Ex-urban official falls to his death

The former head of the urban management bureau of Guangming New District in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, reportedly fell to his death in the city on Sunday night.

Actress Zhang Ziyi gives birth to a daughter

Actress Zhang Ziyi is officially a mother.

Ministry vows crackdown on college test cheaters

The Ministry of Education has reported a suspected cheating incident in an important exam on the weekend to the public security authorities and will crack down on any cheating in exams, according to the ministry's micro blog on Sunday.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Smoking rate holds steady despite reduction efforts

Despite legislation and public education, China hasn't curbed tobacco use. Smoking prevalence remains the same as it was five years ago, a recent national survey found.

Subsidies to replace government housing

China's housing minister said on Monday that governments will stop building rental housing units to accommodate migrant workers and people displaced by demolitions or renovations of urban residences or shantytowns.

Refugees look to end life in limbo

Every weekday, Saad sees his son off to school in a city in southern China. It's a pretty normal activity, but a regular life such as this is now almost impossible in Saad's home country of Syria.

School for mountaineering builds home-grown expedition expertise

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers, the Tibetan Plateau is one of the world's finest destinations for climbers and explorers seeking challenging peaks and rarefied vistas.

Ascent of sacred mountains acts as a new form of worship

Most Tibetans regard high, snow-capped mountains as sacred and they have long tradition of honoring them by making religious offerings or circling the base on foot.

Top female rock climber wins gold, again and again

One of China's most accomplished athletes, a 26-year-old Tibetan woman with dozens of gold medals, is poised to elevate the nation's standing in a growing global sport: rock climbing.

Clean air blows in for a brief visit

Beijing residents got a brief respite from a spate of smog on Sunday morning, when the chilly air went from hazardous to good. But the pollution will come back stronger on Monday and engulf the capital and its southern neighbors again for three days, the national weather authority said.

Mine owner drowns amid rescue effort

The owner of a gypsum mine that collapsed on Friday in Shandong province drowned early on Sunday morning in an apparent suicide while assisting rescue teams attempting to extract the 17 miners still trapped underground, according to local authorities.