Beijing

State firms hit hardest last year, report says

State-owned enterprises lost their position as the most profitable group and the sector actually had the biggest losses last year, according to the annual results of listed companies for 2012. SOEs posted a combined loss of about 50 billion yuan ($8 billion), their financial statements revealed.

Shanghai

H7N9 bird flu patient dies in hospital

A H7N9 bird flu patient died on Monday, according to health officials in the city. The patient was confirmed to be infected with the virus on April 17. So far, there have been 33 confirmed cases of H7N9 bird flu in the city and 13 have died. Health officials in Shandong confirmed the infection of the 4-year-old son of a man infected with H7N9 bird flu.

Hunan

Bus crash kills three Taiwan tourists

Three tourists from Taiwan were killed and two others seriously injured after a bus overturned in Hunan province on Monday, local authorities said. The accident took place at about 11 am when a bus carrying 13 Taiwan tourists overturned on an expressway in Hanshou of Changde city, said a spokesman for the Changde government. An investigation into the accident is underway.

Taiwan

'Independence' not to be promoted

Taiwan will not promote "one China, one Taiwan" nor "Taiwan independence" inside or outside of the island, its leader Ma Ying-jeou stressed on Monday. Ma made the comments when addressing a ceremony, held by the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic "Wang-Koo meeting", which laid the foundation for the cross-Straits relations.

Guangxi

Concerns over water dispenser safety

Tests have found excessive amounts of bacteria in water supplied to dispensers leading to health concerns in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. An inspection of the water showed that eight out of 30 brands failed tests in the region, according to Guangxi's Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Liaoning

Industrial base in the pipeline

An industrial base, with an estimated annual output of 50 billion yuan ($8 billion), will be built in Liaoning province. The base will be in Shenfu New Town, a development zone in Fushun, and cover an area of 5 sq km, Zhao Qibin, deputy director of the town's management committee, said on Saturday.

China Daily - Xinhua