In Brief
Lunar New Year should be two weeks long, say delegates
A group of CPPCC delegates has suggested extending the Lunar New Year holiday from seven days to two weeks to include the Lantern Festival as a way to encourage people to travel and spend more time with their families, the Oriental Morning Post reports. CPPCC delegate Cheng Ping from Zhuhai said the Lantern Festival should become a public holiday because it was a part of the nation's long history and culture. Mr Cheng also said that because the Lunar New Year had several customs that needed to be observed, people had little time left for relaxation.
Concerns over CCTV blaze
Several CPPCC delegates have questioned the handling of the fire on the site of the new China Central Television headquarters in Beijing last month and called on CCTV to take responsibility for the blaze, the Beijing Times reports. The delegates have also demanded the broadcaster report the exact losses to the NPC, CPPCC and the public. CPPCC member Song Chunli, an actress, also asked CCTV to report the progress of the investigation.
Call to bill spouses' lovers
'Innocent' parties in divorces should be able to claim compensation from the lovers of their wayward spouses, says CPPCC delegate and Fudan University academic Ma Lan. Calling for revisions to the marriage law, Ms Ma said lovers should compensate faithful spouses because they had violated the innocent party's marital and legal rights, the Oriental Morning Post reports.
'Public can pay university debts'
Peking University president and NPC delegate Zhou Qifeng has asked the public to pay off the debts of the mainland's universities, provoking waves of criticism online, the Southern Metropolis News reports. Dr Zhou told the congress on Tuesday that universities produced people with knowledge and society should be charged for it. Netizens poked fun at the idea, joking about whether the public would be consulted on how the money would be spent.
Vouchers for civil servants
Civil servants should receive one-third of their salaries in vouchers instead of cash to make them spend as much as possible, says Shandong NPC member Li Jia.
