METEOR SHOWER: A shooting star soars across the sky above Shanghai on August 13. Part of the 2013 Perseid Meteor Shower, the celestial event occurs as the Earth, following its normal orbit around the sun, intersects the orbit of dust particles left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle (YANG SHICHAO)

Smarter Cities

More Chinese cities have completed work on digital systems and are set for an upgrade toward becoming "smart cities," according to the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation.

Smart cities use the Internet and cloud computing technologies to make infrastructure and services—which include municipal administration, education, health care, public safety, transportation and utilities—more intelligent and efficient.

In 2006, China launched a national initiative to build citywide digital systems. As of June, nearly 320 prefecture-level and 150 county-level cities had been involved in the digitalization process, the administration said in a statement on August 13.

Among them, more than 170 prefecture-level and 40 county-level cities have completed digital geo-systems and put them into operation.

Media Awards

China launched its annual top publication awards on August 13, which will include new media such as Internet publications.

The State General Administra-tion of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said in a statement that awards will go to 240 Chinese publications and individuals, including books, magazines, audio and video products, and electronic and Internet-based publications.

Applicants will be judged by a panel of experts, and the appraised publications and publishers must be sanctioned by the government.

The administration will announce the results in November.

Government Lawyers

A senior official said on August 11 that 23,500 lawyers have been recruited as legal advisers for governments at all levels in China, as part of an effort to facilitate the construction of a law-based government.

Vice Minister of Justice Zhao Dacheng made the remarks at a symposium in Beijing, adding that the figure accounted for more than 10 percent of the country's total lawyers.

Of them, more than 1,300 are employed by provincial-level governments, 8,100 are recruited by city-level and 14,000 by prefecture-level governments, according to Zhao.

They will also take part in drafting and amending governmental normative documents, negotiations on foreign-related projects as well as restructuring state-owned enterprises, he said.

No Luxurious Galas

Chinese authorities will curb extravagance in the organization of official galas and punish those who violate the regulation, a notice said on August 13.

All areas and departments should bring luxurious and extravagant galas to a halt and encourage frugal event planning, according to a notice jointly issued by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Culture, the National Audit Office, and the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

No government funds should be used to hold commercial galas or invite high-cost entertainers. Funds from state-owned enterprises should not be used to give a boost to stars, the notice said.