IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Xi congratulates new Thai king

President Xi Jinping congratulated Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn on being formally crowned on Saturday.

Kim oversees testing of multiple rocket launchers

Pyongyang conducted a "strike drill" on Saturday, firing tactical guided weapons off its east coast in a drill supervised by its top leader Kim Jong-un, a move sought to escalate the pressure on Washington to return to the negotiating table with a compromise on easing sanctions, analysts said.

Models of Airbnb and hotels converging

If you are visiting New York when the annual Christmas tree lighting takes place at Rockefeller Center and don't want to wait in the cold and stand among thousands of others, you might be able to rent an apartment-style suite overlooking the tree.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Small home gardens are an emerging trend

For those in China who grow flowers at home, the boom in mobile internet allows them to gain easy access to green tips. And for them, the hobby can ease pressure and enrich their lives.

'Veggie vids' cultivate a growing following for green-fingered friends

Li Yue has joined three friends to cultivate a social media account devoted to sharing short videos that teach viewers how to grow their own produce online.

PLUGGING THE GREEN DEFICIT

Cheng Yajing is a gardener with "magical power" to make plants grow faster in a greenhouse at the Beijing Botanical Garden, also a playground of succulent plants such as cactus, vines and potted juicy leaves.

Four decades of tending to Chinese roses, and he still has a lot to learn

Thousands of Chinese roses are blooming at the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing, in breathtaking shades of yellow and white. And there are more than 200 varieties of roses, most of them from abroad.

International standardization essential to TCM progress

Though traditional Chinese medicine has been practiced in China for thousands of years, it has largely been a supplementary part of medical care overseas, when compared with modern medicine.

Riding the green wave

In light of Shanghai's new regulations on waste management, which will go into effect on July 1, innovations related to recycling and garbage sorting took center stage at the recent IE Expo China held between April 15 and 17 in the city.

6 ways Japan has changed under Akihito

Naruhito will inherit a different nation from that at the start of his father's reign