4 injured when plane crashes

A military jet crashed into a house near an airport in Shantou on Tuesday, damaging the house and injuring four people, the Defense Ministry's news office said. The pilot of the J-7 on a training mission parachuted to safety before the crash at around 9 am. The mostly retired fighter jet is a 1960s-era Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-21. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Ex-police officer gets prison term

A former police officer has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzling 2.83 million yuan ($451,000) during the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. The man, identified as Wang, worked for the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau and also a security company. He embezzled the fund by exaggerating the number of security guards needed to ensure a power supply for the Universiade.

14 women die in factory blaze

Fourteen women, all aged between 18 and 20, were killed and one severely injured in a fire at an underwear factory in Shantou on Tuesday. Arson is suspected. The provincial emergency management office said the fire broke out at 3:30 pm and was put out half an hour later. The Southern Metropolis Daily said the factory has defaulted on wages, enraging one worker who started the blaze.

Beijing

Top quality vowed in water project

Dedicated efforts will continue on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project to ensure its high quality, the office in charge of the project said on Tuesday. "We'll keep a zero-tolerance attitude on any problems regarding the project's quality and prevent any possible potential risks from occurring," said Zhao Shixin, a supervision official of the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Commission.

Gansu

Lawsuit alleges police abuse

A woman who was sent to a re-education-by-labor center filed a lawsuit, accusing the police of abusing power. Zhao Meifu, 54, a farmer in Lanzhou, was sent to the center on Nov 12. She had gone to Beijing on Nov 5 to see her son, a graduate student. She had previously been to Beijing four times to submit "illegal petitions" due to a land dispute with a neighbor, and the police said she did the same last time.

Three intrude in military compound

Police detained three intruders at a military compound in Wuwei. One of the men drove his car with the two others inside into a restricted landing zone to watch planes closely. The three were detained and handed over to the public security bureau, the Lanzhou Morning Post reported.

Chongqing

Official probed for racy Web photos

An official is under investigation after sexually explicit photos showing a man in a law enforcement uniform with a woman posing seductively in lingerie in a hotel room were circulated on the Internet. Authorities on Tuesday confirmed that Wu Hong, a law enforcement official for Fuling district, was the man in the photos. The supervision department has launched a probe.

Zhejiang

Arrest made in jewelry theft

Police have arrested a man accused of robbing a jewelry store with a toy gun. The suspect, identified as Zhou, 27, is alleged to have stolen more than 100 pieces of gold jewelry worth at least 1 million yuan ($160,000) from Yuewang Jewelry Store in Jiaxing on Nov 11. Zhou was later arrested in a hotel in Anshan, Liaoning province. All the jewelry has been returned, police said on Monday.

Shanghai

24-hour suicide hotline launched

A free, 24-hour suicide intervention hotline was launched on Monday. The hotline, 021-5161-9995, is run by an NGO and is staffed by volunteers. The new hotline extends its service to late nights and early morning - peak times for people to reach out for mental comfort. About 100 volunteers have been trained and were instructed to contact the emergency hotlines if they suspect a life may be in danger.

Jiangsu

Doomsday-fearing engineer gives cash

A retired engineer almost bankrupted her family by giving all its money to charity before "doomsday" on Dec 21. As the date approached, the woman, surnamed Jiang, said she felt the overwhelming urge to do good - so she donated about 2 million yuan ($321,000) to charitable causes. To get the cash, she mortgaged her family's apartment in Nanjing and also withdrew all the family savings and borrowed money.

Fujian

Credit systemto protect sea

Xiamen plans to establish a credit system for high-risk marine companies to protect the fragile marine environment, China Ocean News reported. If the potential polluters, such as chemical and oil companies, achieve a good reputation in environmental protection, preferential policies will be given, while companies that don't follow the rules will face harsh punishment and limits in the approval of future projects.

Sichuan

Man to sell earthquake award

A man who received a medal for his role in the relief efforts during the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 is selling the award because his business failed. Yin Chunlong, a 24-year-old farmer from Ziyang, became famous after rescuing victims, including Yu Jinhua, who was buried under debris for six days. Yin set up greenhouses to plant mushrooms and established a biotechnology company, but has lost around 2 million yuan ($321,000) since 2009.

China Daily-Agencies