The Shenzhou X spacecraft and its rocket are moved into position at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province on June 3. Provided to China Daily

Space

Center prepares for new manned mission

China will launch a manned spacecraft in the middle of this month for its third space rendezvous and docking mission, a spokesperson said.

The spacecraft will send three astronauts to the Tiangong-1 space module, which has been orbiting Earth since 2011, and for the first time astronauts will give a science lecture from space to adolescents.

The unnamed spokesperson for China's manned space program said in a news release that the Shenzhou X spacecraft and its rocket were moved to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, a remote site in the Gobi desert, on June 3.

In the next few days, the launch center will carry out the final checks of the condition of the spaceship and the launch vehicle, before the Long March 2F rocket carrier blasts off with the spaceship on top.

Society

Campaign to help find breastfeeding rooms

A national campaign promoting breastfeeding rooms in workplaces and public buildings was launched in Beijing on May 30 to help more babies benefit from "natural food".

The United Nations Children's Fund and the National Center for Women and Children's Health launched the "10m2 of Love" campaign before International Children's Day on June 1.

The campaign organizers have established a web portal, unicef.cn/10m2, where any organization can register breastfeeding rooms for employees or customers that adhere to international standards.

The suggested criteria for establishing such facilities in public buildings include a clean room with moderate temperature, a low and comfortable chair and wash-basin or hand sanitizer. Formula advertisements and similar information is banned.

Services

International accent on services

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development announced that it will establish a council to promote the services industry globally.

"We have opportunities to highlight the importance of the sector," said Guillermo Valles, director of UNCTAD's Division on International Trade on Goods, Services and Commodities.

The announcement came at the Global Service Forum-Beijing Summit, which was held in conjunction with the China International Fair for Trade in Services.

"We are delighted to be together at CIFTIS because China shows world leadership and its success and creativity in the sector," he said.

With the establishment of the council, UNCTAD aims to increase awareness of trade in services.

Regulation calls for better care for seniors

Care homes for seniors should take measures to treat residents' mental health, and may face fines or criminal charges if discrimination, abuse or other violations are discovered, according to draft regulations.

The draft regulations on nursing organizations for seniors state that nursing centers should provide psychological consultations for the elderly and cater to different individuals' needs rather than neglect their mental health.

The draft said nursing organizations would be fined up to 30,000 yuan ($4,890; 3741 euros) if caregivers or other workers discriminate, humiliate, abuse or abandon senior residents. If their behavior breaks the law, they will be held responsible, the draft says.

Environment

Plastic ban fails with ultra-thin bags

The use of ultra-thin plastic bags is still widespread five years after the introduction of a national ban aimed to reduce pollution and save energy, a report said.

In April, the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, said the use of plastic bags had plunged since regulations were enforced on June 1, 2008.

Plastic bag use in large supermarkets and shopping malls has decreased by more than two-thirds, the commission said, while retail outlets saved the equivalent of 1 million metric tons of plastic by handing out 67 billion fewer bags.

The State Council regulation also banned the production, sale and use of super-thin bags - 0.025 mm or less - as well as forbidded retailers from offering free plastic bags.

Aviation

First 787 Dreamliner delivered to China

The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner jetliner arrived in China at Guangzhou on June 2, almost five years behind schedule amid production delays - including an international grounding of the planes this year after two battery fires.

China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, the largest airline in China by fleet size, is the first Chinese carrier and 10th in the world to use the 787 Dreamliner.

China Southern ordered 10 Dreamliners, eight of which will be delivered by the end of this year, said Tan Wangeng, general manager of China Southern Air Holding Co. "All 10 new aircraft are slated for delivery to our fleet by the close of 2014."

The first Dreamliner were to get three days of test flights before being put into service on the airline's Guangzhou-Beijing route on June 6.

Incident

Slaughterhouse fire leaves 120 dead

A fire in a slaughterhouse in Jilin province killed at least 120 workers, making it one of the deadliest fires in the country in the past 20 years.

The fire broke out at 6:06 am on June 3 in the workshop of Jiling Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co in Dehui, about 100 kilometers from the provincial capital, Changchun.

About 300 workers were in the slaughterhouse when the fire broke out. Many were unable to escape because some exits were locked during working hours, a common practice in plants such as the one in Dehui, survivors said.

The provincial fire department said the blaze was caused by a leak of liquified ammonia, but China Youth Daily quoted the mayor of Dehui as saying the cause was still being investigated. Liquefied ammonia is kept pressurized as part of the cooling system in meat processing plants.

Several people were being held in connection with the fire, the local government said.

Employment

Business tyros need more help: expert

Entrepreneurship training on college campuses should be boosted to help students get ahead in the tough job market, an education and recruitment expert says.

Without any guidance from older entrepreneurs, only a few students have succeed in starting a business after graduating, said Du Kui, executive president of Youth Business China, a nonprofit program that aims to promote entrepreneurship among young people.

He estimated that the success rate of such students is about 1 percent, based on his eight years of voluntary service as a mentor for the program.

Science

Dinosaur's missed dental appointment

About 190 million years ago, a dinosaur got a toothache after biting into something hard. In fact, the damage was so bad that it damaged the gum.

Scientists have found the fossilized jawbone of Sinosaurus, which could be the earliest discovered animal that had a dental disease.

Scientists from China, the United States and Canada held a dental consultation on the dinosaur, taking X-rays and writing a report on its toothache, which was published in Chinese Science Bulletin last week.

"It was common for carnivorous dinosaurs to lose teeth, but this specimen we were studying was different," said Xing Lida, who co-authored the research report.

China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 06/07/2013 page3)