Reduce air pollution to protect people's health

Seemingly better air quality statistics are cold comfort for Chinese people who have a huge stake in terms of their health in the country's ongoing campaign against air pollution, which could last for years. So instead of breathing a sigh of relief, policymakers should focus on taking more concrete measures to reduce hazardous smog.

Renovating shantytowns benefits all

One water faucet and one toilet shared by 830 households in an urban shantytown: this is how poor living conditions can be for some urban residents who cannot afford their own apartments and need the government to provide them with better living conditions.

To progress, sports sector reform must defeat the vested interests

IN FEBRUARY 2015, the top leadership approved a reform plan for soccer in China. This was supposed to start reform of the whole sports industry. However, it has met resistance from interest groups. People's Daily calls for firmer measures to push forward the reform:

Online witchhunts do not serve justice

A VIDEO SHOWING a woman eating a popular Chinese snack with a strong smell on the Shanghai subway and arguing with other passengers who tried to stop her from dropping the remains on the floor, recently went viral. Her personal information, including her profession, was later posted online. As much as she deserves to be blamed for her behavior on public transport, Beijing Youth Daily says revealing her identity in this way invades her privacy:

Inappropriate govt gifts show lack of concern

A RESIDENT in a village in Shaanxi province, Northwest China, complained to the media that his disabled grandfather had received a miniskirt and women's shorts as a New Year gift from the county government. An official from the local government said that all the clothes were donated by a Shanghai clothing company and the clothes were not necessarily for the elderly man but for other family members. China Youth Daily on Tuesday comments:

Hot words

Circuit breaker instantly triggered

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Need for second aircraft carrier is real

The Ministry of Defense has confirmed that China is building a second aircraft carrier. Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, shares his views on the development with China Daily's Zhang Zhouxiang:

A life lost for a few bars of chocolates

A 12-year-old girl, who was detained by a convenience store's managers in Yongchang county of Northwest China's Gansu province for allegedly stealing some chocolate bars, committed suicide by jumping from a high-rise building. While stealing is an offense, the tragedy that led to mass protests in Yongchang last week should prompt a rethink on the practice of shop-owners detaining alleged thieves and demanding high fines.

Tensions may deal a blow to the fight against terrorism

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday and asked all Iranian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours after angry Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Teheran in protest against the execution of 47 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, on terrorism charges by Riyadh. Following Saudi Arabia's move, Sudan and Bahrain severed ties with Iran and the United Arab Emirates said it would downgrade ties with Teheran.

Riyadh looking to assert itself in Middle East

The feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran sparked by Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shiite cleric shows no sign of abating.

Stocks' circuit breaker triggers call for changes

The 7-percent dive in the value of Chinese stocks on Monday, the first trading day of the year, triggered the new circuit breaker mechanism that also came into effect that day.