Cities hold key to solving rural problems

First, a woman from Shanghai caused an uproar after she posted online about her experience of accompanying her boyfriend to his hometown in a poor village in Central China's Jiangxi province during the Spring Festival.

American Dream increasingly distant from most in US

US President John F. Kennedy was ambitious and idealistic in his "moon speech" on Sept 12, 1962, saying "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

ASEAN right not to hang on US' coattails

The first ever US-ASEAN Summit hosted by the United States, which US President Barack Obama called "landmark", did not bear the fruit some had coveted.

Financial shot in the arm

In spite of seasonal factors such as the timing of the Chinese New Year, which may have dragged some lending forward, the stronger-than-expected growth in loans in China has considerably boosted confidence in the growth prospects for the world's second-largest economy.

Transparency, not hiding, can help desensitize govt staff salary issue

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, several provinces plan to adjust the salaries for employees in government agencies and State-sponsored institutions. The public response to the news, which they interpreted as "raising salary for officials", prompted the provincial governments to delete the news from their official websites. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

Death of detainee shows malpractice of guards

IN DECEMBER, a detainee at a local detention center in Gan'gu county, Northwest China's Gansu province, was reportedly beaten to death by other detainees because he didn't wipe his nose. The local People's Procuratorate later said the guards at the detention center were guilty of a serious dereliction of duty as the detainee was under their protection. The Beijing News says:

Period leave requires more consideration

ANHUI PROVINCE in East China is proposing to introduce a special regulation that employers should give one or two days paid leave to female workers suffering abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding or severe period cramps if they have a prescription from the doctor. Beijing Times said:

Hot words

Poverty alleviation assessments

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Market economy status not a bilateral negotiation

The protectionist sentiment and the confrontational approach that have emerged in the European Union are worrying, as well as being regrettable and misleading.

Law must be enforced so HK can move forward

Rioters clashed with the police late at night on Feb 8, the first day of the Lunar New Year, and things escalated and turned bloody in the early morning of the next day, with the rioters deliberately injuring close to 100 policemen. In the process, the police had to fire some warning shots. Worryingly, fires were started in a number of places.

The price of fish and how it was sold matter

This is something that does have to do with the price of fish.