Privacy protection rules to take effect

China residents soon should get fewer anonymous messages, strange calls and spam, as a national standard on personal information protection will become effective on Feb 1. According to the non-obligatory guideline, information collectors should obtain permission before collecting and using a person's sensitive private information, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Monday.

National defense education boosted

China will strengthen national defense education with a focus on safeguarding maritime rights, the national defense education office said on Monday. The protection of maritime rights and interests will be highlighted in defense education for 2013, according to a circular issued by the office. Defense education will be included in teaching plans for elementary and secondary schools across the nation.

Agricultural innovation move

A 13-year agricultural science and technology innovation project will be launched this year to improve the country's level of technology and international competitiveness, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced on Monday. Research items under the project will cover prominent agricultural problems in China, such as breeding, animal epidemic disease control, and quality standards on agricultural products, said Li Jiayang, vice-minister of agriculture and president of the academy.

Wider coverage for cultural services

The government has set a goal of ensuring free public access to nearly all museums, public libraries and art galleries by 2015. According to a plan concerning the construction of a public cultural service system released on Monday by the Ministry of Culture, every city at or above the prefecture level should have at least one cultural center and one public library that meet State standards concerning content, facilities and functions.

Railways to carry more thermal coal

China's railway authority said on Sunday it will enhance support for thermal coal transportation this year in an effort to ensure a coal supply to the country's power companies. The Ministry of Railways said it will arrange for a higher transportation capacity for thermal coal this year than was available for 2012.

French Revolution book popular

A 156-year-old historical book on the French Revolution has become a surprise hit in China, where readers have found "links" in the subject matter to their own country's realities. The Old Regime and the French Revolution, written by Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville around 1856, has become a best-seller, according to the Commercial Press, which first published the book's Chinese translation in 1992.

Migrant children to take exam in capital

The Beijing education authority will develop a detailed plan to allow migrant children to take the national college entrance exam, the gaokao, in the capital, according to the 2013 work plan from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education released on Monday. The plan will protect the rights of migrant children receiving education.

Shanghai

City to reward food informers

Whistle-blowers reporting food safety violations in Shanghai will be offered a cash reward of up to 200,000 yuan ($32,100), under a regulation that took effect on Sunday. People offering tips on food safety problems will receive a cash reward worth 2 percent to 5 percent of the total value of the goods involved in the case, and the minimum reward will be 500 yuan, according to the regulation issued by the Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Guizhou

Death toll rises to 5 in mine accident

The death toll in Friday's coal mine accident in Guizhou province has risen to five, as three more bodies was found on Monday. Another eight miners are still missing. Eighteen people were working in the mine shaft at the Jinjia Coal Mine in the Panxian county of Liupanshui city on Friday afternoon when the gas outburst happened .

Guangdong

Bomber angry about unpaid bonus

A man in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, who killed himself and injured eight people on Friday, was angry about a dispute over a bonus, not overdue wages, Yangcheng Evening News reported on Monday. An investigation found suicide bomber Wang Tao, 34, was a Web manager at a mining company before he was fired in March after the company caught him selling client information. The report said Wang had a dispute with the company over a 1.8 million yuan ($289,000) bonus.

Mountain tunnel plan put on hold

The urban-rural construction commission of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, announced on Friday that the plan to build a tunnel through Baiyun Mountain in the city has been suspended because experts, legislators, political advisers and people near the site were divided on it at a recent seminar. The plan is not yet complete and the conditions for building the tunnel are not in place, the commission said in a statement.

Efforts to tackle drug trafficking

Shenzhen Customs and the Shenzhen airport signed a memorandum of cooperation on Monday to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking, as more smugglers have been using international flights to bring in drugs. The memorandum states customs officers will have access to the luggage image inspection room in the airport security department to watch the luggage of passengers on key suspected flights.

Zhejiang

Baggage factory catches fire

About 100 firefighters worked Monday to put out a fire that broke out in a baggage factory in Jiaxing city, Zhejiang province. The fire began at 11:13 am at the Banghe International Luggage Factory and were strengthened by the wind. No casualties have been reported, the Jiaxing fire department said.

Taiwan

Taipei museum to borrow artifacts

Taipei's Palace Museum will borrow artifacts from Beijing's Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, for an exhibition scheduled for October, the head of the Taipei museum said on Monday. Feng Ming-chu, director of Taipei's Palace Museum, said she will discuss the request with Shan Jixiang, head of the mainland-based Palace Museum, during her ongoing visit to Beijing. The artifacts are being sought for an exhibition titled "The Artistic Taste of Emperor Qian Long".

Hubei

Official sacked for sleeping in office

One official in Huangshi, Hubei province, was sacked and 49 others were punished for inappropriate behavior during working hours, according to the official website of the city government. Zhang Songhai, deputy director of a district-level judicial bureau, was removed from office because he was found sleeping in his office after drinking alcohol during lunch.

China Daily-Xinhua