Social credit system

    From borrowing books from public libraries to getting bank loans, personal and enterprise credit records have been increasingly valued in China.

    The first demonstration zone of a social credit system in China, aimed to promote the benefits of good credit, is planned for the Yangtze River Delta region, encompassing* Shanghai Municipality and the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang. The national pilot is expected to help nurture a sound business and social environment in the region.

    Ban of ivory trade

    China will gradually stop the processing and sale of ivory for commercial purposes by the end of 2017, according to the Central Government website.

    The decision announced on Friday came after the country imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in March this year in an escalated* fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants. The move will affect the country’s 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March, according to an official with the State Forestry Administration.

    Tax on prize money

    The organizer of the 2016 Shanghai International Marathon, one of the most significant sporting events in China, has asked 20 athletes from China to pay back a total of US$1,438 in taxes from their prize money.

    Two months after the races, event organizer East Best and Lansheng Group said it forgot to withhold* tax from prize money it issued to some winners. The incident does not involve foreign participants because they have yet to be issued prize money until the International Association of Athletics Federations announces the results of anti-doping tests.

    Cops punished

    Five law enforcement* officers suspected of negligence in the death of a man, Lei Yang, in police custody have been punished by the Beijing Public Security Bureau and the disciplinary committee of Beijing’s Changping District.

    The decision to punish the two police officers and three police aides was announced on the official Weibo account of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau on Thursday.

    (SD-Agencies)