Councilor: Improve disaster relief

Chinese state councilor Wang Yong has called for an improvement in disaster relief and prevention capabilities to protect people's lives and properties in the country. Wang was speaking at a National Committee for Disaster Reduction meeting on Sunday, which was also China's fifth Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day. Wang hailed the progress made in disaster relief. Meanwhile, the state councilor, who is also head of the committee, said disaster prevention workers should be fully aware of weak points in their work.

Women in Lushan quake to get aid

A medical aid program will provide financial help for women affected by the earthquake that struck southwest China last month, the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation announced on Sunday. Women in rural areas of Lushan, Baoxing and Tianquan counties in Sichuan province will receive assistance of 3,000 yuan ($488.40) per person if their medical costs caused by the quake exceed 5,000 yuan, the foundation said. By Friday, the foundation had received 249 million yuan worth of donations for those affected by the quake. Materials worth about 59.6 million yuan have been earmarked for the earthquake zone.

Simpler rules for foreign investors

China will simplify regulations on foreign exchange management to create a more convenient investment environment for foreign investors, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said on Saturday. The SAFE issued a new guideline that further clarifies forex management for foreign investors and abolishes some documents restricting foreign direct investment. The guideline urged the integration and simplification of the process of registering, opening an account, utilizing and payment of capital with foreign exchange. A total of 24 clauses of forex regulation will be abolished. The guideline will take effect on Monday.

Drill tests tsunami preparedness

China conducted a tsunami drill on Sunday as part of the transnational and pan-Pacific drill "Exercise Pacific Wave 13", the State Oceanic Administration announced. The drill aims to test marine environmental forecasting authorities' capacity in receiving and distributing alert information and their emergency response. It was organized in China by the administration and carried out by the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center. The exercise simulated a scenario in which a magnitude-9 earthquake jolted the ocean floor off the Philippines at 1:50 pm on Sunday, triggering a huge tsunami.

Flower business blossoms

Originating in the United States in the early 20th century, Mother's Day has evolved into a flower-giving festival in China following Valentine's Day. Flower retailers have been rushing to offer customized bouquets and reported surging sales on Sunday. The flower-buying fervor has highlighted a bigger social and cultural change: An increasing number of Chinese people have come to appreciate flowers as an everyday present and ornament and are more willing to buy them. Statistics show China's flower cultivation area increased to 1.02 million hectares and the output of the industry reached 106.8 billion yuan ($17.4 billion) at the end of 2011, making China a major production base and consumer market for flowers in the world.

Guangdong

Five middle school students drown

Five second-year students from a middle school in Guangdong province drowned on Saturday morning in what appeared to be a failed rescue attempt, local authorities confirmed on Sunday. Eight students from Luoyang No 1 Middle School of Boluo county, Huizhou, were organizing a barbecue by Dongjiang River, when one of them accidentally fell into the river, according a Huizhou police statement. Four other students linked hands and attempted to rescue the drowning student, but also fell into the water.

Jiangsu

Crew rescued before ship sinks

Eighteen crew members of a ship were rescued shortly before their vessel sank in Yangtze River after hitting a bridge pier, local maritime authorities said on Sunday. The vessel, Xinchuan 8, was transporting 12,500 tons of limestone from Tongling in Anhui province to Luoyuan, a coastal county in Fujian province, at around 4:20 am when the accident occurred, according to sources with Nanjing Maritime Bureau. The ship struck one of the piers of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge when it was trying to pass through.

Zhejiang

Driver reportedly drunk, unlicensed

The driver of an Audi Q5 SUV that was involved in accident that left seven people dead is suspected of drunken driving and being unlicensed, police said on Sunday. The accident occurred around midnight on Saturday in the economic and technological development zone of Wenzhou city. The 36-year-old driver, surnamed Wang, crashed into the back of a trailer truck, which was parked on the roadside, killing seven passengers in the SUV and injuring Wang. The truck driver was not hurt. Police said Wang's vehicle may have been overloaded.

Guizhou

Five dead in landslide

Five victims have been confirmed dead in a mountain landslide in Southwest China's Guizhou province. The landslide happened on Sunday morning, in a village of Tianzhu county in Guizhou, where a nearby highway construction site dormitory collapsed, burying eight construction workers underground, according to China News Service. By Sunday afternoon, eight victims were rescued, but five were dead. Three other victims were injured, one seriously.

Sichuan

Officials punished after quake

Ten government employees were punished for discipline violations after the magnitude-7 earthquake in Sichuan province, which jolted Ya'an on April 20, killing 196. By May 10, Ya'an prosecuting department had received 229 complaints and confirmed 29 of them.

Xinhua - China Daily