Tightest security ever for year-end revels in New York

NEW YORK - Police are promising a bigger security detail than ever before in Times Square for this year's New Year's Eve celebration, which will mark the end of a year that saw a number of deadly attacks on innocent crowds, including a vehicle rampage at the very spot where revelers will ring in 2018.

Rooftop restaurant fire kills at least 15

MUMBAI - At least 15 people were killed when a huge blaze tore through a popular restaurant in Mumbai early on Friday, police said, in the latest disaster to raise concerns over fire safety in India.

Apple apologizes after outcry over older iPhones

SAN FRANCISCO - Facing lawsuits and consumer outrage after it said it slowed older iPhones with flagging batteries, Apple is slashing prices for battery replacements and will change its software to show users whether their phone battery is good.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Deals of expediency will not bury the past

The Republic of Korea's President Moon Jae-in was simply telling the truth when he said on Thursday that the 2015 agreement between his country and Japan intended to settle once and for all the decades-long row over Korean women forced into wartime sexual slavery was seriously flawed, "both in process and content".

Major armed police reform

The armed police will be placed under the unified control of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Central Military Commission starting Jan 1.

Anti-bullying action plan rightly puts onus on schools and teachers

THE EDUCATION MINISTRY, Public Security Ministry and nine other central government departments have jointly published an action plan to address the issue of bullying in schools, which has become a grave problem. According to the plan, those responsible for repeated bullying in primary and middle schools will be transferred to reformatory schools. Thepaper.cn commented on Thursday:

Studying not rounded out with sleep

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION recently published national standards for the management of primary and secondary schools, which has attracted a lot of attention as it says that schools and parents should work together to ensure primary school pupils sleep at least 10 hours a day and middle school students sleep nine hours a day. Thepaper.cn comments:

Video shows the hotel industry has to clean up its act

A VIDEO showing cleaners using toilet brushes to clean cups in the guestrooms of three five-star hotels in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has gone viral online. On Wednesday, the local health department said the video is true and they have been talking with the hotels. Beijing News comments:

Cartoon

China's diplomacy more cogent in 2017

The year 2017 saw China playing a more effective role in global governance, as it continued making efforts to maintain peace and strengthen communication among countries. At a time when regional conflicts, slow economic development and erratic diplomacy have aggravated global uncertainties, China remains committed to promoting cooperation for the betterment of the world.

Initiative can improve ties with Vietnam

Editor's Note: Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's latest film Youth, which partly reflects on the China-Vietnam war of 1979, has earned high ratings after being released earlier this month following a two-month delay. The delay sparked a debate on China-Vietnam ties nearly four decades after the border war. Two experts and a film critic share their views on the subject with China Daily's Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow: