Beijing

Singer's son charged in rape

The son of a well-known singer was indicted on Monday on charges of gang rape. Li Tianyi, the 17-year-old son of Li Shuangjiang, a singer in the People's Liberation Army, stands accused along with four other male suspects of raping a girl at a hotel in Beijing in February. The Haidian district people's procuratorate said the investigation provided evidence of a criminal offense and prosecution has begun. Police have not disclosed details of the case because four of the suspects, including Li, are minors.

Storms leave 33 dead, 14 missing

Rain-triggered natural disasters have wreaked havoc in 21 provincial-level regions since July 3, leaving at least 33 dead and another 14 missing, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction said on Monday. As of Monday morning, nine people were dead and 11 missing in Sichuan province, seven dead and two missing in Yunnan province, four dead in Hubei province and three dead in Anhui province. A total of 10 were reported dead in Beijing, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the Tibet autonomous region, and in Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shandong and Gansu provinces. One person was missing in Helongjiang province.

Lawmaker urges new nuclear law

A top legislator said the process to draft laws related to nuclear and radiation safety should be faster. Shen Yueyue, vice-chairwoman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said the 10-year-old Radioactive Pollution Prevention Act is the only law related to nuclear safety. "Nuclear facilities and high-level radioactive waste ... bear the highest risk. The issue attracts the most public concern, so we must give high priority to the problem," she said.

Guangxi

City IDs culprit over river pollution

The Hezhou government has confirmed that the Huiwei ore treatment factory in the city is the main source of thallium and cadmium pollution in the Hejiang River. The pollution, which started on July 1 and will last a couple of weeks according to experts, affected about 30,000 people in the downstream Fengkai county of Guangdong province and has forced all water supply plants in downstream regions in Guangdong to take emergency action.

Hong Kong

Couple arrested for airport fight

A mainland couple was arrested for attacking police officers after their flight was delayed at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Monday. A 35-year-old man, surnamed Xu, and his wife, surnamed Wan, 34, became angry after their flight was delayed for several hours. After several exchanges with airport staff, Xu threw water at two airline employees. He was arrested and faces charges of criminal damage. His wife was also arrested after she pushed a police officer to the ground.

Henan

2.5m-tall man offered treatment

Wang Fengjun of Sanmenxia is 2.55 meters tall, 29 cm taller than Yao Ming, the former NBA star. He has been diagnosed with osteonecrosis of the femoral head, which results from an interruption of the blood supply, Zhengzhou Evening News reported on Monday. Wang will receive free treatment at a hospital in Zhengzhou, saving him 500,000 yuan ($81,550). It is expected to take Wang two years to recover.

Jiangsu

Tornado injures 53, damages houses

Fifty-three people were injured, with four in a serious condition, after a tornado struck Gaoyou on Sunday afternoon, Yangtze Evening News reported. The tornado, which lasted around seven minutes, damaged more than 500 houses. More than 2,000 trees were knocked down and some farmland was affected. Power and communication lines were also damaged.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily USA 07/09/2013 page3)