Beijing increases funding for hospitals

China has been increasing financial support for the healthcare sector to guarantee all citizens affordable and proper medical services, according to senior finance and health officials.

City acts after ministry requires tougher measures

Langfang city in Hebei province will redouble its efforts to control air pollution by the end of October, as required by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, local authorities said on Thursday.

1 ex-official sentenced, 1 pleads guilty in corruption cases

Wang Baoan, former head of the National Bureau of Statistics, pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting 154 million yuan ($22.3 million) in the Zhangjiakou Intermediate People's Court, Hebei province.

Report: Childhood obesity accelerating

One in four Chinese children age 7 or above will be obese in 2030, a report issued by Peking University's School of Public Health and other organizations forecasts.

Police bust telecom fraud operations

Police in Guangdong province have detained 910 suspects after busting 80 gangs they say were involved in telecom fraud, theft and robbery, in two crackdowns launched in late April and early May.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

8 dead in Xinjiang quake

At least eight people were killed and 23 injured by a magnitude-5.5 earthquake that jolted Taxkorgan county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday morning.

Lawmakers draft bill to protect national anthem

Lawmakers are drafting a bill on the use of the national anthem to ensure it is regarded as something sacrosanct. The draft is expected to be submitted for its first reading in June, according to the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

15 of China's most-wanted are convicted

Of the 40 most-wanted fugitives who have returned to China, 15 have been convicted so far in the country's effort to run down corrupt former officials.

Official: Taiwan shouldn't mislead

The Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan "should reflect thoroughly" on why Taiwan has been able to take part in the World Health Assembly meetings over the past eight years but not this year, An Fengshan, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

12 victims identified in tunnel crash, fire

The 12 victims of a deadly traffic accident in Weihai, Shandong province, on Tuesday have all been identified, the local government said on Wednesday.

Escapee captured after eight days on the run

Police captured a convict on Wednesday, eight days after he escaped from prison.