IN BRIEF

Beijing

209,000 patents for inventions OK'd

A total of 209,000 patents for inventions were issued in the first half of this year, according to the State Intellectual Property Office on Thursday. As of the end of June, the Chinese mainland held more than 1.22 million patents for inventions. A total of 565,000 patent applications were handled. In addition, 15,411 patent disputes and infringement cases were resolved in China in the same period, up 23.3 percent year-on-year, according to the office, a 6.1-percent rise year-on-year.

More caregivers needed for elderly

Nursing homes and care agencies in Beijing are short of 20,000 workers due to stress and low pay, authorities said on Thursday. More than 11,000 registered workers make up Beijing's elderly care industry, at least 20,000 fewer than needed, Li Wanjun, head of Beijing's civil affairs bureau, told a session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Beijing Municipal People's Congress. Workers in eldercare homes in Beijing earn 30,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan ($4,430 to $5,900) a year, Li said. Annual staff turnover is more than 40 percent. In addition, 70 percent of caregivers are migrant workers with a low level of education.

Smugglers of cigarettes targeted

Chinese tobacco authorities seized 195,000 cartons of smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes in the first half of this year, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration said on Thursday. A total of 2,817 cases involving counterfeit cigarettes valued at 50,000 yuan ($7,380) or more, were solved from January to June, the authorities said. Law enforcement agencies captured 3,786 suspects believed to be involved in the manufacture and sale of counterfeit cigarettes and prosecuted 1,601.

Sichuan

Panda gives birth to pair of cubs

A giant panda named Nini gave birth to twins on Thursday, bringing the total number of new arrivals this year at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to eight. Nini's pregnancy was confirmed in June and she gave birth to two cubs early on Thursday. A male cub, weighing 203 grams, was born at 5:48 am. A female, weighing 91 grams, arrived about an hour later at 6:33 am. Both of the cubs and their mother are in a healthy condition.

Hubei

4 killed, 11 hurt in highway crash

Four people died and another 11 were injured in a vehicle crash in Yicheng on Thursday morning, the local government said. The accident occurred at about 4:30 am when an intercity bus collided with a truck on a highway section at Xiaohe township. As of 7 pm, four people had been confirmed dead, and 11 others were injured. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. The local government is investigating the cause of the crash.