Yunnan

River reopens to tourists

A group of Chinese tourists traveled along the Lancang-Mekong River between Thailand and China for the first time since 13 Chinese crewmen were murdered on the river in 2011, China News Service reports. The group of 53 tourists left China for Thailand by road on Aug 3 and returned on the river by boat. All shipping on the river was halted between Thailand, Myanmar and China after drug smugglers hijacked three Chinese-registered cargo boats in October 2011, killing the crew.

Shanghai

6-year-old camper dies of fever

A 6-year-old girl in Shanghai died after coming down with fever at a summer camp, Beijing Times reported. On June 26, the girl went to the 40-day summer camp, and her parents spoke with her by telephone several times. In late July, she developed a fever, which staff members reportedly tried to treat with traditional methods. When the methods seemed to be failing, the girl was rushed to hospital on July 26 but died soon after arrival.

Refunds promised for passengers

All passengers affected by the breakdown of Metro Line 1 in Shanghai can get a full refund within seven workdays, Shanghai Metro said. Metro Line 1 resumed operations after a 90-minute breakdown on Sunday morning that created large crowds at some stations on the scorching day. Shanghai Metro has not disclosed the reason of the breakdown.

Liaoning

Official sacked over allegations

A senior Dalian official has been dismissed after a businesswoman accused him of having amassed a fortune, including three luxurious houses and nine expensive cars, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The accusations against Cai Xianbo, director of the city's administration and law enforcement bureau, were first made in May by Bi Meina, chairwoman of a technology company in Dalian, who posted the allegations on her real-name micro blog account. The Dalian government has set up a team to investigate Cai's case.

Jiangsu

Village officials defend new office

Authorities in Jiangsu province said villagers will be the main beneficiaries of a new 2 million yuan ($326,650), 1,500-sq-m office building that some residents have criticized as too expensive and extravagant, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. Zhang Huaxing, Party secretary of Qinxin, a village in Changzhou, said the building will replace the old office building, which is too small to serve the approximately 2,500 villagers.

Hubei

Games rooms are not gambling dens

Police in Wuhan have ruled that playing mahjong in community chess and card rooms isn't gambling, Chutian Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday. The statement was made in response to earlier reports asking whether playing games in such venues constitutes gambling. According to police, the venues are public places of entertainment, the owners of which only charge fees for use of the site and services.

Zhejiang

Naked man in viral video suspended

A naked man asking a woman for sex in an Internet video that went viral is a Party official who has been suspended from his post, Yangcheng Evening News reported on Sunday. Liu Xihui, Party secretary of a subsidiary of China Datang Corp, has been suspended and has received serious Party warnings. China News Service reported on Friday that Liu and the woman had agreed they would end their relationship after the woman was paid 50,000 yuan ($8,166).

Beijing

Safety doors go up on 2 subway lines

Work crews have begun installing safety barrier doors on two Beijing subway lines, Beijing Evening News reported. The work on Line 13 and the Batong Line began on Sunday, and will be done by the end of September. The doors will be put into service next year after testing, the report said. Workers can install the barrier doors only in the early morning. After the project is completed, the subway's Line 1 and Line 2 will be the only lines that don't have safety doors.

Guangdong

Woman with H7N9 has bills covered

The deputy governor of Guangdong province said a woman who was infected with the H7N9 virus will not have to pay her medical bills herself, Southern Daily reported on Sunday. Lin Shaochun also said that the medical insurance of insured H7N9 patients will cover their treatment and a special 30 million yuan ($4.9 million) fund will cover the uninsured patients. Guangdong confirmed its first H7N9 patient on Saturday.

Raids capture vehicle thieves

Guangdong Public Security Bureau made a series of raids on eight locations early on Friday morning, arresting 50 people on suspicion of stealing and reselling vehicles. Among the property seized in the raids were 27 cars and 16 motorcycles, along with fake license plates and tools for unlocking and modifying the vehicles. A group of towns and villages in Guangdong has become a hot-spot for vehicle theft and resale since 2006.

Xinhua - China Daily

(China Daily USA 08/12/2013 page3)