Zhejiang

53 sentenced for running casinos

Fifty-three people were sentenced on Thursday for up to eight years in prison for running casinos in the province. Wenling People's Court sentenced Chen Guangjia, a shareholder and chief financial officer of Guangzhou Jinyi Animation Technology Co, to eight years in prison for running casinos. Chen was also fined 3 million yuan ($490,000). Another 44 accomplices were given terms ranging from 14 months to seven and a half years.

Beijing

Effort urged to publicize new law

The inspection and quarantine authorities called for a greater effort to implement a new safety law for special equipment, including elevators, boilers, cranes and large recreation facilities, amid a number of accidents this year. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine called on Thursday for more publicity and better supervision among enterprises that produce, sell, operate, use and test special equipment.

Sichuan

Two detained for fabricating news

Two men were detained for allegedly spreading fake news of a bus being hijacked, West China Metropolis Daily reported on Thursday. One of the two men posted a photo of a crowded bus online on Wednesday afternoon, claiming a man with explosives had hijacked it. The other forwarded the photo and said the incident was near the Chengdu city government.

Fake police officer jailed for robbery

A man in Chengdu received a prison sentence of 10 and a half years for impersonating a police officer and robbing a woman of more than 100,000 yuan ($16,330), Sichuan Daily reported. Qin Liang, 26, had spent all of his savings on his father's medical expenses. Mounting life pressure caused Qin to pose as a police officer and rob the woman.

Hubei

Labor gives new attitude to addict

A rich man has successfully quit drinking, smoking and gambling after working as a bus driver with his wife for three years, Wuhan Evening News reported on Thursday. The couple, both residents of Xiaogan, became millionaires through their businesses, but the husband became addicted to drinking, smoking and gambling. To quit, the couple went to Wuhan, capital of the province, to work as bus drivers in 2010. The hard work reportedly changed Dai's attitude on life.

Guangdong

Suspect held in subway assault

A man has been detained for assaulting a schoolgirl by kissing her without her consent in a subway station in Shenzhen, the city's prosecuting authority said on Thursday. The suspect, 22, surnamed Wang, allegedly followed the girl at Tianba station and kissed her while she was taking an escalator.

Driver plows bus into crowd

A bus driver in Shunde, was detained for deliberately driving his bus into a crowd and injuring 27 people on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported. The driver, surnamed Li, did so to vent his anger after he was suspended from his job for a rule violation in July. He secretly took an empty bus from the bus company's training school and caused the accident.

Jiangsu

Man escapes heat atop billboard

A homeless man has slept on top of a 25-meter high billboard for a month to escape the heat and mosquitoes in Suzhou. The man used a rope to climb onto a ladder that he then ascended to reach the top of the billboard. He slept there nearly every night over the past month, according to a witness. The company that owns the billboard has removed access steps to stop people from climbing it, the report said.

Yunnan

New dengue fevercases confirmed

Thirty-one new cases of dengue fever have been confirmed in a prefecture in the province, raising the total to 154, the local government said on Thursday. The new cases emerged between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon in the Dai autonomous prefecture of Xishuangbanna.

Gansu

Villagers sue govt over demolition

A case in which hundreds of villagers appealed the demolition of their market was heard before the court on Wednesday. The appeal was brought against authorities in Chengguan district of Lanzhou, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. No verdict was issued on the court.

Hebei

Boss gets death for killing workers

A resident of Gaobeidian was sentenced to death recently for crimes of intentional homicide, intentional assault and forced labor, people.com.cn reported. Pang Yunfeng, who ran a bag factory from 2010 to 2012, killed four of his employees and seriously injured two by beatings to force them to work for him.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily USA 08/23/2013 page2)