China honors role models for women

The All-China Women's Federation has granted 10 women the title of "Role Model for March 8th Red Banner Holder", a national honor granted to those who are regarded as role models for all Chinese women, the federation said on Wednesday. Zhang Lili, a middle school teacher in Heilongjiang province who lost her legs while saving two students from an oncoming bus, topped the list.

New name sought for PM2.5

The scientific authority is soliciting ideas to come up with a new Chinese name for PM2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can enter people's lungs. Because PM2.5 uses the Latin alphabet, the China National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technologies is gauging opinions to name the term properly. People nationwide are contributing creative terms, including "Beijing grey" and "cough trigger".

Capital raises taxi fuel surcharge

Beijing will raise the taxi-fuel surcharge after an oil price hike, the municipality said on Thursday. As of Friday, the fuel surcharge added to taxi fares will increase from 2 yuan ($0.32) to 3 yuan per trip, although passengers traveling 3 km or less will not have to pay the extra fee, said an official with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.

Hospitals urged to better regulate

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday urged local health departments and institutions to implement safer practices after 99 people contracted hepatitis C. Local authorities revealed this month that 99 people were confirmed to have contracted hepatitis C after receiving contaminated injections at a private clinic in Donggang, Liaoning province. In a circular released on Wednesday, the ministry deemed the scandal as a "major mass hospital infection incident caused by serious violations of medical regulations and procedures".

Spending on culture rose

Authorities pumped 49.47 billion yuan ($7.94 billion) into the cultural sector in 2012, up 18.9 percent from 2011, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday. A total of 7.13 billion yuan was used to protect cultural relics and nonmaterial cultural heritage, said a statement on the ministry's website. Ensuring people's free access to 1,804 museums and 40,000-plus galleries and libraries cost the government 4.89 billion yuan last year.

High-speed rail sees record number

The high-speed railway line linking Beijing and Shanghai has recorded more than 100 million passenger trips since it started operation in June 2011, railway authorities said on Thursday. Built with an investment of 217.6 billion yuan, the 1,318-km railway linking Beijing and Shanghai has shortened the travel time between the two major cities to about five hours from the previous eight hours or more.

Polling platformto be set up

China will build its largest-ever platform for conducting online public surveys, a senior researcher said on Wednesday. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences will gather 600,000 volunteers to take part in the surveys over the next three years, with their opinions to be sent to policymakers in central government branches and local governments, said Liu Zhiming, a senior researcher in charge of the program.

Chinese probe in breakthrough

China's second moon orbiter, Chang'e-2, has arrived in outer space about 20 million km from Earth, marking a new breakthrough in the nation's efforts for deep space exploration, Chinese scientists said on Thursday. The probe, which orbited the moon in 2010 and 2011, is now continuing its space voyage under normal conditions, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. China will launch its third lunar probe, Chang'e-3, in the latter half of the year.

Quality plea to US importers Companies importing pork from the United States must provide test reports indicating that there are no traces of ractopamine in the meat before it can enter the Chinese market starting from Friday, China's top quality control authority said on Thursday. Ractopamine, a feed additive used to promote lean muscle growth, is banned in China. The regulation is to protect the health of Chinese consumers after traces of the substance were detected in pork imported from the US on multiple occasions.

Pillar missing in Summer Palace

Part of a carved stone column in the Summer Palace is missing, the Beijing News reported on Thursday. Authorities cannot confirm whether the missing piece is a cultural relic. Sixty white marble pillars stand on an ornamental fence in front of Hanxu Hall, which was rebuilt in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). On all the pillars, there are carved drawings, which are about 60 cm in height and 20 cm in diameter, depicting flying dragons amid clouds.

Shanxi

Three killed in house explosion

Three people were killed and another four injured in an explosion in a house in Shanxi province on Wednesday evening, local authorities said on Thursday. The accident occured at 5:47 pm at a house in Xinjian Street, Fenyang, a city government official said. Illegal storage of detonators contributed to the explosion, initial police investigations revealed.

Sichuan

Chengdu-Melbourne airline route opens

Sichuan Airlines opened a nonstop route between Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Melbourne, Australia, early on Thursday morning. The maiden flight departed Chengdu at 12:30 am and was expected to arrive in Melbourne at 2:30 pm local time, according to the airline. The new route operates every Monday, Thursday and Saturday from Chengdu.

Gansu

Suspects promoted immolation: police

Police arrested five members of the Tibetan ethnic group who worked at the behest of foreign forces to persuade three people to set themselves on fire. The five people were arrested in Gansu province and included a 21-year-old monk from neighboring Sichuan province. Three of the other Tibetans were identified as local monks. The five are accused of recruiting three people and encouraging them to self-immolate in late October and November.

Shanghai

Residents marrying at older age

The average age that women in Shanghai are getting married is now over 30 for the first time. The average age at which a woman gets married climbed from 29.9 years in 2011 to 30.3 years in 2012, according to figures published by the municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. The average age of men climbed from 32.4 in 2011 to 32.7 years in 2012. The average age at which Shanghai residents marry for the first time has consistently risen as well.

Guangxi

Suspects held after exam results falsified

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of profiting from hacking into a test system to falsify exam results in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The suspects collected 174,000 yuan ($28,000) by falsifying test results for more than 300 candidates who took an exam for the national vocational qualification certification.

China Daily-Xinhua-Agencies