Beijing

Approval signals takeoff for airlines

China's aviation authority approved two new airlines in May. The Civil Aviation Administration of China approved an application Friday for Qingdao Airlines, which will have 1 billion yuan ($163.1 million) in registered capital. It also approved the establishment of Ruili Airlines from the Jingcheng Group in Yunnan province on May 6. The approvals signaled the end of the authorities' prohibition against new airlines, which was announced in 2007.

Imported wine may face measures

An anti-dumping application from the wine industry, already sent to the Ministry of Commerce, may be acted on this year, the China Securities Journal reported. The wine industry lodged an anti-dumping appeal on imported wine some time ago and the European Union's anti-dumping investigation into China may lead authorities to act on it, business insiders said. The anti-dumping appeal will not affect the high-end market, with its world-renowned chateaus, but lesser imported wine will be hit.

Taiwan group re-elects chairman

Furniture manufacturer Kuo Shan-hui was re-elected chairman of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland on Tuesday. The association, established in 2007, reshuffles its personnel every three years. Kuo, board chairman of Lacquer Craft Group, has made efforts to boost cross-Straits ties and enhance economic cooperation, said Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

31 municipalities host job fairs

Weeklong job fairs kicked off on Tuesday in 31 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, bringing together privately run enterprises to offer jobs for college graduates. Hosted by the country's labor and education ministries and the top trade union organization, the fairs aim to help boost employment of college graduates and the development of private businesses. Nearly 7 million students, a record, will graduate from college this year, making the employment situation tough.

Guangdong

Litter rule sees sweeping change

More than 20 litterbugs have been ordered to sweep the streets for an hour as punishment under a new sanitation rule in a township in Guangdong province, Guangzhou Daily reported. A sanitation official, surnamed Chen from Humen township's Nanshan community, said the new rule was introduced after litter became an increasing problem in the community, which attracts a large transient population. "Many residents are in favor of the rule," Chen said on Tuesday. Restaurant owners were concerned that the new rule would affect their business, as some diners drop tissues and other rubbish while eating, Chen said.

Henan

Punishment for wage arrears

Employers will be punished for wage arrears above 8,000 yuan ($1,305) over three months or longer in Henan province, according to dahe.cn. The Henan Provincial High People's Court said employers who fail to promptly pay wages to more than 10 employees which total more than 40,000 yuan will also be punished. Henan authorities are interpreting the country's amendment to the Criminal Law in May 2011, saying that employers who did not pay a large amount of wages will face fines and up to seven years in prison.

Shaanxi

Transplant from sister a success

Asia's first intestine transplant, between twin sisters, was successful, Xijing Hospital announced on Tuesday in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Zhao Qingchuan, head of the operation team, told China Daily that the operation was conducted on May 4 with more than 50 doctors and nurses in his hospital. The patient, a 45-year-old resident of Xi'an, suffered from dying tissue in her small intestine and colon, which left only 14 cm of small intestine (a fortieth for a normal person) and was unable to eat. Doctors took out 160 cm of small intestine from the elder sister and transplanted it to the patient.

Yunnan

8 arrested over water pollution

Eight people have been arrested in connection with illegal dumping that polluted a waterway in Yunnan province. Legal representatives and high-level managers of three ore processing or mining companies were among those arrested, the Yunnan People's Procuratorate said on Tuesday. According to the Xundian county procuratorate, which is in charge of the case, the companies dumped wastewater into the waterway from 2010 to March 2013.

Hunan

Police ID body found on riverbank

A DNA test helped police confirm a body found by a river was the girl who fell into a sewer and drowned in Changsha, Hunan province, two months ago. Police made the confirmation by comparing a DNA sample taken from the body to that of the girl's mother, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported. The body was found on Sunday on the bank of the Xiangjiang River in Yueyang city, Hunan province.

Hong Kong

HK bans imports of Catalonian poultry

Imports of poultry and poultry products from Catalonia, Spain, have been banned, Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety announced on Tuesday. The move was made to protect both public and animal health after a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health about an outbreak of low pathogenic H7N1 avian influenza on a poultry farm in Catalonia. Hong Kong imported about 4,600 tons of frozen poultry meat from Spain last year.

China daily - xinhua

(China Daily 05/22/2013 page2)