LEGO boosts life skills for children

LEGO Foundation, a corporate foundation created by the owner of the Denmark-based LEGO Group, is joining hands with several educational institutes in China to nurture interest in learning through play and inculcate vital skills among the country's children and students.

Internet connections benefit impoverished

Because the internet is expected to play an increasingly important role in China's poverty-alleviation campaign, connectivity to the internet has been deemed essential for poorer areas of the country, according to an IT industry insider.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Suppliers hitting the gas

China's battle against air pollution has had an unintended consequence: a shortage of heating fuel supply is affecting many northern cities this winter, boosting domestic prices for natural gas to a three-year high.

Fuel shortage triggers jump in coal prices

China's thermal coal prices jumped recently as natural gas shortages across the north spurred an unexpected resurgence in demand for coal-fired power.

LNG imports expected to surge

China, already the third-largest LNG buyer worldwide after South Korea and Japan, is about to become an even bigger player in the market as the country's demand for natural gas continues rising sharply.

Bailian builds e-commerce platform

An online e-commerce platform for commodity trading that aspires to become an internet-based information and transaction hub with a trillion-yuan ($151 billion) in target was established in Shanghai on Tuesday, making it one of the first to offer customized real time information services for the trade.

PetroChina plans major international expansion

BEIJING - PetroChina's oil and gas trading arm aims to buy petrol stations and fuel storage facilities, setting up business in West Africa, Brazil and Pakistan in a major global expansion aimed at taking on international rivals, according to three senior oil industry executives briefed on the plans.

CSRC takes more steps to curb fraud

China's top securities watchdog on Tuesday vowed a tougher crackdown on fraudulent initial public offerings following the opening of a trial involving the first Chinese company forced to be delisted from the stock market over IPO fraud.

'Coins of the realm' losing their luster

When was the last time you saw a yifen or a 1 cent coin? Probably years ago, as today they are rarer than giant pandas.

Designing the past, present for the future

For coin designers, bringing innovative ideas to life takes talent and years of training.

Cashless society almost a reality across the globe

The slow death of the humble coin has become a global phenomenon.