UP-AND-COMING SWIMMER WINS GOLD

Ning Zetao， 22， scooped a historic win in the mens 100-meter freestyle with a time of 47.48 seconds at the 16th World Aquatics Championships in Kazan， Russia， on August 6， in the process becoming the very first Asian swimmer to break the 48-second barrier in the event.

Ning started swimming at the age of 8. In 2011， he served one-year suspension after testing positive for clenbuterol reportedly imbibed through his consumption of certain meat products. But this did not faze Ning and he went on to win two gold medals in the mens 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events at the 2014 Asian Games.

“Winning gold [in Kazan] is like a dream. I made it，” said Ning. “Now I can focus on the Rio Olympic Games. I hope I can achieve good results in Rio.”

A New Generation of Officials

China Newsweek August 3

Since the current Chinese leadership took office in 2012， an increasing number of officials born in the 1960s have been promoted to ministerial- and provincial-level positions.

The majority of this younger generation of high-ranking officials have started from community-level jobs and have displayed outstanding leadership ability during their youth. More importantly， most of them have received regular higher education， many majoring in management， economics and law. When it comes to the method of governance， they rely more on the law and regulations rather than personal prestige.

As participants in Chinas reform and opening-up drive that started in the late 1970s， officials born after 1960 have enjoyed benefits from the countrys fast development over the past 30 years or so. Such experiences will prompt them to hold on to and further fine-tune national policies.

Over the past two years， 19 ministerial- and provincial-level officials of their rank have fallen from grace in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. These bad role models should always remind the newly promoted officials to keep in mind that their ultimate aim is to serve the nation and the people instead of obtaining personal gains.

Chinese Rockets Ready For Broader Service

Oriental Outlook August 6

Since China first decided to enter the international commercial satellite launch service market in 1985， more than 30 years have passed.

By March 2015， Chinese carrier rockets had accomplished 203 launches. Notably， its 114 launch missions over the past decade achieved a successful rate of 95.5 percent. In the next three years， 50 launches have been scheduled.

On April 7， 1990， a China-made Long March-3 carrier rocket sent the American Asia Sat 1 communications satellite into orbit， marking the first time that China had launched a U.S. satellite. However， since 1991， the United States has put in place multiple restrictions on China launching its satellites under the excuse that China has transferred missile technology to other countries. Currently， the United States bans its parts and components from being used in satellites to be launched by Chinese rockets. This has resulted in a big obstacle for China to win commercial launch contracts from foreign countries as the United States monopolizes satellite technologies the world over.

In recent years， China has turned to Europe and emerging economies for cooperation opportunities. According to Chinas Space Activities 2011 white paper， the country has exported whole satellites and made in-orbit delivery of communications satellites to Nigeria， Venezuela and Pakistan， and has provided commercial launch services for the Palapa-D satellite of Indonesia and the W3C satellite of Eutelsat.

Several new types of Chinese carrier rockets will soon be put into use. According to Li Tongyu， head of aerospace products at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology， the country will seek new models of international cooperation in the commercial launch service market.

Enhancing Escalator Safety

Guangming Daily August 3

In the week ending August 3， three people were killed in accidents involving elevators and escalators across China.

These deaths have frayed the nerves of the public. Although the odds of encountering such accidents are relatively small， theres no guarantee that one can completely avoid them.

Currently， the escalator or elevator maintenance and repair industry mixes practitioners of varying quality and lacks effective supervision. An inspection by the General Administration of Quality Supervision， Inspection and Quarantine from January to June showed that 5 percent of elevators and escalators surveyed have safety risks. Whats more unsettling is that escalator- and elevator-related deaths have occurred several times， but this hasnt aroused adequate government attention to stop similar mishaps from occurring.

According to the General Administration of Quality Supervision， Inspection and Quarantine， elevators and escalators found with safety problems in a nationwide inspection ending August 10 should cease use immediately. It is hoped that the inspection this time will not be a mere formality and all concerned parties assume their responsibilities and conduct thorough safety checks.

FEMALE MISSILE GENERAL

Li Xianyu， chief engineer with an institute of the Second Artillery Equipment Academy， has recently been promoted to the rank of major general. She was one of the two female officers to earn the promotion so far this year. Chen Wei， a military officer specializing in biological hazard prevention and control， was previously reported to have been promoted to the senior rank.

A member of Chinas Korean ethnic minority， Li was born in 1964 in Mudanjiang， northeast Chinas Heilongjiang Province. After emerging as the provinces college entrance examination science champion in 1982， Li was selected to attend Peking University majoring in radio physics.

After gaining a masters degree and graduating from the university， Li joined the Second Artillery Corps， Chinas strategic missile forces. Owing to her achievements in scientific research， she has been granted several professional and military plaudits.

“We now have physical evidence that， as I announced on March 24 last year， flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”

Najib Razak， Malaysian Prime Minister， announcing on August 6 that it had been confirmed that the debris discovered on Reunion Island belongs to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370， which has been missing since March 8， 2014， with 239 people on board

“We believe that the Chinese economy is resilient， and strong enough to withstand that kind of significant variation in the markets.”

Christine Lagarde， IMF Managing Director， downplaying Chinas recent stock market volatility in an online press conference

“Congressional rejection of this deal leaves any U.S. administration that is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon with one option， another war in the Middle East.”

Barack Obama， U.S. President， warning on August 5 that blocking the accord of the Iranian nuclear deal via Congress could lead to war in the Middle East

“We want peace， not war； cooperation， not confrontation. This is the common aspiration of people around the world.”

Chinas Defense Minister Chang Wanquan， addressing a reception marking the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Liberation Army in Beijing on July 31， a day ahead of Army Day