Briefly

INNER MONGOLIA

Cross-border online gambling racket foiled

Police in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region have solved a cross-border online gambling case involving transactions totaling some 2 billion yuan ($314 million). Police in the city of Bayannuur said on Thursday that they received a tip in August that a gang led by a suspect surnamed Wang was organizing betting by Chinese gamblers through mobile phone apps and laundering money for gambling platforms. Over 100 police officers recently raided four offices operated by the gang across the country, freezing 10 million yuan of funds and seizing 173 bank cards and 65 mobile phones. Police said 28 suspects have been arrested.

SHANGHAI

Scientists develop speedy COVID-19 test

Chinese scientists have developed a molecular system that can provide COVID-19 testing results in less than four minutes. A research team from Shanghai's Fudan University mentioned the portable prototype device in a study published recently in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, saying it can detect traces of COVID-19-related genetic material quickly and accurately. The device is an electromechanical biosensor consisting of a probe bound to a flexible single-stranded DNA cantilever that is linked to a self-assembled stiff double-stranded DNA structure, according to the study. It facilitates the rapid and ultrasensitive detection of nucleic acids in biofluids, and also of ions, small molecules and proteins. Unlike the quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction tool kit, the device does not require nucleic acid extraction and amplification procedures, thus substantially shortening the testing time, the researchers said.

BEIJING

Two officials arrested for taking bribes

Cai Esheng, former vice-chairman of the now defunct China banking regulatory commission, has been arrested on suspicion of bribery and abuse of power, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Thursday. Cai's case was transferred to prosecutors after an investigation by the National Supervisory Commission, the SPP said. The banking regulatory commission was replaced by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission following a cabinet restructuring in 2018. Separately, Meng Xiang, former chief of the enforcement bureau of the Supreme People's Court, has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, the SPP said on Thursday. The National Supervisory Commission has completed the investigation into his case and handed it over to prosecuting agencies, the SPP added. The SPP has designated a procuratorate in Henan province to handle the case, and the People's Procuratorate of Henan province made the decision to arrest Meng.

Xinhua