Beijing

2.2b yuan boost for health sector

The central government has allocated 2.22 billion yuan ($358.3 million) to the health service sector to improve well-being and shore up growth, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. The money will be used to improve medical services, provide better care for the elderly and to support related sectors, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and healthcare facilities, the ministry said.

Woman, 127, may be oldest person

About 80 percent of the more than 54,000 Chinese centenarians are women, figures released on Wednesday show. The Geriatric Society of China said the oldest person is Alimihan Seyiti, a Uygur born on June 25, 1886. She lives in Shule in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. If verified, she could be the oldest person in the world, beating by five years the Guinness World Record of 122 set by Jeanne Calment from France.

Websites closed in war on drugs

More than 2,000 Chinese websites are suspected of selling drugs illegally, prompting stricter government supervision of Internet drug sales, authorities said on Wednesday. A total of 194 domestic sites were ordered to close by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Another 609 hosted overseas will not be allowed to operate on the Chinese mainland, while 1,391 sites will be dealt with by provincial drug watchdogs, the China Food and Drug Administration said.

Smoke without fire at top hotel

Firefighters called to the Pangu Seven Star Hotel on Wednesday morning say smoke seen pouring from the building was due to a faulty chimney flue, rather than an actual fire. Beijing fire control authorities released the information on their micro blog after attending the incident. Reports of dense smoke coming from the building appeared on Sina Weibo, with some Internet users saying the hotel was on fire.

Tibet

Documentary on the plateau

Filming of a television documentary focusing on people living in harmony with nature on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has begun in Lhasa. Backed by the Information Office of the State Council, the documentary, called Third Pole, consists of five 50-minute episodes and will be co-produced by China Central Television and Beijing Five Star Cultural Media. The documentary will be finished by the fall in 2014.

Henen

Teacher accused of attacking 20 girls

A 56-year-old primary school teacher in Tongbai, a county in Henan province, has been charged with carrying out sexual attacks on 20 young girls, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. Yang Shifu worked at a rural school, where prosecutors allege he molested 18 girls aged 6 to 11 in his classroom, as well as raping two more at his home. Yang went on trial at Nanyang Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday. His defense pointed to a lack of evidence proving his guilt.

Chongqing

Transformers 4 to be filmed in Wulong

The science fiction action film Transformers 4, by Hollywood director Michael Bay, will begin shooting in Wulong, a county in Chong-qing, media reports said on Wednesday. Chongqing Daily reported that key members of the crew are already on site. A county official said the crew members have inspected the site a number of times since July and will shoot the most exciting scenes there. The exact location was not disclosed.

Jilin

4 punished for drug offenses

A court in Jilin province sentenced four drug dealers to death on Wednesday. An 11-strong gang trafficking in drugs received sentences ranging from three years in prison to the death penalty at Changchun Intermediate People's Court. The four sentenced to death produced or trafficked up to 3.5 kg of methamphetamine or methamphetamine tablets. Two others received the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, four were jailed for life and the other was jailed for three years.

Jiangxi

Foul play ruled out in toddlers' death

An autopsy has ruled out foul play in the deaths of the two toddlers whose bodies were found in a washing machine, police said on Wednesday. Earlier reports said the tragedy happened when the toddlers were playing at home in Xinjian county, when their mother was cooking and their father was listening to music. A police investigation said officers found the parents had no motives for murders, and also ruled out the possibility that the pair were murdered by someone who broke into the house.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily USA 10/17/2013 page3)