TSCIENTIST MAKES THEORETICAL PHYSICS BREAKTHROUGH

Physicist Jia Jinfeng， along with his team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University， has unveiled the mystery surrounding Majorana fermions， a very peculiar type of particle that is considered as a potential candidate for dark matter， to help humans understand more about the universe， and to help scientists build quantum computers.

The discovery was published in the renowned scientific journal Physical Review Letters in late June.

The hunt for the Majorana fermions has transfixed physicists worldwide for nearly 80 years， ever since the particle was mentioned by Italian theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937. The discovery in China provides a straightforward way to observe the elusive particles for the first time.

Jia， 50， received a PhD in physics from Peking University in 1992. After graduation， he worked for Japanese and American research institutes for five years and is now a professor at the Physics and Astronomy Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The Yangtze River In Danger

Beijing Morning Post July 1

Home to more than 400，000 chemical enterprises and 46 percent of Chinas chemical production， the Yangtze River valley is beset by a rapidly deteriorating ecological system， as factories and industrial parks spread along its banks， stealthily discharging waste and polluting the water.

While some companies spend heavily on waste water treatment， others pursue extensive development and discharge sewage recklessly， regardless of pollution control standards. In the end， both treated and untreated waste water are discharged into the Yangtze and end up incorporated into the diet of local people.

Some short-sighted local governments locate chemical industries downstream of their cities on the Yangtze， calling this “comprehensive pollution management” but pollute the water that flows through cities further along the river. Sewage outlets are like time bombs installed along the Yangtze， endangering water supplies for production and daily life as well as the entire ecological system.

Environmental protection of the Yangtze River requires national effort and should be prioritized as part of the governments strategic plans.

Driving polluting enterprises out is not the ultimate goal. Cities should control total capacity and come up with rational industrial layouts based on zoning according to function， pushing companies to reduce emissions through technological upgrading and transformation. In addition to shutting down outdated companies with high emissions， those that had caused heavy pollution should be held accountable legally.

A Low-Key but Awesome University

China Newsweek July 4

The University of Science and Technology of China （USTC） seems too modest for a productive higher-learning institution.

Known as the MIT of China， it has nurtured a bunch of elites in science and technology （S&T）， education， business and other fields. Many professors in world-renowned universities such as Harvard received their education at USTC， despite it being not as famous as Peking University or Tsinghua University.

USTC was established in 1958 to cultivate competent S&T personnel for China. It has remained an elite university up to the present day. From student admissions to faculty selection and hiring， USTC prioritizes its overall performance rather than following the trend of expanding enrollment.

Giving importance to basic courses， as one of USTCs traditions， lays a solid academic foundation for students and greatly influences the ways they perceive and handle things. Designing special classes for gifted young people is also part of the schools education system. Through all these efforts， USTC enables its students to shoulder responsibility for Chinas economic and social development， pass on the fine cultural and moral heritage， and lead along the path of S&T progress.

President Xi Jinping expressed his high expectations for USTC during his visit to Anhui Province in April， “Be open to innovation， be bold to excellence.”He also encouraged the institution to make increasing contributions to Chinas modernization， as well as making great achievements in education and innovation.

Legal Adoption of Abducted Children

Legal Daily July 1

Abducted children cannot be legally adopted by loving and capable families after being rescued， according to Chinas existing regulations. The ban， however， is set to be lifted.

The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council recently published a draft of the revised Measures for the Registration of Adoption of Children by Chinese Citizens for public feedback. It stipulates that abducted children can be adopted by mainland residents 12 months after their rescue if their biological parents or any other guardians have not been found.

Current regulations forbid individuals other than biological parents and legal guardians from raising abducted children， partly to discourage people from buying them from traffickers in the first place. But growing up in welfare institutions， where such children end up after being rescued， can negatively affect their psychological development and future growth.

The government should properly handle issues involving abducted children and pay attention to their needs and rights. It is essential that measures are taken to balance the interests of all parties concerned. Police departments should ensure the flow of information by using technology and assist the reunion of those abducted and their families. Womens and childrens rights protection agencies and civic organizations should also be encouraged to play a part in the process. When guardians cannot be found after a long search， legal adoption should be seen as a good option.

TFORMER SENIOR OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

Ling Jihua， 59， former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of accepting bribes， illegally obtaining state secrets and abusing power， according to the first-instance ruling by the No.1 Intermediate Peoples Court of Tianjin on July 4. The CPPCC National Committee is Chinas top political advisory body.

Prosecutors accused Ling of accepting more than 77 million yuan （$11 million） in bribes， either directly or through his family members.

He was also found guilty of illegally obtaining a large number of state secrets and abusing his position to help others gain promotion and acquire houses.

Ling pleaded guilty to the charges and decided not to appeal.

In December 2014， the Communist Party of Chinas Central Commission for Discipline Inspection， the Partys discipline watchdog， announced a formal investigation into Ling over “serious violations of Party regulations.”

In July 2015， Ling was arrested. His conviction is considered one of the biggest catches in Chinas current massive anti-graft campaign.

“The new method of calculating GDP will better reflect the contribution of innovation to economic growth， and help pump more investment into R&D.”

Cheng Zilin， a National Bureau of Statistics official， commenting on the new method for GDP calculations adopted in July. The adjustment was made according to the 2008 System of National Accounts released by five international organizations， including the UN

“We hope that we can let Chinese filmmakers shoot an Italian production in a Chinese way to find something new.”

Roberto Stabile， an executive at the Italian National Association of Cinematographic， Audiovisual and Multimedia Industries， speaking about the associations plan to set up a permanent office in Beijing during a recent visit to China

“The telescope is of great significance for humans to explore the universe and extraterrestrial civilizations.”

Liu Cixin， the first Asian laureate of the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015 with his science fiction The Three-Body Problem， commenting on the 500-meter aperture spherical telescope， FAST， the worlds largest telescope， installed in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province， on July 3

“Overseas mergers and acquisitions have become a viable choice for Chinese companies to go global. They are also a symbol of Chinas full integration into the global economic system.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei， commenting on Chinese home appliance giant Mideas recent offer to buy Kuka， a German manufacturer of industrial robots， at a press conference on July 5