IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Thousands seek a second child

More than 42,000 couples in Beijing have applied to have a second child since the family planning policy was changed in February last year, the city's Family Planning Department said on Tuesday. As of the end of May, 42,075 couples in the capital had submitted applications, of which 38,798 had been approved. About 1.45 million couples nationwide - about 13 percent of those eligible - had applied to have a second child by the end of May.