Briefs, March 12, 2013

Seven ministerial-level members of the nation's top advisory body submitted a proposal to cap coal consumption in the mainland's three most developed regions - the one encompassing Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei , as well as the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. Four of the submitters are with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which tried to introduce a coal-consumption cap in those regions during creation of the nation's 12th five-year plan (2010-2015), but failed because of resistance from central and local government departments during the consultation process. Coal consumption is chiefly blamed for poor air quality in many cities. Cary Huang

A Shanghai CPPCC member submitted a proposal to create an official residence system for officialdom, requiring senior officials to live in designated residences while in office. Zhang Hongming , also a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said that the system would help promote transparency about officials' living conditions and help to combat corruption. Cary Huang

The proposed name for the reorganised media administration, the State General Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television is proving quite a mouthful. "It's just too lengthy," complained Wu Shulin, deputy director of the General Administration of Press and Publications. Xinhua