120m yuan to aid drought fight

The central government has earmarked 120 million yuan ($19.14 million) to fight drought in some provinces, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. The funds will go to the provinces of Yunnan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei and Sichuan. There is not enough water in these areas in most rivers and water conservancy projects. About 4.97 million people in Yunnan have been affected by drought since winter, provincial authorities said on Saturday.

Hainan

Vietnamese ships driven out

Two Vietnam-registered fishing ships were driven out of China's territorial waters by two ships from a China Marine Surveillance fleet on Wednesday. The Vietnamese vessels were spotted at around 7 am in the South China Sea around the Xisha Islands. They were suspected of illegal fishing within China's territorial waters, according to a Xinhua reporter on board a CMS ship. The CMS fleet, composed of three ships and a helicopter, is conducting regular patrols of the Xisha Islands.

Tibet

Genetic resource bank to be built

The Tibet autonomous region will start construction of its first genetic resource bank within the year, regional authorities said on Wednesday. The bank will be used to preserve plant seeds, as well as DNA from animals and microorganisms. Tibet's biodiversity is abundant, but its environment is fragile. The bank will help ensure the continuation of some species for further study, said Li Hui, a researcher from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Sichuan

Turning point for flow of labor

Sichuan province reached a turning point in its labor flow in 2012, with the number of laborers moving to the province surpassing those moving to work outside for the first time, official figures show. Guo Xiaoming, deputy director of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, told China Business News that such a turning point showed China's regional economic structures are changing and labor-intensive industries are moving from coastal regions to central and western areas.

Hubei

University raises cherry garden fee

Wuhan University has been criticized for doubling the entrance fee to its famous cherry blossom garden on the campus, which will be in full bloom in mid-March. From Wednesday, the school will charge 20 yuan ($3.20) admission. The price increase has aroused some critics who suggested the school is making money in the name of limiting tourists to maintain the school's teaching and study routine. Last year, the university received a record-high of 200,000 tourists a day.

Guangdong

Parents who beg face rights loss

Parents who beg with their underage children may be deprived of their parental guardianship under a new regulation to protect strayed minors' rights and interests passed in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Monday. The government can file an appeal to cancel parents' guardianship if they are caught begging with their children under the new regulation, Guangzhou Daily reported.

Police arrest rape suspect in Guizhou

Police have detained a suspect in connection with the alleged imprisonment and rape of a 17-year-old girl in Shenzhen. The 44-year-old man, identified only as Chen, was arrested on Tuesday in Guizhou province after a 12-day manhunt. Shenzhen's Longgang district police said the man is suspected of repeatedly raping the victim after abducting her and keeping her in a dog cage.

Xinjiang

3,200 affected in Xinjiang quake

More than 3,200 people were affected and 864 houses damaged after an earthquake hit the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Monday morning, according to the local government. A magnitude-5.2 quake jolted Artux, in Kezilesu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture, at 11:01 am on Monday. In the worst-hit areas, 794 people have been evacuated and moved to safety, and an elementary school suspended classes after structural damage was found.

Shanghai

Nation leads world in online payment

China led the world by the end of last year in the number of people making online payments, according to Zhou Jinhuang, deputy director of the payment and settlement department of the People's Bank of China. Zhou was speaking on Wednesday at the launch ceremony in Shanghai for Online Payment Safety Promotion Week. According to China National Radio, about 40 percent of Chinese Internet users made online payments last year.

Jiangxi

Fire kills six family members

Six members of a family were killed and one injured in a house fire at a village in the province on Tuesday night, the local fire department said on Wednesday. Preliminary investigation showed that flammable materials ignited when the family burned incense for religious purposes. Nine members of the family were in the house when the fire started around 11 pm in Le'an county, Fuzhou city. Two were rescued by firefighters.

Xinhua-China Daily