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1.New public transport fare structure comes into effect Beijing's public transportation system adopted a new fare structure on Sunday in the first ticket price rise in seven years, and authorities warned of a crowded rush hour on Monday as passengers familiarize themselves with the new system. The minimum price of a subway ride in the capital has been increased to 3 yuan from the old flat-fare of 2 yuan with unlimited transfers, with fares increasing according to the distance traveled. For bus passengers, a ride will be 2 yuan for up to 10 kilometers and 1 yuan for every additional 5 km.
2. Mega project brings water from south to Beijing The water from a south China river flowed into Beijing on Saturday after a journey of over 1,200 kilometers along the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. It took 15 days for the water to arrive in Beijing from its source -- the Hanjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, China's largest waterway. Saturday's delivery marks the completion of the middle route's first stage, construction of which began exactly 12 years ago.
3. Beijing approves 'two children' policy Beijing relaxed its birth control policy on Friday, allowing couples to have a second child if either parent is an only child. The city government will provide support by improving hospitals, nurseries and primary schools, and by protecting women's right to maternity leave, said Wang Delin, vice chairman of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress.
4. Beijing makes first official pitch for Winter Olympics Pure white snow, red plums, Chinese drums and big smiling faces, but most importantly the list of winter sports sites in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, were to the fore at the venue of the XIX Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) general assembly in Bangkok on Friday. The Beijing bid has declared the Games would leave a "powerful legacy" by developing a winter sports market for China and East Asia.
5. Beijing pledges heavier penalties for drug crimes Beijing courts will apply heavier penalties for drug traffickers, in a sign law enforcement officers are determined to wipe out drug–related crimes, the Beijing Higher Court announced on Wednesday. Sun Li, deputy director of the Beijing Higher Court, said that 61 suspects were sentenced to death or life imprisonment by Beijing courts in 2013. The rate of severe punishments, considered sentences of 15 years imprisonment or more, was 16.6 percent, 6 percent more than for other criminal cases.
6. Xi envisions regional economic hub Thirty-five years after China's reform mastermind Deng Xiaoping identified several coastal cities in southern China as economic front lines, President Xi Jinping produced his vision for another integrated sphere in the north on Wednesday. Xi, head of the leading group for overall reform, called for integrated and coordinated development of Beijing and the two neighboring provincial areas during a symposium after listening to work reports delivered by officials from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.
7. Beijing raises hiring standard for foreign employees Beijing's municipal government has announced a new employment standard for foreigners, lifting the threshold for acquiring a job in the city. According to statistics from the municipal government, more than 37,000 foreign citizens from the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Germany and Australia, among others, now work in Beijing, with 95 percent holding a bachelor degree or above.
8. Beijing opens four new subway lines Beijing began trial operations of four new subway lines on Sunday in the latest effort to ease the city's traffic jams. The new lines have increased the total subway length of Beijing to 527 kilometers, increased by 13.3 percent year on year. The newly-opened lines include the second phase of No 6 Line, the No 7 Line, the eastern section of No. 14 Line, and the western section of the current No 15 Line.
9. Beijing's population exceeds 21 million The population of permanent residents in Beijing exceeded 21 million by the end of 2013, the municipal bureau of statistics said Wednesday. The figure is based on a sample survey of population last year. It showed that the population of Beijing's permanent residents reached 21.15 million, 455,000 more than that of 2012.
10. Beijing tightens rules for airports The Beijing government has issued new airport rules with an eye on the growing number of conflicts between passengers and carriers in recent years. The rules forbid entering an airport-controlled area without an airport pass, entering a taxiway, forcibly boarding and occupying an aircraft, climbing over and destroying airports' protective fencing and other acts that threaten air transport safety and disturb airport order.
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