IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Streamlined processes to aid top talent

The Ministry of Public Security released a host of measures on Wednesday to help Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park attract and hold overseas talent.

Funeral reforms seek to save space

Family members will be encouraged to share the same tombs, and ecologically friendly funerals will be promoted over the next five years in China, under a guideline jointly issued by central government departments designed to save land resources by stepping up funeral reforms.

Think tank identifies smog hot spots

Two smog hot spots in the already badly polluted Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster have been identified by a national environmental think tank.

Report: Senior-living investment needed

The graying of China's population is heating up the senior-living market, but many projects are targeting the rich rather than the middle class, according to a new report.

Former Shanxi legislator pleads guilty to corruption

A former senior legislator in corruption-plagued Shanxi province pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday after being accused of accepting bribes of more than 120 million yuan ($18.4 million).

No change foreseen in Taiwan policy

The central government foresees no major changes in its Taiwan policy after the island's recent leadership elections, according to An Fengshan, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Migrant children learn a tough lesson

A long with Beijing's other primary and middle schools, the Dandelion School opened for a new semester on Tuesday. However, only 520 of the 549 registered students, all from migrant worker families, returned following the Spring Festival holiday, teacher Zhao Kai said.

Expert urges easier access

Greater efforts must be made to ensure migrant children's rights to receive a good education in the cities in which their parents work, especially against the changing backdrop brought about by urbanization, an expert said.

Former flight attendant nurses new ambition

Mid-air preparations for a crash landing launched a young flight attendant onto a new career path in nursing. The emergency, due to faulty landing gear, ended high-flying ambitions and saw Sun Xiaolin change jobs to care for those on the ground and not enclosed in a cabin at 10,000 meters.

Around China

Gansu

Court says community road rule needs legislative support

The Supreme People's Court responded on Tuesday to a new urban planning guideline issued by the central government saying that roads in new residential communities should be open to the public rather than reserved for the private use of a community's residents.