Environmental info must be disclosed

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has urged local authorities to be more transparent when providing information related to the environment, especially data regarding potentially hazardous construction projects.

In a circular published on its website, the ministry told local authorities that in cases of major projects that may affect the public, information should be disclosed to a wider spectrum of people, and decisions should not be made until the public had been consulted.

Provable oil and gas reserves up

By the end of 2011, China had nearly 94 billion tons of provable oil reserves, an increase of 23 percent over 2007, and about 55 trillion cubic meters of provable natural gas reserves, about 56 percent more than in 2007, an oil and gas report released by the Ministry of Land and Resources on Thursday said.

The report said the dramatic growth of the oil and gas reserves across the country is mainly due to the technology development and innovation in exploration and drilling.

Landing spot picked for lunar mission

China has chosen a landing spot for its third lunar exploration mission, which will be launched next year, the China National Space Administration said.

The Chang'e-3, which become the first Chinese spacecraft to land on an extraterrestrial body, will land on Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, a place where its predecessor - the lunar orbiter Chang'e-2 - has already taken high-resolution photos, the administration said.

New regulations on prepaid cards

People wishing to buy prepaid cards with a total value of 10,000 yuan ($1,600) or above will have to use their real names and present identification, now that new regulations on prepaid cards issued by China's central bank have taken effect.

The new regulations were introduced, in part, to try to combat corruption because people have been known to use the cards to bribe officials.

Bait 3D reaches $24m in China

Disaster thriller Bait 3D has taken almost 150 million yuan ($24 million) at the Chinese box office since its release on Oct 12, the film's Chinese producer, Yunnan Film Group, announced on Wednesday.

The film is about a tsunami in Oceania. Sharks attack tourists, and aid teams from China help rescue a group of ballet dancers.

Shanghai

1,788 arrested for online crime

Shanghai police have arrested 1,788 people after an investigation into a series of online crimes including gambling and the disclosure of customer information involving online trading.

According to Cao Zhongping, chief captain of Shanghai Public Security Bureau's network security department, police cracked 954 Web crime cases and busted 108 criminal gangs. One of the gambling cases involved more than 70 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) - the largest-ever online gambling case in Shanghai.

Guangdong

Allowances paid to the dead retrieved

The Civil Affairs Bureau of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, said on Tuesday that allowances mistakenly paid to 79 deceased people had been retrieved by the end of August.

Basic living allowances were paid to 79 dead people in four districts in Guangzhou, according to the audit report on the city government's budget for 2011.

Tibet

Free insurance for residents, clergy

The government of the Tibet autonomous region recently initiated a social security program offering free life and accident insurance for all local residents and clergy, a government source said on Thursday.

Under the program, the government will earmark 44 million yuan ($7 million) each year to cover urban and rural residents as well as registered monks and nuns, said Xiao Houguo, a social security official with the autonomous region's financial department.

Inner Mongolia

6 trapped in coal mine gas blast

Six people are trapped following a coal mine gas blast in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said on Thursday.

The accident occurred around 2 am on Thursday in a coal mine in the Yanggeleng mining area in Baotou city, sources with the government of Donghe district of Baotou said. Mining there is illegal.

Taiwan

Police repatriate fugitives to island

Police on the mainland repatriated 10 criminal suspects and three wanted fugitives to Taiwan on Thursday, according to a spokesman with the Ministry of Public Security.

They have allegedly committed crimes that have included abducting, deceiving or organizing mainland women to enter Taiwan for prostitution, and intentional homicide, according to the spokesman.

Macao

Under-21s banned from gamble sites

Macao has outlawed people under the age of 21 from entering entertainment sites that host gambling activities, raising the age from 18. Lottery companies receiving such guests may face fines of up to 500,000 patacas ($63,000).

Macao legislators also banned people younger than 21 from working in those places.

Shandong

Largest unmanned helicopter flies

The largest unmanned helicopter ever manufactured by China is now in service in Shandong province, the provincial land and resources department said on Thursday.

The helicopter, capable of flying as high as 3,000 meters at a top speed of 161 km/h with a payload of 80 kg, can be controlled from a maximum distance of 150 km or programed to fly automatically, according to Cheng Shenzong, board chairman of Weifang Tianxiang Aerospace Industry, a company that helped develop the aircraft.

Yunnan

Elephant attack kills woman

A female villager in Southwest China's Yunnan province died after a suspected attack by wild Asian elephants, local police said.

The body of 56-year-old Li Lianfen was found on Wednesday in a watermelon field near the city of Jinghong in the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture. Police found multiple fractures on her body, and elephant foot prints and dung in the field.

Sichuan

Book on panda conservation

The global launch ceremony for the book Giant Pandas: Born Survivors was held at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province on Thursday.

Published by the Penguin Group, the book was written by Chengdu base chief Zhang Zhihe and Sarah M. Bexell, director of conservation education in the base. It explores giant panda behavior, addresses conservation issues that face the planet, and shatters myths surrounding pandas.

China Daily - Xinhua