IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Retrials ordered to safeguard rights

Courts across the country will retry controversial cases that might involve improper expropriation of land and houses in an effort to better protect property rights, the nation's top court said on Nov 29. The move by the judicial system follows a guideline aimed at better protection of property rights that was released jointly on Nov 27 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, China's cabinet. The guideline says that property rights, whether public or private, will receive equal protection. It is the first time that China has issued a state-level guideline on the protection of property rights. It also calls for the review - and correction, if necessary - of some property disputes that have received wide public attention.

China, Laos to push joint projects

China is willing to work jointly with Laos to push forward major cooperative projects in areas including railways and economic development zones, Premier Li Keqiang said on Nov 28. Li met with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Beijing, and the two leaders witnessed the signing of two cooperative documents covering border trade and the joint development of an economic cooperation zone. The two countries should enhance cooperation in areas including production capacity, investment, agriculture, finance and national defense, Li said, adding that China would like to connect the country's development strategy with that of Laos.

Xi mourns Castro during embassy visit

President Xi Jinping visited the Cuban embassy in Beijing on Nov 29 to mourn the passing of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, whom he called a "great friend of the Chinese people". It was the first time that Xi has gone to a foreign embassy to express condolences for the passing of a foreign leader since he became president in 2013. Xi noted that Cuba was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic ties with China. China is willing to make joint efforts with Cuba for the steady development of bilateral ties, Xi said.

Rules for foreign NGOs are clarified

China's top security authority has issued a guideline for foreign NGO operations on the Chinese mainland, providing detailed rules for them to register a representative office and organize events. The Ministry of Public Security published the guideline on Nov 28, saying the document was rolled out in accordance with a law on the management of overseas NGOs that was passed by the top legislature in April. The law, which will take effect on Jan 1, gives the Ministry of Public Security and provincial police authorities responsibility for the registration and management of the NGOs.

Coast Guard saves pair of fishermen

China's Coast Guard rescued two Philippine fishermen after their vessel encountered rough seas off Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, and is continuing to search for other missing fishermen, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Nov 29. Philippine Coast Guard officials said on Nov 28 that a search and rescue operation was underway for five Filipinos who had failed to return to port after a typhoon struck. The Philippine Coast Guard was coordinating operations with its Chinese counterpart.

Endangered animals seized in police raid

Forestry police in Ledong county in Hainan province said on Nov 29 that they had seized 53 endangered wild animals from a villager, surnamed Zhang, who was detained recently. During the raid at the suspect's house, police seized 34 live cobras, seven boa constrictors, five Oriental ratsnakes, one dead leopard and six dead masked palm civets. An investigation into the case is ongoing.

Old paper predates accepted invention date

Li Xiaocen, an archaeologist at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, has announced new findings about an ancient scrap of paper, likely the earliest paper on record, dating to 250 years before Cai Lun revolutionized paper-making technology in China. The scrap, about 5 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, was unearthed three decades ago in Fangmatan, an archaeological site in Gansu province. A crude type of paper was used as early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24). However, Cai Lun, a eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), greatly refined the paper-making craft and is regarded as the inventor.

Shanghai sculpture said to be a copy

Authorities in Shanghai are investigating a sculpture along the Huangpu River that some say is a copy of an iconic statue in London. The sundial-shaped artwork, located in Pudong New Area's Dongchang Riverfront Garden, is said to be a copy of British artist Wendy Taylor's work Timepiece near the Tower Bridge. Local officials are trying to find out who the artist is and which department is responsible for the artwork in the garden, according to a publicity official with the Pudong New Area Planning and Land Authority. The garden was built in 2006, but the department took charge of the area in 2009 the official said.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 12/02/2016 page2)