September 20, 2007
The top headline on today’s Beijing Youth Daily is the fifth “Achievement in Construction for the 17th,” a series of propaganda reports for the coming 17th Party Congress. The current installment reveals that more than 76% of Beijing’s neighborhoods have met “peaceful community” standards since 2004. By next year, more than 80% of neighborhoods are expected to meet the standard, which is related to the reported crime rate.
The second headline announces a report released by the National Audit Office yesterday that said dozens of central government ministries and agencies misused $3.6 billion yuan of state funds last year. For details, see the China Daily.
The front page photo shows some disappointed football fans. They came to Tianjin to support China yesterday in a match against New Zealand, but FIFA postponed the match to today just hours before kickoff. FIFA is being criticized for failing to observe “Fair Play” rules when, because of the typhoon warning, it postponed a match between Brazil and Denmark that was supposed to take place at the same time as China-New Zealand. FIFA’s repeated changes over a 24-hour period are also a target of criticism. See the whole story at ESPNsoccernet.
Other headlines:
• The Beijing government has set strict rules on the size of affordable housing – 60 square meters per house is the upper limit;
• Drivers and passengers are to be prohibited from smoking in Beijing’s taxis from next month, says the local health bureau;
• Pianist Lang Lang will perform tomorrow on the opening ceremony of the Beijing Music Festival.