Suspect held after two children killed

Police in Beijing have arrested a 46-year-old man from Pizhou, Jiangsu province, who is a suspect in the slayings of two children and in the serious assaults of four other minors.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Trading on a firm friendship

Growing commercial links with China are helping the Nepalese government rebuild its economy after the country was devastated by an earthquake a year ago. Sylvia Chang reports from Rasuwa, Nepal.

Boy's sudden death prompts campaign against child labor

The sudden death of a 14-year-old boy at a factory in Foshan city, Guangdong province, has triggered a citywide campaign against the exploitation of child laborers in the Pearl River Delta hub.

Two dramatists, one world apart

Despite the numerous parallels between William Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, it's hard to mask their literary and cultural differences

IN BRIEF (Page 10)

Can nation avoid middle-income trap?

Great opportunities still exist for further economic expansion if the government pushes ahead with the right reform agenda

Fixed-asset investment stabilizes, may hit 10%: domestic think tank

Fluctuations in China's investment market will continue this year as the pressure of the economic downturn continues, a domestic think tank has reported in its annual review.

Details matter in would-be debt-for-equity swap plan

China's debt-for-equity swaps, designed to shed 1-trillion-yuan ($154 billion) worth of underused capacity, have raised numerous questions about how the government will resolve the bad debts of inefficient companies, Caixin magazine recently reported.

1st quarter job market stays stable

Despites lowing economy and restructuring, unemployment rate remained relatively low

Rewards program helps province's air

Air pollution emissions in Shandong province fell during the first quarter of the year, thanks to a market-based air quality incentive program that could end up being rolled out across the country.

Tour groups banned after visitors swamp alleyway

Nanluoguxiang, a famous ancient alleyway in Beijing that is packed with small tourism shops, bars and restaurants, has become a victim of its own success and will no longer accommodate tour groups because of the huge numbers of people who visit the scenic spot each day.