Flight delayed by bomb scare

A flight bound for Beijing from Wenzhou on Wednesday was delayed for nearly two hours after a passenger claimed to have carried a bomb on board in luggage, airport authorities said. Flight CA1568 from Yongqiang Airport in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, which was scheduled to take off at 11:25 am, did not leave until 1:08 pm. Airport police searched the plane and no bomb was found, an airport spokesman said. The passenger, named Zhang, was arrested, and the case is being investigated.

Henan

Overloaded truck cause of crash

An overloaded, speeding truck was to blame for a car crash that killed six government officials from Henan province on Sunday morning, local authorities said on Wednesday. The truck was carrying about four times its designated capacity and traveling 8 km per hour over the speed limit when it collided with a vehicle carrying seven officials in the city of Xinmi, the provincial Public Security Department said. The officials were on an overnight trip from Zhengzhou to Xinmi to attend a government meeting.

Shanghai

Buddhists blamed for dead fish

Fish found dead in waterways in the Songjiang district of Shanghai may have been released by Buddhists to mark the birthday of a goddess, authorities said. Some 250 kg of dead fish, mainly crucian carp, have been retrieved from a pond in Songjiang and from Dongjing port since April 3, raising fears over water quality. The Songjiang district government said residents in Sijing town reported seeing people free fish in a river on March 30, the birthday of Guanyin, a Buddhist goddess, in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Yunnan

6-month drought poised to end

A drought-hit region in the province is expected to welcome mild to heavy rainfall before Tuesday, relieving a six-month drought, the China Meteorological Administration predicted on Wednesday. Beginning Wednesday and continuing through Friday, rainfall may hit eastern parts of the province, and next week more rain will be seen in the northeastern parts of the province, according to a CMA forecast released on Wednesday.

Liaoning

Drug ring found inside prison

Provincial authorities confirmed news reports that a drug ring operated inside a prison in Tieling, Beijing News reported. Drugs were found inside the prison on Jan 17 when inmates tipped off the prison administration after disputes over drug deals. The Liaoning Prison Administrative Bureau confirmed on Wednesday that the Tieling prison uncovered a case in which former prisoners were selling drugs to inmates.

Shanxi

9 dead, 29 hurt in bus-truck collision

Nine people died and 29 others were injured when a bus and truck plunged off a bridge after colliding on Wednesday morning in Shanxi province, authorities said. The bus collided with the truck on a section of a highway in Wenshui county at around 9:40 am, after which the vehicles went over the bridge, a spokesman with the county government said. One person died at the scene, and another eight died in hospital. Three of those injured were in serious condition, the spokesman said. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

Beijing

Cold snap for weekend expected

A cold snap will lower temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius in areas to the north of the Huaihe River from Saturday to Monday, the National Meteorological Center said on Wednesday. Forecasters said sandstorms are expected in some parts of the Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions and Shaanxi province. Some areas in Inner Mongolia and Northeast China will experience snowfall. The center added that heavy rain will sweep South China.

Hubei

4 die in blast at fireworks plant

Four people were killed on Wednesday in an explosion at a fireworks plant in the province, authorities said. The blast happened around 11 am when workers were putting explosives into fireworks at Jinli Fireworks in Chongyang county, said a spokesman for the county government. The case is being investigated.

Qinghai

1 billion yuan to preserve riverhead

The government will spend 1 billion yuan ($161.5 million) in 2013 to protect Sanjiangyuan, a region that serves as the source of China's three biggest rivers. The money will be spent on afforestation, wetland protection and the recovery of degraded grassland. This year will mark the final year of a nine-year project intended to improve environmental protection in Sanjiangyuan, which is the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers.

Xinhua - China Daily