Shandong

Bo's appeal tobe decided

The Shandong High People's Court announced on Monday that it will announce the decision on Bo Xilai's appeal at 10 am on Friday. Bo, former Party secretary of Chongqing, was charged with bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power at a trial held at Jinan Intermediate People's Court from Aug 22 to 26, and the court sentenced him to life imprisonment on Sept 22. He did not accept his sentence and submitted an appeal to the Shandong High People's Court, which decided to hear his appeal, the court announced on Oct 9.

Guangdong

Police look into bomber's petition

Police in Dongguan are looking into the case of the Beijing airport bomber, allegedly beaten by security officers. The city's public security bureau confirmed on Monday that it had filed a criminal investigation of the "intentional injury" of Ji Zhongxing. Ji was sentenced to six years in prison last week for setting off a home-made explosive device at Beijing Capital International Airport in July, severely injuring himself. Ji once worked in Guangdong and claimed that he was beaten in 2005 by local public security officers, resulting in his paralysis.

Zhejiang

201 million yuan allocated in relief

The local government in Yuyao has allocated 201 million yuan ($32 million) to local enterprises and residents to help them recover from the city's worst storm in 100 years, Ningbo Daily reported. The storm struck on Oct 10, flooding 70 percent of the city and causing direct economic losses of nearly 7 billion yuan, media reports said. Poor families will receive subsidies up to 2,000 yuan and families whose homes were seriously damaged will be granted subsidies up to 20,000 yuan.

Jiangsu

Car tunnel being used as residence

A car tunnel with a total length of more than 500 meters has not opened to traffic since it was completed in 2005 in Nanjing. Some people are now living in the tunnel near line 2 of the Nanjing metro, and they claim to be guarding the tunnels with the approval of authorities, Yangtze Evening News reported.

Sichuan

School cancels extra lessons

A primary school in Jintang county has stopped giving extra lessons to its sixth-grade pupils, but parents asked that they be resumed, Chengdu Commercial Daily reported on Monday. The parents said their children face enrollment exams for junior high school next year and they hoped the extra lessons after school would help the students get better scores. The county education bureau responded that extra lessons are banned under orders from the provincial education administration.

Beijing

Public urination 'tradition of event'

Photos of runners who participated in Sunday's Beijing Marathon urinating in public together have gone viral on the Internet. Some marathoners said there were a limited number of portable toilets on the marathon route, while others said public urination was a marathon tradition, the Beijing News reported.

Price of Starbucks highest in China

Starbucks is sold at a higher price in China compared to other countries, CCTV reported. The price for a latte is 27 yuan ($4.42) in Beijing, 24.25 yuan in London, 19.98 yuan in Chicago and 14.6 yuan in Mumbai. But the comparison was questioned by some domestic experts who believe the price in China is driven by more than just production costs.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily USA 10/22/2013 page3)