IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Tibet

Sky burial sites to get investment

Tibet will spend 490 million yuan ($75 million) over the next five years to improve and protect 156 sky burial sites, local authorities said on Wednesday. Sky burial is a Tibetan and Mongolian tradition in which the bodies of the dead are fed to predatory birds, so that their souls may ascend to heaven. Wild dogs, bumpy roads, trash and a lack of facilities for mourners are among the problems associated with the practice. Funding will cover road construction, fences, reception rooms, mortuaries and furnaces to burn trash.