Environment

New monitoring standards

China on Jan 1 started to issue daily reports on air quality in 74 major Chinese cities by adopting more extensive monitoring standards, including the level of PM 2.5 - the smallest and most dangerous pollution particles. Five other pollutants, including ozone and carbon monoxide, were also placed under the new monitoring standard issued in February by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The previous standard only covered PM 10 - particulate matter up to 10 micrometers in size, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.

The data is updated on an hourly basis. People can also check the information for these pollutants monitored in the previous 24 hours at various monitoring stations in the 74 cities.

Transport

Traffic rules tightened

Drivers in China will have to pay more attention to traffic rules or risk paying much higher penalties, according to a revised regulation that took effect on Jan 1.

The regulation on the application and use of driving licenses, issued by the Ministry of Public Security in October, aims to bring drivers under greater oversight and prevent traffic violations, the ministry said.

The revised regulation imposes heavier penalties on drivers who violate traffic rules. Under the new rules, 52 different types of violations are now punishable, compared with 38 under the previous regulations.

The new rules also make the penalties for certain common traffic violations stricter. Running a red light can result in the deduction of six points from an offender's driving license, up from three points earlier. Some other common violations, such as speeding, making phone calls while driving, and drinking and driving, will also result in heavier penalties.

Science

Beidou helps put region on map

The Beidou navigation system began providing services for civilians in the Asia-Pacific region on Dec 27. After going through a one-year trial operation and adding six more satellites in 2012, Beidou, in terms of performance, is "comparable" to the United States' GPS, Ran Chengqi, spokesman for the China Satellite Navigation Office, said. Beidou now has a constellation of 16 navigation satellites and four experimental satellites.

Its positioning accuracy has also improved, from 25 meters horizontally and 30 meters vertically at the beginning of the trial operation to the current 10 meters both horizontally and vertically, he said.

Health

Paper offers cure for system

Despite the long-term challenges China faces in providing people with high-quality medical care, particularly in rural areas, the top health authority has vowed to ease patients' economic burden.

By 2015, individual out-of-pocket medical spending will be reduced to below 30 percent from the current 34.8 percent, said Vice-Minister of Health Zhang Mao at the launch of the country's first white paper on medical and health services. The rate should be kept below 30 percent to prevent patients from going broke in case of major diseases, according to Zhang.

The figure in China has declined to its current level from nearly 60 percent in 2001.

China Daily

(China Daily 01/04/2013 page2)