NEW LOGO: On December 5, China unveils the first national logo for volunteering to coincide with International Volunteer Day. China has over 65 million volunteers in 129,000 welfare organizations, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs (XINHUA)

3D Printing in Space

Scientists have produced a 3D printing machine for use in zero-gravity, the first of its kind in China, which astronauts will be able to use while on space missions, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC) on December 8.

Additive manufacturing, another term for 3D printing, is the processes in which three-dimensional objects are made through the layering of material. It is advancing rapidly and is being increasingly used for industrial purposes.

The machine is capable of printing optical lens brackets, components for nuclear power testing equipment, impellers used in aircraft research and special-shaped gears used in automobile engines, said Wang Lianfeng, a senior engineer with CASTC Shanghai's research arm.

The machine, which uses both long-wave fiber and short-wave carbon dioxide lasers, can produce items under 250 millimeters long out of stainless steel, titanium alloy and a nickel-based superalloy.

"The products made will have to be tested thoroughly, due to the strict quality requirements for aerospace products," said Wang, adding that the prospects of 3D printing is promising.

Illegal Evidence

The Supreme People's Court of China is planning to issue guidelines on the exclusion of illegal evidence to protect human rights and prevent miscarriages of justice, a judicial expert recently revealed.

Under the current Criminal Procedure Law of China, statements obtained from suspects or defendants through torture, and evidence gained by threatening victims, are regarded as illegal and should be excluded from court proceedings.

But the draft guidelines, which consist of 40 articles, are intended to extend the definition of illegal evidence, said the expert. They will make evidence obtained by deceiving or threatening defendants and their relatives illegal, as well as excluding statements obtained through extended interrogation.

The draft stipulates that interrogation sessions cannot last for longer than 12 hours, and suspects should have at least eight hours' rest a day.

Liability Insurance

A total of 25,000 Chinese enterprises have bought pollution liability insurance since 2007, when the country started promoting the program to better compensate pollution victims and boost companies' environmental awareness, said the country's top environmental watchdog.

In a statement released on December 4, the Ministry of Environmental Protection publicized the latest batch of nearly 5,000 enterprises with high pollution risks that are now covered by the insurance. The businesses are from heavy metals, petroleum, dangerous chemicals, dangerous waste disposal, electricity, medicine, printing and dyeing industries.

Environmental pollution liability insurance helps enterprises with heavy risks to prevent pollution and ensure compensation for victims when they fail.

According to the statement, the amount of insurance coverage has topped 60 billion yuan ($9.75 billion) since 2007.

In September 2008, some 120 households in Zhuzhou City in central China's Hunan Province received compensation from an insurance company after falling victim to leakage from a local insecticide factory that caused great damage to the environment.