Public jobs lose unrealistic appeal

Working as a civil servant may still be a preferred choice for many job seekers, but the just-concluded national civil service exam has demonstrated an increasingly rational approach to what used to be widely considered an "iron rice bowl".

Emergency rescue service and hospitals play different roles

A TELEVISION JOURNALIST has reportedly received an apology and an offer of compensation from the Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Center, which gave him excessive checkups after he fell ill on a flight to the capital earlier this month. The Beijing News says that the emergency rescue center should strictly fulfill its due responsibility and transfer patients to a proper hospital.

TV-exposed safety problems yet to be solved

THE DEPUTY MAYOR of Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, recently paid a visit to the companies that featured in local media reports because of their safety hazards, and found many of the problems had not been rectified. The lack of supervision and punishments for wrongdoers is to blame for this, says Jschina.com.cn :

Criticism of mom feeding baby draws public ire

A NON-governmental organization posted a micro blog criticizing a young mother for breast-feeding her baby on the subway in Beijing. The post provoked a storm of anger directed at the NGO. Rednet.cn agreed the NGO, Peking Past, was in the wrong:

Hot words

Judicial inspections

Cartoon

Reserve currency status to open renminbi gates

Following the earlier announcement in November that the renminbi (RMB) meets the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) criteria as a "freely usable" currency, the IMF Executive Board is expected to have decided on Nov 30 to include the RMB in its Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket of currencies from Oct 1 next year.

A solid new start for old China-Africa ties

Tremendous changes have taken place both in China and Africa over the decades, yet the China-Africa relationship has grown stronger with the passage of time. Politically, equality and mutual respect is the defining feature of China-Africa relationship. As fellow victims of foreign aggression and colonization, both cherish peace and independence and respect the development paths each has chosen.

Ending AIDS is not an unreachable goal

In the not-so-distant future, it is plausible that AIDS could be something we read about in history books rather than newspaper headlines. Last September, China, along with other member states gathered at the United Nations, adopted the Sustainable Development Goals and committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. On this World AIDS Day, the UN is calling on the international community to start delivering on this promise.

Unlike many other countries, robots a bonus for Japan

I was blown away the other day when on seeing a smart coffee making machine at a robot fair in Tokyo. High-tech robots are replacing humans in almost every sector, from car manufacturing to cooking, and from caretakers for the elderly to receptionists, in the archipelago country.

Eradication of poverty is mission possible

The importance of lifting more than 70 million impoverished people out of poverty can never be overestimated, neither should the difficulties the country faces in achieving that goal in the next five years.

Green subsidies necessary

Beijing's decision to reintroduce subsidies for energy-saving household appliances is a welcome step to enhance its residents' awareness of environmental protection and energy conservation.