China's top legislature concludes standing committee session

The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded its 19th session in Beijing on Saturday.

At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt a Law on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals, revisions to the Fisheries Law, the Civil Aviation Law, the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language, and the Foreign Trade Law, as well as a decision to approve a report by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee on the progress of legislative review and cleanup and related handling measures.

President Xi Jinping signed six presidential orders to promulgate the laws and the decision.

Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting.

The meeting decided to submit the draft environmental code, the draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress, and the draft law on national development planning to the fourth session of the 14th NPC for further deliberation.

The fourth session of the 14th NPC will open in Beijing on March 5, 2026, according to a decision adopted at Saturday's meeting.

Lawmakers voted to adopt the NPC Standing Committee's interpretation of article 292 of the Criminal Procedure Law.

The meeting also voted to adopt reports on the examination of deputies' proposals and on the qualification of certain deputies and other personnel-related bills.

Addressing the closing meeting, Zhao called for NPC deputies to study and discuss the above three drafts carefully in preparation for the upcoming fourth session of the 14th NPC.

Zhao urged efforts to fully recognize the country's achievements over the past year in pressing ahead under pressure and advancing toward higher national development goals, emphasizing gaining a deeper understanding of the major new accomplishments made in the cause of the Party and the country during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

He stressed the need to accurately grasp the overall requirements, main goals, policy orientation and key tasks for economic work next year, and ensure effective implementation based on the NPC's functions and responsibilities.

After the closing meeting, the NPC Standing Committee held a lecture for lawmakers.

The 19th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee was held from Monday through Saturday.

China's top legislature concludes standing committee session

China's top legislature concludes standing committee session

Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei-Sarraf on Saturday condemned the United States and Israel for attacking Iranian academic institutions and research facilities, saying that more than 30 universities across the country have been directly targeted since the war started in late February.

The official made the condemnation when speaking to reporters at the site of the damaged Shahid Beheshti University in the Iranian capital Tehran.

Simaei-Sarraf said five university professors and more than 60 students had been killed in the strikes so far, describing attacks on Iranian infrastructure as "crimes against humanity."

Those killed include Saeed Shamghadri, an associate professor at the Iran University of Science and Technology. "Since the war started, five university professors, including Professor Shamghadri, and more than 60 university students have been killed. As I mentioned before, more than 30 universities in Iran have been attacked. It is unbelievable that in an era when democratic values, rights, international law, and human rights are being promoted, the most obvious of these rights are being trampled, violated, and attacked," said Simaei-Sarraf.

An U.S.-Israeli air raid hit the laser and plasma research center of the Shahid Beheshti University on Friday, destroying the interior of the entire building and shattering all the windows. The force of the strike also shattered almost all the windows on another building about 100 meters away from the explosion site.

A researcher at the university said it is incomprehensible that such a facility could become a target of attacks.

"You can see that there's neither any military personnel or military activity here. This is a place where only research was being conducted. Why did it become a target of attacks? What was the motive for this crime?" Azimi, the researcher, said in an interview with China Media Group.

Since the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran started, the Iranian government has repeatedly denounced the two countries for targeting the country's academic institutions and research facilities, calling such attacks serious war crimes.

Iranian official condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on universities