Campaign aims to reduce fire risks

A nationwide campaign was launched in China on Monday to reduce potential fire risks in public buildings in the wake of a Brazilian nightclub blaze that claimed at least 233 lives. Firefighters at all levels were urged to examine and reduce fire risks at casinos, shopping malls and hotels, according to the firefighting bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.

Food contaminant levels capped

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced new caps on levels of 13 contaminants in 20 categories of food. The newly amended standards will take effect on June 1. They limit the content of contaminants, including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, that can legally be allowed in certain food.

Special-equipment accidents kill 292

Accidents involving special equipment, such as elevators and boilers, claimed 292 lives and injured 354 people in China last year, a government official said on Monday. The death toll was down 2.67 percent from 2011, Fu Wenbiao, deputy director of the general office of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said at a news briefing.

City probes temple restaurants

Beijing authorities said on Tuesday they are investigating the legality of two fine-dining restaurants operating out of two ancient temples in the capital. The restaurants are located in the Zhizhu and Songzhu temples of Beijing's Dongcheng district. Zhao Jianming, a law enforcement official with the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, said investigations are ongoing into whether the commercial catering activities have been approved or not.

Guangdong

Official expelled from Party

An official in Guangdong province has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for violating Party discipline and accepting large bribes. Lu Yingming, deputy director of the provincial land and resources department, is suspected to have both abused his power for personal gain and accepted large bribes in separate incidents, sources from the provincial disciplinary inspection commission said on Tuesday.

Tianjin

Database to help seniors back home

A campaign to help elderly people suffering from memory loss return to their homes has been launched in Tianjin. A database that records information about elderly Alzheimer's patients will be established as part of the campaign. Residents will be free to register in the database their relatives who have been diagnosed with the disease, said Liu Guoliang, deputy secretary-general of the Tianjin Hetong Elderly Welfare Association.

Shanghai

Need to improve waste services

Shanghai should give priority to dealing with toxic waste, and support paid services for collecting garbage, a member of the city's political advisory body said on Monday. "The volume of the city's household waste surged from 2005 to 2011," Yuan Wen, a political adviser, said during the committee's annual session.

City prepared for baby boom

Shanghai has spared no efforts to deal with its baby boom and has improved the quality of its maternity services. Since 2006, Shanghai has been experiencing a baby boom. In 2012, nearly 240,000 babies were born in the city, the most since 2002, according to the city's health authorities.

Hubei

Dance protest helps get wages

All overdue wages have been paid to the workers who staged a special protest by performing a popular horse-riding dance in the street in Wuhan, Hubei province, the Wuhan Evening News reported. Lu Yongxiong on Jan 21 led several migrant workers and copied the antics of South Korean rapper Psy's viral dance video, Gangnam Style, in front of a building they had constructed, trying to win public attention and get paid.

Zhejiang

Volunteers stand guard at ATMs

Police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have recruited more than 1,400 volunteers, assigning them to stand by automated teller machines to remind customers of possible scams. A report on people.com.cn on Tuesday said police acted after finding that victims of such scams often use ATMs to remit money to fraudsters.

China Daily-Xinhua