Nearly seven months after the November 15th tragedy, administrative heads are still rolling: "A vice mayor of Shanghai received an administrative penalty and two senior officials were sacked in ramifications stemming from the high-rise apartment fire that killed 58 people and injured 71 others on Nov. 15, local government sources said Tuesday. Zhang Renliang, head of Jing'an District, where the apartment building is located, and Xu Sunqing, deputy head of the district, were fired. Vice Mayor Shen Jun, who is in charge of urban and rural construction and management, housing projects, land resources administration, water supplies, transport, and city landscaping as well as environmental protection, received a serious demerit. A total of 26 people have been found guilty criminally in connection with the deadly fire and have been sent to judiciary institutions for punishment. Another 28, including Vice Mayor Shen Jun, received administrative penalties or demerits in line with discipline of the Communist Party of China." [CRI English] more ›

China Daily reported on three surveys conducted among readers of various papers this week, and most of the results don't look so good. In a nutshell, nobody's happy, everybody wants to be an official, and the dual-pension system sucks. more ›

With the conclusion of the civil service exam last weekend, over a million of China’s best and brightest are now crossing their fingers for a position somewhere in the government. Getting the job might not be the end of their troubles, however, as a recent poll shows that over 45% of Chinese officials apparently feel they are “powerless” in a “vulnerable” economic position. more ›

"I know you never liked me Mr. Secretary-General -- well, I never liked you, either... I didn't want to come to New York. It was the last thing I wanted to do. But I've come to love the U.N. and I'm coming to admire some things about you..." more ›

China is now requiring its officials to report changes in their marital status, whether their families have moved abroad (and where), their personal incomes and family investments. If they don't, they could face punishment, including removing their "official" rank. While the move is the latest to crack down on corruption, some doubt its efficacy. Yang Yang, a professor at China Politics and Law University, argued that "Many officials have children, spouses or relatives who invest in companies or are involved in business projects. This happens all the time. What can you accomplish by requiring people to report it? Even if they report it, it's still legal under current laws." more ›

The Chinese government announced that they are going to be making some changes to the simplified character system （简体字） currently used throughout mainland China. According to the Shanghai Daily, the short list of revised characters is already completed and will be released sometime in the near future. more ›

According to Xinhua, a group of journalists and officials were on a Southern Airlines flight to Nanjing in late February when one of them noticed a unusual luminous object traveling alongside their vessel. more ›