Xi urges Party to uphold socialism

Xi Jinping, the new leader of the ruling Communist Party of China, on Saturday urged continued efforts to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics while warning Party members of potential dangers and risks. He made the comments at the opening ceremony of a high-profile workshop attended by senior Party officials.

Reform should benefit people: Li

Medical reform should offer more benefits to ordinary people, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said at a State Council meeting on medical reform on Saturday. "Reform is the largest dividend of China. Now we should let the dividend benefit the people. ... Medical reform in the past three years followed this target and has been pushed forward with the focus on the people who need medical services most," Li said.

Rural teachers get 4.5b yuan in 2012

China allocated 4.5 billion yuan ($715.5 million) to teachers in rural areas working for compulsory education in 2012, the Ministry of Finance said on Saturday. The money subsidized teachers in poverty-stricken areas after graduating from college, with annual help of 27,000 yuan for each teacher working in western regions and 24,000 yuan for each one in central regions, the ministry said.

Rural students' nutrition improved

China plans to build enough school canteens to provide safe and nutritional meals for all primary and junior high school students in impoverished rural regions by 2015. According to a circular, jointly released on Saturday by the ministries of education and finance, local governments must submit their dining hall building plans to the two ministries for approval and the granting of funds before construction starts.

Soybean, corn imports to rise

China will continue to see rising imports of corn and soybeans to satisfy rising domestic demand in the next few decades, said senior officials and experts. The increasing grain imports are mainly driven by domestic need for grains for fodder and industrial use, Huang Jikun, director of the Center for Chinese Agriculture Policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at a two-day forum on rural issues in Beijing.

No fines for yellow light violations

Running a yellow light will incur no penalties for drivers for the time being, the Ministry of Public Security announced on its website on Sunday. Violators will be educated and warned instead. The announcement came in response to widespread complaints over a revised regulation meting out heavier penalties for running yellow lights.

Palace to close on Monday afternoons

The Forbidden City will close on Monday afternoons from January to March for preservation work, according to its website. During the 2013 off-season (January to March), the palace will open from 8:30 am to noon every Monday (except State holidays). The Forbidden City explained on its website that the regular closure is for better preservation and maintenance.

Henan

Former official accused of graft

A former housing administration official in Henan province who was found to have 29 houses has been detained and accused of corruption, local authorities said on Sunday. On Dec 26, a whistle-blower used his micro blog to accuse Zhai Zhenfeng, former director of the housing administration bureau in Erqi district of Zhengzhou, of engaging in illegal behavior for his own personal gain. The micro blog also stated that Zhai's daughter owns 11 affordable houses and two hukou, or residence permits.

Jiangxi

4 dead, 64 injured in road accidents

Four people died and 64 were injured in three separate road accidents on Sunday in Jiangxi province, local authorities said. A long-distance coach overturned at about 2 am, killing one person instantly and injuring 39 others. At about 3 am, another coach overturned on the Quannan expressway, killing two and injuring 22 others. In another incident, a sedan collided with a coach on the same expressway, leaving one dead and three injured.

Inner Mongolia

Snow disaster affects 770,000

Thirty-year record-low temperatures and a snow disaster have left two people dead and affected 770,000 others in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said on Sunday. More than 3,700 people have been relocated and 260,000 others are in need of emergency aid. By Friday, snow had left about 180,000 head of livestock dead, with direct economic loss estimated at 690 million yuan ($110 million).

Shandong

Work on nuclear power plant begins

China has broken ground on a 3-billion-yuan ($476 million) nuclear power project that will be the first in the world to put a reactor with fourth-generation features into commercial use. Construction of the project at Shidao Bay in Rongcheng, Shandong province, began last month, according to Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power, the builder and operator of the plant.

China Daily-Xinhua