Briefly

JIANGSU

4-meter king cobra seized by customs

The customs authority in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, said on Monday that it had seized a 4-meter-long live king cobra from a batch of imported wood. The snake, as thick as an adult's arm, is extremely venomous and would pose a threat to people's lives and the ecosystem if it entered the country, the authority said. The king cobra is the world's largest venomous snake species. Fierce and quick-witted, and mainly found in Southeast and South Asia, it is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world.

BEIJING

China renews place names database

China opened an updated database of standard place names on Monday to make people's daily lives more convenient and facilitate the smoother functioning of the economy and society, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. The National Database for Geographical Names of China now encompasses 616,800 place names under 11 categories, 8,879 geographical area names, and 30 boundary lines totaling 1,949 kilometers in length, the ministry said. The national database was launched in 2019 and renewed last year.

Xinhua