Beijing

5 interns die of gas poisoning

Five student interns at a hospital in Beijing died of gas poisoning on Monday, Southern Metropolis Daily reported. A doctor at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital said on his micro blog that five graduate students from Harbin Medical University in Heilongjiang province, who were interning at the hospital, were found dead at around 8:30 am at their rented apartment.

Religious policy to remain unchanged

A senior official of the Communist Party of China said on Monday that the CPC will adhere to its basic policy of respecting religious freedom. When meeting leaders of major national religious groups in Beijing, Yu Zhengsheng, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the Party's policy on religious affairs will remain unchanged.

4,000 tons of pollutants in air

A total of 4,000 tons of pollutants are estimated to be in the air in urban areas of Beijing on serious pollution days, according to a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences quoted by Beijing Morning Post. The calculation was made by Wang Yuesi, and based on the size of Beijing's urban area and the concentration of pollutants, including PM2.5, or particulate matters less than 2.5 microns in diameter.

Enterprises urged to innovate

The central government is urging enterprises to improve and innovate, according to a guideline published on the government's website on Monday. The guideline also sets a goal of establishing a market-oriented "technology innovation system" inside enterprises by 2015 that combines research, development and production. The guideline calls on enterprises to invest more in research and development.

Chongqing

Nine-year-old girl on trek with father

A 9-year-old girl and her father are traveling to 31 major cities across China on foot and by hitchhiking, according to the Chongqing Morning Post. The trip, a winter vacation adventure, is being made from north to south by Feng Jinghan, a primary school student from Jinzhou in Northeast China's Liaoning province, and her father Feng Yongli, a van driver. Starting on Jan 20, the pair had traveled to 11 cities by Saturday, including Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Hohhot, Tianjin, Lanzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing.

Jiangsu

Driver complains about punishment

A netizen nicknamed "Njyitaoyu" in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, posted on xici.net that 12 points had been deducted from her driving record because a piece of white paper was blocking her license plate, Yangtse.com reports. "Njyitaoyu" claimed she was innocent and that the wind blew the paper to cover the plate. But police disputed her claim. The incident aroused online debate with some netizens suggesting that viewing a surveillance video might reveal how the paper got stuck on the plate.

Shanghai

Wind blows man's savings away

A migrant worker lost the majority of his one-year savings after the wind blew his cash away at a crossroads in Shanghai on Sunday afternoon and passers-by scrambled to grab the money. With help from the police, he had recovered about 7,800 yuan ($1,240) by Monday afternoon. The man, surnamed Qin, came to Shanghai to work as a courier from his hometown in Anhui province. He wrapped 17,600 yuan in paper and kept the money in the pocket of his jeans. But the money was blown away by the wind as he was rushing to the bank on his electric bike to deposit it.

NYU to interview 500 students

About 500 students will take part in the first round of admission interviews in March for Shanghai New York University, the country's first Sino-US higher education institute. The 500 Chinese students are from 10 areas, including the Yangtze River Delta region, Beijing, Sichuan, Henan and Shandong provinces, according to NYU Shanghai. They will participate in campus day activities in March in Shanghai and will be interviewed at that time. NYU Shanghai was officially founded in October 2012, and will get its first 300 students in the autumn of 2013 from across the world.

Shanxi

Road crash kills five

More than 50 vehicles were involved in an accident on a freeway in Shanxi province on Sunday night, leaving five people dead and 30 injured, Xinhua News Agency reported. The crash happened at around 9 pm in the Huafeng section of Wenyuan Freeway. Two vehicles caught fire after colliding. The accident started when a truck slid away to the curb of the icy road and turned over.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 02/05/2013 page2)