China

Smoking Ban in Public Places to be Enforced

The city's ban on smoking in public areas will be enforced beginning March 1, a draft amendment to the anti-smoking law approved by the city's top legislature showed on Thursday.

Following months of debate and repeated revisions by the Shanghai People's Congress, the Shanghai Public Places Smoking Control Law now clarifies and expands its scope. The new law also imposes fines on establishments that fail to obey the restrictions.

The revisions to the law make the smoking ban more specific, giving a list of places affected. Smoking will be prohibited at places including kindergartens, schools, hospitals, stadiums, public service places, shopping malls, libraries, theaters and museums.

Entertainment venues, public areas of hotels, airports and train/port stations should ban smoking indoors and provide a separate smoking area. The law stipulates that all separate smoking areas or rooms should be ventilated. Public places must also have prominent signs indicating that smoking is prohibited.

Under the new law, places that fail to ban smoking could be penalized 2,000 to 10,000 yuan. In the case of a serious violation, they could be fined 10,000 to 30,000 yuan. Individuals who smoke in non-smoking areas will be fined 50 to 200 yuan if they will not agree to snuff out the cigarette.

Business

China's First Carbon Neutral Label Issued

On December 9, Shanghai Pacific Millennium Packaging & Paper Industries Co. received China's first carbon neutral label. On November 17, this company conducted China's first VER (Voluntary Emission Reduction)-based carbon neutral transaction at the Tianjin Climate Exchange, offsetting 6,266 tons of carbon emissions from January 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Now, Shanghai Pacific Millennium Packaging & Paper Industries Co. has become China's first packaging enterprise to conduct a carbon neutral transaction.

Reporters learned that all of the packaging businesses under Pacific Millennium Holdings Corporation (the parent company of Shanghai Pacific Millennium) will gradually introduce the carbon management and carbon neutral measures in 2010. As relevant experts point out, solving environment-related problems by using the market mechanism will help to create an open and fair playing field, all the while reducing social costs and attracting more businesses.

Local

Liaoning Abolishes Execution by Shooting

 Liaoning province has become the first province in the country to make lethal injection the standard practice for all its death penalty convicts.

The Higher People's Court of Liaoning announced on Wednesday that all cities in the province have adopted the method, which means execution by gunshot will no longer be used.

Lethal injection was first used in Liaoning in 2001 to execute two convicted murderers in Shenyang.

Southwestern Yunnan Province was the first province in China tofully abandon execution by shooting in 2003.

The country's amended criminal procedure law which took effect in 1997 made executions by lethal injection a legitimate option. The first lethal injection in the country was done in Kunmingon March 28, 1997.

"Lethal injection reduces the pain and fear of the criminal. It is a more humane way in carrying out execution," said Mou Ruijin, associate professor of the Law School of Northeast University.

Officials from the Liaoning Provincial Higher People's Court said lethal injection was more acceptable for convicts and their family members.

Shenyang Police Offer Services as Bodyguards

It might be a tough task for customers withdrawing large sums from the bank to keep their money safe. Many people imagine hiring a bodyguard, or someone trustworthy enough to protect them from thieves or robbers. Now police in Shenyang are offering such a service to truly rest worried nerves.

All Shenyang residents can enjoy the service if they need to deposit or withdraw more than 50,000 yuan at local banks. The aim is to avoid robbers and thieves, whose criminal activities have taken a large toll on local residents.

Local resident of Liaoning province,said, "We feel safe and at ease being guarded by the police."

But there are also concerns about whether the service can meet the demands of a city with millions of people. Local banks say they serve a large number of customers who conduct transactions involving more than 50,000 yuan.

Local resident of Liaoning province,said, "If there are not enough officers to provide the service, I don't feel any convenience."

Local police say they are mobilizing every station in the city, and doing what they can to guarantee the safety of people's property.

They also lower the minimum transaction limit for disadvantaged groups, like the elderly and disabled.

Hiring these "police bodyguard" is free of charge.

Health tips

Alcohol may raise chances of breast cancer return