IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Academic powerhouse to be given a bigger role

Postdoctoral students need to be given a bigger role as China builds an innovation-driven economy, Premier Li Keqiang has said.

On Nov 30, Li said postdoctoral researchers closely track trends, and strengthen international cooperation and exchange, and are an innovation powerhouse.

He said China should rely more on human resources, and the fruits of innovation should link better with entrepreneurship.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China's postdoctoral system, and latest data show more than 140,000 have been enrolled since 1985.

Postdoctoral fellows patented 64,912 inventions between 2009 and 2013, China Labor and Social Security News reported.

Civil service exam sees rise in applicants

A total of 930,000 people took China's annual civil service exam on Nov 29, with one out of 33 expected to land a job.

The number was up 30,000 on last year, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. A record 27,817 civil service jobs at central government departments and offices are up for grabs this year.

Last year, the chance of an applicant landing a job was one in 40, while six years ago it was one in 69, Beijing Times reported.

War album released to mark 70th anniversary

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, recently made statements on a picture album that commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The album, which includes more than 70 pictures, has been exhibited in Beijing and Moscow. Some of the photos are available to the public for the first time.

Xi said the Chinese and Russian people supported each other during the war and made great contributions to the overall Allied victory.

Chinese people will always remember the Russian people's contribution, he said.

Govt moves to reduce paperwork burden

The State Council has told government departments to streamline administrative procedures by the end of January, to provide more convenient services for residents.

Rules requiring residents to provide certain material will be eliminated if not based on law or regulations, while cumbersome or redundant procedures will also be addressed, a statement said.

For example, people will no longer need to provide evidence that the emergency contact they provide before a trip overseas is a friend or relative, nor will someone looking to buy a house need to provide proof of their marital status.

Lung cancer patients to grow by 800,000 a year

Doctors in China will be diagnosing more than 800,000 lung cancer cases a year by 2020, according to medical experts.

Lung cancer has been a growing problem since 2000 due to the country's aging population, air pollution and smoking. "The rapid increase will last for at least 20 years," warned Zhi Xiuyi, a specialist at Capital Medical University in Beijing.

Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, also predicted that PM2.5 particles, a major cause of smog, will replace smoking as the top risk factor.

Siberian tiger tracks found inside NE reserve

Tracks left by a Siberian tiger have been discovered at a nature reserve in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, some distance from the China-Russia border.

According to the local forestry authority, the tiger, an adult male, weighed 150 to 200 kilograms. Its paw prints were photographed recently at Xiaobeihu National Nature Reserve, which connects the world's two largest Siberian tiger habitats.

Guan Yun, a senior animal protection official, said the discovery indicates that the endangered species is making a comeback in the wild of China's inland ares.

Peng finds new friends at orphanage

First lady Peng Liyuan visited an orphanage during President Xi Jinping's two-day visit to Zimbabwe.

The children sang a Chinese song, Looking for a Friend in Chinese on Dec 1 as they welcomed Peng to the Grace Mugabe Children's Home.

Accompanied by Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, Peng visited the children in the orphanage with her entourage. The home was founded by Mugabe to care for orphans and abandoned children. Early this year, Mugabe graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a PhD in orphanages.

Peng donated teaching facilities, as well as study and sports materials, worth 1 million yuan ($156,300) to the children. She was thanked by a child who accepted a panda toy as a gift.

Shanghai university boosts water quality

A Chinese university has joined with a Kenyan company to improve water treatment and management in Kenya through the introduction of modern technology.

Shanghai-based Tongji University has embarked on a one-week training session for staff from Nairobi Water Company in a move geared toward improving water quality and services.

"The one-week training is meant to introduce the staff to modern technology in water treatment and also improve efficiency," Professor Li Fengting from the Chinese university said in Naivasha, adding that his university is training 26 staff members from the water company under the tutelage of five experts from the university.

Li said that China had a lot of experience in water treatment and resource management, and the training is part of China-Kenya cooperation. He said they had been working with the Nairobi Water Co for seven years.

China's role in Africa no threat, official says

China's increasing investment in Africa is not a threat to the continent but a boost to the region's self-development, said Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shen Danyang. Shen spoke on Dec 2 in response to questions about the intent of China's investments.

"China has always been and will remain a trustworthy friend of Africa," Shen said. "The accusations of 'Chinese menace' and 'neocolonialism' are completely unfounded and will not be believed."

China has been the biggest trade partner of Africa for six consecutive years. The country's outbound direct investment in Africa has been increasing 37 percent on average in the past 15 years and the areas of cooperation have expanded to new fields such as finance, tourism and telecom.

Man turns Beijing smog particles into brick

A performance artist has recently finished a 100-day project to collect smog in Beijing with a special vacuum cleaner.

"It will be used for construction in the future, just as any other building material," said the founder of the project, who preferred to be identified as "Jianguo Xiongdi".

He started the project with a suitable vacuum cleaner - "large enough to collect smog in Beijing".

He has collected smog in many places, including Tian'anmen Square and at the door of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, usually for four hours a time, even on days "when the government suggested residents stay inside as smog levels soared".

Foreign HIV/AIDS patients on rise

More than 1,800 HIV/AIDS cases involving people from outside the Chinese mainland - mostly foreigners - were diagnosed between January and October, said Wu Zunyou, head of the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control and Prevention.

Such cases are continuing to rise due to increased international exchanges, he added.

The latest figure compares with 1,500 cases recorded in July last year covering the previous three years.

New shipping atlas to improve integration

An atlas for ships navigating waters off the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is being drawn up to improve efficiency, according to the Tianjin-based Navigation Guarantee Center of North China's Sea, part of the Ministry of Transport.

"It will help integrate the development of the main ports and facilitate the larger integration of regional transportation," spokesman Chai Jinzhu said.

The atlas will contain maps as well as information on ports, natural resources, population, culture, the economy and government administrative institutions.

Mountaineers required to apply before climb

Climbers will need approval to scale mountains higher than 3,500 meters in the western province of Sichuan after Jan 1, according to a new regulation. Organizers of unauthorized trips will be fined 1,000 yuan ($156).

Applications will need to be filed with the sports bureau in the city where the mountain is located 10 working days before any trip.

Mountaineers who want to scale mountains higher than 7,000 meters will have to file an application with the General Administration of Sport.

China to relocate 10m to fight poverty

China will relocate 10 million people in the next five years to lift them out of poverty, Vice-Premier Wang Yang said on Dec 1 at a meeting on poverty relief. In written instructions for the meeting, Premier Li Keqiang said China was increasing its efforts to eliminate poverty by taking targeted measures, including relocation, to ensure that poverty-stricken villages and households receive help. Demands should be respected, said the premier, and relocation plans should be made with sensitivity to local conditions.

Website for food, farms to advance trade

China launched a trade information website for agricultural and food products on Dec 1 to further facilitate trade with countries covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, said Xie Yuan, vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, one of the initiators of the measure.

Qu Dongyu, vice-minister of agriculture, said the site would advance the development of a common agricultural and food market.

$3.2b invested this year modernizing agriculture

China spent 20.36 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) this year developing modern agriculture, underscoring the country's continued support of rural reform, the Ministry of Finance said on Dec 1. The funds were used to support local industries in rural areas, promote medium-scale land management and strengthen agricultural buildings, the ministry said.

Suspected gun traders arrested in police sting

Five people suspected of illegally selling firearms online have been arrested in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Police said they seized 1,180 unauthorized guns and 6 million bullets.

The suspects contacted dealers and buyers through an online network before shipping guns to customers from a warehouse in Shaoyang, Hunan province, police said.

Gas poisoning death toll rises to 10

Five more people have died after a gas leak at a stainless steel factory in Zouping county, Shandong province, bringing the death toll to 10, the local government said.

Seventeen people were taken to a hospital for treatment for gas poisoning on Nov 29. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 12/04/2015 page2)