Beijing

China to launch PM2.5 study

China's disease control authority will carry out a study to find out how PM2.5, or particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, affect people's health in 10 cities that have recently seen heavy air pollution. The indoor study - through observations of subjects and the collection of environmental and meteorological information - is expected to cost around 60 million yuan ($9.6 million) and will take three years to complete.

NPC deputy dies of heart attack

A deputy to the National People's Congress, the top legislature, died of a heart attack in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon during the ongoing NPC annual session, sources said. The legislator, Shao Zhanwei, was also mayor of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. Shao was born in February 1956 and became mayor of Hangzhou in February 2011, according to the official website of Hangzhou government.

Baidu 'open' to acquisitions

Baidu, China's biggest search engine, said it is open to acquisitions in the mobile sector as it tries to win an upper hand in the market, a top company official said. "We prefer to buy rather than to build," Robin Li, chairman and CEO of the company, said in an interview while attending the annual meeting of China's top advisory body in Beijing. Li declined to comment on rumors that Baidu is in talks with mobile Web browser marker UCWeb about a possible acquisition.

Pollutants capped in six industries

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Tuesday that it will impose pollutant emission caps on six industries and coal-fired furnace projects in 47 major cities across 19 provinces. The six industries include the coal-fired power generation, iron and steel, cement, non-ferrous metal, petrochemical and chemical industries. The 47 cities are mainly in developed city clusters such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta.

Expert calls for nuclear safety law

A Chinese nuclear expert has called for the enactment of a nuclear safety law to better supervise the development of nuclear energy and guarantee its safety. The supervision currently depends on the Law on the Prevention and Control of Radioactive Pollution passed in 2003 and several administrative regulations that are not compatible with China's nuclear energy development, Zhu Zhiyuan, executive vice-president of the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said on Wednesday.

Shanghai

Website launched for intl students

Shanghai education authorities have set up an online platform for the city's international students to apply for government scholarships of up to 40,000 yuan ($6,430) a year. The scholarships are part of the city's efforts to attract more overseas students, especially those who will study in long-term degree programs. Shanghai has been offering scholarships to international students since 2005, and more than 25 million yuan has been granted to students each year, officials said.

Zhejiang

Prosecutors approve arrest

Prosecutors from Wenling, Zhejiang province, approved the arrest of a man they say set fire to a residential house in February. The fire killed eight people and injured 17. Authorities said on Wednesday Lin Binwei, the 26-year-old suspect, had a dispute with an online store operator named Liu, who lived at the building. Lin allegedly set fire to Liu's apartment on Feb 23. The investigation is continuing.

Test runs held on high-speed rail

The Hangzhou-Ningbo high-speed railway line, now under test runs, will be fully operational by early July if the trial runs smoothly, the railway authority said. According to newspaper Modern Gold Express, the trial run, which started in early March, will last for around 100 days. The new train line will shorten the travel time between Hangzhou and Ningbo from two hours to about 35 minutes.

Gender identifiers, abortionists, jailed

Four men have been imprisoned in East China for identifying the gender of unborn children and carrying out abortions. The men worked in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, between May and June last year. According to media reports, two of the men, identified as Liu and Huang, carried out 736 gender-identification procedures and 15 abortions. Huang was sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined 70,000 yuan ($11,249), while Liu received 40 months and a fine of 60,000 yuan.

Liaoning

Building explosion kills two, injures 11

An explosion killed two people and injured 11 in Changchun, Jilin province, on Wednesday morning. The blast occurred around 7 am in a five-story residential building. Falling debris hit a passer-by, killing him instantly. A woman was buried inside the building and died after being sent to a hospital, according to China Central Television. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 03/07/2013 page2)