International

China vows to ‘plug holes’ in work safety

26 Nov, 2016

China has vowed to “plug the holes” in its laws and safety standards to improve working conditions after a power plant accident in the east of the country killed 74 people earlier this week, state media reported on Saturday.

The official Xinhua news agency reported that the State Council has approved the formation of a team to be led by Yang Huanning, head of the State Administration of Work Safety, to investigate the accident.

A platform under construction collapsed on Thursday during work on a cooling tower for a coal-fired power plant in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province. State media said a tower crane fell, triggering the collapse of the entire platform. Police have since taken 13 people into custody.

Deadly accidents are relatively common at industrial sites in China, where anger over lax standards is growing. Three decades of swift economic growth have been marred by incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires.

“We must focus on the problems exposed by this incident, take a further step to strengthen and perfect the law, standards and regulations, plug any holes, constantly strengthen and safeguard the foundations of production safety, and raise standards of safe production,” Xinhua said, citing Yang.

The company in charge of the power plant, Jiangxi Ganneng Co, said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday it was cooperating with authorities. (Courtesy Reuters)

Recommended For You

Feature Image

Germany to ban civil servants, judges, soldiers from wearing full-face veil

Germany’s Bundestag lower house of parliament agreed to a draft law on Thursday that will prevent civil servants, judges and soldiers in Germany from wearing full-face veils at work. The move comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel called in December for a ban on full-face Muslim veils “wherever legally possible”. There are five months to go before a federal election, and her conservatives lost some support to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) during the migrant crisis.. More than

28 Apr, 2017

Feature Image

Pope denounces barbarity during Egypt visit

Pope Francis, starting a two-day visit to Egypt, urged Muslim leaders on Friday to unite in renouncing religious extremism at a time when Islamist militants are targeting ancient Christian communities across the Middle East. Francis’s trip, aimed at improving Christian-Muslim ties, comes just three weeks after Islamic State suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in two Egyptian churches. “Let us say once more a firm and clear ‘No!’ to every form of violence, vengeance and hatred carried out

29 Apr, 2017

Feature Image

China flags global naval role after new carrier launch

China needs to raise its military capabilities to protect its growing overseas interests, its foreign minister said following the launch of China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, but he vowed not to pursue expansionism. China launched the carrier on Wednesday amid rising tension over North Korea and regional worries about Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and its broader military modernization program. Speaking during a visit to Germany, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Y

27 Apr, 2017