The environmental authority has uncovered 140 problems during an air pollution inspection of 18 cities in north China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region and nearby areas.

Inspectors were despatched on an unannounced check of 363 government agencies and businesses, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Monday in an online statement.

Many local authorities need to elaborate on and improve their pollution response plans, the MEP said.

In Huairou District, Beijing, enterprises were found to be operating despite being ordered to halt or reduce production when air quality worsens. Only two companies in Suning County, Cangzhou City, north China’s Hebei Province, are subject to the restrictive measure.

The cities of Tianjin, Hengshui, Taiyuan and Dezhou were also criticized for “inadequate efforts.”

The MEP also named and shamed enterprises that violated official policies.

Fengshi Metallurgy Material Co., in Dengfeng City, central China’s Henan Province, falsified emission data to meet requirements. Zhuyou New Wall Material Co. in Suning blocked the door of its boiler room, hoping to fool inspectors.

China has started to intensify the fight against air pollution as cities suffered from more smoggy days in January, with northern areas the worst affected.

The share of days with good air quality in BTH was a mere 36.2 percent last month, a year-on-year drop of 19.6 percentage points.

Song Lin, former chairman of state-owned China Resources Group, stood trial on charges of embezzlement and bribery on Monday in South China’s Guangzhou City.

The trial was handled by Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate People’s Court. The procuratorate accused Song of embezzling over 9.74 million yuan (1.42 million U.S. dollars) from 2004 to 2013.

The accused is also alleged to have accepted 23.36 million yuan from 2005 to 2012 in return for helping other companies or individuals to secure project cooperation, promotion and other issues.

Song pled guilty to all charges.

Over 80 lawmakers, journalists and citizens attended the open trial.

The verdict will be announced at a later date.

Louise
Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy, commenting on
the Government’s announcement on a new internet safety strategy, said:

“The Government are passing the buck when
it comes to keeping people safe online.“

"The Digital Economy Bill – passing
through Parliament – didn’t make a single mention of online abuse or education;
they have failed to live up to their own benchmarks through the UK Council for
Child Internet Safety and have failed to introduce their long-promised
mandatory codes of practice for social media providers.”

“With
online bullying on the rise Ministers don’t need to hold another summit; they
need to take concrete action. That’s why Labour has called for statutory online
education to be introduced so children can make informed decisions online and
ask questions in a safe environment; for the introduction of mandatory codes of
practice for social media providers to prevent abuse; and for the Government to
stop the neglect of child mental health services.”

27 February 2017

The Green Party is deeply concerned by proposed changes to PIP payments, which will affect more than 160,000 people [1].

George Freeman MP defended the proposal by saying disability benefits should go to “really disabled people” not those “taking pills at home, who suffer from anxiety” [2].

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“The Government by its own admission is targeting the disabled to try to balance its books. This ruthless and underhand move is designed simply to cut disability benefits, regardless of the impact on people’s lives.

“The Government is deliberately going against the two tribunals that ruled the payments should have more reach, not less. George Freeman’s defence of these changes was appalling and revealed a lack of understanding and nothing less than discrimination against people who face serious health conditions like anxiety. His comments are part of the terrible stigma that still exists around mental health, and reinforces it.

“With the Spring Budget approaching the Government should urgently reconsider its plans. This will hurt thousands of people, put up more social barriers and restrict them from going about their daily lives. Disabled people should not be penalised and forced to pay for a budget deficit which they did not create.”

Mags Lewis, Green Party disability spokesperson, said:

“Disabled people are already on the brink, having faced vicious cuts, confusing benefit changes, and Government indifference. Now the Government is planning to change the goal posts yet again. As a disabled person, I know these constant onslaughts cause anxiety, hardship, and terror to disabled people’s lives. Why are we seen as an easy target for cuts? We must unite against this onslaught, fight in the courts and be heard by our Government. Enough is enough.”

Notes:

1. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/benefits-cut-change-tory-pip-9906018?service=responsive
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39097019

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China’s Ministry of Culture on Monday said 36 online game operators have been punished for providing illegal content.

The 36 online game operators, which were found providing gambling-related and other illegal content and instigating crimes, were fined and their illegal gains were confiscated, the ministry said.

The punishment came after the ministry held a random inspection tour for online games in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and others.

The ministry said it has planned another random inspection of livestreaming services, saying that the first round of inspection will select 50 of the country’s 100 operators.

Law enforcement teams will crack down on prohibited content, including immoral, superstitious and pornographic material.

Operators who break the law will be shut down if circumstances are serious, the ministry said.