IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Movie, TV smoking scenes feel the heat

Award-winning Chinese movies have been criticized for containing too many smoking scenes. This sets a bad example for young viewers, according to a report on May 17 by the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control. Blockbuster film Mr Six, starring Feng Xiaogang, was given the "top ashtray prize" for the most smoking scenes of all domestically made films and TV series. The report, which covered 30 Chinese movies and 30 television series shown last year, said the two-hour Mr Six has 102 smoking scenes.

China faces battle with soil pollution

China is facing a tough battle against soil pollution as heavy metals, lack of funding and loose supervision stand in the way. About 16 percent of land surveyed in China is polluted by heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Land and Resources. In addition, 19.4 percent of surveyed arable land had levels of pollution higher than the national standard, according to Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection. That means about 3.33 million hectares of arable land are not suitable for growing crops.

Web system to help find missing kids

A high-tech system to help find missing children was put into operation on May 15 after joint efforts by Chinese police and internet companies. The Emergency Response System, led by the Ministry of Public Security, is similar to Amber Alert, a system for emergency information broadcasts about missing children in the United States. It also is the way that authorized government information is released on missing children. Chinese police working on cases first post messages, including photos and physical characteristics, on an internal system developed by Alibaba, the e-commerce giant. The information can then be posted on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like service.

New app to guide visually disabled

A new app connecting millions of visually handicapped people with volunteers was launched in Beijing on May 17. The free app, see4me.org, has two channels - one for visually disabled users and one for volunteers. It allows the visually disabled to post requests, such as medical instructions or having mail read to them. When a request is posted, it is received and answered by volunteers. The app also enables the visually disabled and volunteers to hold live video or audio chats.

Rail capacity boosted under new plan

A new railway operating plan has increased the country's passenger and freight train capacity, according to China Railway Corp. Passenger train capacity has been increased by 8 percent and freight train by 9 percent - the largest such adjustment in 10 years. Under the new plan, 2,100 pairs of bullet trains are now operating out of a total of 3,400 pairs of passenger trains. The additional bullet trains - more than 100 pairs - are running mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Guizhou.

Disney gets gripes over high prices

Shanghai Disney Resort has responded to criticism that food offered at the park is too expensive. Various media outlets reported recently that consumers complained about the prices after visiting Disney's first theme park on the Chinese mainland during a test run this month. Sources at the resort said the prices were based on extensive market surveys of Chinese consumers, industry experts and local regulators.

Group for disabled starts website in English

An English-language website was launched on May 18 by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, with assistance from China Daily. The website will enhance international communication and act as a window to the world for China's 85 million disabled people, said Zhang Haidi, the federation's chairwoman. Zhu Ling, the publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, said the China Daily media group will use its expertise in communication and brand influence to build the website into one that provides the latest news and updates on the federation, as well as information about the services it provides.

Youngsters more open on diversity in sexuality

Only one in 20 people who belong to a sexual or gender-identity minority in China are fully open about that aspect of their life. But the country's younger generation "is more open and accepting of sexual diversity" than their parents, a UN report said. Half of the more than 18,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (who do not fit typical binary notions of male or female) respondents said they were not open at all about their identity at school, and three-fourths remain in the closet in the workplace, according to a report released on May 17 by the United Nations Development Programme.

Baby seats, sanitary goods fail standards

Nearly 20 percent of imported baby safety seats for cars failed to meet China's standards last year, the country's top quality watchdog said on May 17. Almost 24 percent of disposable sanitary goods imported last year were also substandard, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said. Sample checks covering over 1,000 imported baby safety seats found more than 200 were substandard. Main problems were a lack of Chinese labeling or user manuals, and failure in impact tests, putting infants at risk.

Ten police helicopters bought in record deal

Ten helicopters are being bought for police under the largest agreement of its kind in China, signed on May 17. The Ministry of Public Security is buying the helicopters from Aviation Industry Corp of China. The first four - two AC311s and two AC312s - will be delivered to public security bureaus in Nanjing, Kunming, Hefei and Luoyang. None of the parties would disclose when the entire contract will be fulfilled or the total cost, citing commercial confidentiality.

More organ transplant hospitals on way

China is to increase the number of organ transplant hospitals from 169 to about 300 by 2020, according to the chairman of the National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee. Huang Jiefu, the former vice-minister of health, said the increase will enable the nation to become the world leader in terms of lifesaving procedures performed. The National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Red Cross Society of China set up China's public organ donation system to end long-term dependence on death row inmates as major organ donors.

Remote sensing satellite launched

China's Yaogan-30 remote sensing satellite was sent into space on May 15 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in Gansu province. The satellite will be used for experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief. Yaogan-30 was carried by a Long March 2D rocket, the 227th mission for the Long March rocket family. China launched the first Yaogan series satellite, Yaogan-1, in 2006.

Capital ups payments for PLA recruits

Beijing municipality has increased the allowance for soldiers who join the People's Liberation Army for the third consecutive year, with higher amounts for better-educated recruits. A university student or graduate who has a Beijing hukou, or household registration permit, will receive at least 186,000 yuan ($28,500; 25,200 euros) in cash if they join the PLA this year and serve at least two years, the Beijing Municipal Conscription Office announced on its website on May 13. The money, 9,000 yuan higher than last year, includes subsidies for the soldier's family, reimbursement for university expenditures and service pay.

Ministry says exam rule won't hurt richer areas

The Ministry of Education has told parents its efforts to ensure more children from poor backgrounds get a college education will not hurt the chances of students from more affluent parts of China. The ministry said its changes to this year's gaokao - the national higher education entrance exam - will not mean children from developed parts of China lose out. A recent directive means there will be a redistribution of some cross-provincial quotas. Universities and colleges in some more developed areas, such as Jiangsu and Hubei provinces, will have to take a larger number of students from less developed regions, such as the Tibet and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions, who have passed the gaokao.

Family's suspected killer nabbed after 25 years

A suspect who allegedly killed six people has been caught after 25 years on the run, local police said on May 15. The man, identified only as Guo, reportedly admitted to hacking a family of six to death with an ax in Raohe county in March 1991, following a dispute over trivial matters. Acting on information received this month, police went to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region where they apprehended Guo and his wife.

China's pediatrician shortage targeted

A document has laid out measures to cope with China's national pediatrician shortage. The document, released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Education on May 18, proposed that a ratio of one pediatrician for every 1,500 children be achieved by the end of 2020. There are currently 118,000 pediatricians in China, one for every 2,000 children, a level much lower than that of major developed nations.

Museums to boost cultural protection role

A museum should be a center to illuminate its surrounding cultural heritage sites, according to Liu Yuzhu, director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. "Local people's awareness of the origins of their common values can also be raised in this way." Liu was speaking at the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, to mark the 40th International Museum Day. China had 4,692 registered museums by the end of last year, 182 more than the previous year.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/20/2016 page2)