Shanxi

12 dead after wall collapses

Twelve construction workers were killed and seven others injured after a wall in their makeshift house collapsed in Shanxi province, local authorities said on Wednesday. The accident occurred around 7:30 pm Tuesday at a construction site of a coal-cleaning plant of Dacheng Liyuan Coalification Co in Pingshu village, Shouyang county, according to sources with the government of Jinzhong city, which administers the county. An investigation indicated that rainstorms toppled the wall. Rescue work ended Wednesday morning.

Guangxi

Officials punished for river pollution

Five officials have been suspended for failing to prevent the contamination of a river in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said on Wednesday. Zhou Shengning, deputy director of the administration committee of the Pinggui administrative district of Hezhou city and four other local officials were suspended from their posts for the pollution of the Hejiang River. The pollution was first detected on Saturday. Police traced the source of the pollution to an ore-processing company located on the upper reaches of the Hejiang River in Hezhou.

Suspected serial arsonist captured

A man suspected of setting fire to automobiles and motorcycles was captured on June 24, a public security bureau in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region said on Wednesday. Police said the suspect allegedly set fire to 53 vehicles and five motorcycles - worth a total of $500,000 - in three years. The police used evidence gathered from surveillance videos to apprehend the suspect after a car fire in a residential area.

Jilin

Baby killer driven by 'sudden impulse'

A man in Jilin province who strangled a 2-month-old baby to death after stealing a car with the infant inside said "desire and sudden impulse" drove him into committing the crime. Zhou Xijun said he didn't know what he was thinking when he stole the car on March 4. During the manhunt, the baby's cries made him anxious and he strangled the baby. Zhou was sentenced in May to death and fined 50,000 yuan ($8,149) for car theft and murder and another 17,100 yuan for the funeral expenses. Zhou appealed and a second trial opened on Tuesday in Changchun.

Heilongjiang

Workers return from mountain

Chinese workers who hid in a mountain in southern Russia for more than two days after a suspected dispute with their employer will fly back to China, news portal eastday.com reported on Wednesday. More than 90 workers from a construction site in Kemerovo are expected to arrive in Suihua, Heilongjiang province, before Thursday. Sixty-one workers said they were abused by their employer and did not receive promised wages. An employee of the construction site said the dispute occurred because the quality of the project failed to meet standards.

Jiangsu

Border police nab gang member

Border-control police in Jiangsu province have captured a wanted member of a South Korean gang and transferred him to South Korean police. Yeom Deok-sung took a South Korean ship and arrived in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Feb 16. He then took a small boat to Qingdao, Shandong province, and hid in Weihai. With the help of Shandong police, Jiangsu police detained him and other suspects one week later in Shandong. Yeom Deok-sung is allegedly a member of a South Korean triad gang. In 2010, he allegedly opened gambling websites with gang members and attacked their competitors.

Henei

Murder confession case still open

A high-profile case of a man who confessed to rape and murder for which another man was executed is still unresolved following a second trial. Nie Shubin was found guilty of rape and murder and was executed in Hebei province in 1995. Wang Shujin, appealing his own death sentence, repeated a confession that he committed the rape and murder. But prosecutors say they are unsure of the confession as details are different from the crime scene report. The court said judgment will be announced another day.

Beijing

Overhaul of dairy standards done

China has completed an overhaul of standards for dairy products to address food safety concerns, a health official said Wednesday. Chen Rui, an official from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said that the government is also strengthening standards concerning food contaminants, fungal toxins, food additives and food labels. The overhaul is part of a five-year plan to upgrade food safety regulations, revamp outdated standards and review and abolish any contradicting or overlapping standards.

Hubei

1 dead, 7 injured in plant explosion

One person was killed and seven were injured in a chemical plant explosion that occurred in Hubei province on Wednesday, local authorities said. The blast occurred around noon at a biochemical plant in the city of Suizhou, adding that one person remains missing. More than 100 firefighters were sent to the scene.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily USA 07/11/2013 page3)