Central government departments and their subordinate units misused or embezzled about 4.52 billion yuan ($661.09 million) last year, for which 14 officials have been detained, the country's top auditor said yesterday.

DUSHANBE: President Hu Jintao has backed Russia's right to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in the face of international pressure over recent events in Georgia.

If you are interested in something related to the Olympic Games, you could go in for NBA star Yao Ming's bed or the ancient Chinese drums used in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

The country's economy has maintained steady and rapid growth in the first half but faces increasing uncertainty for the rest of the year, a senior government official said yesterday.

Rapidly growing fiscal revenue helped the country reduce its central fiscal deficit last year, despite heavy investment in rural and western regions, Finance Minister Xie Xuren yesterday.

Canada has repatriated Deng Xinzhi, suspected to have swindled 20 million yuan ($2.92 million), to China after five years, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said yesterday.