Beijing

E-mail set up for tips on fugitives

The Ministry of Public Security recently opened an e-mail address to receive clues on Chinese suspected of crimes who fled overseas.

The ministry said it will welcome tips from Chinese and foreigners. Whistleblowers are encouraged to provide the names, identity numbers, addresses, photos and contact information of the suspects. And the ministry will strictly treat the whistleblowers' identity and information they provide as confidential.

The e-mail address is interpol.china@mps.gov.cn.

Flight passengers affected by storms

More than 1,000 Beijing-bound passengers had to change their plans on Thursday after thunderstorms delayed their flights or forced them to make alternate landings.

Four Beijing-bound flights landed in Qingdao, a city 800 km away, after thunderstorms in Beijing made it impossible for them to follow their original routes. A total of 447 passengers were affected, according to Qingdao airport officials. Another 630 passengers were stranded at Qingdao Liuting International Airport after their flights to Beijing were postponed.

A thunderstorm hit Beijing in the afternoon, and most parts of the city saw rainfall amid a drop in temperature.

Taiwan

SEF elects new top negotiator

The Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation formally accepted the resignation of its Chairman Chiang Pin-kung on Thursday and elected Lin Join-sane as its new head.

Lin will act as the top negotiator between the foundation and its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

Chiang, who had headed the SEF since May 2008, announced his resignation last week due to his age, physical condition and future career plans.

Tianjin

3 killed, 14 hurt in road accidents

Heavy fog caused eight traffic accidents early Thursday on a highway in North China's Tianjin, leaving three dead and 14 injured, local authorities said.

The accidents happened between 6:30 and 6:35 am, damaging 31 vehicles, an official of the municipal government said. All the injured, including two seriously, were taken to hospital.

As of 1 pm, traffic resumed along the highway linking the city center and Jixian county.

Guangxi

2 die in chemical plant explosion

Two workers were killed and another seven injured on Thursday in a chemical plant explosion in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, police said.

The explosion happened around noon at a purification workshop ran by the Hechi Chemical Industrial Group Company in the city of Hechi, said Li Chunqi, deputy general manager of the company.

The injured are receiving treatment in a hospital, Li said, adding that their injuries are not life-threatening. An initial investigation indicated the blast was caused by a gas leak.

Shanxi

Five killed after waste collapsed

Five people died on Thursday after they were buried under a pile of waste residue that had collapsed on them in Shanxi province, according to the local government.

The pile collapsed at 9:10 am in Qinwangling village of Luliang city in Shanxi, killing two at the scene and injuring three others, the information office of the Luliang government said in a statement. All three injured persons died in hospital despite medical efforts.

The statement said the waste residue belongs to Tianma Energy Company, whose major business includes iron and coke production and casting.

Zhejiang

Decommissioned vessel handed over

A decommissioned missile destroyer was handed over to the China Maritime Surveillance, Chinese media reported on Thursday.

The Nanjing - a Type 051 missile destroyer that entered active service in 1977 - was decommissioned in a ceremony held at a naval base in Zhejiang province on Wednesday, according to the Nanjing Daily.

The ship has been handed over to the CMS and will conduct maritime law enforcement tasks after repair and refitting, the report said.

Hong Kong

City to celebrate on National Day

Celebration activities will be held in Hong Kong on Oct 1 to mark the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The activities include a flag-raising ceremony and a National Day reception in the morning, and a cultural show and a fireworks display in the evening.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying will join 2,500 people at the flag-raising ceremony at 8 am at Golden Bauhinia Square outside the Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai. The Police Band and a school choir will perform the national anthem at the ceremony.

Joint sweep hits illegal fishing

Hong Kong and Guangdong province conducted a joint operation against illegal fishing activities and to conserve marine resources within Hong Kong waters, including marine parks, a spokesman for Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Thursday.

The spokesman said that officers from the Marine Police and the AFCD conducted a sweep in Hong Kong waters while the Guangdong Provincial Marine and Fisheries Inspection Bureau undertook parallel enforcement actions in mainland waters.

The operation started on Wednesday and ended at 8 am on Thursday.

Henan

Compensation to victims' families

The families of three female students killed in their college building in Henan are expected to get 500,000 yuan ($79,300) in compensation each, Beijing News reported on Thursday.

On Tuesday, a man broke into the students' dormitory at Henan Polytechnic College in Zhengzhou and killed the three students. Another female student was seriously injured and is now out of danger after undergoing surgery.

A 21-year-old man named Zhang has been arrested in connection with the case.

Hubei

Wuhan bans eating in subways

Passengers in Wuhan, Hubei province, will be banned from eating in subways, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

This makes Wuhan the first city in China to ban eating in subways through legislation.

The ban resulted from a transportation management regulation approved by the people's congress in the city. It still needs approval from the provincial people's congress before taking effect.

China Daily - Xinhua