? The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, opened its bimonthly session from Aug. 23 to Aug. 28 to read a series of draft laws.

 

 

? Legislature passes People's Mediation Law
The law establishes the people's mediation committee as the legal organization to resolve everyday disputes, and sets down the procedure for formation of such an organization within community committees. [Opinion: Role of mediation]

 

? Death penalty proposal meets opposition
A proposal to abolish the death penalty for 13 economic crimes is facing opposition from some members of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee as legislators began reviewing the eighth draft amendment to the Criminal Law earlier this week. According to some other legislators, limiting the application of capital punishment "does not necessarily require an abolishment" of the death penalty. [Opinion: Retaining deterrence I Capital penalty]

 

??HK's constitutional reform package conforms to Basic Law
The reform package suggests the number of members of the Election Committee for Chief Executive be increased from 800 to 1,200, and the current nomination threshold, at the ratio of one-eighth of the total membership of the Election Committee, be maintained.

 

• China mulls law amendment to better prevent soil, water loss
According to the draft, forests and grasslands should not be harmed in areas that suffer from severe land and water loss, and crop planting is banned on slopes of a 25-degree gradient.

 

? China plans to list drink driving, street racing
Drink driving and street racing have been written into a draft amendment to China's Criminal Law as crimes, as part of the country's efforts to make its roads safer. 

 

? China to intensify crackdown on illegal human organs trade
The draft amendment states that those involved in illegal trading of human organs, including organizing, coercing and tricking others into donating, and taking human organs from the deceased without the donor's consent, should be subject to a five-year sentence or longer, plus fines and confiscation of property. 

 

? China mulls law to better protect intangible cultural heritage
The draft law proposes the creation of representative lists of national and local intangible cultural heritage to safeguard such heritage that is of historic, literary, artistic or scientific value.

 

? China to revise Criminal Law to better protect worker's rights
Defaulting on paying wages has been written into a draft amendment to China's Criminal Law as a crime, meaning that employers who do so would bear criminal responsibilities.