Urban flood waters show underground infrastructure still a hostage to vanity

MANY INLAND CHINESE CITIES,including Beijing, have once again been plagued by floods this rainy season, presenting "sea views" even in downtown areas.

Personal information not always private

ASKED ABOUT THE LISTS OF LOCAL FAMILIES that receive the minimum living standard allowances, some local civil affair departments in South China's Guangdong province reportedly said that such lists could not be disclosed because they contain the private information of residents. Comments:

Claim about abbot needs investigating

SHI YONGXIN, the abbot of Shaolin Temple in Henan province, is embroiled in another scandal, this time he is accused of paying for sex. Comments:

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Enabling promotion or demotion by performance

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Vote on Winter Games host a 'first' and a 'last'

When I open the famous envelope to reveal the name of the host city for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Friday, I will be as curious as everyone watching. No one can say who will win but we can be confident that the decision will have a lasting impact on one of two very different cities: Almaty in Kazakhstan, and Beijing in China.

Higher birth rate would ease burden of old-age care

The National Health and Family Planning Commission announced on July 10 that it was considering whether to allow all couples to have a second child, which is a welcome move even though the top family planning body has not decided on any timetable.

EU-Greek turmoil could influence UK foreign policy

The recent wrestling match between Greece and the European Union over the Mediterranean country's massive debts was watched at first with a certain detachment by Britons, mostly reassured by official data showing British banks had very little exposure to the battered euro.

Curb China-US military rivalry to avoid conflict

Southeast of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia is a huge restricted access area known as Marine Corps Base Quantico. On Tuesday, I was among a group of foreign journalists allowed to visit the base to see how some 1,800 Marine officers are produced each year.

Abe's mudslinging only sticks to him

In an apparent attempt to justify his much-trumpeted security bills, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has directly accused China of posing a threat to Japan's national security. Such self-serving accusations only do more damage to the already strained relationship between Beijing and Tokyo.

Stepping up escalator safety

Whether it is safe to use an escalator or elevator is a question that is now on many people's minds after a young woman was killed on Sunday when the panel at the top of an escalator gave way beneath her.

Rules on demotion of officials must have teeth in their implementation

The Communist Party of China has officially issued a regulation on the promotion and demotion of officials, according to the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday. The regulation aims to establish a high-quality ranking system in which incompetent officials will be demoted even though they do not violate CPC rules or the law. Comments: