Truce brings 'significant drop' in fighting

The UN's Syria envoy on Tuesday applauded a "significant drop" in violence through the first 24 hours of a fragile ceasefire but said security concerns meant aid convoys stayed on hold.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Taiwan feeling the pain of Tsai's policy failure

More than 10,000 Taiwan tourism operators and workers took to the streets in Taipei on Monday demanding the island's government take steps to revive the industry, which has been hit hard by a sharp drop in the number of tourists from the mainland.

Yao still setting good example

The 15-minute speech Yao Ming delivered on Friday night when he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has gone viral on the internet.

Those who give or accept bribes harm the interests of everyone

"I'M MORAL BECAUSE I take bribes selectively - I only take bribes from the rich." That's what Chen Peng, an official being investigated for corruption, wrote in his confession. Beijing News comments:

Hiring more teachers can cover maternity leave

A NUMBER OF female teachers in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, have reportedly taken maternity leave to bear a second child after the country officially changed the family planning policy this year. China Youth Daily commented on Tuesday:

Amusement from getting people drunk is not culture

A 28-YEAR-OLD bridesmaid, surnamed Yang, died when she suffocated on her own vomit after drinking too much at a wedding in Wenchang, Hainan province, South China. Beijing Times commented on Tuesday:

Cartoon

Nuke tests won't solve DPRK's problems

The nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Friday was its fifth and largest, with a yield equivalent to about 10 kilotons of TNT, or trinitrotoluene. And it was its second this year.

Paid leave will help people visit parents

According to a recent media survey, 22 percent of the respondents visited their parents every six months, 28 percent once a year and 8 percent had not done so for many years. The respondents were people working or living away from their hometowns.

Unhappiness of a long distance runner

I had not expected a routine workout the other day to turn into a catch-me-if-you-can game.

Juncker has a host of challenges and a wall of apathy to deal with

A Chinese friend accompanied a climate delegation on its visits to Berlin and Brussels earlier this month when the United States and China ratified the Paris Climate Agreement at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. When he met me later in Brussels, he was eager to know about the situation in the European Union, especially because of the challenges the bloc faced at this crucial time in history.