Ministries respond to public concerns

Ministries and departments under the State Council, China's Cabinet, have responded to a series of issues concerning the public in the past week, including odorous salt, preferential financial policy, kindergarten, primary and middle-school security, think tank management and air pollution.

Taiwan seizes another boat; sailors hurt

Mainland authorities called on Taiwan to thoroughly investigate the shooting of fishermen by the Taiwan coast guard over the weekend, to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Master of mathematics dies at age 98

Wu Wenjun, one of China's top mathematicians, died in Beijing on Sunday morning at the age of 98, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Lab-grown veggies costly but have market

Vegetables can be grown year-round indoors, in "plant factories" that look a lot like laboratories - without a farm's heavy dependence on water supplies, soil, weather and manual labor.

Sandstorm expected to hit south

At least one death is attributed to strong winds, others injured

45 convicted for deadly landslide

Forty-five people were convicted on Friday by three courts in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, for their involvement in a deadly landslide that killed 73 people.

Social think tanks earn recognition

Think tanks run by domestic nongovernment organizations, officially named "social think tanks", which were once marginalized if not ignored, have finally earned recognition and strong support from the Chinese government.

3 killed, 2 injured in hiking calamity

Three hikers have been killed and two others were frostbitten after they traveled along one of the most dangerous hiking routes in northwest China's Shaanxi province and encountered a terrible snowstorm, a regional rescue team was quoted as saying by West China Metropolis Daily.

Party lessons aid foreign workers

Dongfeng Renault, a Sino-French joint auto venture in Wuhan, Hubei province, has offered a lecture on the Communist Party of China to its 10 new foreign employees, a move to facilitate collaboration between its Chinese staff members and foreign nationals.

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Schools to get added help for protecting students

Schools will work closely with public security authorities to ensure the safety of students at kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools, under a guideline released recently by the State Council.