IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Five officials probed for graft

Five former officials from Guangdong province have been investigated on suspicion of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Friday. The five are Lou Xukui, former deputy Party chief of Guangzhou's Panyu district; Deng Xiaobing, former deputy Party chief of Zhongshan; Liu Xian, former vice-general manager of China Southern Airlines; Liao Feng, former deputy Party chief of Maoming; and Huang Jinhui, former vice-mayor of Huizhou. The Guangdong provincial procuratorate approved the arrests of the five.

Region still using low-quality coal

More than 22 percent of coal samples collected from Beijing contain excessive pollutants, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Friday. The share rose to 26.7 percent for Tianjin and 37.5 percent for Hebei. The ministry tested 203 samples during an inspection on coal quality at 185 coal sales outlets and 10 coal-firing central heating stations across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Anhui

Scientists find skull fossil

Chinese scientists have discovered the fossilized skull of a Homo erectus at the Hualongdong archaeological site in Dongzhi county, they said on Friday. The skull, which shows the face, has remained well-preserved. It dates back around 150,000 to 412,000 years or more, with the exact age to be determined, said Liu Wu, a scientist with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Hongkong

New innovation chief appointed

The State Council, China's Cabinet, appointed Nicholas W. Yang on Friday as chief of the newly established Innovation and Technology Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The appointment, based on the nomination of Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, was in accordance with the Basic Law, it said. The ITB was officially established on Friday. The ITB is the 13th policy bureau of the Hong Kong government.

Shandong

Area to build teaching base

National Defence University PLA China signed a cooperative agreement with the West Coast New Area in Qingdao on Friday to build a teaching base in the city. According to the agreement, both sides will cooperate in various areas with the new base, such as talent cultivation, academic teaching and research.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 11/21/2015 page4)