Beijing

Fund for disaster management

The Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday that it has allocated 1 billion yuan ($163 million) for geological disaster management in Yunnan province. The fund will be used for the management of major geological disasters in Yunnan, including the monitoring and assessment of disasters, relocation efforts and the construction of an emergency response system.

Minister vows to improve ties

Culture Minister Cai Wu on Tuesday vowed to further enhance cultural exchanges and cooperation with countries in central and eastern Europe. He made the remarks at the first Forum on Cultural Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries, held in Beijing. China will join hands with countries in central and eastern Europe in conducting dialogue among different cultures and promoting diversified development and common prosperity among these cultures, Cai said.

Pilot program to protect minors

A pilot program covering 19 cities and a prefecture will be run to help establish a system to protect the rights of minors, the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on Tuesday. The program is aimed at reducing the number of vagrant minors to a minimum and ensuring minors' health by helping those in need and their families with their livelihoods, custody, education and development. The program has asked the 19 cities, including Beijing and Dalian, and Aksu prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to establish a network of protection connecting communities.

Women complete parachuting drill

A 15-member squad of female commandos successfully completed a parachuting drill in northern China on Tuesday, according to the People's Liberation Army. The drill was the first conducted by the PLA Field Army, following drills conducted by the "Aug 1 Aerobatic Team" and the Parachute Corps of the PLA Air Force. A special female commando company was established on March 30 by a brigade with the 38th Group Army under the PLA's Beijing Military Area Command.

Appeal over verdict withdrawn

Ten people sentenced for illegally detaining four petitioners withdrew their appeal, Beijing News reported. The 10, including three minors, from Yuzhou city in Henan province, were given sentences ranging from one to two years for illegal detention, according to a verdict delivered by Chaoyang District People's Court in February. The minors were placed on probation. In February 2012, Wang Gaowei, the group's leader, rented two yards in the district and hired people to detain petitioners from Henan.

Chinese tourists keep top spot

Chinese tourists remained the world's top tax-free spenders in the first quarter of this year, up 20 percent from the first quarter of last year, according to a report released by Global Blue, a leading duty-free operator. Chinese tourists increased their spending by 38 percent in the year to the first quarter. The world's top five shoppers come from China, Russia, Indonesia, the United States and Malaysia.

Hyundai to recall 109,764 vehicles

Hyundai Motor Group (China) will recall 109,764 imported cars sold on the Chinese mainland due to safety risks, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine announced on Tuesday. Problems with the cars to be recalled, branded Hyundai and Kia, include faulty brake paddle switches and electrical signal delays that may increase chances for accidents.

Henan

No injuries after plane hits jetway

An airplane ran into a jetway at a Zhengzhou airport in Central China's Henan province on Monday. None of the more than 140 passengers on board was injured, Dahe News reported. The accident happened after the airplane, Shenzhen Airlines Flight ZH9608, landed for a stopover at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport at 10 am on its way from Shenyang to Guangzhou. Photos posted online showed that the left side of the airplane had hit the No 9 jetway. Shenzhen Airlines arranged three other flights to transfer the passengers to Guangzhou.

Guangdong

Shenzhen gets tough on smoking

People who light up in non-smoking areas in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, may face fines of up to 500 yuan ($81). The Shenzhen People's Congress, the city's top legislative body, sought public input for a draft amendment on anti-smoking during a public hearing on Tuesday, according to Guangzhou Daily. The fine for smoking in non-smoking areas is currently 20 yuan. Business operators and managers will be fined as much as 30,000 yuan for selling or allowing the sale of cigarettes in non-smoking areas, or for failing to prevent such smoking.

Sichuan

Four dead in avalanche

Rescuers confirmed on Tuesday that an avalanche in a mountainous area in Sichuan province killed four people and left one missing. The avalanche took place at 3 pm on Sunday, when five people were looking for caterpillar fungus, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, on a mountain in the village of Yangliulin in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture. Rescuers said the avalanche released 750,000 cubic meters of snow.

Shanghai

Chip to help tackle carcass dumping

A new technology developed for pigs' ear tags will help prevent the casual dumping of dead swine, a practice that aroused food safety concerns earlier this year in Shanghai and several parts of China. A company in Shanghai has developed an electronic chip that has been, so far, embedded in the ear tags of 170,000 female pigs in Shanghai, eastday.com reported on Tuesday. The technology is expected to be promoted to all pig farms in Shanghai in two years. The chip will store information, including the animal's conditions while being raised, time of slaughter and vaccinations.

Xinhua - China Daily

(China Daily 05/15/2013 page2)