Xiang Junbo, chairman of China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), is currently under probe, according to China’s top anti-graft authority.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said in an online statement Sunday that Xiang was being investigated for suspected serious violation of the Party’s code of conduct.

Xiang is also Party chief of CIRC.

Tibet’s first original cartoon series will hit TV screens in May, featuring stories about legendary Tibetan folk hero Agu Dainba, a Nasreddin-like figure.

The Tibet Tianli Company will produce the cartoon, which will be broadcast via Tibetan media, including Tibet TV Station and Lhasa TV Station, over 52 episodes. The series will use puppet animation and be dubbed in the Tibetan language.

Agu Dainba, or Uncle Dainba, is a household name in Tibet. In Tibetan folklore, he is noted for his intelligence and helping free the poor from their feudal rulers.

The cartoon will retell over 20 stories about the wise man, known for his funny stories and anecdotes.

The producer will also publish a series of cartoon books and other related products to roll-out nationwide.

The folk figure appeared in Tibet’s first comedy in 1983. Playwright Soinam Cering said that he had collected more than 200 stories about Uncle Dainba from local people.

Another cartoon production was launched in Tibet Autonomous Region last year, featuring Gesar, another Tibetan legend.

Based on “The Epic of King Gesar,” a World Intangible Cultural Heritage item listed by UNESCO, the cartoon is still under production.

The masterpiece of Tibetan folk literature has been preserved by local singers and storytellers since the 12th century.

Tibet started a census on intangible cultural heritage in 2006 to preserve and promote traditional cultural resources. Over 1,000 forms of intangible cultural heritage, including music, dance, craftsmanship,medicine and folkways, were recorded in the census.

“The Epic of King Gesar” and Tibetan opera were among 89 items recognized as national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Before the EU referendum the Scottish economy was growing far more slowly than the UK as a whole. From the 2008 crash to 2015 the Scottish economy only advanced by 4% in cash terms, compared to 23% for the UK. Since the referendum the Scottish economy has continued to underperform. On the latest figures the UK is growing around 1.2% real more per annum than Scotland, with the Scottish economy in danger of stalling.

It clearly isn’t the EU referendum doing that as a few would suggest. It is a longer term Scottish  trend. Part of the reason is the decline in oil output. The North Sea fields are in decline. As oil volumes and revenues tail off, so that has knock on effects to the supply industries and the service sector that has lived off the oil industry where it is strong.

Recent figures show disappointing results for manufacturing as a whole, and a weak balance of payments. Scotland spends more per head in the public sector than England. Scotland borrows more as a percentage of GDP to support public spending than the UK as a whole. If larger deficits and higher public spending made for more growth , Scotland would have a more successful economy than England. It does not seem to.

I would be interested in views on why Scotland has been lagging, and what the Scottish government can and should do about it. The SNP live on the fact that the Scottish average GDP per head is  not too bad compared to the UK and European averages, but this relies on the residual advantages of a declining North Sea oil sector and past achievements from pre the 2008 crash. They need to answer more of the questions about the disappointing performance over the last decade when they have been in office, and to explain why so far their approach has not even succeeded in getting Scotland back to the average growth rate for the UK as a whole. The crash of course hit the high value added financial sector whose Investment Bank activities were concentrated in London, but this has  not had the same impact on the London economy as the oil decline on the Scottish one.