Larger Lakes

Nam Co Lake is the largest inland lake in Tibet.

New research has found that the combined area of inland lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， which has an average altitude of 4，500 meters， has expanded to 32，300 square km from 25，600 square km 20 years ago， a 20-percent increase.

Scientists said that the rapid thawing of glaciers and increased precipitation contributed to the expansion of lakes， and the tendency to expand will continue in the short term.

Historical Records

Confessions made by 45 Japanese war criminals tried and convicted by military tribunals in China after World War II（WWII） were published online on July 3.

Handwritten confessions， along with Chinese translations and summaries in both Chinese and English， have been published on the website of the State Archives Administration， the administrations Deputy Director Li Minghua announced at a press conference.

The archives constitute irrefutable evidence of the heinous crimes committed by Japanese imperialists against the Chinese people， according to Li.

“Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe disregards history and human conscience， and has been openly trying to claim black is white， misleading the public， and beautifying Japanese aggression and its colonial history since he took office，” Li told reporters. “This challenges the postWWII international order.”

Li added that his administration made the war criminals confessions available online before the 77th anniversary of the July 7 incident to commemorate history， cherish peace and prevent the reliving of such historical tragedies， Li added.

The July 7 incident， commonly known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in English， occurred in 1937 and marked the beginning of Chinas War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， which lasted eight years.

Earlier on June 30， the Museum of the War of the Chinese Peoples Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing also launched a digital library of relics from the war via Baidu Baike， the online encyclopedia of Chinas top search engine Baidu.

The program features photographs of artifacts preserved in the museum， including diaries， letters and guns， among other items.

Credit Assessment

On June 27， China released an outline for building a government-led system to assess credit worthiness in four categories， including administrative affairs， commercial activities， social behavior and the judicial system.

The State Council， Chinas cabinet， pledged in the document to establish a set of laws and regulations regarding social credit， a credit reference system that covers the whole of society， and a related reward and punishment mechanism by 2020.

According to the outline， individuals and organizations will be coded based on identity card or organizational numbers to allow different sectors to share credit information.

Credit records will include information on financial， industrial and commercial registration， taxes and social security payments， as well as traffic violations.

Fast-Track Trials

Chinas top legislature approved a pilot program on June 27 that will speed up trials for minor criminal offenses.

The Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress （NPC） adopted a resolution authorizing the Supreme Peoples Court and Supreme Peoples Procuratorate to start the program.

Cases can be fast-tracked when evidence is sufficient， the law is not contested， the defendant pleads guilty and sentencing will be no more than one year or a fine， according to the resolution.

The fast-track trials can apply to minor criminal cases such as traffic offences， minor theft or fraud， assault and robbery.

The pilot will run for two years， in 18 cities including Beijing， Chongqing， Shanghai and Tianjin， where such cases are often backlogged.

Suspects Prosecuted

Four people have been prosecuted for their involvement in a March 1 terrorist attack at a railway station in Kunming， southwest Chinas Yunnan Province， top procuratorate announced on June 30.

The Kunming Municipal Peoples Procuratorate found that the suspects were involved in organizing， leading or taking part in the terrorist attack as well as intentional homicide， in a statement issued by the Supreme Peoples Procuratorate.

A group of assailants armed with knives attacked civilians at the railway station in Kunming， causing 29 deaths and injuring another 143.

Police shot to death four of the attackers on the scene and arrested four others.

Cheaper Admission

It was announced on June 30 that the Palace Museum in Beijing， also known as the Forbidden City， will offer three discount packages： Free open days， an annual pass， and a floating price， in a bid to reduce the number of visitors hitting the museum during peak tourism seasons.

The annual pass， which costs 300 yuan （$48） per adult and 150 yuan（$24） for seniors and students， gives the holder 10 admissions per year. The 2015 annual passes go on sale this October.