Society

Assessment of Environmental Impact on Economy Limited to Short-term， Small-scope

The recent Ministry of Environmental Protection report entitled Environmental Impact Assessment on Economy under the New Normal State holds that the countrys green drive is likely to have negative， limited scope impact on Chinese economy in the short term； also that it is a minor factor that contributes minimally to Chinas economic slowdown.

The main impact in this regard stems primarily from the phasing out of outdated production capacity， which has led to a RMB 186.9 billion reduction in GDP. Since China issued the Action Plan of Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in September 2013， the paring down of outdated capacity has caused a GDP loss of RMB 114.8 billion， accounting for 0.03 percent of Chinese GDP over the past two years. Wang Jinnan， vice president of Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning， predicts that China will earmark RMB 6-10 trillion in environmental undertakings during the 13th Five-year Plan period （2016-2020）.

Warner Bros. and CMC Set up Joint Venture

Warner Brothers and China Media Capital have reached agreement on creating the Flagship Entertainment Group Ltd. It entails pooling their resources and expertise to produce both Chinese- and English-language movies for the global market.

CMC will hold the majority stake in the new company， which will be headquartered in Hong Kong and have offices in Los Angeles and Beijing. Warner Brothers will have 49-percent ownership.

CEO Kevin Tsujihara said that the partnership will help Warner Brothers， like CNN owned by Time Warner，“gain additional insight into the Chinese film industry，”and that， “The countrys incredibly rich history and culture provide a huge trove of great stories， and we want to help tell those stories for new generations of film goers， in China and around the world.”

Representatives of both companies said that the first Flagship title could be released as early as next year.

Free Legal Representation for Death Row Inmates

Convicted criminals on death row will be entitled to free legal representation under a new rule drafted by the Ministry of Justice， a ministry source told China Daily.

The ministry will assign lawyers to condemned prisoners who cannot afford to engage one during reviews of their sentences， and so ensure equal access to justice， the source said， adding that the ministry and high court officials are“finalizing detailed implementation measures， and the rule will be released in the next few months.” Under Chinese law， all death sentences are reviewed by the Supreme Peoples Court before defendants can be executed. Currently， defendants who cannot afford to hire lawyers are not guaranteed representation during death penalty reviews.endprint

The new rule follows a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee， attended by the countrys top leaders， which stressed the importance of legal aid.

Charitable Donations Exceed RMB 100 Billion

The 2014 China Charitable Donations Report， released by China Charity Information Center， shows that China received last year a total RMB 104.226 billion in charitable donations， both in kind and in cash， from donors at home and abroad， so surpassing the RMB 100 billion mark for the first time in four years. This sum accounts for 0.16 percent of Chinas 2014 GDP– 5.3 percent more than in 2013.

Donations by Ma Yun （Jack Ma） and Cai Chongxin of two percent of Alibaba shares， valued at RMB 24.5 billion at the time， constituted the largest single largess of last year， the report said. Sales of welfare lottery and sports lottery tickets totaled a record RMB 382.368 billion.

Health care， education， and poverty relief are the targets of 75 percent or more of last years donations. That for medical care projects， accounting for 37.1 percent of the gross， is mostly earmarked for less developed western regions. The largest chunk of donations to the educational sector goes to universities. As much as 69.4 percent of funds towards poverty reduction， accounting for 10.8 percent of the gross， come from businesses， whose primary concerns are women， children， and seniors.

Activity

Martha Graham Dance Companys Three Masters of 20th Century Art

Date： November 6-7， 2015

Place： National Center for the Performing Arts

Price： RMB 180/300/420/500/580/680

The performance presents remarkable achievements of three great artists– choreographer Martha Graham， painter Pablo Picasso， and composer Igor Stravinsky， who were champions of innovation during their careers. The performance， based on classic dance movements， is facilitated with multi-media technologies， connecting audiences with the brilliant arts of the last century.

Schellenberger Concert

Date： November 6， 2015

Place： Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall

Price： RMB 80/120/180/280

German oboist Hansj？rg Schellenberger was born in Munich in 1948. He began to learn the flute when he was six years old and the oboe at 13. Though he was still a student， Schellenberger won first prizes in several international competitions held in Germany. He is now the chief oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic and gives lectures at the Berlin University of the Arts. An important figure in several chamber orchestras， he takes an active part in music events.endprint