Zhang urges better legislation

Top legislator Zhang Dejiang has urged improvements to legislative work that would allow legislation to adapt better to China's development needs and reflect the people's will. Zhang made the remarks at a meeting held during an inspection tour from May 30 to June 1 in Guangdong province, where he visited a number of companies to do field research on improving legislative work. Zhang urged legislative staff to practice democratic legislation and expand channels for people to participate in lawmaking process.

Xinjiang

Electronics offered for sheep

Residents of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region can leave their wallets at home when they want to shop for a smartphone or tablet computer. Instead, they just need to take their sheep. A smartphone can be had for a sheep, and a laptop costs four sheep, according to leaflets handed out by Huang Jie, a local computer dealer. The 29-year-old decided to run a special promotion to give people a better idea of the value of his products.

Henan

3 men drown trying to save girl in river

Three men drowned on Saturday after they jumped into a river in Wuzhi county, Henan province, trying to save a girl who accidentally fell into the water. The bodies of the three men and the girl were recovered on Sunday, according to the local government. The men had been fishing when they heard the girl cry for help.

Taiwan

Earthquake kills 1, injures 19

One person died and 19 others were injured, including one critically, in a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that shook Taiwan's Nantou county on Sunday afternoon, according to the island's disaster response authorities. One person in Nantou was still missing. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries among visitors from the mainland, said Man Hongwei, head of the Taipei office of the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits.

Inner Mongolia

5 dead in road accident

Five people riding in a minibus were killed instantly and four others were injured when the vehicle struck a truck on Saturday night in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, police said on Sunday. One of those injured in the accident at about 10:30 pm on a road in Horqin district of Tongliao was in critical condition, police said, quoting a witness.

Beijing

Rain expected during exam

The temperature during China's college entrance examinations, which will last from June 7-9, is expected to be comfortable with mild to heavy rains forecast, Chen Zhenlin, spokesman of China Meteorological Administration, said on Friday. Chen suggested that parents of students attending the exam should check the weather report and advise their children to take an umbrella and wear long-sleeve shirts to prepare for expected rain and a drop in temperature in the morning and evening.

Welding workers to receive training

Welding workers from a steelmaker will receive a three-month training at a top Chinese university to update their knowledge and skills. Starting on Sunday, Tsinghua University will provide the course to 22 workers from China's leading steelmaker Shougang Group. The program was initiated during last year's annual session of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China when Liu Hong, a welding worker from Shougang, called for more education programs to first line workers in China.

Heilongjiang

Fire at barn base investigated

Officials have started an investigation into a fire that ripped through one of China's barn bases in Heilongjiang province. A team of officials from the State Administration of Grain and the provincial work safety and supervisory bureau was organized on Saturday for the investigation following the fire on Friday in Huayuan, Lindian county. The fire was spotted at a barn around 1:15 pm on Friday and later spread to 78 barns, with a total grain reserve of 47,000 tons, and was finally contained at 4:30 pm.

Shanghai

Teacher fined for scratching kids

A preschool intern teacher who scratched seven kids' arms with a pair of scissors has received 10 days administrative detention and a 500-yuan ($82) fine, police said over the weekend. The teacher, named Sun, used the scissors to scratch seven kids at a private kindergarten in Shanghai's Jiading district on Thursday. Sun said the children were naughty. She had interned at the school for one week when the incident occurred. As a first-time offender under the age of 18, Sun is exempt from the detention.

Fujian

Xiamen to host LivCom Awards

Xiamen in Fujian province will host the final round of the International Awards for Livable Communities from Nov 28 to Dec 2. The five-day event will include performances and exhibitions by the candidate cities and communities and an awards presentation. About 600 officials from more than 50 cities and communities from across the world will take part in the finale.

Xinhua - China Daily