484m covered by pension system

The pension system covered 484 million people as of 2012, according to figures revealed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Wednesday. Hu Xiaoyi, vice-minister of human resources and social security, said at a national conference that 304 million urban Chinese were covered by the pension system, 50.9 percent more than in 2007.

Foot-and-mouth outbreaks noted

Two reported outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Guangdong province and the Tibet autonomous region were confirmed by the National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory on Wednesday. A pig farm in Maoming, Guangdong, reported its 88 pigs showed signs of the disease on Feb 18. Farmers in Degki village in Lhasa, Tibet, reported 13 head of cattle showed suspected symptoms on Feb 19.

225 websites closed for porn

A crackdown on online pornography has seen 225 websites shut down for disseminating obscene and vulgar information, according to the State Internet Information Office. More than 4,000 web channels and columns, as well as 30,000 blogs and micro blogs, were also closed during the campaign, which started late last month, according to a statement released by the office on Wednesday.

Grassroots trade unions now at 2.6m

China has about 2.6 million grassroots trade union organizations, covering more than 6 million corporate and government units and 280 million union members, according to the top union organization. Nearly 2.9 million corporate units have introduced a collective wage bargaining system that has benefited 144 million workers, according to the annual work report released on Wednesday by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

Ban on online food sales mulled

Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce is seeking public opinion on draft measures to ban cooked bulk food sales online in the city. The draft stipulates that cooked food in bulk lots, including steamed buns and processed deli meat, will be banned from being sold online to ensure food safety, said the capital's commerce authority. The gathering of public opinion will end Friday.

Hubei

Water-saving system developed

Chinese scientists have developed a new irrigation technology that consumes 50 percent less water than drip irrigation technology. The trace quantity irrigation technology is based on soil capillary force. When the technology is applied, plants take the initiative in absorbing water according to their respective demands, said Zhu Jun, an irrigation expert at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, on Tuesday in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Hunan

Meth-making factory busted

A methamphetamine factory in Hunan province was broken up and 14 suspects from China and abroad were arrested, authorities said on Wednesday. The 14 detainees are suspected of setting up the lab in a village of the province and disguising it as a pig farm. Police seized 218.35 kg of methamphetamine crystals, 160 kg of caffeine, 19.8 metric tons of chemicals for drug production and equipment worth about 100 million yuan ($16 million).

Yunnan

Kunming water supplies to be cut

Supplies of drinking water in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, will be reduced to four hours a day next month, due to a severe drought that has affected the city for four years, local news portal yunnan.cn reported on Wednesday. The city's water supplier said it will guarantee a normal supply between 4 pm and 8 pm every day. The new measure will continue until stocks in the city's reservoirs have increased sufficiently.

Shanghai

Statistics showresidents richer

The average living space for people in Shanghai's urban center was 17.3 square meters last year, the municipal statistics bureau said in the 2012 Shanghai National Economic and Social Development Statistics Bulletin on Tuesday. For every 100 urban families there are 20 cars, 207 air conditioners, 239 cell phones and 144 computers. The report states the average disposable income of an urban family last year was 40,188 yuan ($6,440), a 7.9 percent increase compared with the previous year.

Guizhou

Accident kills 4, injures 13

Four people were killed and 13 injured in a road accident in Guizhou province, authorities said on Wednesday. The accident took place at about 8 am on Tuesday when a three-wheeled vehicle fell into a deep trench in Shuicheng county, Liupanshui, according to the city government. The tricycle, which has a capacity of four passengers, was carrying 18 when the accident occurred. The driver fled the scene but was later caught by police.

China Daily-Xinhua