Starch shop closed after poisoning case

A starch supplier has been shut down by police after an investigation showed that the food-thickening agent contained clonidine, an anti-hypertensive drug.

Residents and nature happy by village relocation

A total of 221 villages have disappeared from the map of Beijing, following a relocation exercise that involved moving people from mountainous areas to locations with better infrastructure.

Mother loses appeal over daughter's death

A court has rejected an appeal by Li Xiao'e who has asked for 1.21 million yuan in compensation from Jingxi Hospital for the death of her daughter, Li Liyun, because Li Liyun's boyfriend refused to sign the consent to let doctors operate on her.

False title scammers detained

Ten university graduates have been detained for offering false honorary titles in the name of the Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC), police said.

IN BRIEF

Splash of green helps new town take shape

Work on an 8-km-long riverside forest park in eastern Beijing's fast-developing Tongzhou district is 60 percent complete and the green space will open to the public later this year, say officials.

Solar heating hot due to subsidies

Beijing residents and developers will be able to apply for government subsidies totaling 200 million yuan to install solar water-heating systems in residential and public buildings.

Sick of the big smoke

Soaring housing prices, hukou difficulties and the stress, pressure and competition of Beijing have many young white-collar workers dreaming of a simpler life. Huang Yuli reports.

Video security cameras zoom in on privacy issues

The capital's expansive drive to install surveillance cameras, which are said to be playing a major role in public security, is itself drawing watchful eyes: citizens and experts who decry the loss of privacy.

Buck stops with wardens for deaths in custody

Prisons told to check if inmates are being abused or bullied

Xinhua's new building to tower above all

The National Financial Information Building is set to become the tallest in Beijing, extending 360 m and edging past the capital's highest structure - the 74-story China World Trade Center III - by some 30 m.

SOHO sighs as new panel set to take over community

The disarray for residents of the Jian Wai SOHO complex is likely to abate by the end of the week, when a new residents' committee is set to take over.