Briefly

BEIJING

CPC to honor members with 50-years standing

The Communist Party of China will honor members who have five decades of Party membership with memorial medals for the first time this year, according to a decision by the CPC Central Committee. Eligible recipients will be living CPC members who have been Party members for 50 years or longer as of July 1 this year and have consistently performed well in their roles, a circular issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee said. In the future, the memorial medal will be awarded once a year, around July 1, the anniversary of the founding of the CPC, the circular said.

Former culture, tourism vice-minister indicted

Li Jinzao, former vice-minister of culture and tourism, has been indicted on a charge of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said. Li was accused of taking advantage of his former positions to seek gains for others in qualification approval, project contracting and job promotion, among other matters, and accepting huge sums of money and gifts in return, the top procuratorate said on Tuesday. The case has been listed for the Shenyang Intermediate People's Court, it added.

TIBET

China building largest refracting telescope

Chinese scientists are setting up the world's largest refracting telescope in the Tibet autonomous region for observing stars and planets. Construction for the optical telescope, with a 1-meter aperture, has started in Lhasa, the regional capital, said Wang Junjie, deputy director of the region's science and technology department. With its high altitude and clear skies, Tibet is said to be one of the world's best spots to observe celestial bodies. A refracting telescope is an instrument that uses a combination of lenses to produce images of distant objects in space that are not visible to the human eye.

GANSU

Mogao Grottoes closed due to sandstorm

The Mogao Grottoes UNESCO World Heritage site in Gansu province was closed to the public on Tuesday after the province was hit by the heaviest sandstorm in 10 years on Monday. In order to ensure the safety of tourists and the cultural relics, Mogao Grottoes decided to close temporarily, the Dunhuang Academy said, adding that the reopening date will be announced after the storm passes. The 1,600-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are located in the Gobi Desert, with damage caused by windblown sand one of the main environmental problems facing the site.

Xinhua