Naval Reinforcement

Jian， a Chinese-made light missile frigate， is put into service in Shanghai by the East China Sea Fleet of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy on January 8.

The ship will undertake patrol and escort missions and is equipped with antisubmarine capabilities， according to sources within the navy.

Public reports state that at least 17 vessels have entered naval service since 2013， which military experts said will be significant in enhancing Chinas capacity to safeguard its maritime rights and interests.

Air Pollution

In the countrys latest effort to combat pollution， the 31 provincial-level regions of the Chinese mainland have been set targets to reduce major air pollutants by 5 to 25 percent. Among provincial-level regions， 11 were given goals for reducing PM2.5， including an annual 25-percent decrease， the highest， for Beijing， the neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province， according to a liability paper signed on January 7 by the regions and the Ministry of Environmental Protection. PM2.5 refers to airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter， making them small enough to pass into the gas exchange region of the lungs.

The paper also urged the regions to take measures such as reducing coal consumption， eliminating outdated industrial capacity and tightened management and control of heating boilers， vehicles and dust.

Local governments have been ordered to map out detailed plans to ensure the implementation of various anti-pollution methods and lay down specific goals for each year.

Meanwhile， the State Council， Chinas Cabinet， is planning a system of evaluation for each provinciallevel governments progress， with those failing to reach their goals to be named and shamed.

A government report released in December 2013 revealed that prog- ress in Chinas four environmental targets was lagging， including carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption. In the relatively more polluted north China， 58 days of heavy air pollution were reported last year， roughly one out of every six.

Protecting Minors

Prosecutors should not publicly disclose the private information of minors involved in criminal cases， and are required to respect and protect their reputations， Chinas top procuratorate said on January 7.

Under a revised regulation issued by the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate on December 31， 2013， names， residences and photos of minors implicated in criminal cases， as well as other information implying their identity， should not be made public. Juveniles reputations should be protected and their personal dignity should be respected， the document said.