New survey on finless porpoise to begin

The Ministry of Agriculture will kick off another survey on finless porpoises along the middle and lower stretches of the Yangtze River and its two connecting lakes on Nov 10.

Village gives elderly a helping hand

Li Xiuying celebrated her 96th birthday on Oct 10 with her family. As she reached 96, the "old age premium" - a sum she had been receiving on her birthday since 2002 from the Caoqiao village committee - more than doubled from 40,000 yuan ($6,010) to 100,000 yuan.

WWF launches International Panda Day

World Wide Fund China designated Oct 27 as International Panda Day on Friday in Shanghai, hailing the global integrated conservation efforts of the bamboo-munching, black-and-white bear as an example to be followed in protecting other wild species.

Roots of traditional medicine may be older than thought

The therapeutic system of traditional Chinese medicine might have taken shape hundreds of years earlier than previously thought, according to researchers from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Sichuan province.

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Air quality alerts issued for region

Beijing and Tianjin issued yellow alerts for smog on Thursday afternoon, requiring polluting companies to suspend production to lower emissions. The smog is forecast to linger until around noon on Saturday, the national environmental monitoring authority said.

Taxis help monitor pollution in Jinan

A batch of 100 taxis equipped with air quality monitors that can measure particulate matter such as PM2.5 and PM10 have hit the road in Jinan, Shandong province, the city's environmental protection bureau said on Tuesday.

New high-speed trains on drawing board

Companies submitted design proposals for a new generation of bullet train to China Railway Corp at a meeting in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Draft standards released for care of elderly

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has published a draft of national service standards for institutions that care for the elderly, and is seeking public comment.

One-China principle reiterated after speech

In a response to a speech by Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, Beijing reiterated that recognition of the one-China principle is essential to good cross-Straits relations.

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Study: Mutated H7N9 virus can pass more easily

Researchers note airborne transmission; official says risk to humans unchanged