【午间读报】Feb 13th

CHINA DAILY Headline A more favorable policy for Chinese overseas travelers Summary China's Ministry of Public Security says 45 countries and regions are introducing visa exemptions or visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese travelers this year. Under the policy, travelers are allowed to arrive at one of the 45 countries or regions with their valid passports and a return flight ticket. BEIJING NEWS Headline Immigration to Canada to be not so easy for Chinese millionaires Summary The Canadian government has announced plans to put a stop to its federal immigrant investor program. Currently over 50-thousand applicants from the Chinese mainland are queuing up for the program. The program had helped over 130-thousand people immigrate to the country over the past three decades. However, it is criticized as devaluing Canadian nationality. SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY Headline Truck guards back to work Summary Armored truck guards in Guangzhou are returning to work after a one-day strike demanding a pay increase and better accommodation standards. They have been promised a 600 yuan raise by their company, about 100 US dollars. Banking services in the city were disrupted on the day of the strike. The strike is believed to have been sparked by the recent death of a guard who was shot by his malfunctioning gun while on duty. BEIJING MORNING POST Headline 25 more minutes of daily congestion Summary The latest report from the transportation authority here in Beijing shows the city witnessed an average of 25 more minutes of daily traffic jams in 2013 as compared to 2012. There were almost 28 million daily journeys across the city's urban areas, a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent. SHANGHAI DAILY Headline 299 workers fall sick after lunch Summary Almost 300 workers at a local plant in Shanghai were rushed to hospitals after falling sick with food poisoning symptoms. They were treated for fever, nausea and vomiting. They had eaten lunch offered by the company, however they didn't feel sick until around midnight. GLOBAL TIMES Headline Tibet phone coverage Summary Stats from the telecommunication authority in the Tibet Autonomous Region suggest over 3 million people in the region had subscribed to telephone services by the end of last year. That's over 99 percent of the total population in the region. Almost 90 percent of all temples in the region are said to be covered with phone lines.