Shanghai has a new way to pick judges

Shanghai will begin selecting new judges from the ranks of its judge assistants - a position created five years ago as part of the city's wide-ranging judicial reform.

Chinese universities gain global prestige

Two of China's leading universities have been ranked among the world's top 30 educational institutions.

Chengdu doctor helps his patients stand tall

Doctor Liang Yijian returned to his office on Thursday afternoon after operating on a patient with a bent spine, only to find two other patients waiting for him.

Voices rise for painless childbirth

The suicide of a pregnant woman after her plea for a C-section was rejected has sparked a public outcry across China, with people calling for the promotion of pain-free delivery options.

UN: China's success against soil loss could be replicated in other countries

China's success in fighting desertification, or soil loss, is a model that can be replicated in other parts of the world, delegates to a United Nations conference said on Wednesday.

Teacher suspended for slapping students

A middle school teacher from Hefei, Anhui province, was suspended and given an administrative warning after being videotaped slapping 38 students in the face, according to the local education authority.

A miracle sprouts in the Ordos desert

After more than 30 years turning deserts green, Yin Yuzhen, a farmer in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, can see the miracle.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

New roads drawing Tibet cities closer

Gyaca county is only about 300 kilometers from Lhasa, Tibet. But a journey between them once took more than a day. The mud road studded with rocks was a big headache - not to mention the road winding around Kamba La Mountain, with cliffs above and below at an altitude of around 5,000 meters.

Ecological investment soars on plateau's highway project

Investment in ecological restoration and protection along a 96-kilometer stretch of the Lhasa-Nyingchi highway has hit 440 million yuan ($67.2 million), almost nine times the originally planned amount, an official said.

Acting governor appointed in Guizhou

Shen Yiqin, former deputy Party chief of Guizhou province, was appointed vice-governor and acting governor of the southwestern province on Wednesday.

120 children poisoned; bad cakes blamed

Tainted food sickened 120 children in three kindergartens in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, on Tuesday, and the cause - which some believe was cake - is under investigation, the city's education authority said on Wednesday.