VETERAN PALEONTOLOGIST HONORED

来源 :Beijing Review | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:cgq365
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  Zhang Miman, also known as Meemann Chang, received the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award in Paris, France, on March 22 for her groundbreaking research in vertebrate paleozoology, along with four other recipients.
  The 82-year-old Zhang is a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She was nominated for “her pioneering work on fossil records leading to insights on how aquatic vertebrates adapted to life on land,” the UN Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a statement.
  Born in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Zhang graduated from Moscow University in 1960 and received her PhD from Stockholm University in Sweden in 1982. She served as head of the IVPP from 1983 to 1990. In 2016, Zhang was given the Romer-Simpson Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest prize in vertebrate paleontology.
  The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Foundation was founded in 1998 as a result of a partnership between the UN and the French cosmetics company to promote gender equality in science.
  Aging Challenges
  Nanfang Daily March 20
  Aging has become an increasingly prominent concern in China. There were 241 million people over 60 years old in the country at the end of 2017. In addition to a heavier burden for the family, aging also poses challenges for the pension system and public health sector.
  As a matter of fact, aging may become a common problem facing all countries in the world as birth rates decrease and life expectancy increases. Only countries which can effectively address the issue by improving social security systems and developing emerging industries will be able to realize sustainable social and economic development.
  Currently, more than 900 million Chinese citizens are covered by social endowment insurance and more than 95 percent of the entire population is covered by basic medical insurance, constituting the largest social safety net in the world.
  However, problems such as pension fund shortages have occurred in some regions, affecting the sustainability of the pension system. Therefore, the national unified management of pension schemes should be established to transfer funds to provinces in case of need. Commercial endowment insurances should also be promoted to play a supplementary role.
  The traditional model of young people supporting their parents at home has also become unrealistic given many young couples are “only children” who have to take care of four parents and who often work some distance away from them. Therefore, more nursing homes should be built in communities to provide services including housekeeping, catering, medical care and cultural activities. A market-based elderly care system is essential to divert private capital to the sector.   Moreover, aging may be transformed into opportunities for development as new technologies such as artificial intelligence might be applied to the elderly care sector to create a new driver of growth.
  Better-Functioning Government
  China Newsweek March 26
  The institutional restructuring plan of the State Council, China’s cabinet, was adopted on March 17 at the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.
  This was the eighth round of institutional reform since the launching of the reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s. Compared with previous reforms, which focused on streamlining administration and transforming government functions, this round seeks to strengthen the government’s ability to confront new challenges in economic and social management, public service and environmental protection.
  Previously, ministerial- and vice-ministerial-level entities under the State Council were divided by industries, but the recent changes attempt to separate different entities by functions. For instance, the newly formed Ministry of Emergency Management combines the disaster relief and prevention roles of several different entities including the State Administration of Work Safety and the China Earthquake Administration. Such restructuring greatly improves the government’s ability to deal with major disasters and accidents.
  China’s growing global presence is also ref lected in the ongoing reform. For instance, the International Development Cooperation Agency has been established to give full play to the role of foreign aid in major-country diplomacy.
  Moreover, the new institutional restructuring is more comprehensive because it involves institutions of the Communist Party of China and the government, legislative and political advisory bodies, judicial and military organs, as well as social groups and nongovernmental organizations, while previous reforms mainly dealt with government institutions and administrative systems.
  In recent years, the Party’s leadership in certain areas has been weakened owing to the transformation of government functions. A comprehensive reform covering both Party and state institutions is necessary to promote the modernization of China’s national governance system and ability.
  Personal Information Leakage
  People’s Daily March 26
  Facebook found itself in hot water as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission publicly confirmed on March 26 that it was investigating the social media giant as a result of the Cambridge Analytica(CA) scandal. CA is a British political-marketing fi rm that illicitly obtained data on up to 50 million Facebook users that it then used to try to infl uence voters during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the UK Brexit vote.   The prevalence of such privacy infringement cases has underlined the importance of online personal information protection, including users’ age, gender, educational background, relationship status and employment. How should Internet companies strike a balance between proper use of big data and the protection of users’ personal information and between business ethics and commercial value? Self-discipline is indispensable but is far from enough.
  According to laws and regulations in many countries, companies are required to explain to customers the use of the information they collect and get customers’ permission. Such practices refl ect concern for consumers’ core interests, effectively protecting the market order.
  The advancement of technologies should not come at the expense of privacy violations. Consumers need more convenient and effi cient technological services but they don’t want to expose themselves unprotected to others. Personal information needs more protection online so as to enable Internet users to embrace new services worry-free and to realize the sustainable and safe development of the Internet.
  HUAWEI’S NEW CHAIRPERSON ELECTED
  Liang Hua has been elected chairman of Chinese tech giant Huawei, replacing former Chairwoman Sun Yafang, amid the first board reshuffle since 2012, according to an internal company announcement published on March 23.
  Born in 1964, Liang holds a PhD from the Wuhan University of Technology. He joined Huawei in 1995 and has held a number of senior positions including head of supply chain management, CFO, president of the Global Technical Service Department and chairman of the Audit Committee.
  Sun, who took the post of chairwoman in 1999, will no longer be a board member but will continue to play an important role in the establishment and improvement of the company’s management system, according to the announcement.
  Founded in Shenzhen, south China’ Guangdong Province, in 1984, Huawei has developed into a leading global information and communications technology solutions provider and the third largest smartphone maker in the world.
  “The ultimate goal of the website is to contribute to China’s drive to build a strong army.”
  Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, commenting on the launch of a new website to boost China’s military modernization on March 26
  “All topics are intrinsically related to plans to conduct specific reforms that will improve the lives of ordinary people, while leading to the better functioning of the state as a whole.”   Ivona Ladjevac, a senior researcher at Serbia’s Institute of International Politics and Economics, commenting on this year’s sessions of China’s legislative and political advisory bodies in an interview with Xinhua News Agency
  “Although some older users face certain problems when using the Internet, as individuals they should be actively involved in the Internet’s development by enhancing their ability and getting outside help.”
  Zhu Di, a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in response to a recent report that said a large proportion of middle-aged and elderly Chinese netizens have benefited greatly from the Internet
  “Africa should draw inspiration from China’s developmental milestones in order to be one of the major contributors to world science.”
  Neil Turok, founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, at the opening of the Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 26
其他文献
A crane lifts steel frames to the top of a power transmission tower under construction near the bank of the Yangtze River in Fanchang County, east China’s Anhui Province, on February 6.  The tower is
期刊
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2018 will soon convene in south China’s Hainan Province, and the world’s focus will continue to be on Asia, in particular China. This year also marks th
期刊
It seems, with the current state of technological advances and continual development of infrastructure, that almost every corner of the world is now accessible by some means of transport. Air travel m
期刊
With European nations collectively plagued by economic slowdown and the United States resorting to protectionism in an attempt to preserve domestic jobs, global economic patterns are now in the midst
期刊
Russian President Vladimir Putin secured his fourth term with a landslide victory in mid-March, winning around 76 percent of the vote. According to Russian law, Putin will hold the post for another si
期刊
After introducing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, U.S. President Donald Trump again caused sensation on March 22 by signing a memorandum allowing the United States to levy tariffs on up to $60
期刊
Zheng Yu is in love with cats. Her childhood dream to own one was finally realized last year when she started working and got her own apartment. However, over the course of several months, Zheng’s ass
期刊
Business, trade, culture and technology have been globalized over a steady course of change and connection for the past 70 years. China has an important role to play in building the next stage of glob
期刊
In recent years, China has been commit- ted to the principle of innovation-driven development and has implemented an innovation-driven development strategy across the board while promoting the creatio
期刊
Personal income tax is an issue of direct concern to many, and is always a major focus at each year’s sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’
期刊