IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Policy

Family planning policy to be updated

China is to fine-tune its 30-year-old family planning policy, National Health and Family Planning Commission spokesman Mao Qun'an said at a news conference on Nov 11.

But any step taken must serve to maintain a low birth rate while satisfying families' desires to have more children, Mao said.

China's social and economic development, as well as demographic changes, will also be considered in relation to any policy changes, Mao said.

He said fine-tuning the current policy had always been high on the commission's agenda.

Mao's comments follow widespread speculation that the central government will further relax the family planning policy after the Third Plenum of the Communist Party of China's 18th Central Committee, which ended in Beijing on Nov 12.

There have been suggestions that couples where the husband or wife is a single child will be able to have a second child. At present, this only applies to couples who are both single children.

Human rights

China elected to UN Human Rights Council

China was elected to the UN Human Rights Council on Nov 12 for a three-year term.

China was one of the 14 elected members to the 47-member UN human rights body at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. It got 176 votes from the 192 UN member states present in a secret ballot, winning a term in the council from 2014 to 2016.

The UN Human Rights Council, based in Geneva, Switzerland was set up on March 15, 2006, to replace and build upon the achievements of the 60-year-old Commission on Human Rights.

Members are elected by the majority of the General Assembly and will serve for a period of three years after being elected, but are not eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.

China was elected as a founding member of the council in 2006 and was re-elected for another three-year term in 2009.

Food

Festival opensat UN headquarters

The Chinese Food Festival opened its doors at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York on Nov 12.

Prominent chefs brought various regional styles of Chinese cuisine to the international stage, with hundreds of UN staff gathered at the opening ceremony for a taste of the country's famed dishes.

"Chinese food culture is an important part of Chinese historical culture and a gem of human culture, which embodies people-orientation, harmony, inclusiveness and other concepts of Chinese culture," said Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, at the reception.

The envoy said the week-long event embodies the abundance of Chinese food culture, and will promote friendship and enhance cultural diversity.

Dozens of appetising starters, wholesome main courses and interesting desserts, with the carefully crafted menu showcasing typical Chinese food such as roast duck, spiced smoked fish and kung pao chicken.

Also attending the ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that the Chinese food culture, famous for its long history, variety and abundance, has made a positive contribution to the cultural diversity of the world.

Typhoon

Haiyan toll rises in Guangxi, Hainan

The official death toll in Hainan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region was raised to 10 on Nov 12 after Ttyphoon Haiyan grazed the coast of southern China, according to local civil affairs authorities.

Heavy rain and strong winds caused massive damage to houses and farmland over three days, disrupting flights and road traffic and forcing schools to close.

More than 1,000 students and teachers at a middle school in Guigang in Guangxi were stranded on the upper floors of the school as floodwaters rose to 1.5 meters. They were later rescued by firefighters.

According to the latest statistics released by the local civil affairs bureau, the typhoon affected more than 1.2 million people, with two deaths and four missing in Guangxi as of Nov 12. Direct economic losses have been estimated at 465 million yuan ($76 million).

Outside of Guangxi, the storm claimed eight lives, caused traffic chaos and damaged farmland in Hainan province, said Chen Wu, deputy director of the local flood control and anti-typhoon bureau.

Sports

Money isn't everything in soccer success

Building a solid soccer culture and introducing a professional approach to club management and not simply spending money to buy big-name players are important to the future development of Chinese soccer, insiders said after big-spending Guangzhou Evergrande won the AFC Champions League on Nov 9.

"A hefty investment in building a strong international squad and a professional approach to club management were major factors behind Evergrande's success in Asian soccer. But it is a hard example for all Chinese clubs to follow," said Xie Liang, a veteran soccer commentator with Radio Guangdong.

Guangzhou Evergrande rewrote the country's two-decade soccer history by winning the league with a 1-1 tie against South Korean champion FC Seoul in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, because of the "away goals rule".

The teams drew 2-2 in the first leg. The game drew huge attention nationwide, as CCTV broadcast part of it live during Xinwenlianbo, China's most-watched news program.

China last won a championship in 1990, when Liaoning lifted the trophy of the now-defunct Asian Club Championship.

Chinese and Indian soldiers cheer after completing a nine-day joint anti-terrorism drill in Emeishan, Sichuan province, on Nov 13. "Hand-in-Hand 2013" was the third joint military exercise between the two countries, with each side sending one company of 144 soldiers. Huang Zhiling / China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/15/2013 page2)