WAR VETERAN PASSES AWAY

Zhang Yuhua， a retired general of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army， passed away at the age of 101 in Nanjing， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， on September 10.

Zhang became widely known when he participated as a veteran in the grand military parade in Beijing on September 3， 2015， celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Victory of World War II and the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Zhang kept his hand raised in salute during the parade， encouraging people who were present and the television audience.

Zhang was born in Wendeng County， east Chinas Shandong Province， in 1916. He was a primary school teacher before joining the army to fi ght against Japans aggression in 1937. Zhang engaged in numerous battles during the war. In 1964， he was promoted to major general.

After his retirement in 1986， Zhang dedicated himself to helping others. He donated most of his income and savings to schools and people living in poverty. Zhang was designated as moral model of the year in 2010.

Freed Animals Cause Problems

Legal Daily September 13

A cobra was set free on September 10 in a park in Xiangtan City， south Chinas Hunan Province. Local police immediately arrested the troublemaker and began hunting for the deadly creature to try to prevent it from hurting anyone.

Such news has frequently appeared in recent years. In the name of mercy， some people free captive animals， including foreign species， mostly bought from pet shops or markets. However， their warm-hearted kindness often causes serious consequences. Such animals randomly set free can destroy local biodiversity or harm people. For example， the red-eared slider， a kind of turtle from Brazil， has bred rampantly in some places of China due to being released from captivity or abandoned. This particular turtle has no natural enemies in China， so the alien invader has seriously damaged local biodiversity and poses a big threat to native species. Last April， someone freed hundreds of foxes and raccoon dogs in a Beijing suburb， causing economic losses to animal farmers and endangering the safety of local residents.

Influenced by Buddhism， freeing captive animals is an act that deserves respect in China. Today， people are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection and biodiversity. But it is necessary to ensure that acts of freeing captive animals do not violate laws or harm the legitimate interests of the public. Freeing a cobra in a park reflects the troublemakers ignorance of other peoples lives.endprint

In order to regulate the release of captive animals， the government revised the law on wildlife conservation in 2016. According to the updated regulations， no individual or organization should harm the public interest by freeing captive animals， and any creatures set free should be local species that pose no threat to local biodiversity.

High Expectations On Circuit Courts

Caixin Weekly September 4-11

According to the Supreme Peoples Court， a total of 15，400 trials took place in the first half of 2017， up 24.2 percent year on year. Six circuit courts of the Supreme Peoples Court accepted 5，730 cases， accounting for 44.8 percent of all cases during the period. Meanwhile， visits to the Supreme Peoples Court by petitioners dropped 17.5 percent compared with the same period of 2016.

The establishment of circuit courts is believed to burden part of the workload of appellate lawsuits， as citizens across the country are able to appeal at a supreme court near home instead of having to go to Beijing.

As standing organs of the Supreme Peoples Court， the circuit courts are authorized to make final judgments. The circuit courts have a wide range of jurisdiction involving in cases of administrative， commercial and civil affairs. In December 2014， China decided to set up the circuit courts in six major cities across the country to deal with cases from 26 provincial-level administrative regions. Circuit courts are regarded as a signifi cant move to deepen reform on Chinas judicial system and implement rule of law since the 18th Communist Party of China National Congress in late 2012.

The establishment of circuit courts is helpful to alleviate social contradiction and thereby relieve the pressure of petitioners on the Supreme Peoples Court in Beijing. Meanwhile， the six circuit courts are aimed at maintaining procedural justice and ensuring fairness in the process of trials with supervision from the Supreme Peoples Court.

Risks of AI Investment

Peoples Daily September 11

Artificial Intelligence （AI） has remained a hot topic in China for years. The research and development of AI has drawn continuous waves of investment from the capital market.

AI enjoys rapid development thanks to the significant progress in new materials， mobile Internet， big data， supercomputing and brain science as well as strong market demand. In return， the application of AI technologies is changing peoples lives profoundly and promoting economic and social transformation. China has made significant progress in AI development. In terms of the number of papers published and patents， China ranks second in the world. In some areas like automatic speech recognition and visual identity， Chinese scientists have accomplished key breakthroughs. China is also one of a few countries that take a leading position in developing industrial robots and unmanned vehicles. The age of AI is on the horizon.endprint

Meanwhile， we must stay cool to the thriving investment in developing AI technologies and products， preventing nearsighted speculations in the area. There is still a gap between China and developed countries in this area. China still lacks major original breakthroughs and leading AI scientists. The country should give priority to cultivating innovative researchers.

The government should enhance supervision and regulation of AIs development and prevent new technologies from being used in crimes. AI has a wide influence on social and economic activities. The technology is advancing rapidly and it may bring challenges to laws and social ethics and individual privacy. So it is necessary to stay cautious and vigilant to any possible risks， ensuring AI technologies are secure， reliable and under control.

PROFESSOR RECEIVES DISTINCTION

Qian Yi， 81， professor of water environment at Tsinghua University and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering， has been honored as a paragon of teachers by the Ministry of Education. The nation now has 11 such teacher paragons， each having passed through several selection rounds over the course of a year.

Qian was born in a family of scholars in Suzhou， east Chinas Jiangsu Province， in 1936. Her father， Qian Mu， was a famous historian and scholar of Chinese culture. In 1956， Qian graduated from Shanghais Tongji University. Later she went to Beijing and enrolled in Tsinghua University for graduate study.

In 1959， Qian began her career as a teacher and researcher of environmental science at Tsinghua University. In the past five decades， Qian has won a good many honors and awards as a much loved and highly respected teacher. Today， Qian still works unremittingly for environmental protection and improvement .

“There is common consensus among major political leaders in Nepal to carry forward railway connectivity between Nepal and China as a national priority project.”

Krishna Bahadur Mahara， Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal， telling Xinhua News Agency on September 12 during his visit to China

“Funding up to 30 million yuan （$4.6 million） a year will support seismological research on plate tectonics in Chinas earthquake-prone areas in the next five years.”

Zheng Guoguang， Director General of the China Earthquake Administration， announcing at a meeting in Chengdu， Sichuan Province， on September 11

“This is the time that we need multilateral institutions and international cooperation more than ever before.”

Jim Yong Kim， President of the World Bank Group， speaking at the “1+6” roundtable meeting of world financial leaders hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing on September 12

“As the regions first high-level comprehensive Buddhist academy， it is now able to accommodate over 1，000 students.”

Zhukang Tubdankezhub， President of the Tibet Buddhist Theological Institute， located in Quxu County of southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region， speaking to the media after the completion of the institutes extension project on September 12endprint