Briefly

XINJIANG

10 killed, 9 injured in Xinjiang fire

Ten people died and nine were injured on Thursday in an apartment building fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, local authorities said. All the injured were treated for moderate smoke inhalation and are in stable condition. The fire broke out at 7:49 pm on the 15th floor of an apartment building in the Jixiangyuan community, and the smoke spread to the 21st floor. It took firefighters about three hours to extinguish the blaze. Based on a preliminary investigation, the fire was caused by a power strip malfunction in a bedroom.

BEIJING

Dialogue promotes sports' unifying spirit

The first Tiantan Forum on Dialogue between Civilizations was held in Beijing on Friday, marking the 130th anniversary of the modern Olympics. The forum, which was themed Olympics and Common Values of Humanity, sets various agendas on world and Chinese civilizations, Olympic culture, and the modern world and its future. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a congratulatory letter that the Olympic mission has timeless relevance to promote solidarity and peace for all humankind.

Private pension plan announced

China officially announced the implementation of a new private pension plan on Friday, a supplement to the nation's social security system. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Friday that the plan will first be carried out in 36 cities and regions, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. Workers covered by the State-level pension system can now open private pension accounts voluntarily. They can deposit up to 12,000 yuan ($1,650) per year into the accounts, and payments can be made monthly, yearly or by other structured installment plans.

Test carried out on space-based fuel cell

China has carried out an in-orbit test of its domestically developed space-based fuel cell, according to the China Academy of Space Technology. The academy said the cell worked well in a space environment characterized by a vacuum, extreme low temperature and microgravity during the test that took place recently outside the Tianzhou 5 cargo spaceship, which carried the device into space. The spacecraft fuel cell is essential to the country's future manned exploration on the moon as it can provide stable power supply to landers and rovers, designers explained.