IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Chinese athletes reign supreme in Rio

Chinese athletes dominated the 2016 Paralympic Games, which closed on Sept 18 in Rio de Janeiro.By the end of competition on Sept 17 in Brazil, China had won a total of 237 medals, including 105 gold, compared with the second-place United Kingdom's total of 147 medals, including 64 gold.

Focus on recovering assets of fugitives

In a new focus in the hunt for corrupt officials who have fled overseas, police will not only bring the culprits back to China to face justice, but will also work on recovering their ill-gotten assets, the Ministry of Public Security said. While the previous priority was collecting evidence in overseas manhunts, the recovery of assets acquired illegally in China will be a new anti-corruption initiative in the coming months, said a senior official at the ministry who requested anonymity. As part of the initiative, public security authorities will work closely with the People's Bank of China, particularly the division that cracks down on money laundering, the official said.

Nation vows funds to resolve refugee crises

China pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid on Sept 19 to help countries and international organizations to resolve refugee and migrant crises and will consider additional support measures. The vow was made by Premier Li Keqiang when he addressed a meeting at the United Nations on refugees and migrants. Li said China would also consider using part of the China-UN peace and development fund to support refugee and migrant work in developing countries, and to explore ways to enhance cooperation with developing countries and international agencies.

Mutual aid to halt spread of diseases

China is looking to step up cooperation with Eurasian countries on border health quarantine procedures to prevent the spread of endemic diseases, just as the Belt and Road Initiative is set to bring about more frequent international exchanges.Establishing a China-Eurasia health quarantine cooperation mechanism would help to prevent the spread of endemic diseases such as the Zika virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome, according to Zhang Jiwen, head of the Department of Supervision on Health Quarantine. He made the remarks at an international forum on entry-exit health quarantine at the fifth China-Eurasian Expo, which opened on Sept 20. The expo, to be held until Sept 25 in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has attracted representatives from 57 countries and six international organizations.

63 telecom fraud suspects are returned

Sixty-three telecom fraud suspects, including 50 from the Chinese mainland and 13 from Taiwan, were repatriated from Cambodia, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on Sept 20. The suspects were escorted by Chinese police officers, who collaborated with their Cambodian counterparts on the case. The suspects allegedly made many fraudulent phone calls to mainland residents. The case is under investigation.

End of leprosy is predicted by 2020

Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation, said the elimination of leprosy in China is possible by 2020 after decades of effort against disease. Eradication is measured by the reduction of new cases over time. Because leprosy has an incubation period of five to 10 years, a person acquiring symptoms today may have been infected years ago. But the disease has been in decline in China and is expected to trickle to a halt by 2020. Currently, China detects around 600 to 700 new leprosy patients annually. They can receive immediate treatment through the country's healthcare system, which has successfully reduced transmission of the disease, Aerts said.

Liftoff for link-up on space plane project

Chinese space engineers will link up to develop a next-generation craft with enormous business potential for commercial launches and space tourism, according to an industry conference. As competition in the international aerospace field becomes increasingly fierce, Chinese space engineers have reached a consensus that the new craft is of great importance to China's aviation and space sectors, a statement released after the First China Combined-Cycle Aerospace Vehicle Development Forum in Beijing said on Sept 20.

Apology ordered over war hero comments

A court in Beijing on Sept 20 ordered internet celebrity Sun Jie and Hong Kong-based herbal drink maker Jiaduobao Group to apologize to the family of deceased war hero Qiu Shaoyun for social media posts that the court said harmed Qiu's reputation and honor. The court said Sun and JDB must publicly apologize on five consecutive days and pay 1 yuan (15 US cents; 13 euro cents) as compensation for mental suffering to Qiu Shaohua, the hero's brother. As a soldier in the Korean War (1950-53), Qiu Shaoyun was concealed in the grass on Hill 391 before an attack by Chinese forces, but the US Army dropped an incendiary bomb nearby. Instead of moving and betraying his position - and that of hundreds of fellow soldiers - he burned to death. Sun Jie mocked Qiu Shaoyun as "barbecued meat" in an online post in 2013.

Cities bid to curb soaring property prices

More cities in China are expected to introduce restrictive measures to dampen speculative buying and curb soaring property prices. On Sept 19, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, imposed limits on second home purchases for buyers without a city household registration. This year, four other cities - Nanjing, Hefei, Suzhou and Xiamen - announced measures to cool the residential property market, such as increasing the down payment requirements for second homes or even barring the purchase of second and third homes. In these cities, the average prices have been rising by more than 30 percent year-on-year.

Millennials are racing up the career ladder

The millennial generation - people born from 1980 to 1995 - is showing distinct characteristics as it takes over workplaces.Millennials are climbing the career ladder faster, according to a report released by social network LinkedIn in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The report, based on a surveys of 5,000 millennials around the globe, said the workers need 8.6 years on average to climb from company newcomer to director or similar level. However, it took people born in the 1970s about twice that amount of time - 17.4 years.

First ceremony to swear in senior officials

The State Council held its first ceremony to swear in central government employees on Sept 18, with 55 newly appointed officials pledging to uphold the Constitution. Overseen by Premier Li Keqiang, the group took an oath in front of a red-bound copy of the Constitution in a State Council assembly hall. An executive meeting of the State Council passed a regulation on July 20 to clarify procedures and participants in the oath ceremony, which aims to build a government based on the rule of law and educate all employees to carry forward the spirit of the Constitution.

National Day bookings to US up threefold

The number of Chinese traveling to the United States during China's National Day holiday in October is expected to rise remarkably, in keeping with an expected overall increase for the whole year, tourism industry insiders said. Bookings for travel to the US during the National Day holiday, from Oct 1 to 7, are triple the number from last year, according to a report released on Sept 20 by lvmama.com, a major online travel booking platform. Ni Jiali, general manager of its outbound tourism department, said the rise resulted from beneficial tourism policies adopted by both China and the US.

Taiwan not invited to aviation meeting

Media in Taiwan reported recently that authorities on the island were attempting to negotiate attendance at the 39th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly, though it had not been invited. The 39th ICAO Assembly will be held in Montreal, Canada, from Sept 27 to Oct 7.

Lawmakers pledge to help the poor

Delegates from six Asian and African countries and international institutes - including Bangladesh, Kenya, Zambia and Cambodia - attended the 2016 Interregional Seminar for Parliamentarians from Asian and African Countries, jointly sponsored by the National People's Congress's Standing Committee and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Lawmakers, along with some representatives of international institutes, said they would welcome more cooperation to help the poor, as poverty reduction was key to their sustainable development.

Firm seals football club takeover deal

Investment firm Yunyi Guokai (Shanghai) Sports Development has sealed a deal to buy a controlling stake in football club West Bromich Albion, which plays in the English Premier League. The value of the deal was undisclosed, although earlier reports said it could be in the region of $195 million. According to a statement from the club, former chairman Jeremy Peace transferred ownership of West Bromwich Albion Holdings, which holds a 88 percent stake in the club, after preconditions of an agreement in the summer were met.

26 restaurants earn Michelin stars

Amid great anticipation and speculation, French tire manufacturer Michelin launched its first restaurant guide on the Chinese mainland, The Michelin Guide Shanghai 2017, on Sept 21, giving 26 restaurants in Shanghai from one to three stars. The 224-page guide, priced at 168 yuan ($25; 22 euros), was released in both Chinese and English. By Sept 21, it had sold more than 2,000 copies on Tmall, one of China's largest online shopping platforms. Among the 26 restaurants that earned stars, 19 are Chinese. The others serve Italian or French cuisine as well as innovative, vegetarian or barbecued foods.

Tesla hack prompts call for car-web safeguards

Industry observers have called for greater efforts to safeguard the web security of cars after researchers in China successfully hacked into the operating systems of Tesla Motors' electric vehicles.Keen Security Lab, which is part of Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings, said on Sept 20 that it had uncovered multiple security vulnerabilities after months of research on the Tesla Model S in both parking and driving mode -even managing to manipulate the car's braking system. After receiving a report from the lab, Tesla said it had updated its software to prevent manipulation of its cars.Despite the update, industry observers expressed concern over the web security of cars, especially with more vehicles in China expected to connect with the internet.

Center: Space survival test is going well

China's experiment in space survival is going smoothly, halfway into the project that began on Aug 26, the Astronaut Center of China announced on Sept 20. Four volunteers started the 180-day experiment in June in a sealed capsule, testing technology that will be used in deep-space exploration.

New awards for poverty alleviation

The government has approved another top-level honor to encourage people to fight poverty. Starting this year, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development will hold an annual ceremony for the National Awards for Poverty Alleviation. The first round of prizes - certificates of honor - will be given out around Oct 17, the national day for poverty alleviation.

Escaped fish may put species at risk

Experts are conducting a field investigation to assess flood damage to the ecosystem of the middle and lower reaches of China's longest river - the Yangtze - after nearly 10,000 metric tons of foreign and hybrid sturgeon were washed out of a breeding facility. Scientists worry that the hybrid and foreign species may now interbreed with endangered purebred Chinese wild sturgeon in the river, whose numbers have declined to dangerously low levels. Only 100 are thought to remain in the Yangtze.

Tibetan delegation completes Estonia visit

A cultural exchange delegation from the Tibet autonomous region wrapped up a three-day visit to Estonia on Tuesday. Jinmeiwangcuo, head of the delegation and the director of the news office of the regional government, said during its stay in the Baltic country the delegation met parliament members, government officials, experts and scholars. He said that from the delegation the Estonian representatives learned about Tibet's development, inheritance and the preservation of its ethnic culture, as well as freedom of religion.

Samsung bids to ease fears over phone fires

Samsung Electronics Co tried on Sept 19 to ease Chinese consumers' concerns over the safety of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after two more reports of fires involving the product. In a statement, Samsung said its research and quality inspection departments had concluded that the damage to the phone was caused by "external heating". The company has begun a limited recall that affects about 2,000 smartphones provided in July and August on a trial basis before the phone's official launch on Sept 1 in China.

(China Daily European Weekly 09/23/2016 page2)