲外交官介绍新型冠状病毒的来源时做出上述表示。

联合专家组追溯疫情起源期间发现，在蝙蝠和穿山甲中发现与新冠病毒基因序列具有高度相似性冠状病毒，但尚不足以证明其为新冠病毒直接祖先。

专家组发现，华南海鲜市场可能是病毒的一个暴发点，是新冠肺炎疫情的放大器。

专家组还发现，在华南海鲜市场关闭后的环境取样显示，环境中普遍有新冠病毒的污染，但市场的冠状病毒通过何种渠道传入，目前尚不能确定。

周一，一场沙尘暴席卷北京，导致天空变成橙黄色，能见度不足1000米，交通受到影响。

北京市生态环境监测中心表示，沙尘暴源于蒙古。

宁夏发生森林火灾，九名涉案人员已向警方自首。

这些人上周六在固原某村的荒山上扫墓，在祭奠时烧假纸祭品引发火灾。

有关部门组织2000多人灭火，最终将火扑灭。

大火造成2人死亡，6人受伤，过火面积超过260公顷。

伊朗将任命一名特别报告员，评估美欧制裁对该国人民的影响。

评估结果将提交给国际、区域和国家各级司法和人权部门。

官员表示，报告员将采取措施，形成全球阵线，反对不公正制裁对独立国家人权造成的侵犯。

他们表示，伊朗将在各种人权论坛上支持这种制裁的受害者。

芝加哥南部发生枪击案，造成2人死亡，13人受伤。

芝加哥警察局局长大卫·布朗表示，枪击事件发生在周日上午的一个聚会上。

“有15人中枪。在这15名中枪者中，有两人已经死亡。在现场找到了4把枪。我们的警员仍在继续进行初步调查和询问，但几名受伤的目击者正在进行手术，尚未接受问询。”

其中7名伤者被送往医院时，伤势严重或处于危急状态。

美国加利福尼亚州林伍德市和其他九个城市举行了纪念活动，纪念在新冠肺炎疫情中丧生的生命。

活动现场宣读了当地居民提交的因新冠肺炎死亡的亲人名单。

仪式结束时，现场点燃了太阳灯，代表每位因新冠肺炎离世的当地居民，以慰生命。