VOC - the initials that are cause for concern

China learned about fine particles and the risks they pose after heavy smog and haze descended on many areas of the country in January.

What's in Beijing's air

Inland plants to solve problems

Building nuclear power plants in inland areas of China is a rational choice for the country's energy plan, with the potential risks all under control, experts say.

Nurses embark on journey to the West

Song Xi, a 24-year-old nurse, is planning her trip to Germany, but the preparations have been far from easy.

Shortages trigger demand overseas

Germany has a history of hiring nurses from abroad when they are in short supply at home, recruiting South Korean nurses as far back as the 1960s, for example.

Valuable lesson in Singapore

Liu Xiaojing, 33, from Shandong province, who worked as a registered nurse in Singapore for 18 months from 2010, says she was impressed by the city state's strict working rules for nurses.

Old soldiers receive badge of recognition

Mei Qing never really got to know her father until she was 41 and a stranger turned up at her door. The man told Mei that her father, who appeared anything but militaristic, was, in fact, a war hero.

State urged to play leading role in offering help

The State, not non-governmental organizations, must lead the way in finding and offering help to former KMT soldiers from World War II, says Sun Chunlong, founding director of the Longyue Charity Foundation.

The road to life after education

A slowing Chinese economy has fueled concern among many colleges for students' job prospects, but the principal of Chengdu Modern Vocational School has no such worries about her graduates.

Graduates trail in the search to find work after college

The employment rate for higher vocational school graduates is better than that for college postgraduates this year.

Philippines evacuates coast as typhoon nears

The Philippines evacuated northern coastal villages, suspended ferry services and called in fishing boats on Friday as an approaching category-five storm, already labeled a super typhoon, gained strength on a path set for southern China.

Starbucks' Internet called safer than Pentagon's

Using the Wi-Fi connection at Starbucks was a better bet than risking putting confidential defense documents on a glitch-prone Pentagon computer network, a senior Defense Department official testified late on Thursday at the Guantanamo trial of five prisoners charged with plotting the Sept 11 hijacked plane attacks.