Top Chinese think-tank sets up branch in HK

HONG KONG • A top-level Chinese think-tank that advises the leadership has set up a branch in Hong Kong.

The move, analysts said, was an attempt by the central government to improve its knowledge of the city and better formulate policy, the Sunday Morning Post reported.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which covers issues from border disputes to international trade policy, registered a company in Hong Kong on June 27.

New commander for China's Rocket Force

BEIJING • China is appointing a new commander to helm its powerful strategic and tactical missile forces.

Lieutenant-General Zhou Yaning, 59, succeeds General Wei Fenghe as chief of the Rocket Force. The move is part of a military reshuffle ahead of 19th Party Congress next month, reported the South China Morning Post.

Man dies in HK haunted house attraction

HONG KONG • A 21-year-old man has died in a haunted house attraction called Buried Alive, as Hong Kong's Ocean Park prepared to kick off its annual Halloween festival. The man, surnamed Cheung, was hit by a coffin last Saturday. Buried Alive has been ordered to shut temporarily.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Battery-powered public transport for India

NEW DELHI • India will roll out about 100,000 battery-powered buses and auto-rickshaws in the coming weeks, setting it on the bumpy road to making new vehicle sales all-electric by 2030.

Greenpeace said at least 1.2 million people die each year in India due to pollution.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE