Around China

Updated: 2012-06-26 08:02

(China Daily)

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 Around China

Death sentence upheld

Wang Haijian, 25, stands on trial at Hubei High People's Court on Monday. The court upheld the death penalty for causing a blast in front of a bank in Central China's Hubei province that killed two people and injured 15 others last year. Photo by Xiao Jiuyi / Xinhua

Guangdong

Officials removed for taking bribes

The former director of a county finance bureau was removed from his post for getting kickbacks while playing and gambling on mahjong.

Zhu Hanjun, former director of the finance bureau of Wuhua county, Meizhou city, Guangdong province, and seven other officials, including his wife, were caught gambling on June 16 by police, who found 81,500 yuan ($12,800) at the site, New News Express reported on Monday.

The eight were fined 500 yuan each and removed from their posts on June 22.

Zhu, who had been at his post for eight years, played mahjong as a way of taking kickbacks for allocating funds to lower-level departments, reported Guangzhou-based New News Express, citing unidentified sources.

Shaanxi

11th century BC bronze ware found

Some 21 pieces of bronze ware several millennia old were found in a royal tomb on June 22 as workers were digging the foundation for a building.

Cultural heritage authorities said it was the most important discovery in 30 years in tomb archeology from the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) and early Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC).

The tomb, in a village in Baoji, Shaanxi province in Northwest China, is now the site of an excavation by archeologists.

According to the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, archaeologists have so far found 21 bronze wares and a chariot in the tomb, which was 4.3 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and 2.4 meters below ground.

Beijing

1,300 corruption cases since 2008

Beijing's top prosecuting authority said on Monday that it dealt with 1,300 cases related to bribery and corruption from 2008 to 2011.

Of the 1,545 people prosecuted by the courts, 818 were convicted.

The number of cases involving more than 1 million yuan ($157,000) reached 271, while 940 were defined as major cases in regards to the amounts of money and the status of those involved.

In addition to investigations by authorities, many clues have also come through calls, letters and the Internet, said Li Jinsheng, deputy chief procurator of the authority.

In the past four years, prosecutors in the capital received nearly 18,000 reports from residents, according to statistics from the authority.

China to better protect seafarers

China will increase international cooperation to safeguard the rights and interests of its 650,000 seafarers, said top seafarer officials in Shanghai on June 25.

"China will provide better security for its seafarers through international communication, and speed up the preparation work to ratify the Maritime Labor Convention established in 2006," said Xu Zuyuan, vice-minister of transport, at the second China Seafarer Conference hosted in Shanghai.

The conference was held on the Day of the Seafarer, which was set up in 2010 by the International Maritime Organization to pay tribute to seafarers all over the world for their contribution to international seaborne trade. It falls on June 25 every year.

Liaoning

Naval exchange program hosted

Eighteen naval midshipmen from nine countries, including Australia, Germany and Italy, arrived in Dalian on June 24 to attend the Second International Naval Midshipmen Week.

Together with 34 counterparts from the Dalian their Naval Academy, they will study and train as a common squadron in the academy.

"This is not only an opportunity to know China's navy and Chinese people, but also an opportunity to get to know the officers and midshipmen from other countries. Mutual understanding will lead to a more stable world," said Simone Ceotti from Italy's Livorno Naval Academy.

From Monday to Friday, they will attend classes, have discussions, participate in the training and match of sampan and sailing boats, and undergo physical training. During the weekend, they will enjoy views of Dalian before leaving the port city in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

Zhejiang

Speeder's driving license revoked

A man who recently drove his Aston Martin sports car at 258 kilometers an hour was intercepted by traffic police in Shanghai.

He had been spotted in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Friday, on a section of highway with a 120 km/h speed limit.

The 22-year-old driver and his 25-year-old friend, driver of an accompanying Mercedes-Benz sports car, which was driving at 235 km/h, were heading for the 2012 Super Club Challenge sports car festival held from Friday to Monday in Shanghai.

Hubei

Drought leaves 800,000 thirsty

A drought that has lasted since June 1 has left 813,000 people short of drinking water in Central China's Hubei province, the provincial drought relief headquarters said on Monday.

By Sunday, 31 cities or counties in the province have been affected by the drought, and 280,000 hectares of crops withered and 165,000 livestock were short of water, according to the Hubei drought relief headquarters.

Water reserves in Hubei's reservoirs currently total just 11 billion cubic meters, 22 percent less than last year. A total of 964 rivers and 141 reservoirs have dried up completely, the headquarters said.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 06/26/2012 page2)

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