IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Smart carpark to open in Beijing

A multistory car park that can be accessed by a mobile app is to open in Beijing this month. Similar facilities may be introduced citywide to ease traffic congestion and a shortage of parking spaces, its operator said. The new lot is fully automatic, and drivers can complete the process of locating free spaces, parking and retrieving their cars by accessing an app developed by the company.

Legal smarts vital for civil servants

Chinese civil servants are to be tested on their legal knowledge, it was announced on April 7. Recruits will need to pass a law exam to land a job, while current employees will need to pass in order to receive promotions.

Director wins suit over film profits

Film director Zhang Yimou has been awarded 2.46 million yuan ($380,000; 333,000 euros) after winning a lawsuit over unpaid profits from 2009's A Simple Noodle Story. Beijing New Picture Film Co, which produced the movie, was originally ordered to pay 15 million yuan, but a judge in Beijing reduced the damages upon appeal on April 7.

Report: 1 in 5 college students in China

One in every five of the world's higher-education students study in China, the Ministry of Education said in its first higher-education quality report, released on April 7. The number of colleges and universities in the country now stands at almost 2,900, second only to the United States.

TV show grills officials on conduct

A new television show in which officials are questioned about hot issues has turned its focus this year to corruption and poverty alleviation. Ten episodes of Questioning Officials on TV will be aired between March and December, according to Nanning TV, which makes the program. China's leadership launched a large-scale crackdown on corruption in Novermber 2012.

British teacher 'possibly murdered'

A British lecturer in Hong Kong who was found dead in the Chinese mainland could have been murdered, according to reports. Hilary Bower, 60, was killed on the night of March 22, Hong Kong police said on April 13, relaying information they had received from mainland counterparts. No details were given about where he was found or how he died, but AFP quoted a police source as saying it was "possibly murder". Bower taught at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and lived across the border in Shenzhen.

'Neglectful' children risk being blacklisted

Shanghai residents who do not regularly visit their elderly parents could be added to a credit blacklist, making it hard to get a job, loan or even access to welfare, according to new regulations. The move is part of efforts to improve care for elderly people, physically and mentally. The regulation will take effect in May.

College to launch drone flight school

Guangzhou Electromechanical Technician College in the southern city of Guangzhou is to launch a vocational course for drone operators to meet the growing demand. The college has invested more than 3 million yuan ($464,000; 406,000) in facilities and equipment, and has bid 5 million yuan for a stretch of land of about 1,000 square meters to build a drone flight school.

Study: HIV can resist 'Swiss army knife'

Canadian and Chinese scientists have discovered that the HIV virus can quickly develop a resistance to the so-called the molecular Swiss army knife, a gene editing technique. The findings, published on April 7 in the US journal Cell Reports, show the technique requires additional tweaks before it can be used as an effective antiviral tool, experts said.

Restoration of Confucius complex

A five-year project has begun to restore ancient paintings at the Confucius temple, mansion and cemetery in the philosopher's birthplace, Qufu, heritage authorities said on April 8. The work is the first of its first kind at the site for more than 100 years and will cost 320 million yuan ($49 million; 43 million euros).

9 arrested for fake formula scam

Nine people have been detained over the production and sale of fake baby formula, Shanghai police said on April 9. After receiving a tip-off in September, authorities said they had seized about 1,000 cans of milk powder, 20,000 empty cans and 65,000 fake Similac labels (a well-known brand) by Jan 7.

C-section risks 'may affect 2nd child policy'

The high number of cesarean sections in China, particularly in recent years, could affect the new policy to allow all couples to have two children, health experts said. China adopted a two-child policy this year. However, doctors warn that mothers "face greater risks when having a second" if their first was delivered by C-section, as a scarred uterus can lead to complications with the placenta and massive bleeding.

Hawking joins Sina Weibo and is instant hit

British physicist Stephen Hawking has opened an account on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo, amassing more than 2 million followers within 24 hours.

In his first blog post, at 10:12 am on April 12, Hawking, 74, reminisced about his trips to China and welcomed communication with Chinese people through social media. Within hours, the greeting had been forwarded more than 190,000 times and had generated more than 180,000 comments. Hawking posted a second message, announcing a $100 million space mission with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The mission was announced by Hawking and Milner at a news conference at the One World Observatory in New York City.

Tech ties with Israel to grow, Li says

China will inject new impetus into collaboration with Israel on technological innovation, Premier Li Keqiang said on April 12 after meeting with Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, speaker of the Israeli parliament, in Beijing. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries. Edelstein is the first Knesset speaker to visit China in 20 years.

New show on Confucius institutes' effect

China Central Television, the state broadcaster, began to air the first of a new documentary series on Chinese language and culture exchanges with the Western world on April 14. The program shows how Confucius institutes have helped to accelerate international exchanges over the past decade, as well as highlights similar projects such as the British Council and Germany's Goethe Institute.

Areas checked over Food Safety Law

Members of China's state legislature will inspect how the new Food Safety Law is being enforced in 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions before the end of May, including Tianjin, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, which have all been hit by recent food safety scandals.

Pay hike to remedy doctor shortage

Doctors in Beijing's rural areas are to receive a pay hike - in some cases triple their current income - as the capital looks to ease a shortage in medics. Almost 850 of the 3,919 villages in the municipal area have no healthcare services, the local health commission said on April 12. It said subsidies for rural doctors will be raised to 3,500 yuan ($540; 470 euros) a month from 1,600 yuan by the end of the year, with up to 2,000 yuan extra for those in mountainous areas.

Freed animals found dead in wild

Dozens of raccoon dogs and Arctic foxes found dead in Beijing's Huairou district had been released into the wild just days earlier, Beijing Evening News reported. Earlier investigations suggest 300 to 400 animals bred for their fur were bought and then deliberately freed on March 27. Thirty forest rangers set out to find the animals on April 9 and so far have recovered 80, of which 40 have died.

Broadband boost for rural online shoppers

Remote rural areas will be the next battlefield for e-commerce giants as the Chinese government looks to provide them with faster internet connections. The State Council said on April 6 that more money will be invested to establish broadband networks to facilitate exchanges of industrial products and agricultural goods between urban and rural areas.

Govt advice to protect tour guides

New guidelines to better protect the nation's 700,000 tour guides have been released by the China National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Transport. They suggest guides sit in proper seats on buses and coaches, not just a folding seat next to the driver, and avoid talking while standing on moving vehicles.

Fraud suspects returned home from Africa

Seventy-seven Chinese citizens, including 45 from Taiwan, are being investigated on suspicion of telecom fraud after being repatriated from Africa, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on April 13. The office said wire fraud criminals from Taiwan have obtained more than 10 billion yuan ($1.54 billion; 1.35 billion euros) a year from the Chinese mainland. Only 200,000 yuan has been recovered.

Tobacco controls bearing fruit in Beijing

More than 1,700 people and businesses have been fined for violating Beijing's tobacco-control regulation since it came into effect in June, the local health authority said. Police had also fined 1,331 people for violations by the end of March, totaling 1.05 million yuan ($162,000; 142,000 euros).

Prosecutors to target overseas illicit assets

Prosecutors chasing corrupt officials who fled overseas will begin to target fugitives' assets in the coming months, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said. Previously, prosecutors prioritized repatriating fugitives back to stand trial before attempting to confiscate funds.

Official: More oversight for GM seeds

China is to step up oversight of the seed market to prevent illegal commercial cultivation of unauthorized genetically modified varieties, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture said on April 13. Authorities investigated several cases of illegal cultivation last year. The official said China could push forward the commercial cultivation of pest-resistant GM corn in the next five years.

Gay couple vow to continue marriage fight

Two homosexual men who on April 13 lost a court battle for the right to marry have vowed to carry on the fight. It was the first case of its kind in China, where same-sex marriage is not legal. The lawsuit was brought to challenge the decision of a local civil affairs bureau that had denied the couple the right to marry.

Students could have US visas canceled

Hundreds of Chinese students in the United States could have their visas canceled after a sting by the US Department of Homeland Security to catch agencies that promote fake universities and help students obtain visas illegally, China Central Television reported on April 13. More than 20 agencies were caught, with about 1,000 students, mainly from China and India, now facing deportation.

Success for microgravity 3-D printing team

Chinese scientists at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization have successfully tested 3-D printing at microgravity, it was announced April 13. The team has conducted 93 parabolic test flights in France, with the help of the Space Administration of Germany, and printed out specimens with Chinese-developed equipment.

Scientists end Antarctic expedition

Chinese scientists wrapped up their 32nd scientific expedition to Antarctica on April 12, as the icebreaker Xuelong returned to Shanghai. The 158-day trip started on Nov 7. Xuelong covered about 30,000 nautical miles, carrying 277 scientists from more than 80 research institutions. China's first fixed-wing aircraft for polar flight, Snow Eagle 601, also completed 47 flights during the mission.

(China Daily European Weekly 04/15/2016 page2)