A Chinese atomic energy official said the country will fine tune its nuclear energy safety standards, develop its emergency response system and improve the management of spent fuel.

Wang Yiren, vice head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, told Xinhua that during the 13th Five Year period (2016-2020), China will undertake a number of nuclear-related projects.

Research into the processing of spent fuel will be conducted, according to Wang, who is also deputy head of China Atomic Energy Authority.

In response to concerns over the safety of inland nuclear power projects, Wang said such worries are understandable, but assured that the projects would be secure.

As energy demands in inland regions have increased, the need for inland nuclear power projects has increased, he said.

Wang said the authorities have also organized expert discussions on the construction of nuclear power stations at sea, to support offshore oil and gas exploitation and the country’s islands.

The official also pledged efforts to ensure the supply of uranium resources and nuclear fuel for nuclear energy development.

The nomination period for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)’s fifth term chief executive election started on Tuesday and will run until March 1.

“A nomination form must be subscribed by no less than 150 members of the Election Committee and each member can nominate only one candidate,” a Registration and Electoral Office (REO) spokesman said.

A candidate must submit the completed nomination form in person during the nomination period, the spokesman added.

Woo Kwok-hing, Ip Lau Suk-yee, Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Tsang Chun-wah have announced their candidacy.

According to Hong Kong Basic Law, a Chinese citizen of no less than 40 years of age who is a permanent resident of Hong Kong SAR with no right of abode in any foreign country and has ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of no less than 20 years, is eligible to be nominated as a candidate.

The chief executive election will be held on March 26, when the Election Committee composed of nearly 1,200 members elects the fifth term chief executive to be appointed by the central government of China, by secret ballot.

Twenty five people have been arrested in two separate instances of fly-tipping, in which more than 100,000 tonnes of garbage was carelessly dumped last year, the People’s Procuratorate of Zhejiang Province in east China said Tuesday.

The 25 suspects have been implicated in two cases that occurred between May and December last year.

In one case, over 90,000 tonnes of household trash from Haiyan County, Zhejiang, was either dumped at sites across the provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui, or thrown into the Nantong section of the Yangtze River in east China’s Jiangsu Province.

In the other case, more than 10,990 tonnes of trash from Haining City, Zhejiang, was collected and 9,747 tonnes of it was dumped into the Yangtze River between November and December, causing serious water pollution and economic losses of over 300,000 yuan (about 43,725 U.S. dollars).

The investigation continues.

Local police officers shot and killed three rioters armed with knives that attacked and injured 10 people in a residential community in Pishan county in the southwest part of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Tuesday evening, according to xjht.gov.cn, a news portal run by the local government.

Five of the 10 people injured by the mob died later in hospital. The rest are being treated. The rioters had earlier stormed the residential community and hacked randomly at residents. An investigation is under way.

14 February 2017

Jean Lambert MEP: “While the European Parliament is moving forward on whistleblower safeguards, the UK appears determined to move backwards”

The European Parliament has today (Tuesday, 14 February) voted in favour of a report calling for the protection of whistleblowers across the EU.

At the same time, the Conservative government is desperately attempting to defending its proposals to launch a ‘full frontal attack‘ on whistleblowers in the UK.

Commenting after today’s vote, Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London and a member of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee, said:

“At a time when Theresa May is failing to convincingly defend her government’s proposals for a damaging and chilling attack on whistleblowers, the European Parliament has once again called for the EU to implement new protections for whistleblowers across the EU.”

“Green MEPs have long been pushing for EU-wide legislation that would protect whistleblowers in all areas of EU competence. This way, citizens across Europe will be able to speak up about environmental crimes, human rights violations, and other wrongdoing without fear of reprisal.”

“While the European Parliament is moving forward on whistleblower safeguards, the UK appears determined to move backwards; undermining freedom of the press and the fundamental principles of democracy along the way.”

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