Briefly

Social responsibility reports released

More than 680 news media organizations across China have published their 2025 social responsibility reports, covering political accountability, platform development and public service, Xinhua News Agency reported. The reports were released by 20 major central news organizations, including People's Daily, 58 national industrial media outlets and more than 600 local media organizations. Each assessed performance across nine dimensions, from political responsibility and platform construction to public service delivery. In 2025, news organizations strengthened coverage of major political events, including the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin.

Commercial outlet fire leaves 8 dead in Hebei

Eight people were killed and three others injured after a fire broke out at a ground-floor commercial outlet in Qinhuangdao city, Hebei province early on Thursday, local authorities said. The fire broke out at about 3:40 am at the outlet in Haigang district with firefighters and police officers, as well as emergency management and medical personnel quickly responding to the scene for containment and rescue operations. The fire was extinguished at 4:30 am, according to authorities. The three injured people were transported to hospital for treatment and are in stable condition. Further investigation into the fire is underway.

China-Australia op cracks smuggling case

Chinese and Australian law enforcement authorities have jointly cracked a transnational tobacco smuggling case, seizing more than 90 million illicit cigarettes, according to a statement from China's Ministry of Public Security on Thursday. The operation was conducted by China's customs anti-smuggling authorities and the Australian Border Force as part of a joint effort to combat cross-border tobacco smuggling. The case originated from a special crackdown launched earlier this year by the Zhanjiang customs anti-smuggling bureau in Guangdong province, under the coordination of the anti-smuggling bureau of the General Administration of Customs. During the operation, Chinese authorities dismantled nine illegal cigarette smuggling groups and shut down nine storage sites, seizing more than 32 million smuggled cigarettes and over 1,100 boxes of e-cigarettes. Further investigation revealed a network allegedly concealing counterfeit tobacco products manufactured overseas among legitimate cargo, transporting them through China, and smuggling them into Australia. To dismantle the entire criminal chain, the General Administration of Customs shared information with Australian authorities through bilateral customs law enforcement cooperation channels.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY