Volunteers hand out free meals in mudslide-hit China-Nepal border port

A small group of volunteers from across China has been handing out free meals to affected residents and stranded Nepalese citizens in Gyirong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, after catastrophic mudslides struck the nearby China-Nepal border region on Aug 26.

The mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal, hit Gyirong Port, killing at least 43 and leaving 519 missing in China as of Sept 5.

The group of four volunteers, which has been handing out hundreds of hot meals every day in Gyirong, is made up of businesswoman Qu Zhen, restaurant owner Cai Jiu, and two cooks, Jiang Xiaodong and Li Tao.

The team has been using Cai Jiu's restaurant, 'Memories of Gyirong', as their base since they started to distribute meals on Sept 2.

Cai Jiu said his restaurant had been helping affected residents since the mudslide hit the border port, but he was unable to increase his donations since his wife was pregnant.

"It's just my wife and me running the restaurant. She's pregnant and cannot give me a hand, so I'm left doing everything on my own," he said.

The situation changed when Qu Zhen, a businesswoman, called to help.

She said she spent 150,000 yuan (over 22,000 U.S. dollars) on disaster-relief supplies and drove for two days to reach the border port after she saw the news of the terrifying natural disaster.

"I contacted the restaurant owner and luckily, I also know Li and Jiang, who are from Sichuan and have good cooking skills. So, I decided to organize this volunteer group," she said.

The 49-year-old Jiang, an experienced cook, said he had entrusted his restaurant in his hometown to a friend and bought a recreational vehicle to explore Xizang, a place he had long dreamed of visiting. The news of the mudslide disrupted his travel plans just as he set out on his tour but he decided to press on to Gyirong and join up with his old friend Li to help the people in the devastated area.

"Qu Zhen has the resources, we can cook meals, and Cai Jiu owns the restaurant, so we decided to work together," said Jiang.

The volunteers said they have been handing out hundreds of meals daily to affected locals, volunteers, rescuers, and stranded Nepalese.

"For us, nationality does not matter. We offer help to anyone who has difficulties, no matter where they come from," said Jiang.

Volunteers hand out free meals in mudslide-hit China-Nepal border port

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz and routes in the waterway will not be the same as they were in the past, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Araghchi made the remarks at a ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran while stressing that "fundamental and strategic" changes have taken place in West Asia following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

"We must accept that new realities have taken hold. The routes in the Strait of Hormuz will not be the same as they once were, and the strait's management will also not be as it was in the past," he said. "There are matters on which we have held negotiations, and these negotiations will continue."

The minister stressed that the region's security must be ensured by regional countries and without reliance on foreign forces, "who have come to the region aiming to safeguard their own interests and protect Israel, and whose continued presence will lead to nothing but insecurity for the entire region."

He added that Iran was ready to cooperate with all regional countries.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's FM says Hormuz Strait's routes, management not to return to pre-war era