IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Chinese airlines score poorly in punctuality

Chinese carriers were among the least punctual airlines in the world last month, and analysts attributed the poor performance to rapidly growing air traffic and bad weather.

A report from Civil Aviation Data Analysis, a Chinese organization that tracks the on-time performance of 103 major global carriers, said that in July, China's three major carriers were rated 86th or worse.

Of the three, Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines Co was the best at 86th with an on-time rating of 70.45 percent. Beijing-based Air China Ltd was 93rd with 66.41 percent. Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines Corp Ltd was 94th, with only 64.46 percent of its flights on schedule.

No Chinese carriers appear on the top 10 list for most punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the report, Asia's top three airlines for punctuality are Thailand's Nok Air, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways.

Rainfall, heat blamed as algae hits lakes

Continuous rainfall and relatively high temperatures are the main reason behind recent reports of blue-green algae in some major lakes in eastern China, according to experts.

Blue-green algae recorded on July 1 near Bakou and Chuanchang, both on the eastern shore of Chaohu Lake in Anhui province, had increased by 852 percent and 479 percent, respectively, from levels reported last year, according to the provincial Environmental Protection Department.

Authorities have issued two red alerts, the highest level, for blue-green algae outbreaks in the lake since April, with the latest announced late last month still in force.

Xinhua News Agency said the algae has been hard to contain and authorities are attempting to ensure clean water supplies for local residents given that the two areas are sources of drinking water.

Longer weekends urged to improve tourism

Employees should be given more flexibility in summer to take half-day vacations on Fridays, giving them extra time for weekend travel and boosting the tourism industry, the State Council suggested.

"These measures can help employees use their vacation time to travel more flexibly and avoid the peak traveling season, which would greatly ease the pressure on the transportation, tourism, commercial and catering sectors," said Wu Wenxue, deputy head of the China National Tourism Administration. "It could also tap the full potential of tourism consumption."

The lack of paid holidays has been blamed for overcrowding in many scenic spots during public holidays.

Social media helping ease fears of GM foods

International agribusiness companies have intensified their efforts to ease public fears over genetically modified products in China, taking to social media platforms to popularize GM science and interact with the public.

Croplife International, the trade association representing a number of international biotechnology companies, launched its own Sina Weibo and Tencent WeChat public messaging accounts on Aug 7 to engage the public about genetically modified food products amid intense debate about their safety.

The association said in a statement that it is responding to calls by the central government to increase the popularization of GM science and to enhance the knowledge about GM foods.

Croplife China, a division of the organization in China, represents 13 international agricultural businesses in China, a majority of which are involved with genetically engineered seeds and the associated insecticides and herbicides.

Road above reservoir a truck-free zone

A stretch of road 4.4 kilometers long and running above the Three Gorges Reservoir area opened on Aug 9, with the management authority pledging strict rules for vehicles in a bid to prevent pollution of the water.

The section is part of the road connecting Gufu township in Xingshan county, western Hubei province, to a major provincial expressway. The road runs 10.5 km in total, and building began in 2012, a statement from the county said. It is hoped that the road will promote the county and attract more tourists, it said.

To reduce the risk of polluting the river, construction was conducted in low-flow season from May to September, with all construction waste removed immediately, said Chen Xingda, deputy head of the county's transportation bureau.

New trolleys fully recharge in 30 seconds

Train equipment maker CRRC Corp is introducing a fast-charge trolley bus system that trades traditional overhead cables for an energy model that can fully charge a trolley in 30 seconds while passengers are getting on and off.

The company claims that the flash charge supercapacitor is the only one in the world that allows a trolley bus to run for 8 kilometers with 10 seconds of charging.

"The technology is especially suited for buses that make frequent stops over short distances, and greatly reduces pollution from public transportation," said Zhou Qinghe, the president and general manager of CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co. State-owned CSR Corp and CNR Corp combined in May to form CRRC.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/14/2015 page2)