2003Äê8ÔÂ27ÈÕ

Heard of online dating? Well how about online marriage? As of December, local residents in Xuhui, Luwan, Jing'an and Minhang districts of Shanghai will be able to register a marriage over the net, as the country's first online appointment service for marriage registration is about to be launched. By the end of the year, the service will be expanded to cover the entire city. Couples can click on to www.shmzj.gov.cn, the official website of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, to download registration forms and make appointment for registration with their district marriage registration offices. Zhou Jixiang, director of the municipal marriage registration administration said that the new system is aimed at increasing the convenience with which engaged couples can tie the knot, however, couples would still need to make an appearance at registration office to conduct the formalities. According to China's marriage law, both parties of a couple must appear in person at the registration office when registering their marriage, a rule to ensure their marriage is the will of both parities. Under the current laws couples are required to get approval for marriage from their employers or residential communities. China's marriage registration procedure is set to become easier, especially after the amended marriage law is put in effect, the Jiefang Daily report said. The approval, meant to prove the bachelordom status of the person involved, will probably be replaced by the person's personal statement, according to the Jiefang Daily report. 4:07:25 PM    comment []

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Along with China's enormous economic growth and prosperity, has come an increasingly staggering toll on the natural environment. In the drive for social prosperity, the affect on the environment has often been overlooked. In a report by Alex Wang titled 'The Downside of Growth: Law, Policy and China's Environmental Crisis', the following statistics on China¡¯s environmental crisis were provided: *      Eight of the ten most polluted cities in the world are now located in China *        In 1995, ambient concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in over half of 88 Chinese cities monitored, exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for safety *     85 of 87 cities exceeded WHO guidelines for total suspended particulate matter (TSPs); In many cities the concentrations were two to five times safety levels given by WHO guidelines *     The percentage of arable land affected by acid rain increased from 18 percent to 40 percent between 1985 and 1998 *      China now releases 13 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is second to only the United States (23 percent). With the increase in auto usage in China and development in general, this number is increasing rapidly. China will soon attain the top position if growth trends continue. However, in recent years, the government has recognized the social and economic importance of protecting the environment, and has taken many steps to create an awareness of environmental issues. At the forefront of the move towards environmental accountability is the Shanghai Environment Protection Bureau. In the second quarter of this year, nearly 100 local companies were punished for environmental pollution. A total of 745 environmental pollution cases were uncovered, up 27 percent from the same period last year. They identified that noise pollution caused by restaurants in residential areas, as well as illegal sewage discharge into the city's creeks, were the top problems. While China has a long way to go informing a comprehensive environmental protection policy ie: legislation and enforcement, the situation has improved cosniderably in recent years. 9:28:40 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Julian Steele. Last update: 2003-9-3; 16:20:45.