Next dunk star The Houston Rockets' Jeremy Lin helps a child slam-dunk during a basketball clinic at a school in Beijing's Changping district on Thursday. Photo by Andy Wong / The Associated Press

Beijing

Railway quality defects corrected

Quality defects found in 12 rail lines have been rectified and responsible departments had been punished, the Ministry of Railways said on Thursday.

The ministry made the remarks in response to recent media reports, which said that quality defects that could endanger safety were found on 12 rail lines. Seven of the 12 lines have resumed services, including high-speed passenger railways between Wuhan and Guangzhou and between Zhengzhou and Xi'an.

The problems were discovered during routine inspections, and the current high-speed lines in operation are safe, the ministry said.

Draft health rule targets privacy

Health departments should protect patients' privacy and refrain from leaking their personal information and related material, according to a draft regulation published on Wednesday.

The draft amendment to the Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Regulation, formulated by the Ministry of Health, was published on Wednesday on the website of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council for public comments.

Health departments can obtain information from organizations and people and carry out location inspections, to help prevent TB and aid its treatment, but should also heed patients' privacy, according to the draft.

Heroes deprived of rewards

Donations to the 152 migrant workers who saved people on the Nangangwa section of Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway during the July 21 torrential rain in Beijing are allegedly having their reward withheld by their employer, the Beijing Times reported.

Philanthropist Li Chunping and the Tencent Fund gave 304,000 yuan ($47,796) and 150,000 yuan respectively to those workers as a reward for their heroic service. The workers received the contributions on July 28 and had a dinner with Cui Yongyuan, the famous host from China Central Television, two days later.

However, their employer, the Fengtai Hexi Water Recycling Plant, soon forced them to hand over the money, the workers said.

Sun Long, from the plant, responded by saying that management is merely holding onto the money to make sure the workers stay, and that they have promised to return the money later.

Guangdong

Province may pilot two-child policy

Guangdong province will pilot a two-child policy in the near future, Zhang Feng, former director of the Guangdong Population and Family Planning Commission, said on Wednesday.

Zhang revealed in March, while he was still director, that the South China province is working to get permission to start a policy that allows couples to have two children as long as one is the only child of his or her parents.

National policy states that only couples who have urban residential permits and who are both only children can have a second child. Couples with rural residence registration can have a second child if their first child is a girl.

Shanghai

Planes collide on airport ground

Two airplanes collided in Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Thursday afternoon, the publicity department of Shanghai government said on Thursday.

Flight MU583 of China Eastern Airlines and MH389 of Malaysia Airlines crashed on the F9 track at 4:28 pm, according to the micro blog of the publicity department of Shanghai.

The crash caused slight damage to both airplanes, local media reported. Both flights were delayed.

Hebei

Great Wall collapses after heavy rain

Repair work is under way on a section of the Great Wall in North China's Hebei province that collapsed after days of continuous rain, local officials said on Thursday.

The collapse occurred on Monday, when strong currents of water from the mountains damaged the Dajingmen section of the Great Wall in Zhangjiakou following several days of rain, an official with the city's Qiaoxi district said.

Experts have cleared the fallen section, which extends 36 meters, and reinforced other loose sections to prevent further collapses. Cracks were also spotted in other parts of the wall near the damaged section.

Hong Kong

Astronauts thank HK residents

The three astronauts in China's first manned space docking mission have sent a thank-you note to Hong Kong ahead of their four-day visit starting Friday, according to the city's government news website.

The message, signed by Shenzhou IX astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, sends greetings to the Hong Kong people and thanks them for their support for the country's space program.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 08/10/2012 page2)