Glutinous rice balls proved a popular Lantern Festival treat at the Laoshe Teahouse in Beijing on Feb 24. The festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the Chinese new year. Wang Jing / China Daily

Economy

Sea level continues to rise

China's sea level hit a record high last year due to global warming and land subsidence, threatening millions of coastal residents, a government report says. The report, published by the State Oceanic Administration on Feb 26, said that last year, the sea level rose 122 millimeters more than the average level from 1975 to 1993, about 53 mm higher than it was in 2011.

"The rising temperatures from increasing greenhouse gas emissions and land subsidence nationwide led to the high seas," said Liu Kexiu of the National Marine Data and Information Service.

Last year, average air temperatures in coastal areas rose 0.4 degree above the average from 1975 to 1993, and sea temperatures rose 0.3 degree, according to the report.

Scientists estimate the situation will be worse by 2050, when sea levels may rise up to 200 mm and submerge about 87,000 square kilometers of coast, the report warns.

Society

Technology used to combat graft

The government has improved the way it deals with corruption and is increasingly using technology to combat graft, but experts say preventing the technology from being abused need to be considered.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a report on China's rule of law on Feb 25, which stated that the country's disciplinary authorities at every level have developed and applied technology to their anti-corruption work, such as online approval platforms and bribery record systems.

Last year, a system tracking companies and people who pay bribes was put into effect, which means prosecutors can check nationwide bribery information online, according to the report. The country has made great progress on bribery prevention in this way, it said.

Pharma

Partnership to track counterfeits

Internet search giant Baidu has teamed up with China's top drug authority to help crack down on counterfeit drugs and illegal websites trading shoddy products.

The alliance means Chinese netizens, of whom there are 560 million on the mainland, will have access via Baidu to basic information, authorized by the State Food and Drug Administration, about more than 180,000 kinds of drugs including the producer, description and dosage, said Zhu Guang, vice-president of Baidu.

Baidu will identify online drug stores approved by the administration in related search results, to help consumers make the right choices, he said.

Organ donor system expanded

The pilot organ donation network will be extended across China by the end of the year, a top health official said.

Zhao Baige, executive vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, said on Feb 25 that it would urge all provinces and regions not covered by the program to add it by the end of the year.

Led by the Ministry of Health and the society, the organ donation program aims to establish viable systems to share the information of dead organ donors and people waiting for donations, and to match donations between the two across the country.

The pilot program began in March 2010, and 19 provinces have already adopted it. By Feb 22, the 19 provinces had procured 1,804 organs from 659 dead donors, Zhao said.

Education

System to reduce dropouts

A planned nationwide education accountability system aims to reduce the number of students who drop out because of closures and rural-school mergers, the Ministry of Education said.

Du Kewei, a ministry official in charge of basic education, said local governments have been asked to work out plans for their rural elementary and junior high schools for the next three years.

The plans must be submitted to central education authorities by the end of June. No closures or mergers will be allowed until the new local plans come out, Du said at a news conference.

Media

Search for logo that says it all

Asia News Network has launched a logo contest with the theme "Emerging Asia" to reflect the region's expanding role on the global stage.

The logo contest is the first of its kind undertaken by the world's largest newspaper network and will net the major winner $3,000 (2,280 euros).

The first round of the contest will involve online voting in which 20 finalists will be chosen. Editors and art directors from ANN will comprise the judges for the final round, to be held at the annual board meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, late next month. The winner will be announced on April 30.

For more details on the contest, visit www.asianewsnet.net/logocontest. The deadline for submissions is March 31.

ANN, an alliance of 22 newspapers in the region, was launched in 1999. Apart from its website and news services, it also publishes AsiaNews magazine, which will go digital later this year.

China Daily

(China Daily 03/01/2013 page2)