Beijing tech hub to shift focus from digital products to startups

Zhongguancun, a nationally renowned technology hub in Beijing, will transform its development model from an electronics-dominated to an innovation-oriented economy by focusing on serving startups amid a recession in the electronics trade, local authorities announced.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Smuggling ring busted by police

A three-month police investigation has led to the seizure of a large haul of endangered wildlife parts and the disruption of an international smuggling ring, the Beijing Forest Police Bureau announced on Monday.

Air pollution still public's top concern

Almost 78 percent of complaints the public made to the national environmental watchdog on its hotline in the first half of this year was about air pollution.

The right connections will no longer protect students

As the People's Liberation Army has had some of the world's top weapons, it is also pursuing top talent and has begun to raise the threshold for professionals, PLA Daily reported.

Work begins on water pipeline

Construction of a water pipeline connecting the coastal mainland province of Fujian with Kinmen, a Taiwan islet, started on Monday when excavators began operations at Longhu Reservoir on the Jinjiang River, the source for the water-diversion project.

Tougher controls urged for e-cigarettes

Anti-tobacco campaigners and pressure groups are calling for tough regulations to cover the rising use of electronic cigarettes in public places in China. They said e-cigarettes pose a threat to public health and could derail the country's efforts to limit the use of tobacco and related products.

Inventor foresees role for 'vapers' as more smoking bans enacted

Before Hon Lik invented the e-cigarette, a device now shaking up the Big Tobacco industry, he was a pharmacist in China struggling to quit a two-to-three pack a day smoking habit.

Volunteer offers computer classes, soccer lessons

Liu Xuan graduated from a top university this summer, but he didn't look for a job. Instead, he chose to volunteer as a teacher at a rural middle school in northwestern China's less-developed Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Around China

Anhui

Bazaar helps teachers in remote areas

The seventh Love Knows No Borders international charity bazaar opened outside National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on Sunday. The event, with the theme "A Tribute to Rural Teachers in Yunnan", was hosted by Qian Wei, the wife of Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Sanya creates police unit to aid tourists

Sanya, a coastal resort city in Hainan province, has established a special police force targeting irregularities in the tourism industry.