IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Academic powerhouse to be given a bigger role

Postdoctoral students need to be given a bigger role as China builds an innovation-driven economy, Premier Li Keqiang has said.

On Nov 30, Li said postdoctoral researchers closely track trends, and strengthen international cooperation and exchange, and are an innovation powerhouse.

He said China should rely more on human resources, and the fruits of innovation should link better with entrepreneurship.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China's postdoctoral system, and latest data show more than 140,000 have been enrolled since 1985.

Postdoctoral fellows patented 64,912 inventions between 2009 and 2013, China Labor and Social Security News reported.

Civil service exam sees rise in applicants

A total of 930,000 people took China's annual civil service exam on Nov 29, with one out of 33 expected to land a job.

The number was up 30,000 on last year, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. A record 27,817 civil service jobs at central government departments and offices are up for grabs this year.

Last year, the chance of an applicant landing a job was one in 40, while six years ago it was one in 69, Beijing Times reported.

War album released to mark 70th anniversary

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, recently made statements on a picture album that commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The album, which includes more than 70 pictures, has been exhibited in Beijing and Moscow. Some of the photos are available to the public for the first time.

Xi said the Chinese and Russian people supported each other during the war and made great contributions to the overall Allied victory.

Chinese people will always remember the Russian people's contribution, he said.

Govt moves to reduce paperwork burden

The State Council has told government departments to streamline administrative procedures by the end of January, to provide more convenient services for residents.

Rules requiring residents to provide certain material will be eliminated if not based on law or regulations, while cumbersome or redundant procedures will also be addressed, a statement said.

For example, people will no longer need to provide evidence that the emergency contact they provide before a trip overseas is a friend or relative, nor will someone looking to buy a house need to provide proof of their marital status.

Lung cancer patients to grow by 800,000 a year

Doctors in China will be diagnosing more than 800,000 lung cancer cases a year by 2020, according to medical experts.

Lung cancer has been a growing problem since 2000 due to the country's aging population, air pollution and smoking. "The rapid increase will last for at least 20 years," warned Zhi Xiuyi, a specialist at Capital Medical University in Beijing.

Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also predicted that PM2.5 particles, a major cause of smog, will replace smoking as the top risk factor.

Siberian tiger tracks found inside NE reserve

Tracks left by a Siberian tiger have been discovered at a nature reserve in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, some distance from the China-Russia border.

According to the local forestry authority, the tiger, an adult male, weighed 150 to 200 kilograms. Its paw prints were photographed recently at Xiaobeihu National Nature Reserve, which connects the world's two largest Siberian tiger habitats.

Guan Yun, a senior animal protection official, said the discovery indicates that the endangered species is making a comeback in the wild of China's inland ares.

(China Daily European Weekly 12/04/2015 page2)