Shaanxi

Kindergartens drug scandal resolved

Two preschools at the center of the antiviral drug scandal in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, have had their licenses revoked, the local government confirmed on Saturday. Two new public kindergartens will be established on the sites of the kindergartens accused of having administered antiviral drugs to children since 2008. An investigation found that the kindergartens gave prescription medicine to children without notifying their parents.

Hunan

Three wounded in Hunan knife attack

Three people were injured at a railway station in Central China's Hunan province on Saturday afternoon when they were attacked by a man with a knife, local authorities said. At about 1:50 pm, Chen, 31, from Ankang City in northwest China's Shaanxi province, attacked three passersbys at an exit of Huaihua railway station. The man was swiftly apprehended by the police and members of the public.

Xinjiang

5.0 earthquake hits Xinjiang

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Yutian county of Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region at 8:58 pm Saturday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was monitored at 36.0 degrees north latitude and 82.3 degrees east longitude, and the focus of the quake was 8 kilometers deep, the center said in a statement.

Mongolia

Chinese Mongolian border railroad

Mongolia announced Saturday that it will build an international-standard narrow gauge railroad across its border with China to transport its minerals from the Mongolian Gashuun Sukhait port to China's Gants Mod port. Ulan Bator has permitted state-owned Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi to co-invest with Chinese companies and form a joint venture to build and operate the railway. Both sides have agreed that Mongolia owns 17 percent of the venture's stakes and have the same share of investment.

Vatican city

Sex abuse policy commission

Pope Francis has announced the initial members of a commission to advise him on sex abuse policy, tapping lay and religious experts to start plotting the commission's scope. The eight members were announced Saturday after Francis came under criticism from victims' groups for a perceived lack of attention to the abuse scandal, which has seriously damaged the church's reputation and cost dioceses billions of dollars in legal fees.

Republic of Korea

DPRK tests 30 missiles

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired off 30 more short-range missiles Saturday morning amid the continued joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States. In what appeared to be a protest against the joint annual military exercises by the ROK and the US, the DPRK has fired off multiple short-range missiles and artillery shells in recent weeks.. The DPRK said on March 5 that its previous short-range missile launches were "successful normal training" within its own territory.

AP - Xinhua

(China Daily 03/23/2014 page2)