China will take steps to speed up the establishment of a national calculation system for greenhouse gas emissions, said a statement from the State Council, China's cabinet, on November 9.

The State Council has approved a plan to contain greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to realize a 17-percent fall in C02 emissions per 10,000 yuan ($157.70) of GDP by 2015.

In addition to actively developing and promoting low-carbon energy technologies, the statement said that government institutions and social groups will also be asked to take the initiative to promote green, healthy lifestyles and economical consumption.

The statement also set out the targets given to local governments in terms of how much of a reduction per 10,000 yuan of GDP was expected from each local area.

Education Subsidies

The Chinese Government has given 4.74 billion yuan ($747.73 million) to secondary vocational schools as compensation for tuition exemptions they have offered to students, the Ministry of Finance said on November 4.

"The funds will be offered to secondary vocational or polytechnic schools that have accepted students from poor families or students studying agriculture-related subjects without charging tuition," said ministry sources.

Approximately 4 million students have received tuition exemptions in China's secondary vocational or polytechnic schools.

Since 2009, students from poor families studying at secondary vocational or polytechnic schools and students studying agriculture-related subjects in such schools have been exempted from paying tuition.

Online Courses

Video classes of 20 courses from top Chinese universities are now available on the Internet. Starting from November 9 Internet users have been able to access courses at www.icourse.edu.cn, www.cntv.cn and www.netease.com for free.

These open courses are modeled on Harvard's open courses, and feature 20 scientific and cultural subjects as well as lectures given by high-profile speakers and professors.

Several series are devoted to Chinese traditional culture while other courses available include the rise and fall of ancient Greek civilization and a brief introduction to aeronautics and astronautics.

Island Lease

The Chinese Government on November 8 issued the first certificate for the use of an uninhabited island to a private company.

Ningbo Longgang Industrial Co. Ltd. acquired the certificate for 3.44 million yuan ($529,000), which authorized the company to run a tourism business for 50 years on Danmenshan Island, which is located off the coast of Ningbo City in eastern Zhejiang Province.

According to China's newly revised law on islands, individuals and companies can apply for the right to exclusive use of uninhabited islands within the country's territorial waters.

Those who receive the governmentissued certificates can explore uninhabited islands for tourism, transport, warehousing, fishing and public services.

Long-living People

China has more than 48,000 centenarians, according to a survey published by the China Gerontological Society on November 7.

According to the survey, on July 1, the number of people over 100 years old living on the Chinese mainland stood at 48,921, an increase of 5,228 from last year's figure.

Luo Meizhen, a 126-year-old woman from southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is the oldest person on the mainland.

With a combined age of 213, the oldest couple in the country lives in Guizhou Province.

The average life expectancy in China is now 73.5 years and the country's 12th Five- Year Plan (2011-15) endeavors to increase that figure to 74.5 by 2015.