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The first of 41 trams for Ethiopia rolled off the production line on Aug 26 in Changchun in northeast China's Jilin province.

The tram will be put into service in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, where commuters have a choice of only buses or taxis at the moment, said Liu Gang, a manager with China CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.

"We're bringing about 50 Ethiopian drivers and maintenance workers here for training next month," said Liu.

With a maximum speed of 70 kph, the white and green vehicle is designed to be impervious to ultraviolet light because Addis Ababa has an altitude of 2,400 meters and the sun is exceptionally strong. Its windows block 90 percent of ultraviolet rays.

Africa's urban rail transport networks are still in their infancy, providing immense opportunities for Chinese manufacturers. Light railways and tramcars are used in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Only Cairo and Algiers have subway systems.

Some African countries, such as Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, have plans to develop urban rail transport services.

Greater role eyed for Red Cross Society

As a member of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, the Red Cross Society of China is expected to play an even greater role in world humanitarian and development services, a senior IFRC official said.

Elhadj As Sy, secretary-general of the IFRC, made the remarks on the sidelines of the Third Sino-African Humanitarian Cooperation Seminar in Beijing.

"Both China and Africa have become synonymous with growth and opportunity. It's therefore fitting that the humanitarian leaders of these regions collaborate on how to leverage synergies and the world's interest to ensure that the Red Cross and Red Crescent remains the leader in humanitarian and development services in the eyes of governments, domestic audiences and people of influence across the globe," he said.

Sy spoke highly of the Chinese group's contribution to international humanitarian efforts, citing the forum as an example, as well as the election of Zhao Baige, the Red Cross Society of China's executive vice-president, to the office of vice-president of the international federation.

Nationwide property tax being considered

China is likely to introduce a nationwide property tax as early as next year following trials in Chongqing and Shanghai, according to an official at China's top legislative body.

The National People's Congress, the top legislature, is drafting a property tax law that is expected to wrap up later this year and be imposed in 2015, said the official from the NPC, who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Unlike the trials in Chongqing and Shanghai, where the property tax is levied on houses only, the planned national property tax will target houses and land.

"The method of taxation is still under discussion and is subject to changes," the official said, adding that the NPC is also soliciting opinions from experts and tax authorities.

Specifically, the tax ratio has not been decided, nor has the question of whether the tax will be levied on newly built properties or on properties already owned.

Microsoft to work with anti-monopoly probe

A Chinese antitrust regulator has said that Microsoft Corp, currently under investigation by officials for violating China's anti-monopoly law, has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the ongoing probe.

Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, said: "After multiple meetings, including at high levels, they have expressed a willingness to respect Chinese law and collaborate with investigating officials."

The Microsoft investigation comes amid a series of antitrust probes into foreign firms in China, including mobile chipset maker Qualcomm and German carmaker Daimler's luxury auto unit Mercedes-Benz.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce revealed earlier this month that Microsoft was suspected of violating anti-monopoly laws in relation to problems with compatibility, bundling and document authentication for its Windows operating system and Microsoft Office software.

Hundreds 'should be sent back to prison'

The country's top prosecution body has suggested that more than 700 convicted criminals, including 76 corrupt senior officials, whose sentences were commuted illegally, should be returned to prison.

His comments followed an intensified crackdown on the illegal commutation of sentences or conditional releases, said the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

"Apart from receiving tip-offs from the public and the media, we have also conducted investigations to find such cases," said SPP spokesman Zhang Bencai.

The top procuratorate said that since March, national prosecutors have received 428 items of information involving the illegal reduction of sentences, release on parole, or the serving sentences outside of prison.

They have investigated 120 law enforcement officers on suspicion of dereliction of duty or abusing their powers to help prisoners obtain reduced sentences or conditional release in exchange for huge bribes.

Li pledges aid to Caribbean nation

Premier Li Keqiang and his Antigua and Barbuda counterpart, Gaston Browne, have vowed to seek more common ground in economic cooperation and broader mutual support on international affairs.

Li and Browne met for an hour in Beijing on Aug 26 this week and agreed to expand cooperation in clean energy, agriculture, tourism, education and healthcare. Li said China will help in the construction of highways, airports and ports in the Caribbean country.

Li said China has also agreed to provide financial aid, goods and no-interest loans to the country, which has been struggling since the 2008 financial crisis and is $1 billion in debt, roughly equivalent to its annual GDP.

Govt agencies raise ceiling for college loans

Four ministries and government departments have agreed to raise the ceiling for national student loans granted to undergraduates and master's and doctoral students.

The Education Ministry said that college students from low-income families can apply for increases to their loans. It is working with the the Ministry of Finance, People's Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission on implementing the new arrangement.

According to the policy, an undergraduate student can now apply for as much as 8,000 yuan ($1,300), while graduate students can apply for a maximum of 12,000 yuan. Since 2002, all students have been allowed to apply for a loan of 6,000 yuan each year.

Militants seize Chinese engineers near Turkish

Suspected Kurdish militants have kidnapped three Chinese engineers in southeast Turkey near the border with Iraq and Syria, security sources said on Aug 25.

The workers were seized at a shop in the border town of Silopi the day before by suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, also known as the PKK, who went on to attack a power plant construction site where the engineers worked, the sources said.

Xinhua News Agency quoted a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Turkey as saying the engineers "disappeared" after a thermal power plant in Silopi, which is being constructed by China Machinery Engineering Corp, was attacked by militants on Aug 24.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 08/29/2014 page2)