US prepares to ban laptops on flights from Europe

BRUSSELS - The United States is expected to broaden its ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from the European Union, a move that would create logistical chaos on the world's busiest corridor of air travel.

Inspur taps into Belt & Road

China's biggest server maker Inspur Group Co Ltd aims to increase the contribution of its overseas revenue stream to 40 percent of its total sales by 2020, as it scrambles to tap into opportunities brought by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Realtor ranks shrink in wake of tighter property rules

The ranks of real estate agents are shrinking in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, in the wake of the ongoing tightening of regulations by authorities and as a result of a decline in transactions, analysts said on Friday.

Tencent ups stake in Pocket Gems

Hong Kong-listed Tencent Holdings Ltd has doubled down on game studio Pocket Gems Inc with a fresh $90 million investment, increasing its stake from roughly 20 percent since 2015 to 38 percent.

Forum a venue for partners to explore further cooperation

The two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, scheduled to start in Beijing on Sunday, will be an ideal occasion for the participants from around the world to not only contribute their views on how to accelerate win-win cooperation, but also to acquire a better understanding of China's intentions in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

Sow seeds for farming change

At a recent news briefing, Zeng Yande, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, said that fruits, vegetables and tea grown in China now taste worse than before and also have a much lower economic return because of the overuse of chemical fertilizers.

Strike at all links in chains that profit from selling of personal info

AFTER THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT and Supreme People's Procuratorate jointly issued a judicial interpretation on Tuesday on punishments for those guilty of stealing and selling people's personal information, the Ministry of Public Security also vowed to crack down on the illegal chains that have formed for the trading of personal information. An editorial on thepaper.cn comments:

'No gutter oil' campaign gets thumbs up

KOUBEI, A LOCAL SERVICES PLATFORM affiliated to Alibaba Group, is giving "No Gutter Oil" labels to restaurants that promise not to use substandard cooking oil and recommending them before their unlabeled rivals. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Thursday:

Popularity of school workbooks stems from focus on exams

THE MINISTRY of Education has banned primary and middle schools from providing students with any drill-and-review workbooks. An article published in Shenzhen-based Jingbao Daily comments:

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China's growing role in global development

Despite the apparent tranquility of this year's spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, there are reasons to be concerned about the global economy. The United Kingdom's impending "hard" Brexit from the European Union and US President Donald Trump's anti-globalization agenda are creating economic uncertainty, and will continue to do so for some time.

Xiongan must test, and save, the waters

Xiongan New Area will be established in North China's Hebei province to help phase out the non-capital functions of Beijing. Spread across Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties in Baoding city, the new area also covers Baiyangdian, a major wetland in northern China, making the protection of the environment and water resources a necessity.