Beijing

Power usage to double by 2020

China's total power consumption is estimated to double by 2020, said Liu Zhenya, general manager of the State Grid Corporation of China on Saturday. China's power consumption growth has been slowing as the economic downshift sapped factory activity and industrial output. The country's total electricity consumption rose 11.7 percent year-on-year to 4.69 trillion kWh in 2011.

Country to launch manned spaceship

China plans to launch another manned spacecraft, Shenzhou X, in June 2013, a lead space program official said on Saturday. The crew may include two male astronauts and a woman, who will enter the Tiangong 1 space lab module, said Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space program.

Fewer accident deaths in 2012

The number of deaths, caused by accidents in the first 10 months of the year dropped 13.7 percent year-on-year, the State Administration of Work Safety said on Sunday. Meanwhile, the number of accidents declined 14.1 percent from the same period last year, data released on the administration's website showed.

China to be largest robot consumer

Demand for industrial robots is predicted to hit 32,000 units by 2014 making China the world's largest robotics consumer. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the sector's technology and production has gained momentum amid higher labor costs and China's efforts to restructure its economic growth pattern and improve energy efficiency.

100 billion yuan for subways

Chen Gang, vice-mayor of Beijing, said the capital city will invest 100 billion yuan ($15.9 billion) to build more subways in the future. The increase in investment will be used to construct 200 km of subway lines. The city aims to expand the total length of its subway network to 660 km by the end of 2012, Chen said.

Mo Yan wins top drama award

Chinese Nobel laureate Mo Yan has won a Golden Lion award, for his play Our Jing Ke, on Sunday. Our Jing Ke is a retelling of the story of Jing Ke, an assassin famous for his failed attempt to kill a king who later become China's first emperor more than 2,000 years ago.

Broadcast professor dies

Zhang Song, a professor who set up guidelines for Chinese television and radio anchors died at the age of 76, on Saturday in Beijing. Zhang died of esophagus cancer. Zhang established theories for presenting TV and radio programs, and taught practical skills for anchors, such as correct pronunciation and how to prepare lines before a show.

Sichuan

Magnitude-4.0 quake hits province

A magnitude-4.0 earthquake hit Longchang county in the city of Neijiang in Sichuan province at 10:19 pm on Saturday, said the China Earthquake Network Center. The epicenter was monitored at 29.3 degrees north latitude and 105.2 degrees east longitude with a depth of 10 km, according to the CENC.

Heilongjiang

Migrants' children get more rights

Heilongjiang province has become the first province in the country to allow the children of migrant workers to take part in the national college entrance examination. Provincial educational authorities said in an online notice that students who don't have permanent residential permits for the province will be able to sit for the 2013 college entrance examination.

Survey conducted of Siberian tigers

Authorities in Heilongjiang province are conducting a survey to find the exact number of endangered Siberian tigers as their numbers may have increased. Sun Haiyi, deputy director of the Wild Animals Research Institute of Heilongjiang, said the province had set up more than 20 monitoring sites. According to a survey taken in 2006 and 2007, Heilongjiang has about 12 wild Siberian tigers.

Hainan

Newly founded city builds desalinator

Construction of a desalinator began in the city of Sansha on Saturday. The project, which is expected to process 1,000 cubic meters of seawater daily upon its completion by December 2013, will supply water for residents of Yongxing Island, where the municipal government is seated. Currently, the island's residents rely heavily on water that is transported onto the island.

Guizhou

Policy leads to divorce boom

The number of couples filing for divorce each day in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, has increased five-fold since a property policy took effect in October. The policy stipulates that a household can apply for land area of no more than 130 square meters for housing construction. Newly divorced couples can each apply for 130 sq m of land and then re-marry, doubling their property .

Hubei

Further protection for porpoises

Scientists on Sunday began a survey of endangered finless porpoises in the country's largest river Yangtze. The 40-day survey, starting in Wuhan, will track the porpoises using sonar systems along the middle and lower reaches of the river, collecting data on the species' population that will assist in forming future protection policies.

Taiwan

Taiwan, mainland hold seminar

Taiwan and the Chinese mainland have held a joint seminar on Sun Yat-sen and his wife Soong Ching Ling in Taipei. The seminar was held at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on Sunday in Taipei. Six scholars from the mainland and nine from Taiwan submitted a total of 11 research papers on Sun and Soong.

China Daily - Xinhua