Society

Assessment of Environmental Impact on Economy Limited to Short-term，Small-scope

The recent Ministry of Environmental Protection report entitled Environmental Impact Assessment on Economy under the New Normal State holds that the country's green drive is likely to have negative，limited scope impact on Chinese economy in the short term； also that it is a minor factor that contributes minimally to China's economic slowdown.

The main impact in this regard stems primarily from the phasing out of outdated production capacity，which has led to a RMB 186.9 billion reduction in GDP. Since China issued the Action Plan of Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in September 2013，the paring down of outdated capacity has caused a GDP loss of RMB 114.8 billion，accounting for 0.03 percent of Chinese GDP over the past two years. Wang Jinnan，vice president of Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning，predicts that China will earmark RMB 6-10 trillion in environmental undertakings during the 13th Five-year Plan period （2016-2020）.

Warner Bros. and CMC Set up Joint Venture

Warner Brothers and China Media Capital have reached agreement on creating the Flagship Entertainment Group Ltd. It entails pooling their resources and expertise to produce both Chinese- and English-language movies for the global market.

CMC will hold the majority stake in the new company，which will be headquartered in Hong Kong and have offices in Los Angeles and Beijing. Warner Brothers will have 49-percent ownership.

CEO Kevin Tsujihara said that the partnership will help Warner Brothers，like CNN owned by Time Warner，“gain additional insight into the Chinese film industry，”and that，“The country's incredibly rich history and culture provide a huge trove of great stories，and we want to help tell those stories for new generations of film goers，in China and around the world.”

Representatives of both companies said that the first Flagship title could be released as early as next year.

17.4 Percent

During the first half of 2015，the 161 cities that have adopted the latest air quality standard reported an 8.2 percent rise in fair air quality days and a 17.4 percent fall in PM2.5 density，according to Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Wu Xiaoqing.

Free Legal Representation for Death Row Inmates

Convicted criminals on death row will be entitled to free legal representation under a new rule drafted by the Ministry of Justice，a ministry source told China Daily.

The ministry will assign lawyers to condemned prisoners who cannot afford to engage one during reviews of their sentences，and so ensure equal access to justice，the source said，adding that the ministry and high court officials are “finalizing detailed implementation measures，and the rule will be released in the next few months.” Under Chinese law，all death sentences are reviewed by the Supreme People's Court before defendants can be executed. Currently，defendants who cannot afford to hire lawyers are not guaranteed representation during death penalty reviews.

The new rule follows a recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee，attended by the country's top leaders，which stressed the importance of legal aid.

Charitable Donations Exceed RMB 100 Billion

The 2014 China Charitable Donations Report，released by China Charity Information Center，shows that China received last year a total RMB 104.226 billion in charitable donations，both in kind and in cash，from donors at home and abroad，so surpassing the RMB 100 billion mark for the first time in four years. This sum accounts for 0.16 percent of China's 2014 GDP - 5.3 percent more than in 2013.

Donations by Ma Yun （Jack Ma）and Cai Chongxin of two percent of Alibaba shares，valued at RMB 24.5 billion at the time，constituted the largest single largess of last year，the report said. Sales of welfare lottery and sports lottery tickets totaled a record RMB 382.368 billion.

Health care，education，and poverty relief are the targets of 75 percent or more of last year's donations. That for medical care projects，accounting for 37.1 percent of the gross，is mostly earmarked for less developed western regions. The largest chunk of donations to the educational sector goes to universities. As much as 69.4 percent of funds towards poverty reduction，accounting for 10.8 percent of the gross，come from businesses，whose primary concerns are women，children，and seniors.