Gaofen-1 satellite pictures released

China published the first batch of high-definition pictures obtained by Gaofen-1, the first satellite launched for the country's high-definition Earth observation system, on Thursday. The 13 photos feature images of four cities - Beijing, Shanghai, Yinchuan and Datong - with a resolution of up to 2 meters.

Country tops in brain drain

China heads a list of countries whose top-notch talent does not return to their home country after working or living overseas, People's Daily reported. Most examples of lost high-caliber personnel involve people skilled in science and engineering, with an average rate of 87 percent of them choosing not to return.

Journal tells the history of PRC

The first volume of The Journal on the Republic, a chronicle of the People's Republic of China, hit the presses in Beijing on Thursday. The first volume chronicles the first year of the PRC, and the journal is a joint project between five research and publishing institutions.

ShanghaI

17 arrested for arms smuggling

Seventeen men were sentenced at Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court on Thursday for weapons smuggling, illegal gun trading and possession of guns. Wang Ting, head of the gang, was sentenced to death with a suspension of two years. The group used express delivery to ship guns from the United States to Taizhou in Zhejiang from March to August 2011. Twenty-five guns, nine homemade air rifles and shotguns and 2,429 bullets were counted at Wang's home.

US man arrested for molestation

A US teacher at Shanghai French School has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a student, Shanghai police said on Thursday. A French female student from the school's campus in Pudong New Area and her parents reported to police on May 12 that she was molested several times by a 32-year-old English-language teacher whom police identified only by his surname, McMahon. Police arrested the suspect the next day.

Inner Mongolia

Tomb-robbing gang smashed

Police in Baotou in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region retrieved 317 cultural relics robbed from tombs and captured the suspects in May, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. An antiques dealer was held as a suspect. Four of the relics were classified as national-grade items by the region's bureau of cultural relics.

Hebei

Campaign targets sex assaults

Males will be banned from entering female school dorms and no female student can be alone with a male tutor if a campaign in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, is successful. The campaign, targeting sex assaults, calls for all males to get prior approval before they can enter female dormitories. When a male teacher tutors a female student, at least three more students should be present.

Henan

Pizza Hut advert withdrawn

Pizza Hut withdrew a 15-second advertisement in Zhengzhou, Henan province, after accusations it made fun of the visually impaired. People with visual impairments protested in front of a Pizza Hut restaurant at 10 am on Wednesday. The online ad tried to introduce a shrimp ball, Pizza Hut's latest product, by making a pun. In Chinese, "shrimp" and "blindness" share the same sound. Pizza Hut issued an apology on its website.

Guangdong

787 Dreamliner flight canceled

China's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner saw its maiden commercial flight canceled on Thursday due to bad weather. China Southern Airlines, the operator of the flight, replaced the 787 with an Airbus 330. The 787 Dreamliner was scheduled to depart from Guangzhou at noon for Beijing, but was delayed for more than four hours. The airline said poor visibility at the Beijing airport was not suitable for the plane's newly trained captain.

Xinhua - China Daily