IN BRIEF (Page 18)

China Mobile pulls plug on VIP rooms

China Mobile Ltd said on Monday it is removing its premium customer lounges at the nation's airports in a bid to cut back on operating expenses.

IT upstages realty in the household wealth stakes

Information technology has replaced real estate as the top source of wealth in China this year, amid a housing market slump, said an industry report released on Monday.

Affordable restaurants bring cheer as catering industry bounces back

China's catering service sector saw revenue in the first half of 2014 rise 10.1 percent year-on-year amid expansion of affordable restaurants, the China Cuisine Association said in a report on Monday.

Shaanxi Automobile steering into Russian and Central Asian markets

Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group, the largest truck manufacturer in northwestern China, plans to build more spare-parts warehouses, assembly lines and service centers in Russia and Central Asian countries in the next three years to keep pace with more established competitors in the region.

Additional funds for new-energy vehicles from 2016

China will launch more fiscal support policies for the new-energy vehicle industry from 2016 to 2020, according to a notice the State Council (cabinet) released on Monday.

Cheaper fuel will aid logistics firms, car owners

China's top economic planning agency announced on Monday reductions in the retail prices of gasoline by 245 yuan ($39.46) a metric ton and diesel by 235 yuan, effective Tuesday-the largest cuts so far this year.

What's news

Tsinghua unit completes $907m merger with RDA

Rail sector sets 200,000 km target

China's railway track should total more than 200,000 kilometers by 2030, in line with the nation's economic goals, and at least 10 percent of it will be for high-speed rail, the former chairman of China's largest rolling stock producer told China Daily.

Weaker currency weighs on airline profits in first half

A weaker yuan crushed the first-half net profits of China's three largest airlines, statements from the carriers show.

A land of rich pickings

The first time the bandits came, Si Su's wife was home alone. She locked herself in the house and managed to scare them off with a warning shot through the front door.

Firms going the extra distance as medical tourism blossoms

Medical tourism, once the exclusive preserve of the rich, is growing and changing as hospitals and clinics offer far-flung patients advantages hard to come by at home - whether it be high-tech therapy, less-expensive care or alternative treatments.