Fireworks belong to the past and should be banned in cities

PRIOR TO THIS YEAR'S SPRING FESTIVAL, many media outlets and scholars called for a total ban on fireworks because of the air pollution they cause. A comment on ifeng.com said:

End illegal deals between patients and doctors

MORE THAN 1.5 BILLION YUAN ($218 MILLION) was misappropriated from the medical insurance fund last year, according to a report released by the National Audit Office. Beijing News commented on Wednesday:

Legal duty to limit visitor numbers

THE RESTRICTIONS on the number of tourists that can visit scenic attractions are compulsory legal limits that must be strictly abided by for safety concerns. Beijing Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

Cartoon

Building the Belt and Road for win-win development

Editor's note: The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) will be held in Beijing from May 14 to 15. People from both home and abroad have expressed keen interest in the BRF since President Xi Jinping announced it at the Davos Forum in January. On the occasion of the 100 day countdown, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who is in charge of the preparatory work, gave a comprehensive over view in an interview with the People's Daily and China Daily.

Cooperation could make both China and US great again

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is dead, at least for the time being. But instead of dissecting US President Donald Trump's problematic trade policies, many are quick to point out that it will create a rare opportunity for China, especially in pursuing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, in which the United States is not participating.

Trump taps Gorsuch for Supreme Court post

US President Donald Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch, a fast-rising conservative judge with a writer's flair, to the Supreme Court, setting up a fierce fight with Democrats over a jurist who could shape America's legal landscape for decades to come.

Israel approves 3,000 new settler homes

Israel has unveiled plans for 3,000 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, the fourth such announcement in the less than two weeks since US President Donald Trump took office.

Iconic possum 'at risk of extinction' if logging continues

Australia's endangered Leadbeater's Possum faces extinction within 30 years unless more is done to stop logging in Victoria's mountain ash forests, researchers said on Wednesday. A study which considered research from over 30 years found the iconic species will be unable to survive if its natural habitat, Victoria's mountain ash forest, is continually logged.

UK lacks resources for 'hard Brexit'

Britain doesn't have the people and resources to deal with a "hard Brexit", according to a leading challenger to the British government's exit plan from the European Union.

Beleaguered bees hit by 'deformed wing virus'

A wing-deforming virus shortens the life-span of wild honeybees already contending with a startlingly long list of existential threats, researchers said on Wednesday.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)