Beijing

Taiwan donates 348 million yuan

Taiwan has donated 348 million yuan ($56.2 million) to Lushan county on the Chinese mainland, which was rocked by a massive earthquake last month. Donations totaling 248 million yuan have already arrived at the quake zone, State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi said at a news conference on Wednesday. People in the quake zone are deeply grateful for the donations from their Taiwan compatriots, he said.

Police solve economic crimes

Police have investigated and solved 22,000 economic crimes since the start of the year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Wednesday. The cases involved crimes that led to losses of up to 24.9 billion yuan ($4.1 billion). The cases include a counterfeit currency racket valued at 250 million yuan in Jieyang in Guangdong province and a scam selling 2.55 million yuan of invoices in Quanzhou, Fujian province. Another case involved a gang producing and selling 90 tons of counterfeit edible salt.

Final test begins on lunar explorer

The last major test on China's third lunar explorer, Chang'e-3, has begun, before it blasts off for the moon in the second half of this year, China National Space Administration said in a statement on its website on Tuesday. The 40-day testing simulated the environment on the moon to see if Chang'e-3 can endure the extreme temperatures, which range from -200 C to 150 C. Part of the second phase of the Chinese lunar exploration program, Chang'e-3 is scheduled to be launched in the second half of the year.

5-year trial for deep-sea vessel

The State Oceanic Administration said on Wednesday that the deep-sea submersible Jiaolong will enter commercial operation after a five-year trial operation. In the next five years, the submersible's capabilities will be improved, and a team of oceanauts and maintenance workers will be created. The trial period will be in the area where the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association obtained exploration rights. The vessel will explore the resources in the deep sea and study geological and environmental features.

Dairy industry improving

China's dairy industry saw quantity increase and quality improve over the past few years, but there are still gaps to fill compared with developed countries in the sector, said Liu Chengguo, the honorary president of Dairy Association of China. He made remarks during the third International Symposium on Dairy Cow Nutrition and Milk Quality, which ended in Beijing on Monday. "We need to recognize that a series of problems occur during the development process of dairy industry, such as the irrational distribution of dairy enterprises, the lagging construction of raw milk bases, as well as lower level of science and technology inputs," he said.

New media sector more diverse

China's new media sector has been maturing, with both globalized industry leaders and vibrant smaller enterprises, according to a report by Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday. With the popularity of new media, most notably the wide use of mobile Internet devices and smartphones, China's new media sector has diversified its structure by integrating the Internet, communications, hardware, software and information-services industries. Leading players in the industry, including China Mobile and Huawei Technologies, have picked up the pace in improving their global layout, the report said.

English TCM help line launched

A traditional Chinese medicine help line in English was launched in Beijing on Wednesday by the State-owned Guang'anmen Hospital affiliated with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and local TCM authority. The number for the help line is 88001800, and the calls are completely confidential. No extra service fees are required, except for the cost of the call. The hotline is the first nonprofit TCM information and referral service in Beijing, if not China, committed to promoting the safe and effective use of TCM for overseas patients.

Better handling of land requisition

The Ministry of Land and Resources issued a notice on its website on Monday asking land authorities to crack down on land requisition cases that involve mandatory demolition. The notice was released after several such cases were reported recently, triggering public anger. The ministry said farmers' legal rights and interests should be the priority in land requisition, and local land authorities need to improve compensation policies involving land requisition.

Counterfeit ring smashed

Police from six provinces, including Fujian, Anhui and Zhejiang, arrested 43 suspects in a major case of fake brand-name sanitary napkins, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday. The amount of money involved was as much as 150 million yuan ($24.4 million). Since February, Quanzhou police in Fujian province have received many reports from women who said they did not feel well after using the products, the ministry's economic crimes investigation bureau said on Tuesday.

Hunan

H7N9 bird flu kills woman

The H7N9 bird flu has killed one person in Shaoyang, Hunan province. A 64-year-old woman named Guan died Tuesday morning at a hospital in the city about 20 days after her infection was confirmed, the Hunan Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission said on Wednesday. She was the first person in province diagnosed with the virus. One of the three diagnosed with the virus afterward died earlier this month, one has recovered, and the other is still in critical condition.

Guangdong

Nuclear power firm renamed

China's largest nuclear power company announced on Wednesday that it will change its name to China General Nuclear Power Group to consolidate its image as a State-owned enterprise. The original name, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group, had created confusion by leading many to believe it is a provincial-level firm from Guangdong province. With total assets of 268.9 billion yuan ($43.75 billion) reported in the first quarter, the company had an installed nuclear power generating capacity of 7.2 million kW, accounting for 53 percent of the country's total.

Annual fishing ban to start

An annual fishing ban on the northern part of the South China Sea will begin on Thursday, aiming to further protect marine resources and promote environmental awareness among fishermen. About 20,000 fishing boats from the provinces of Guangdong and Hainan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will be affected, according to Wu Zhuang, director of the South China Seas Fishery Bureau under the Ministry of Agriculture. "Foreign boats will also be strictly banned from fishing in the area during the period," Wu said.

Liaoning

Search and rescue training

A national urban search and rescue training center for Northeast China has started operations in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Liaoning Daily reported on Wednesday. It employs 172 elite soldiers and runs advanced facilities, including an all-terrain vehicle and a first-aid vehicle. Another seven national urban search and rescue training centers are under construction in other parts of China.

Xinhua - China Daily

(China Daily 05/16/2013 page2)