IN BRIEF (Page 2)

Cat food: Staff members at a zoo in Yantai, Shandong province, make sure that three Siberian tiger cubs get enough to eat on July 4. The triplets were born on April 30 but were later abandoned by their mother. The animals are healthy now. Chu Yang / China Daily |
Rescue efforts made after mine fire
Rescuers were attempting to find 13 miners trapped by a fire that broke out underground in the early hours of July 4 in Benxi, Liaoning province. It was determined the miners might still be alive given that the shaft is connected to other nearby shafts, which should ensure ventilation, said Hao Chijun, head of the city's work safety administration and leader of the rescue effort. The mine caught fire around 3 am on July 4.
End hidden product risks, IKEA told

Quality supervisory authorities in Shanghai have told Swedish furniture company IKEA to eliminate potential risks in chests of drawers it sells in China. They acted after the company said it was recalling the same types of products in North America due to safety hazards. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said on June 28 IKEA would recall 35.6 million chests of drawers from the United States and Canada that have safety risks. This includes 8 million MALM chests and dressers sold in the US.
Xi sends message to civil society meeting
President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to Civil Society 20 China 2016 on July 5, which kicked off in Qingdao. In his message, Xi said civil society organizations play an important role in public affairs as well as economic and social development. In the same vein, China welcomes friendly exchanges and cooperation with foreign NGOs. State Councilor Yang Jiechi delivered Xi's message at the opening ceremony.
Soccer investment to help local game
With Chinese capital flooding the European soccer market, investors hope that part of their return will be improved training for youth at home. Amid a Chinese buying spree of top European clubs, a consortium led by business executives Li Jian and Zheng Nanyan announced on July 5 that it has purchased an 80 percent stake in French Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, becoming the first Chinese majority owner of a top-tier French club. The club's current president, Jean-Pierre Rivere, will remain in the post to manage the club, which finished fourth last season, while the Chinese owners will provide funding and strategic support for further development and promotion, especially in China.
Vanke shares plunge amid battle for control
Shares of China Vanke Co, the country's largest residential developer, plunged by the 10 percent daily limit on July 4 in a sign of investors' disappointment amid the ongoing battle for control of the company. Analysts said the share dumping by investors was "within expectation". They said it could highlight investors' concern over the developer's future operation after its largest shareholder, Baoneng Group, a privately held insurer, threatened to oust the entire management team, which is led by founder and famed entrepreneur Wang Shi.
In a world of their own: Students attending a special astronomy class at Tiyuguan Road Primary School in Beijing try out virtual-reality glasses on July 5. The experience with the high-tech devices was designed to stimulate the students' interest in research, the school said. Shen Ti / China Daily |
Overseas guests attend forum in Lhasa
The Samye Monastery in the Tibet autonomous region, which is usually filled with pilgrims and tourists, welcomed many overseas guests on July 5. The monastery, the first Buddhist one built in Tibet, hosted participants in the five-day Forum on the Development of Tibet, which opened on July 4 in Lhasa. The forum offers face-to-face exchanges for Tibetan officials and foreign advisers, according to the State Council Information Office, which is hosting the event with the regional government.
2017 pollution targets 'within reach'
A majority of Chinese provinces have performed well in reducing airborne pollutants and have a good chance of reaching the targets set in the national action plan by 2017, according to an assessment by the Chinese Academy of Engineering that was released on July 5. However, Beijing appears to have a tough challenge ahead, according to the assessment. China has been engaged since 2013 in a national campaign against smog. The Action Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control set emission reduction targets to be met by 2017.
China adjusts method of calculating GDP
China has changed its method of calculating the country's GDP, a move that is in line with international standards and is not an attempt to jazz up growth figures, the National Bureau of Statistics said on July 5. Research and development expenditure, which can bring continuous economic benefits to enterprises and was formerly excluded from GDP calculation, will now be taken into account. The change comes as China adopts the general methodology used by major developed countries for compiling measures of economic activity, the NBS said on its website.
P2P fraudster jailed for life
A court in Hangzhou has sentenced a man to life behind bars for running a fake peer-to-peer lending scheme that conned more than 88 million yuan ($13.2 million) from 1,200 investors. Cai Jincong illegally raised more than 200 million yuan through Zhejiang Yinfang Investment and Management Co, where Cai fabricated investment products promising over 20 percent in annualized returns, the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court said on July 5. Cai turned himself in early last year.
Taking to the air: An artist from Kazakhstan, hanging from a helium balloon 10 meters from the ground, gives a performance in the downtown area of Yantai, Shandong province, on July 3. Tang Ke / China Daily |
Web media urged to verify content
Websites that base news reports on content made on social media must verify the information before publication, China's internet regulator said on July 3. News sites must credit these sources, and they are prohibited from fabricating stories or distorting facts, according to a notice issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China. The CAC has punished some major websites that have fabricated stories this year, including sina.com, ifeng.com, 163.com and qq.com.
14 new satellites to help warn of disasters
China will put another 14 weather satellites into service by 2025, up from the current seven, in a bid to better monitor weather patterns to benefit society. Since 1988, China has launched 14 satellites in its Fengyun series for meteorological observation and related services. Of those, only seven are still in operation, Zheng Guoguang, head of the China Meteorological Administration, said on July 4. Together, all the satellites, both geostationary and orbiting, are expected to provide complete global weather monitoring and put China on the shortlist of countries that build both types, said Yang Baohua, deputy manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
Passage dug to trapped miners after flood
Rescuers dug a passage to reach eight miners trapped underground in Qinshui county, Shanxi province, after a coal mine flooded on July 2. The 117-meter tunnel, completed at 1:30 pm on July 4, was to transport food to the miners, who had been reached by phone, according to the rescue headquarters. Rescuers were still searching for four others who remained missing. The shaft was flooded with an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 cubic meters of water, and 5,000 cubic meters were pumped out by noon on July 4.
Bank for breast milk serves up good health
Six infants have become beneficiaries of Shanghai's first breast milk bank launched recently for premature or sick babies. Breast milk provides the best nutrition for infants and helps fight disease, according to doctors. More than 100 women have donated spare breast milk to the bank at Children's Hospital of Shanghai, according to Wang Yizhong, a gastroenterologist at the hospital.
Ex-senior official gets life in prison in bribes

Ling Jihua, a former national official, was sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes totaling 77.08 million yuan ($11.6 million), illegally obtaining state secrets and abusing power, a court ruling said on July 4. Ling, 59, former vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, pleaded guilty and decided not to appeal, a court video broadcast by China Central Television showed. "I accept all the charges and submit to the judgment," Ling said in his final statement. "Today's trial will be engraved in my memory."
(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/08/2016 page2)
Today's Top News
- Xi arrives in Lhasa for celebrations of 60th founding anniversary of Xizang autonomous region
- Xi to review troop formations lining up along Chang'an Avenue during V-Day parade
- The great power game behind the Alaska summit
- Tariffs and the new geopolitics of the Amazon
- Xizang's meteoric rise proves true
- Xizang strides toward modernization