New system not for passenger use

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said that the satellite communication system that it required Chinese airlines to set up will not be used for passenger services such as in-flight entertainment, Beijing News reported on Wednesday.

CAAC, the country's top civil aviation regulator, said in a draft proposal on Tuesday that airline companies will have satellite communication equipment installed from 2013 to 2016.

The new move has increased wide speculation that the satellite communication system would also provide long-awaited in-flight wireless services for passengers. However, the CAAC said the system would only be used to assist communication between the cockpit and ground control.

Tianjin

Building collapse leaves 3 dead

Three people were killed and five injured on Thursday after a building under construction collapsed in North China's Tianjin, local authorities said.

A factory building at Tesida Food Machinery Technology in Wuqing district collapsed at about 1 pm, crushing eight construction workers, the municipal publicity department said in a statement.

Three workers were confirmed dead and five injured by 5:30 pm, it said. The injured are being treated at a hospital.

Guangdong

Truck accident kills 3 in Shenzhen

An out-of-control truck killed three pedestrians and injured another three in the South China city of Shenzhen on Wednesday night, police said.

The accident happened at 9 pm at a crossroad in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, according to police.

The initial investigation showed the truck's driver lost control of the vehicle, and a further investigation is under way.

Official punished in counterfeits case

A village Party chief in South China's Guangdong province was disciplined on suspicion of renting out an office building to a person to produce counterfeit leather goods under the Louis Vuitton luxury brand.

A special operation against commercial bribery in Zhanjiang city confirmed that the Party chief whose surname is Fu and other members of the Party branch in Suixi county's Yuanfa village agreed in February to rent the second and third floors of the village committee's office building and the courtyard for two years to a man who could be identified only as Liu.

Liu then opened a plant in the building to produce and sell fake Louis Vuitton leather goods.

Hunan

4 dead in Central China bus accident

A bus loaded with nearly 50 people fell off a cliff in the city of Yongzhou city in Central China's Hunan province on Thursday afternoon, leaving at least four people dead, local authorities said.

Although the precise number of passengers is not yet known, the city government has confirmed that almost 50 people were riding the bus at the time of the accident.

Most of the passengers were students bound for a school in Yongzhou's Daoxian county, where they were scheduled to attend an exam. Several passengers were seriously injured and sent to a local hospital.

Macao

International trade fair kicks off

The 17th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair opened on Thursday, attracting more than 330 delegations from more than 50 countries and regions, with the number of exhibition booths growing 9 percent to more than 1,800.

With the theme of "Cooperation - Key to Business Opportunities", this year's fair, held at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel from Thursday through Sunday, has nearly 50 themed exhibition areas and is scheduled to hold more than 47 international forums, conferences and promotion sessions.

According to the local government, the venue will occupy 30,000 square meters, with 4,000 exhibitors from home and abroad, an 8 percent increase over the last fair.

China Daily - Xinhua