DALLAS MAYOR VISITS CHINA DOUBTS RAISED OVER H1N1 FIGURES CHINAS EMISSION TARGET CUTS HONG KONGS LIFE EXPECTANCY YUNNAN MEDIA MONITORS ELECTRICITY PRICE HIKE JILIN CHEER SQUAD PREPARE FOR SEASON CHINA'S AFRICAN TRADING PARTNERS
It was a hot, stinky mess.
Here in Anping County in Hebei Province, locals had no electricity for stretches of up to 22-hours. That means no water, rotting food, classes without overhead projectors, a county hospital shutting down every few days.
Forget modern conveniences. This move was for the sake of the environment. Anding Country split the electricity grid into three sections and each power supply was alternately turned off for 22 hours, meaning residents and businesses were left for bouts without electricity.
The tax hike - of 6 to11 percent – could affect an estimated 350 million smokers across China. Although it took effect from the beginning of May it has only just been made public. In addition, a new tax of 5 percent was also imposed on cigarette wholesalers.
China's Tax Administration says the goal is “to increase government income and improve the cigarette taxing system”. It estimated the tax rise would bring in an extra $4.5 billion for the government.
With around 70% of its electricity generated from coal fired power stations and a huge demand for coke to make steel, China's hunger for coal is insatiable. This puts enormous pressure on the country's coalmines which are notorious for being amongst the most dangerous in the world.