Beijing

Crackdown on child trafficking

China is making efforts to crack down on cases of child trafficking, according to the latest nationwide plan.

The General Office of the State Council released China's Anti-Human Trafficking Plan (2013-20) on Friday on its official website. The plan asked the heads of public security departments above county level to lead special investigation teams on child trafficking cases, and stated that those teams should remain in place until the cases are solved.

Medical ads under strict scrutiny

China has ordered tightened supervision over healthcare and medical product advertisements in 2013, in a bid to crack down on ad-related scams and bogus products.

Advertisements for medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and health food will be strictly supervised this year. Authorities have also vowed to crack down on advertisements that contain pornography and vulgar content, as well as investment scams.

Micro-financing helps women

The All-China Women's Federation had handed out small loans totaling 109 billion yuan ($17.5 billion) to nearly 2.4 million women across China by September 2012, a senior official said on Friday.

According to a survey of 7,476 rural women who received small loans in 10 provinces and regions, the income of about 84 percent of them increased thanks to the micro-financing.

District govt head appears in court

The head of a district government in Beijing appeared in court on Friday responding to an administrative lawsuit. Wang Shaofeng, the head of Xicheng district government, appeared at Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court on Friday, the Beijing Evening News reported.

In the case, a woman surnamed Yue sued Xicheng district government for its decision to demolish her house, saying it was illegal. The court will make its judgment at a later date.

Home buyers change plans

About one-third of potential home buyers are planning to buy apartments faster than they were before the State Council released more tightening property policies last Friday, a survey from Soufun showed. Home buyers in first-tier cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, are more concerned about the new policies, with 28.81 percent saying they will quicken their acquisition process.

Shanghai

Funds raised for underprivileged

A total of 268,500 yuan ($42,740) was raised at a charity auction organized by the Shanghai Women's Federation, Consular Spouses Shanghai and Shanghai Children's Foundation. The funds will go to the Shanghai Children's Foundation to help underprivileged children. The auction was held on March 7, the eve of International Women's Day.

Zhejiang

1.72m men buy gifts for women

A total of 1.72 million men bought gifts for women over the past 10 days, a report issued by Taobao, China's largest online shopping website, said on Friday. The gifts included beauty and spa vouchers, and also cinema tickets and kitchen supplies, according to consumption records collected by Taobao. Fifty-three percent of the 1.72 million men were aged between 25 and 34. They spent 61 million yuan ($9.8 million) to buy gifts before International Women's Day.

Jiangsu

Mother held over death of daughter

A 4-month-old girl was found dead on Friday morning in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Police are questioning her mother in connection with the incident. According to the official micro blog of Nanjing Lingjuli, a TV news program of Jiangsu City Channel, the infant's father reported the case to police after he found his daughter was dead at about 10 am in their home in Caohou village.

Yunnan

Victims' families compensated

The bereaved families of the Mekong River tragedy have received a total of 6 million yuan ($964,600) in compensation, a court confirmed. The damages were handed to the bereaved families earlier this week by Kunming Intermediate People's Court, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Myanmar drug lord Naw Kham and three of his accomplices were executed on March 1.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 03/09/2013 page4)