Travel guide for holiday rush

A travel guide was released by the China Meteorological Administration and 80 traffic departments across China.

The guide reminds travelers of safety risks and possible traffic congestion during the Spring Festival holiday, which starts on Feb 15.

Spring Festival eve falls on Feb 15, but the peak time for the holiday rush before then was Feb 10. Another peak will come on Feb 21 when people head back to work. Express highways in the Yangtze River and Pearl River deltas will face the most pressure.

Illegal NGOs disclosed

The names of a number of suspected illegal nongovernmental organizations were disclosed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs recently.

These organizations have not been registered according to regulations but have started their operations under the name of NGOs, the ministry said. The list will be updated and the public should be vigilant.

Certificate blacklist released

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently released a blacklist of those who changed their certificates for other entities rather than their own employers. The illegal use of certificates has undermined market order and creates risk to public security and personal safety, the ministry said.

Rural 4G network to expand

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the 4th-generation network for mobile signals will be expanded and improved in rural areas, responding to netizens’ complaints about poor signals for cellphones in rural areas.

There are still more than 30,000 villages without access to the 4G network and signals should be improved in some villages, the ministry said.

In the next step, the ministry will continue attempts to cover all villages with the 4G network while proceeding with the campaign to speed up bandwidth and reduce charges. Telecommunication companies should carry out their social responsibilities to further expand the network in rural areas and improve their services, the ministry said.

Online insurance sales alert

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission said consumers should be aware of hidden costs when purchasing tickets from online applications. Some applications bundled insurance cover in the price of the ticket. Consumers should check exactly what they are paying for, the commission said.

Initial coin offerings warning

The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, said it will take a series of measures concerning overseas websites for initial coin offerings where Chinese investors participated. The central bank said that domestic investors should be aware of the risks when trading on overseas websites and should not participate in any illegal action.

Maldives travel advice

Based on the security conditions in the Maldives, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese embassy in the South Asian country raised the security awareness level. The ministry said Chinese citizens should not go to the Maldives and planned trips should be canceled.