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31/12/2013

India: year in review – 2013: Highs & lows

From: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-year-in-review-2013-highs-and-lows-1940804

Thursday, Dec 26, 2013, 13:05 IST | Agency: Zee News

A: Business and Economy

Highs

Enduring value: Rupee depreciation and revival in the US economy pitch-forked TCS to be the country’s most valued firm. Currently, the market capitalization of TCS is nearly Rs 4.13 lakh crore followed by Reliance Industries (Rs 2.89 lakh crore), and ITC (Rs 2.53 lakh crore) (as of December 24)

Rs 1 lakh crore quarterly club: While announcing the second quarter results of fiscal 2013-14 (Q2FY14), Reliance Industries became the first private sector company in India to achieve revenues of Rs 1, 06,523 crore in a quarter.

Sensex high on politics: Stock soar a new high on assembly poll verdict: Sensex touched the life-time high level of 21,483.74 in the intra-day trading on December 9, 2013. …
NRN returns: The Board of Infosys approved appointing Narayana Murthy as executive chairman of the board and additional director with effect from June 1, 2013. …
Breaking the glass ceiling: For the first time, 2013 witnessed a woman head at SBI. On October 8 the government cleared the elevation of Arundhati Bhattacharya as the chairperson of the largest public sector bank State Bank of India. …

Lows 

Free-fall: Rupee touched all-time low of 68.85 against US dollar on August 28. The major reasons behind the sharp depreciation of rupee were: wide current account deficit and slowing growth.

Murthy yet again: On May 21, the board of California based IT outsourcing company iGate Corp announced the sacking of its President and CEO Phaneesh Murthy over alleged sexual harassment claims. Moreover, it was not for the first time that he had been allegedly charged with sexual harassment claims.

Negative for India: According to the ‘Doing Business 2014’ report, India has occupied the 134 position out of the 189 economies surveyed. India’s overall rank in Ease of Doing Business has dropped from 131st position to 134th position.

Biggies say no: In July 2013, South Korean mining giant Posco cancelled plans to construct a steel plant in Karnataka. Similarly, after waiting for seven years, ArcelorMittal scrapped plans for a steel mill in Orissa. Both companies cited similar reasons for pulling out: Weak market conditions and problems in securing land and mining licences in the country.

B: Safety and Security

Highs 

Death penalty for rape: On September 13, 2013, after a nine-month-long trial, fast track court handed down death penalty to all the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case. …

New anti-rape law: On April 3, 2013, President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Anti-rape Bill which provides for life term and even death sentence for rape convicts besides stringent punishment for offences like acid attacks, stalking and voyeurism.

Sexual Harassment Act is a reality: The Sexual Harassment at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act and Rules, 2013 finally got notified by the ministry of women and child development and came into force from December 9, 2013.

Banking on women: On November 19, 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the country’s first all-women bank, Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB). …

Food for all: The National Food Security Bill, 2013 received the assent of the President and came into force from 10th September 2013. The scheme is targeted to alleviate the poverty by offering free food to the poor and needy.

Lows

Life flooded: In June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides in the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 Tsunami.  According to figures provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 5,700 people were “presumed dead.”

(In)Secure India: India was ranked pretty low in terms of social security when compared to its Asian neighbours. Asian Development Bank’s 2013 report pegged India’s social protection index (SPI), a ratio of total expenditure on social protection to the total number of intended beneficiaries, at just 0.051, way below the Asian benchmark score of 0.2 and lower than even that of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Maldives.

Hopes dashed: Indian death row prisoner Sarabjit Singh died in a Lahore hospital on May 1, 2013 after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow inmates in a high-security Pakistani jail. …


Demons at work: Nation was shocked with two back to back cases on alleged sexual harassment of women. Justice Ganguly and Ex Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal faced alleged sexual harassment charges from their colleagues. Tejpal is in judicial custody while Ganguly continues to be in chair as head of Human Rights Commission, West Bengal.

Picture imperfect: On August 22, 2013, five men allegedly raped a 22-year photojournalist inside the deserted Shakti Mills compound in central Mumbai while she was on assignment with a colleague. The girl survived and vows to live her life in dignity.

C: Politics

Highs

Jhadoo sweep: The Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made a stunning debut during Delhi polls as they won 28 out of a total of 70 assembly seats. Kejriwal himself defeated Sheila Dikshit, former chief minister of Delhi by a whopping 22000 votes from New Delhi constituency. He will be amongst the youngest chief ministers in India.

Lokpal is here: In a rare bonhomie between the two major national parties – BJP and Congress made Lokpal a reality after 46 years of wait. Despite a few digs at one another, both parties converged to push the Lokpal Bill through Parliament.

Beware and behave: In a big leap towards cleaning up Indian politics, the Supreme Court ruled that MPs and MLAs would be immediately disqualified if they are convicted in a criminal case by a trial court. The court struck down Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which protects convicted MPs and MLAs from disqualification if they appeal before a higher court within three months.

GenX power: In recently held state elections a high voter turnout was recorded. While, Chhattisgarh recorded a polling percentage of over 75, Madhya Pradesh of over 71 and Mizoram about 82 per cent. Rajasthan 75 per cent and Delhi witnessed over 66 per cent in the polls. The chief election commissioner V.S. Sampath believed a significant enrolment of young voters in the electoral rolls has resulted in the unusually high voter turnout in the state polls.

Yes to (NOT)A: The newly introduced NOTA (None of the above) made a notable impact in recently held state assembly elections. More than 15 lakh people exercised the option in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Lows 

Love for fodder is bad: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) founder was convicted in a 17-year-old multi-crore fodder scam for allegedly swindling more than Rs 37 crore. He was sentenced to five years in jail by a special CBI court which slapped a fine of Rs 26 lakh on the former Lok Sabha MP. He is currently out on bail.

Forgettable year for Congress: In 2013, the Congress has lost in six out of total nine states went for polls. Interestingly, barring Karnataka, Meghalaya and Mizoram Congress couldn’t increase its tally of MLAs in any state.

Short lived tenure: In a major setback to the UPA government, two senior cabinet ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal (former rail minister) and Ashwani Kumar (former law minister) quit their positions. Bansal stepped down after police arrested his nephew on suspicion of accepting a bribe in a case. Kumar’s departure came days after the Supreme Court said the government substantially changed a report by the CBI into alleged irregularities in the awarding of mining rights potentially worth billions of dollars to private companies.

Women, not the first choice: Of all the assembly polls held during the last five years, as many as 22 states registered less than 10 per cent participation of women candidates in these elections. Worse, three states also observed less than five per cent women participation during assembly elections. It includes all five states went for elections recently.

New low for democracy: Delhi assembly poll has thrown more than one surprise verdict. Apart from denying anyone absolute majority, the poll threw up a whopping 75 per cent (610 out of 808) candidates who lost their deposit with the Election Commission of India (ECI).

D: Entertainment

Highs 

Low is high: Many low budget movies like Aashiqui 2, Madras Café, Kai Po Che did very well at the box office. This signaled a new positive trend for Bollywood.

Queen Padukone: All three releases of (Ye Jawani Hain Deewani, Chennai Express and Goliyon ki Raasleela, Ram Leela) of Deepika Padukone were super hits. …
Kolaveri Di in Bollywood: Dhanush’s Bollywood debut not just proved to be a hit at the box office but the performances of the actor was also appreciated. Within two weeks of its release, ‘Raanjhanaa‘ had been able to collect Rs 52 crore at the box office.

Young entry in 100 crore club: Ranveer Singh (28) and Anushka Sharma (25) became the youngest lead actors in the 100 crore club. Ranveer

BMB is 100-crore sprint: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the first film without a bankable superstar’ to net 100 crore. …

Lows 

Too young to die: Bollywood actress, Jia Khan committed suicide on the night of June 3, 2013. Was it suicide due to a love story having turned sour or a murder? Courts have to decide yet.

An era ends: On July 12, Bollywood’s villain and popularly known as ‘Pran Sahab’ passed away after a prolonged illness. A man who lived an innocent life outside was feared as a villain as much adored for his supporting role as an actor.

‘Himmat..’ doesn’t’ pay: Sajid Khan’s remake of 1981 film ‘Himmatwala‘ turned out to be the biggest debacle of 2013. After giving hits like ‘Housefull‘, Sajid Khan was quite sure that ‘Himmatwala‘ would do wonders at the box office but it failed miserably.

Couple, that isn’t: Hrtithik Roshan and Sussane Roshan parted ways. They got separated after 13 years of marriage and 17 years of relationship. …
Oh, Ghosh! :Bengali cinema actor, director and producer ‘Rituparno Ghosh’ died on May 30, 2013. His work brought him nation-wide fame.

E: Sports 

Highs

Tail-ender has a new tale: In the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in 2013 against England, Ashton Agar from Australia struck an astonishing 98- the highest Test score ever by a No. 11. In the same match he also made a record of becoming the first teenaged Australian spinner to take a Test wicket.

Openers delight: In October 2013, Team India created a record of scoring 362 for the first wicket against Australia in an ODI match at Jaipur.

Swan song: Sachin Tendulkar broke the jinx in his final encounter as unlike many cricketing greats around the world, he ended his career with a win in his final match. In recent time, after Saurav Ganguly, Tendulkar has become the only Indian to do so.

Bharat Ratna Sachin: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar became the first sportsperson and youngest to be chosen for Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award.

Back to winning: In September 2013, Leander Paes won his eighth men’s doubles Grand Slam title, and 14th overall, as he combined with Radek Stepanek to clinch US Open trophy with a dominating victory over Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares in the title clash, in New York.

Lows

50:50 low: This year, a total of four ODI matches, ended without any result, which is the highest number of matches in the 50 over cricketing history so far.

Unhappy Anand: Five-time title-holder Viswanathan Anand’s reign as the world champion came to a heart-breaking end with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen took the crown after a hard-fought draw in the 10th game of the World Chess Championship match in Chennai this year.

Bowled Out: Fast bowler Sreesanth was found guilty of spot-fixing during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Season Six tournament. The probe was conducted by an internal by the BCCI. He has been banned for life on September, 13 2013.

King arrest; In May 2013, Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of the BCCI president N Srinivasan, was arrested by Mumbai Police on the charges of cheating, forgery and fraud. Along Meiyappan, Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh was also arrested.  He has now been released on bail.

Down & out: In December, 2012 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) at its Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, apparently for ignoring its warning against holding its elections under the National Sports Code. The IOC objected to tainted officials standing for elections and asked the Indian federation to amend its constitution to prevent them from contesting.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2013/12/29/xinhua-unveils-top-10-domestic-events-of-2013/

Posted in Economics, India alert, Politics, Social & cultural, Technology | 1 Comment »

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31/12/2013

China to enforce new rules tackling corruption and improving transparency | South China Morning Post

Chinese authorities will put into effect on Wednesday a series of new rules aiming to tackle corruption, boost railway safety, curb exaggerated television commercials, and generally improve quality of life for the public, state media reports.

xi.jpg

Individuals will be required to declare their overseas financial assets and liabilities to the state through the country’s Administration of Foreign Exchange from January 1.

The new rule comes two days after state news agency Xinhua reported that the authorities had called for “strict enforcement” of a regulation last revised in 2010 requiring officials to report their personal and family assets to the state.

The more than 20,000 civilian personnel within the People’s Liberation Army will be stripped of the privilege of free public transportation and discounts at tourist attractions. They will be issued a new personnel card distinguishing them from the PLA’s servicemen.

Another New Year’s resolution for the authorities is to increase transparency in the country’s legal system. All judgments except those involving state secrets and individuals’ privacy rights will be published online for public scrutiny from next year. Courts across the country will also strive to standardise the sentencing system.

The media control authority will also scrutinise shopping commercials screened on nationwide television channels. It has banned all satellite television stations from running shopping commercials from 6pm to midnight, as well as limiting the screening of such commercials to less than once per hour, for no longer than three minutes each time.

Scams where people are fooled into buying products through shopping commercials in which actors grossly exaggerate product effects have been widely reported in the mainland.

Meanwhile under a new rule imposed by the railway authority, individuals found smoking, disrupting order on trains or engaging in vandalism will be fined up to 2,000 yuan (HK$2,540) while their employers will be subjected to a fine up to 50,000 yuan (HK$63,400).

The finance ministry will lower the tariffs on 760 kinds of imported products to boost consumption from January 1, while the taxation authority said it would adjust purchase tax imposed on cars that see a price drop accordingly from the new year.

via China to enforce new rules tackling corruption and improving transparency | South China Morning Post.

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31/12/2013

Tale of Xi’s dumplings draws crowd |Society |chinadaily.com.cn

\”A president\’s set meal,\” said Sun Zhengcai as he waited to be served at the Qing Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop in Beijing\’s Xicheng district.

Tale of Xi's dumplings draws crowd

Just two days earlier, on Saturday, President Xi Jinping had dropped in unexpectedly for lunch, and fame of his visit had spread far and wide.

Sun, a 33-year-old ex-soldier, could have been home on Monday if he had taken a train from Weifang, Shandong province, where he had been on a business trip, straight to Liaoning province. But he chose to change trains in Beijing with his five boxes of green turnips, making the trip six hours longer and more than 200 yuan ($33) more expensive.

Sun spent 50 yuan to store his 25 kg of turnips at the station and arrived at the shop at about noon to join a line more than 50 meters long.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, he took his \”president\’s meal\” and went to the table at which Xi had sat — where Sun joined another line to wait for a chance to sit in Xi\’s seat and have his photo taken there.

Sun then quickly moved to another table because of the large number of people who were waiting their turn to be photographed at Xi\’s table.

The first thing Sun did, however, was not to start enjoying the dumpling stuffed with pork and green onions, but to upload to WeChat, a mobile social networking app, the photo he had asked another customer to take of him.

\”The greatest honor I had during my stay in Beijing was to have a set meal of the president,\” he said in the photo.

After getting one more photo of himself in front of the shop, Sun hurried back to the train station.

\”I usually don\’t eat dumplings, but I finished all of them, just as President Xi did,\” Sun said. \”His deed showed that he is a man of the people,\” Sun added. \”I feel more confident in building a strong China under his leadership.\”

Pan Xinxin, 27, a postgraduate student at the Central University of Finance and Economics, also decided to come to taste the same meal Xi had ordered after hearing of the president\’s visit.

\”President Xi\’s deed makes me feel he is quite close to the young and not reserved, and this makes us like him very much,\” Pan said.

Pan decided to visit the restaurant because it is \”affordable\” and \”it\’s a place we can experience firsthand\”.

According to an online post from Baidu, the largest search engine in China, the term \”Qing Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop\” had been searched for 33,317 times on Saturday.

via Tale of Xi’s dumplings draws crowd |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2013/12/28/photos-of-xi-jinping-eating-at-a-popular-beijing-restaurant-go-viral-south-china-morning-post/

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31/12/2013

BBC News – India country profile – Overview

The world\’s largest democracy and second most populous country emerged as a major power in the 1990s. It is militarily strong, has major cultural influence and a fast-growing and powerful economy.

Map of India

A nuclear-armed state, it carried out tests in the 1970s and again in the 1990s in defiance of world opinion. However, India is still tackling huge social, economic and environmental problems.

The vast and diverse Indian sub-continent – from the mountainous Afghan frontier to the jungles of Burma – was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until the demise of the British Raj in 1947.

The subsequent partition of the sub-continent – into present-day India and Pakistan – sowed the seeds for future conflict. There have been three wars between India and its arch-rival Pakistan since 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

A peace process, which started in 2004, stayed on track despite tension over Kashmir and several high-profile bombings until the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, carried out by Islamist militants overwhelmingly from Pakistan and organised by the Pakistani movement Lashkar-e-Taiba. India announced that the process was on pause the following month.

Communal strife

With its many languages, cultures and religions, India is highly diverse. This is also reflected in its federal political system, whereby power is shared between the central government and 28 states.

However, communal, caste and regional tensions continue to haunt Indian politics, sometimes threatening its long-standing democratic and secular ethos.

In 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards after ordering troops to flush out Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

And in 1992, widespread Hindu-Muslim violence erupted after Hindu extremists demolished the Babri mosque at Ayodhya.

Economic progress

Independent India\’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, dreamed of a socialist society and created a vast public infrastructure, much of which became a burden on the state.

From the late 1980s India began to open up to the outside world, encouraging economic reform and foreign investment. It is now courted by the world\’s leading economic and political powers, including its one-time foe China.

The country has a burgeoning urban middle class and has made great strides in fields such as information technology. Its large, skilled workforce makes it a popular choice for international companies seeking to outsource work.

But the vast mass of the rural population remains impoverished.

Their lives continue to be influenced by the ancient Hindu caste system, which assigns each person a place in the social hierarchy. Discrimination on the basis of caste is now illegal and various measures have been introduced to empower disadvantaged groups and give them easier access to opportunities – such as education and work.

Poverty alleviation and literacy campaigns are ongoing.

Nuclear tests carried out by India in May 1998 and similar tests by Pakistan just weeks later provoked international condemnation and concern over the stability of the region.

The US quickly imposed sanctions on India, but more recently the two countries have improved their ties, and even agreed to share nuclear technology.

India launches its own satellites and in 2008 sent its first spacecraft to the moon. It also boasts a massive cinema industry, the products of which are among the most widely-watched films in the world.

via BBC News – India country profile – Overview.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2013/12/31/bbc-news-china-country-profile-overview/

Posted in Economics, History, India alert, Politics, Social & cultural | 2 Comments »

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30/12/2013

BBC News – China police kill eight in Xinjiang clash

Police in China\’s restive Xinjiang region have shot dead eight people during a violent clash on Monday, a state news portal says.

Map

The clash broke out when men armed with knives and explosives attacked a police station in Yarkand county, officials say. One person has also been arrested.

The violence comes two weeks after a riot in the region, which saw 16 people killed, including two police.

Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur minority group, sees sporadic clashes.

The government traditionally blames extremists for the violence. Uighur activists, on the other hand, point to ethnic tensions and tight Chinese control as triggers for violence.

 

Verifying reports from the region is difficult because the information flow out of Xinjiang is tightly controlled.

News of the latest clash first emerged on the state-run regional Tianshan news portal.

Officials described the people who attacked the police station in Yarkand, near the old silk road city of Kashgar, as \”thugs carrying knives and throwing explosives\”.

It was not immediately clear if there were any police casualties. The incident is currently under investigation, officials say.

More than 100 people have been killed in Xinjiang this year in this and similar incidents, which Beijing blames on separatist \”terrorists\” from the Uighur group, says the BBC\’s John Sudworth in Shanghai.

via BBC News – China police kill eight in Xinjiang clash.

Posted in China alert, Economics, Ethnic clash, Internal politics, Politics, Religious clash | Leave a Comment »

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29/12/2013

Chinese officials banned from smoking in public – Xinhua | English.news.cn

Chinese officials are asked to \”take the lead\” in adhering to the smoking ban in public spaces.

The No Smoking sign, designed by one of the me...

The No Smoking sign, designed by one of the members of AIGA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to a circular from the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, officials are not allowed to smoke in schools, hospitals, sports venues, public transport vehicles, or any other venues where smoking is banned.

Government functionaries are prohibited from using public funds to buy cigarettes, nor are they permitted to smoke or offer cigarettes when performing official duties, the circular notes.

\”Smoking remains a relatively universal phenomenon in public venues. Some officials smoke in public places, which does not only jeopardized the environment and public health, but tarnished the image of Party and government offices and leaders and has a negative influence,\” reads the circular.

The sale of tobacco products and advertisements will no longer be allowed in Party and government offices. Prominent notices of smoking bans must be displayed in meeting rooms, reception offices, passageways, cafeterias and rest rooms.

China is the world\’s largest cigarette producer and consumer. The number of smokers exceeds 300 million, with at least 740 million nonsmokers regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

In 2003, China signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and it became effective in January 2006. The FCTC requires a reduction in tobacco supply as well as consumption. The 12th Five-Year plan (2011-2015) promised to ban smoking in public places.

Experts are widely critical of the current government effort, which lags far behind the FCTC standard, and no national law is yet in place banning smoking in indoor public places.

via Chinese officials banned from smoking in public – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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29/12/2013

Centre mulls $3 billion fund for Muslims’ education – The Times of India

The Centre on Saturday said it will soon announce a special fund to the tune of $3 billion for uplift of the Muslim people by providing infrastructure, mainly for education.

\”We need infrastructure. Indian Muslims need education and for that we need infrastructure. Currently we lack in infrastructure,\” Union minister for minority affairs K Rahman Khan said here.

\”We are working on to create a fund of $2-3 billion, which will be around Rs 10,000-15,000 crore. Even if only one per cent of Indian Muslims donate, we will be able to generate this amount,\” Khan said while delivering the keynote address during a function of American Federation of Muslims of India origin.

He said Muslim people in India have the resources but only need the mechanism to generate and manage the fund.

When asked by when the government is likely to finalize the fund, Khan said \”We have been working on this for some time. Now we are going to announce it very soon.\”

He further said the government is taking all necessary steps to improve the conditions of the Muslims.

\”The only priority of Indian Muslims is education. If you are educated, the society can be changed … Do not think that you are a minority, think that you are the second largest population in India,\” Khan said.

via Centre mulls $3 billion fund for Muslims’ education – The Times of India.

Posted in Discrimination, Economics, education, ethnic minority, India alert, Politics, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

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29/12/2013

Xinhua unveils top 10 domestic events of 2013

From: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/29/c_133004960.htm

China’s top ten domestic events in 2013

1. Leadership transition

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was elected president in the government transition, replacing Hu Jintao. Li Keqiang was appointed premier.

2. Giant steps in space

Three astronauts went into space aboard the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft on June 11 and returned to Earth on June 26.

During the 15-day mission, Shenzhou-10 docked twice with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-1; once without any intervention by the crew and once manually. The astronauts conducted medical experiments and delivered a lecture to students on Earth about basic physics.

On Dec. 2, China’s lunar probe Chang’e-3, with moon rover Yutu aboard, successfully landed on the moon, the first time that a Chinese spacecraft has soft-landed on an extraterrestrial body.

3. “Mass line” campaign

The Chinese leadership launched a one-year “mass-line” campaign in June to clean up four undesirable work styles — formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance — to improve interactions between CPC officials, Party members and the people at large.

(Note: this item also includes the anti-corruption campaign to bring sown both “tigers and flies”)

4. A better atmosphere

The State Council issued the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in September to control PM2.5 (airborne particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns) and reduce the number of smoggy days. The 10 point plan includes limits to pollutant emissions, optimization of energy use and upgrades to technology.

5. Trial of Bo Xilai

Jinan Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Bo Xilai, once secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and disgraced member of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee, to life imprisonment for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of his power on Sept. 22 after a public trial.

When Bo appealed to a higher court his appeal was rejected and the original sentence upheld.

6. Shanghai FTZ opens for business

On Sept. 29 the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone was launched, as a sandbox for market reform and a boost to economic vitality.

7. CPC draws reform roadmap

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee from Nov. 9 to 12, adopted resolutions on numerous important issues and promised comprehensively deeper reform, including a decisive role for the market in allocating resources, changes to the one-child policy and an end to he system of reeducation through labor.

8. Death at work

A total of 121 people were killed and 76 injured when a fire ripped through a poultry plant in Dehui City in northeast China’s Jilin Province on June 3.

On Nov. 22, an explosion on a section of Sinopec’s underground pipeline in the eastern city of Qingdao in Shandong Province killed 62 people and injured 136.

9. China establishes air defense identification zone

China announced an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone on Nov. 23, requiring all aircraft to report their flight plans and establish identification communications when passing through the area.

The zone includes airspace within the area enclosed the outer limit of China’s territorial waters and six other points.

The zone does not target any specific country and has not affected flight plans of any other countries’ aircraft.

10. Urbanization picks up the pace

The highest level meeting on urbanization from Dec. 12 to 13, promised a steady push towards human-centered urbanization, balancing urban-rural development and stimulating domestic demand.

Focusing on the quality of urbanization and urban living standards, the meeting made helping migrant workers to win urbanite status the number one priority.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2013/12/31/india-year-in-review-2013-highs-lows/

Posted in China alert, Economics, Politics, Social & cultural, Technology | 1 Comment »

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28/12/2013

Li drops in to help realize home dream|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn

For Li Zongyi, 77, an unexpected visitor to her home has realized her decades-long dream.

The guest was Premier Li Keqiang. During a one-day trip to Tianjin on Friday, he paid a surprising visit to Li Zongyi\’s home in the Xiyuzhuang community, one of the oldest shantytowns in the city, and promised residents that they will be able to move into new apartments in the next year.

Han Huixia, Li Zongyi\’s daughter, said: \”I have been waiting for this moment for so long. I dare not burn coal to keep warm in winter, in case there is a gas leak or a fire.\”

Like families in the Xiyuzhuang community, hundreds of millions of residents in shantytowns nationwide are expected to move into new apartments, analysts said, as the country pushes ahead with renovation projects for these areas.

Huang Xiaohu, a researcher at a consultancy center affiliated to the Ministry of Land and Resources, said the renovation of some shanty areas can be very difficult, due to the complexity of the local population, a lack of financial support, and disagreements among residents on the relocation plan.

The Xiyuzhuang community, covering 64 hectares and with low-income residents comprising 20 percent of its households, is a typical case, Huang said, as the cost of compensation is too high.

\”The only way out in this case is to let the government play the dominant role and provide residents with low-cost houses, instead of costly commercial apartments,\” he said.

A State Council meeting in June pledged to improve housing conditions for the underprivileged and to promote urbanization by accelerating shantytown reform.

Urbanization will also be pushed for another 100 million people living in the country\’s less developed western areas.

To achieve the target, the government will encourage private capital and enterprises to invest in the shantytown transformation, and will allow local authorities to use corporate bonds to solve the financing problem.

As of 2013, China has solved the housing problems of 2.18 million households living in shantytown areas and embarked on projects that could solve such problems for another 3.23 million households, 6 percent higher than planned.

Tao Ran, a professor at Renmin University of China, said the government has looked to the resettlement of residents in shanty areas to be one of its key economic drives in coming years.

But some fundamental work should be addressed before any steps are taken, he said.

Tao suggested that a universal guideline be introduced for local governments to follow during demolition of homes to avoid misconduct and conflicts.

via Li drops in to help realize home dream|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn.

Posted in China alert, Economics, housing, Low income, Politics, Social & cultural, urban development | Leave a Comment »

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28/12/2013

Photos of Xi Jinping eating at a popular Beijing restaurant go viral | South China Morning Post

Fans of China\’s President Xi Jinping said they were pleasantly surprised after photos of him dining in a popular Beijing steamed bun restaurant went viral.

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Pictures, taken and shared by fellow diners, showed a casually-dressed, smiling Xi queuing up at a Qingfeng steamed bun restaurant in the capital. Xi, who appeared to be dining alone, was seen to have placed his own order at the counter, paid for it, and carried his tray before sitting down to enjoy his meal in the room full of people.

Diners, after realising who they were sitting close to, strove for a glimpse of Xi. Many used their phones to record the unusual encounter, which Xi didn\’t seem to mind.

\”Only leaders who care about ordinary guys will do this, and he will win respect and care from his people,\” wrote one blogger.

\”I can\’t believe my eyes – President Xi lined up, paid his own bill, and fetched his own food,\” read a message posted on the official Weibo page of the People\’s Daily.

Others, however, weren\’t so impressed.

\”It\’s just a show and people should stop reacting like they were slaves\” one microblogger wrote .

\”Start thanking him when China has fixed the food safety issues,\” read another comment.

An average meal costs 16 yuan (HK$21) at a Qingfeng steamed bun restaurant, a popular chain store in the Chinese capital, according to restaurant review websties.

via Photos of Xi Jinping eating at a popular Beijing restaurant go viral | South China Morning Post.

Posted in austerity, China alert, frugality, Social & cultural | 1 Comment »

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