DISEASE FIGHTER: Chinese Pharmacologist Tu Youyou is greeted before speaking at the annual Lasker Awards in New York, on September 23. Tu was honored for the discovery of artemisinin, a drug therapy for malaria (REN HAIJUN)

Environmental Standards

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said on September 22 China will reevaluate and revise a series of environmental quality standards, including those for air, water, soil and noise, over the next five years.

Standards for pollution emission limits in some key industrial sectors will be established, while existing standards will be upgraded.

The ministry said it would launch special campaigns to deal with serious existing environmental problems, including air and soil pollution, garbage disposal and the pollution released by the heavy metal and chemical industries.

Grain Output

China's grain output is expected to reach a record high of 550 million metric tons this year, said the Ministry of Agriculture.

The total amount of land dedicated to cultivating grain is estimated at 1.66 billion mu (110 million hectares) this year, 10 million mu more than last year, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Yields of summer grain and early-harvest rice in China have already surpassed the record highs registered in 2009. The statement estimates this year's harvest of autumn grain will exceed that of last year.

China's grain output rose 2.9 percent year on year to 546.61 million tons in 2010, said the National Bureau of Statistics.

Prisoners' Rights

The Ministry of Justice has rewritten the national code of conduct for prison inmates, eliminating provisions that banned homosexuality, dyed hair and other lifestyles and practices in prisons.

"The revision was made to show respect for the human rights of prison inmates," said Feng Jiancang, a senior researcher in penal human rights with the ministry's Institute for Crime Prevention, on the sidelines of the Fourth Beijing Forum on Human Rights on September 22.

"This does not mean homosexual acts will be accepted in prisons," he said.

Feng also revealed the use of lethal injection as a method of execution is also being promoted, as it is considered to be more humane than traditional firing squad executions.

The use of lethal injection in China began in 1997 and has completely replaced execution by firing squad in the provinces of Shandong, Yunnan and Liaoning, according to official statistics.

About 100 human rights experts and policymakers from 26 countries and regions and organizations attended the two-day forum.

Satellite Schedule

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China's top scientific research institute, has unveiled a plan to launch five satellites over the next 10 years to explore the mysteries of deep space.

The satellites will be sent into space to make observations regarding quantum mechanics and "dark matter," a mysterious form of matter that does not emit electromagnetic radiation and cannot be detected using traditional astronomical observation methods.

"We still know very little about the 'dark matter' and 'dark energy,' and any possible breakthroughs in this field may reshape our knowledge of the universe," said Bai Chunli, President of the academy.

Gang Crackdown

Chinese authorities have eradicated 2,131 gang-like organizations in a nationwide campaign to tackle the country's underworld. The campaign began in February 2006.

The Ministry of Public Security said 1,779 cases involving gangs had been prosecuted and 1,462 cases received first-instance judgments.

The ministry also confiscated over 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in gang-related assets and punished a number of government officials who had shielded criminal organizations.