Condolences sent to Cote d'Ivoire

President Hu Jintao has expressed his "sympathy and compassion" to his Cote d'Ivoire counterpart, Alassane Ouattara, after a stampede left 63 people dead and 50 others injured on New Year's Eve after a fireworks display in the city of Abidjan. "On behalf of the government, the people of China and on my own behalf, I would like to express my sympathy and compassion, through you, to the people of Cote d'Ivoire," Hu wrote in a letter addressed to Ouattara.

Hainan

Officer removed for abuse of power

An employee of the urban management office in Sanya has been removed from duty for abuse of power. The employee, Guo Fengbin, tried to park a car in front of a hotel on Tuesday but was stopped by its security guards and told that the parking space was reserved for hotel guests. Guo then ordered several officers of the management office who were standing nearby to fine several cars parked in front of the hotel without any valid reason.

Hubei

BBQ store owners paid to go home

The Wuhan government said it is willing to pay the migrant owners of charcoal-fueled roadside barbecue stores who return to their hometowns. Last year, the city's urban management bureau issued a notice to ban roadside charcoal-fueled barbecue stalls in its urban area starting on Jan 1, 2013, to curb air pollution. However, as of Jan 1, only 400 of about 1,000 stores had been closed due to law enforcement difficulties.

Shanghai

Cargo ship caught dumping waste

More than 162 cubic meters of contaminated water were discharged into the Yangtze River estuary by a Panamanian-registered cargo ship, which was nabbed by the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration on Jan 1. The 2,282-ton liner discharged the poisonous and harmful waste into the river four times on Nov 8 and Nov 25, according to a release by the administration. The case is now under investigation.

Yunnan

Official accused of buying pricey cars

A top official of Yiliang county is under investigation, after an online post accused him of violating rules to buy expensive cars and selecting young women to accompany him to drink, Yunnan Information Daily reported on Thursday. Cao Fuzhong, Party chief of Yiliang, bought more than 10 Toyota cars, each worth 600,000 yuan ($96,300) after he took office, and invited young women to accompany him to drink in his office, the post said.

Quake hero in coma after fall

Donations totaling 200,000 yuan ($32,000) have poured in from the public for the family of Zhu Yinquan, a village teacher who rescued students during last year's Yunnan earthquake and who is in a coma with brain damage after a fall from the second floor of a building on Dec 30. Zhu is in intensive care at a hospital in Zhaotong.

Hunan

Gas overflow causes explosion

Illegal operations at a gas station caused an explosion in a drainage pipe that killed two people in Yongshun county, local government said on Thursday. The explosion also injured five others and destroyed the first floor of a hotel on Monday night. The gas station has been closed and three people involved in the case have been detained by police.

Guizhou

2,400 centers open for elderly

The province said it plans to open 2,400 centers in three years to provide services to the elderly who do not want to live in nursing homes. The centers will include 900 community-based service centers in cities, each in a region with about 2,000 elderly people. They also include 500 daytime care centers to provide space for senior residents who have no company in the daytime.

Henan

Former director in housing scandal

The immediate family of a former housing administration official owns 29 houses, The Beijing News reported. The report quoted a whistle-blower who reported on the alleged holdings tied to Zhai Zhenfeng, a former director in Erqi district of Zhengzhou. The report said that Zhai's son had two ID cards and owned 14 houses in Zhengzhou and Zhai's wife owned four houses under her name in the city.

Guangdong

Anti-discrimination rule takes effect

Employers in Shenzhen will face a fine of up to 30,000 yuan ($4,800) if they discriminate based on a person's gender, according to a local regulation that took effect on Tuesday. Employers should not set any gender restrictions when hiring workers, and they should not refuse to hire people or raise the threshold for employment due to a candidate's gender and marital or pregnancy status, the regulation said.

Jiangsu

School denies 'zodiacal teaching'

School authorities at Yangzhou University denied they had given classes based on students' zodiac signs, responding to recent reports that have generated an intense discussion among netizens. Wei Wanhong, a dean at the College of Bioscience and Biotechnology of the university in Yangzhou, said the college does not practice "zodiacal teaching", Oriental Morning Post reported on Thursday.

China Daily-Xinhua