Beijing

Airport blastsuspect arrested

Ji Zhongxing, who is suspected of detonating a homemade explosive at Beijing Capital International Airport, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday. The Chaoyang district procuratorate approved the arrest of the 33-year-old man from Shandong province on Monday, airport police said. Ji, who uses a wheelchair, confessed he prepared and carried the explosive and leaflets to the airport and triggered the explosive device on July 20, police said. Ji said he did this for personal purposes. He has been in custody since July 21.

China to regulateTCM market

The China Food and Drug Administration called on Tuesday for medical ingredient markets nationwide to curb the manufacture and sale of counterfeit traditional Chinese medicines. Officials in charge of TCM trade centers in 17 cities were summoned to a Food and Drug Administration meeting on regulating the market. During recent inspections of the TCM market, the administration found instances of the production and sales of counterfeit medicine. The move is part of a national campaign that began on July 17 to crack down on counterfeit medicine.

Thousands deadin accidents

More than 27,700 people were killed or went missing in workplace accidents in the first half of the year, work safety authorities said on Tuesday. The figure represented a drop of 13.9 percent from the same period last year, said Wang Dexue, deputy head of the State Administration of Work Safety. A total of 226,048 workplace accidents took place in the first half of the year. A fire that killed 119 people at a poultry plant in Jilin province in June led to a nationwide work safety overhaul.

Counseling urgedafter arson deaths

Civil affairs authorities are urging civil service agencies to offer better consolation services following a deadly nursing home fire that killed 11 in Heilongjiang province. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs asked civil affairs agencies to meet both their clients' material and spiritual needs. Arson was confirmed as the cause of the fire on Friday. The ministry called for offering better consolation services, such as interpersonal and emotional counseling, for their clients.

Police to increasesafety patrols

Police will boost patrols in the capital following several violent incidents, according to the Beijing Public Security Bureau on Tuesday. "We will be on duty for 24 hours, and will especially enhance patrols late at night to curb serious crime," said Fu Zhenghua, director of the bureau. Police will focus on key areas including downtown, shopping malls, airports, bus and railway stations, and tourist attractions. The capital had two multiple stabbing attacks and the detonation of a homemade explosive between July 17 and 21.

Wildlife offensecases uncovered

A total of 11,836 wildlife crimes involving 14,279 offenders have been uncovered since January 2012, according to figures released on Tuesday by the national forestry police. Police confiscated more than 130,000 wild animals, around 2,000 wildlife products and 147 furs, figures show.

Shandong

Rainstorms affect2.8 million people

Heavy rain affected nearly 2.83 million people in east China's Shandong province last week, local authorities said on Tuesday. The rain, which lasted from Thursday to Sunday, destroyed 395,200 hectares of crops and toppled 3,695 houses, the provincial bureau of civil affairs said in a statement. The rain inflicted direct economic losses of 2.3 billion yuan ($375.7 million). Average precipitation across the province was 35.6 mm, with 11 counties, cities and districts recording rainfall greater than 100 mm, it added.

Shaanxi

Xi'an boosts dog control measures

Police in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, have introduced more stringent measures to control pet dogs. Residents who take their dogs out without a leash will be fined 500 yuan ($81.50). Those whose dogs are unlicensed will be fined 1,000 yuan and have their dogs seized. Owners of dogs that seriously injure or kill people will be held criminally responsible and their dogs destroyed. Earlier this month, a 13-year-old boy was attacked by a dog on the roof of a three-story building and died after falling from it.

Chongqing

Air route to San Francisco opened

A direct air route linking Chongqing and San Francisco is expected to open next month. Under an agreement signed on Monday by Chongqing's port management office and Air China, a daily flight will be available between the two cities starting from August 9. The flight time will be about 16 hours.

Shanghai

City increaseswater fees

Residents in Shanghai will pay more for water from the August implementation of a multi-tier pricing system, the municipal development and reform commission said Tuesday. The rising costs of water treatment and a government desire to conserve water are said to be behind the price rise. Under the new system, residential water fees will increase progressively as consumption rises. A household that consumes 220 cubic meters of water or less a year will pay 3.45 yuan ($0.56) per cu m, an increase of 23.2 percent.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily USA 07/31/2013 page3)