The EU is not happy with the results of the Turkish referendum. Some EU politicians argue the campaign was not properly conducted, with irregularities in voting, undue pressures on some voters and one sided media coverage heavily influenced by the government line. Many in the EU believe the changes will be bad for Turkish democracy, giving the President substantial new powers to govern without proper checks from Parliament and the courts.

This response is likely to harden those attitudes in Turkey which think the EU has been playing them along for too many years without allowing them to join the EU as full members. The first EEC/Turkey Association Agreement was signed in 1963. In 1970 the Customs Union was developed with Turkey, and more progress was made with a fuller document in 1992.  The original aim was for Turkey to be a full member of the Customs Union, to be part of many common policies, and to reach freedom of movement with the EU.  In 2013 a worried EU signed a Readmission Agreement with Turkey to get Turkey to take back more people, and on March 18 2016 a wider ranging policy was signed to enlist Turkey’s help in controlling migration across the Med.

The supporters of President Erdogan claim the referendum was fairly fought and conducted with plenty of outside vigilance and interest. They remind the many critics that the 18 changes to the Turkish constitution passed through Parliament with substantial majorities, typically around 340 votes in favour and 140 votes against on an Article by Article basis in a 550 seat Parliament. The changes include an extra 50 MPs, 5 yearly Parliamentary and Presidential elections, and a requirement for impartiality by judges. Parliament can pass a law to  overrule a Presidential decree and can institute a Parliamentary review of the government. Judicial review is also introduced for government actions. The military courts are abolished.

His critics think he will have too much power through appointing and influencing judges, using the powers to rule by decree, and acting as the Leader of his political party. They seem to think he will be able to win a couple of elections easily to stay in government for the next decade. They do not rate the Parliament as an effective check on the new government.

The EU is making a mess of handling its relations with its neighbours to the East. Ukraine is badly split and damaged by civil war. Now Turkey is moving away from the EU’s model of Association. What should the EU now do to make the situation better? What type of relationship is now realistic and desirable?

The confession of fallen senior leader Su Rong is part of a textbook for Party members in the province he once served as Party chief.

Su, former vice chairman of the China’s top political advisory body, is now spending the rest of his life behind bars for graft.

He was also held accountable for serious corruption in Jiangxi Province, where he was Party chief between 2007 and 2013, according to the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

After an inspection team sent to Jiangxi pointed out the delay in handling follow-up issues of Su’s case in last October, the provincial CPC committee launched a series of campaigns to educate Party members.

A total of 43 prefecture-level officials involved in Su’s case have been investigated so far.

The moves are examples from the changes brought by the 10th round of inspection initiated by the central authority in last July.

Inspections covered 32 central agencies and provincial regions. Inspection teams were also deployed to four provincial regions that have been inspected in previous rounds, including Jiangxi.

Following the inspections, a number of changes have been made.

The Party group of the National Audit Office set up a tracing system to supervise the progress of corrections in response to inspectors’ instruction.

The Party group of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee has started dissolving affiliated companies.

The Party committee of the Ministry of Public Security pushed forward regulations and mechanisms to strengthen reforms in selecting officials.

Major celebrations of China’s Space Day will start on April 24 in Xi’an, capital city of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.

This year’s celebrations will focus on the applications of space technology in economic and social development, said Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

Chinese astronauts and scientists will give talks during the celebrations, and exhibitions will be held in Northwestern Polytechnical University, said Tian.

The exhibitions will showcase the achievements of China’s lunar probe and the BeiDou satellite navigation system.

China designated April 24 as Space Day last year to mark the anniversary of the country’s first satellite launch Dongfanghong-1 in 1970.

Xi’an is home to more than 200 aerospace research centers and enterprises.

Also, there will be over 200 events in other cities in China to celebrate the Space Day.

China has begun a series of changes to the rules regarding permanent residence for foreigners, according to a plan issued by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

The “foreigner’s permanent residence card” will be renamed as the “foreigner’s permanent residence identity card.”

Similar to the identity cards used by Chinese citizens, foreigners’ identity information will be embedded in the chips on the machine-readable cards, to be shared by railways, airlines, insurance agencies, hotels and banks.

The old version cannot be recognized by machines, and foreigners often face difficulties in identity authentication, said an official at the MPS.

“The card makes everything easier,” said Jonathan, an American who has been in China for over 20 years and received his Chinese green card three years ago.

“What’s inconvenient is that so few foreigners have them, and people don’t know how to deal with it,” he admitted. “I hope that staff at both government departments and service sectors will be more familiar with its functions.”

Foreigners can apply for the new version of permanent residence identity card at the original registration authority, while people can still use the old version until the expiration date.

Approved by the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, the reform plan serves the nation’s talent development strategy, which is to attract more innovative and entrepreneurial talent, and responds to social concerns, said the MPS official.

The reform will also provide foreigners with easier access to public services.

The related technical work is expected to be finished by June, and then foreigners can apply for new cards.

In 2016, 1,576 foreigners became permanent residents in China, an increase of 163 percent over the previous year, according to the MPS.

China has made huge progress in easing its residence and entry policies for foreigners since September 2015, which has helped attract more talent from overseas and boosted international exchanges.