Food poisoning deaths up 50%

Eighteen people died of food poisoning in China in the first quarter of 2013, up 50 percent year-on-year, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Tuesday. From January to March, 755 people suffered food poisoning, an increase of 72.4 percent, from the same period last year, according to the commission. The commission asks the public to guard against food poisoning caused by bacteria, as food is more susceptible to contamination as the temperature rises.

Websites punished for spreading porn

A total of 56 websites spanning 18 provincial regions in China have been punished after they were involved in spreading pornographic or obscene audio and video programs. Punishments included the closure of websites, deletion of content and fines, according to a statement from the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications on Tuesday. Officials with the office said they will "severely" punish websites involved in spreading pornographic or vulgar content.

Women's federation leader elected

Shen Yueyue has been elected president of the All-China Women's Federation, replacing Chen Zhili, according to a statement released on Tuesday. Shen, also a vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, praised Chen's contribution to women and urged ACWF organizations to serve women wholeheartedly and lead them to help build a moderately prosperous society.

Iron Man 3 top film at box office

Iron Man 3 has taken in 410 million yuan ($66 million) since debuting on May 1, making it the No 1 film at the Chinese box office, China Film News said on Tuesday. So Young, a Chinese film about love on campus, was second with 340 million yuan. Ticket sales during the week of the May Day holiday hit 942 million yuan, compared with 857 million in the week ending Feb 17, which overlapped with Spring Festival.

Sichuan

All people displaced by quake resettled

All 729,341 people who were displaced by a magnitude-7 earthquake in Sichuan province have been resettled, authorities in the city of Ya'an said on Tuesday. Ya'an city government said it will subsidize displaced survivors as well as residents without a stable income. More than 780,000 people will be subsidized with 10 yuan ($1.62) and half a kg of grain per person per day for six months.

Hunan

2 killed in central province landslide

Two people were killed in a landslide caused by heavy rainfall on Monday night in Hunan province, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The accident occurred at Zhaojiatang village, in Heshan district of Yiyang city, at around 10 pm when the landslide caused a house to collapse, burying four people. They were all sent to a hospital, but two died later.

73 ill students hospitalized

Seventy-three high school students were hospitalized on Monday over possible food poisoning in Hunan province, local authorities said. All of the students, from Xingzhi Middle School in the city of Lianyuan, had been sent to a hospital by 4 pm with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. As of Monday evening, one of them was still being treated and four were under observation at the hospital.

Henan

Building collapse victims identified

Seven people killed when a two-story building collapsed in Henan province on Friday have been identified as workers of an unlicensed construction team, authorities said on Tuesday. The six women and one man were from Liyuantun township in Weihui, a Yanjin county spokesman said. Twenty-one people were injured. Before the tragedy, workers were lifting the foundations of the building but it tilted and they lost control, a worker said. The construction team's boss has been taken into custody.

Inner Mongolia

Direct flights to link Taiwan

Taiwan-based EVA Air will begin direct flights in early June from Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Hailar, known for its grasslands scenery in the autonomous region's northeast, the Inner Mongolia Daily reported. These will be the first direct flights between Taiwan and Inner Mongolia. Eva Air will have three flights a week to Hohhot and two to Hailar. The airliner will use Airbus A321 jetliners for the flights, which will take about 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Guangxi

7 tourists injured after bus overturns

Seven people from a Hong Kong tourist group suffered fractures while others sustained minor injuries after their bus flipped on its side in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said on Tuesday. The accident occurred around 7 pm on Monday near the village of Zhenyi in Longan county, sources with the county's publicity department said.

Shaanxi

Subway cave-in leaves 5 dead

All five people who were buried after a subway line caved in on Monday in Shaanxi province have been confirmed dead, authorities said on Tuesday. The deaths were confirmed by firefighters and the city's subway authorities. Nine people were working underground when the accident occurred at about 2:40 am on a section of the No 3 subway line, under construction in Xi'an, the provincial capital.

Xinhua-China Daily