IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Farm produce prices continue to slump

Prices of farm produce have continued their downward trend due to cheaper fruit and vegetables, the Ministry of Commerce said on June 1. The average price of 30 types of vegetables fell 5 percent compared with a drop of 4.1 percent a week earlier. The average price of six kinds of fruit dropped 1.4 percent. Grain remained steady, with rice prices unchanged from a week earlier, while flour edged up 0.3 percent.

China plans new space science satellites

China will put into space five new satellites within about five years as part of the country's fast-expanding space program, Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Center, said on June 1. The satellites, including a Sino-European joint mission known as SMILE, will focus on observation of solar activities and their impact on the Earth's environment and space weather, analysis of water recycling and probing of black holes, Wu said.

Police probed after death in custody

Five police officers are being investigated after a man died in custody, Beijing prosecutors said on June 1. Lei Yang, 29, who lived in the city's Changping district, died on May 7 about an hour after he was detained on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. His family has demanded an investigation to look into whether he was attacked by police officers and an autopsy by an independent third party.

Manufacturing output reading stays flat in May

China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index has remained in expansionary territory for the third consecutive month. It registered 50.1 in May, the same as in April after dropping from 50.2 in March, the National Bureau of Statistics said on June 1. The index is designed to gauge activity in the manufacturing sector, with a reading above 50 indicating expansion. A research note from Minsheng Securities said the May reading shows that manufacturing growth has slowed marginally but remains stable, and has yet to fall to a critical point that triggers policy easing.

Giant panda born in Belgian wildlife park

A giant panda has given birth in a Belgian zoo, a rare event for an endangered species that numbers fewer than 2,000 worldwide.

The male cub was born overnight at the Paira Daiza wildlife park to six-year-old Hao Hao and her mate Xing Hui, officials from the zoo told a news conference.

Photographs showed the pink, blind, hairless cub, just a few inches long, being held in its mother's jaws. Her "probable" pregnancy was announced just two weeks ago, accompanied by caution about detecting the tiny foetus.

The zoo cooperated with experts from the animals' native China to treat the mother by artificial insemination.

Survey: Many second pregnancies not planned

About 40 percent of Beijing families that have or were going to have a second child said they did not plan for it to happen, according to a new survey. Those with two children are also particularly concerned about how to deal with the siblings' relationship, said the survey, which was released on May 27 at the annual conference of the Chinese Society for the Study of Marriage and Family.

Shanghai hosts major 3-D printing event

The fourth World 3-D Printing Technology Industry Conference and Expo opened in Shanghai on May 31. The three-day event was one of the biggest in the industry calendar. China's 3-D printing market expanded rapidly between 2012 and 2015, according to the World 3-D Printing Technology Industry Alliance. It said the market was worth 1 billion yuan ($151 million; 136 million euros) in 2012 but could hit 10 billion yuan this year.

Camps abroad offer students new experience

More Chinese parents are sending their children to summer camps overseas in the hope of broadening their horizons, according to a report by Ctrip, a major Chinese travel agency. In addition, those taking part are getting younger, with the age range of those enrolled in camps this year 8 to 15, three years younger than in 2014, the report said.

Action plan targets soil pollution

China released its third national action plan to curb pollution on May 31, this time targeting soil deterioration. The government has said it will arrest the worsening problem by 2020 and then make improvements to polluted soil by 2030. The first two action plans focused on air pollution (2013) and water pollution (2015). The new action plan requires that 90 percent of contaminated farmland be made safe by 2020, with an increase to 95 percent by 2030.

Turkey arrests Taiwan suspects in fraud

Fifty-two Taiwan residents suspected of fraud have been arrested in Turkey, Taiwan authorities said on May 31. Taiwan received a report from Turkish police on May 30 that the 52 suspects were arrested in Izmir in western Turkey. The suspects allegedly installed monitoring cameras near ATM machines to steal people's passwords.

Sexually abusive guardians to lose custody

The right to be a child's guardian must be removed whenever parents and guardians are found to have sexually abused minors, the Supreme People's Court said on May 31 in response to a rise in such cases. The judicial authority asked courts at all levels to strictly deprive guardianship, a move aimed at protecting children. Chinese courts sentenced 6,620 offenders involved in 7,610 cases relating to child molestation between 2013 and 2015, the top court said.

Mandatory standards for children's clothing

China's first mandatory national textile standards for children's clothing - for infants and older - took effect on June 1, International Children's Day. "The standards are expected to guide manufacturers to improve the safety and quality of children's clothing to ensure infants' and children's health and safety," said Li Jing, a spokeswoman for the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The new standards categorize textiles into two types: materials for infants aged 36 months or below, and for children aged 3 to 14 years.

Ming cup fetches $4.6m at auction

A rare Chinese cup from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that was found covered in dust at an English university was sold at auction in Hong Kong for more than $4.6 million on May 31. Staffordshire University said the Stem Cup dates to 1425-1435 and bears the six-character mark of Emperor Xuande. The cup was part of a collection of Asian ceramics donated to the university by London chemist Ernest Thornhill in the 1940s to prevent damage during the Blitz in World War II.

Fire alert message issued ahead of Children's Day

The Ministry of Public Security issued a fire safety warning on May 31, one day before International Children's Day. In the past five years, 1,624 children under 18 have died in blazes in China, accounting for 18 percent of all fire-related fatalities, the ministry said. Young people playing with fire has also resulted in 264 deaths and direct losses totaling 130 million yuan ($19.7 million; 17.7 million euros). The ministry has called for enhanced fire safety education among minors and better supervision of children.

Sentence cut for convicted retail tycoon

Huang Guangyu, the former chairman of retail giant Gome and once China's richest man, has seen his prison sentence for corruption cut by 11 months. A court in Beijing made the ruling on May 31 on the grounds of good behavior. In 2010, Huang was given 14 years in prison after being found guilty of illegal business dealings, insider trading and bribery.

CRRC unveils high-tech monorail train

CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, a subsidiary of the country's largest train maker, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, has developed China's first monorail train powered by permanent magnet synchronous motors, marking a breakthrough in efforts to boost rail transit innovation. The company said on May 29 that its monorail had successfully completed a test run.

Earthquake map to make buildings safer

China will roll out a new seismic parameter map to help build safer structures by setting mandatory national standards, Xinhua reported. The "seismic ground motion parameter zonation map of China" will be used from June 1, according to the State Administration of Earthquakes. Gao Mengtan, a research fellow at its geophysics institute, said the new map has been in production since 2007. A previous version was published in 2001. To aid in building earthquake-proof structures, the map includes basic national standards for construction and anti-seismic design.

Minister: Nation's 4G users exceed 500m

More than 500 million people in China use 4G, Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology, said on May 31 at the first Global 5G Event in Beijing. China has the world's largest 4G network, with more than 2 million 4G base stations, while its mobile internet users processed more than 4 million terabytes of data last year, 103 percent more than in 2014, he said, adding that the country has formed a 5G research and development team to test the technology with a view to commercializing it by 2020.

Party official meets with DPRK delegates

Song Tao, head of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's International Department, held talks with a visiting delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on May 31. The delegation, led by Ri Su-yong, vice-chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, gave a briefing on the seventh WPK congress held in May.

(China Daily European Weekly 06/03/2016 page2)