Society

　　Navigation System

　　A domestically developed， high-precision global positioning system went into operation in China on April 25， further improving the capability of the country’s satellite navigation system.

　　Xihe， named after an ancient Chinese god， was developed by the National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). It has an outdoor accuracy of 1 meter and an indoor accuracy of 3 meters， the NRSCC said.

　　Xihe can identify and connect with various satellite navigation systems， including China’s homegrown Beidou， which many other positioning systems cannot identify.

　　The system has undergone trials in Beijing， Shanghai and Tianjin， according to the NRSCC.

　　Jing Guife， NRSCC Deputy Director， said that the system will play an important role in many areas， including positioning， transportation and the Internet of Things.

　　“It will also help extend the application of the Beidou system， which enjoys a smaller market compared with other international competitors，” Jing said.

　　According to a white paper issued by the MOST in 2013， the Xihe system will cover more than 100 Chinese cities and benefit more than 100 million households by 2020.

　　Environmental Law

　　The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， China’s top legislature， on April 24 voted to adopt revisions to the Environmental Protection Law， the first change to the legislation in 25 years.

　　With the addition of 23 articles， raising the total to 70 compared with 47 in the original law， the revised law sets environmental protection as the country’s basic policy.

　　The law gives harsher punishments to environmental wrongdoing， and has specific articles and provisions on tackling smog， promoting environmental protection awareness and protecting whistleblowers.

　　It says that citizens should adopt a low-carbon and frugal lifestyle and perform environmental protection duties， and nominates June 5 as Environment Day.

　　The revised law will go into effect from January 1， 2015.

　　Clean Days

　　More than half of the number of days in the first three months of the year saw clean air， according to results from 74 Chinese cities that were monitored.

　　Forty-eight days out of 90， or 53.1 percent， had clean air， up 5.1 percent year on year， the Ministry of Environmental Protection revealed on April 25.

　　The 10 cities with the most serious air pollution were Xingtai， Shijiazhuang， Baoding， Tangshan， Handan， Hengshui， Jinan， Xi’an， Langfang and Chengdu—most of which are in the country’s north—the ministry said in a report.

　　Air pollution in the region surrounding Beijing was worse than other parts of the country during the three months， and the 13 monitored cities in the region experienced days that failed to meet standards 69.4 percent of the time， while the national average stood at around 47 percent.

　　There was a slight drop in the density of PM2.5 and PM10 (airborne particles less than 2.5 micrometers and 10 micrometers， respectively) in March compared with the same period of last year， the report added.

　　Work Safety

　　Chinese prosecutors will strengthen supervision over officials whose dereliction of duty has caused unsafe work conditions， an official from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) told Xinhua News Agency on April 27.

　　Prosecutors will target malpractice by officials that leads to major accidents or the postponement of rescue operations， the unnamed official with the SPP’s Duty Dereliction and Rights Infringement Bureau said.

　　Priorities will include supervision of the transportation of dangerous chemicals， natural gas and oil， infrastructure construction， the environment， and food safety. Officials who cover up， delay or give false information about work safety accidents， or instruct others to do so， will be punished severely， according to the SPP official.

　　SPP statistics show that from 2008 to 2013， nearly 5，500 officials were investigated or prosecuted for dereliction of duty in more than 4，000 cases. Prosecutors have recovered economic losses worth more than 2 billion yuan ($320 million).

　　Beijing Treaty

　　China’s top legislature ratified the Beijing Treaty on audiovisual performances on April 24， a document overseen by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

　　During its bimonthly session， the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress ratified the treaty， which was submitted by the State Council， China’s cabinet.

　　Approved in June 2012 at a WIPO Diplomatic Conference in Beijing， the 30-article treaty is expected to protect the rights of film actors and other performers.

　　The treaty stipulates that contracting parties shall provide enforcement to ensure effective action against infringement on intellectual property rights covered by the treaty as well as remedies to deter further infringements.

　　Sturgeon Reserve

　　A nature reserve will be set up to protect Chinese sturgeons， a threatened species of fish， at the Yangtze River estuary in Shanghai， authorities announced on April 24.

　　The reserve， to be located in Yingdong Village in Chongming County， will cover an area of about 55，900 square meters， according to the Shanghai Agriculture Committee (SAC).

　　The conservation zone will include laboratory buildings， fish rescue facilities， an outdoor fishpond and an artificial purification system for wetland water. Construction will begin in May， the SAC said.

　　The reserve is expected to help sturgeons as well as other endangered aquatic animals survive and breed. It will also contribute to scientific research.

　　Believed to have lived at the same time as dinosaurs， acipenser sinensis， the Chinese sturgeon， has existed for more than 140 million years. The fish， sometimes called “aquatic pandas，” is listed as a wild creature under state protection.

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