Beijing

Satellite produces photo of Earth

China's first synthetic-aperture radar satellite for environmental monitoring has produced its first "clear, coherent and informative" image of Earth, authorities said on Monday. The satellite, which was launched on Nov 19, on Sunday successfully produced an image of the city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense said in a statement.

New head for commerce body

Wang Qinmin was elected on Monday as chairman of the executive committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, also known as China's non-governmental chamber of commerce. Wang vowed to make the federation further serve the development of the country's non-public economic sector.

Health minister elected chairman

Minister of Health Chen Zhu was elected chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party on Monday. The decision was announced after the non-communist political party with about 125,600 members concluded its five-day 15th National Congress on the same day.

Capital braves coldest week

Beijing residents experienced the coldest first week of December in 14 years last week with temperatures falling below zero for four continuous days, the local weather forecaster said. Data from the Beijing meteorological bureau showed that from Monday to Saturday, the average daily temperature was 3 C below zero, more than 3 degrees lower than the average in the past two decades, and the lowest since 1998.

Guangxi

7 prosecuted over river pollution

Seven people have been prosecuted over industrial-waste discharges that polluted a river in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region this year, local officials said on Monday. The seven, all stakeholders and executives of Jinchengjiang Hongquan Lithopone Material in the city of Hechi, are being sued for polluting the environment, according to the prosecuting office of the Jinchengjiang district of Hechi.

Henan

Road accident kills 4, injures 9

Four people were killed and nine injured when two buses collided in Henan province, police said on Monday. The accident happened at 4:38 pm on Sunday in Anyang when a passenger bus traveling west to north collided with a passenger bus coming in the opposite direction.

Hunan

1 dead, 7 missing in ship accident

One person is dead and seven are missing following a boating accident in Hunan province, local authorities said on Monday. The accident happened at 3 am on Sunday when a ship on its way to Pingkou township capsized in waters in Pingshan village in Anhua county, causing four cargo vehicles and 11 people on board to fall into the water. Three people were rescued.

Tianjin

Nursing homes to be extended

Tianjin is experimenting with the concept of a "virtual nursing home", which means that seniors can enjoy nursing services at home rather than in nursing centers. Four nursing homes in the municipality have been selected for a pilot program in which nursing care will be provided for seniors in their own homes, the Urban Express reported.

Heilongjiang

Bus driver accused of raping girl

A school bus driver in Suihua city, Heilongjiang province, has been detained by police on suspicion of regularly raping a 13-year-old girl over the past two years. The driver, surnamed Liu, is accused of forcing the girl to stay in a hotel room where he raped her, most recently on the night of Nov 30.

Anhui

Official sacked for discipline reasons

The top official of a county in Anhui province was removed from his post over allegations of discipline violations, the provincial discipline authority said on Monday. Wu Baoliang, Party chief of Xiaoxian, is suspected of illegally using his power to help companies obtain loans, a project contractor win bids for government projects, and help real estate developers in land requisitions and demolitions.

Sichuan

Ex-village head gets 18 years

A former village head in Longchang county, Sichuan province, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for causing intentional injury and organizing gang-related crimes, Chengdu Business Daily reported on Monday. The former official was also fined 3.5 million yuan ($562,000), the report said.

Guangdong

Worker jumps off building

A shoe factory worker was still in hospital on Monday after she jumped off a dormitory building in a suicide attempt two days previously in Guangzhou's Panyu district, Southern Metropolis Daily reported. Li Shuhua, 44, jumped off the third floor on Saturday morning, reportedly because her application for an eight-day leave was turned down by company managers. She was slowed by tree branches before falling to the cement.

Shandong

Qingdao seacoast freezes over

The seashore in Qingdao, Shandong province, was covered with ice over the weekend after harsh cold spells sent air temperatures below freezing. The lowest temperature in Qingdao was -6.4 C on Saturday, Qingdao News reported on Monday. A fisherman said the sea ice appeared about 20 days earlier than it did last year.

Indonesia

Chinese tourism increases in Bali

Bali, the center of Indonesia's tourist industry, continued to see a rising number of Chinese tourists in October, Indonesian media reported on Monday. The number of Chinese tourists visiting the island in October rose by 49 percent to 32,245 people on a monthly basis, according to data released by the provincial statistics agency. Chinese tourists contributed 12.64 percent to total foreign tourist arrivals in Bali that month.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 12/11/2012 page2)