Fake anti-graft websites closed

China has closed at least 89 websites in the past three months that allegedly falsely described themselves as anti-corruption portals.

The websites, with names such as "Corruption Prevention Website of China" and "Corruption Investigation and Prevention Research Center of China", were closed by the State Internet Information Office for blackmail activities, the Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

The office, established in May 2011, works with authorities to improve content management on the Internet and investigate and punish illegal websites.

The office said 47 such websites have been shut down in June alone.

2 dead, 18 injured in accident

Scaffolding being used to build a large sculpture collapsed on Tuesday afternoon in suburban Beijing, leaving two people dead and 18 injured, local government said.

The scaffolding inside an art workshop in Xianrendong village, Changping district in northern Beijing, collapsed at 2:40 pm, burying 20 people, an official with the Changping government said.

As of 5 pm, all the people trapped have been pulled out by firefighters, however, two were confirmed dead, according to the district government.

Floods emergency response launched

Flood control authorities said on Tuesday that an emergency response has been launched for floods that have occurred in several eastern rivers following heavy rains.

Since Thursday, the Yihe, Shuhe and Sihe rivers in the Huaihe River basin received on average 141 mm of precipitation, causing the Yihe and Shuhe rivers to flood, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said in a statement on its website.

A flood crest at the Linyi Hydrologic Station on the Yihe River reached 61.73 meters as of 1:30 pm, the highest level in almost 10 years, the statement said.

Local flood control authorities in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, in East China, have been asked to strengthen monitoring, issue flood warnings in a timely manner and boost patrols of dikes and water gates.

Govt to protect 'martyr tombs'

A senior finance official announced on Tuesday that the government will provide solid financial support for the protection of "martyr tombs", or places across the country where revolutionary heroes are buried.

Special subsidies for their protection and maintenance, as well as the management costs of related facilities, should be included in government budgets in the future, said Wang Bao'an, vice-minister of finance.

"We should never let financial difficulties stand in the way of protection," said Wang.

The central government has pledged to subsidize 5,000 yuan ($786) for each tomb and 200,000 yuan for each cemetery, while the rest will be covered by local authorities.

Hunan

Official sacked after 5-month absence

An official in Chenzhou, Hunan province, has been fired for being absent for nearly five months from his post to avoid paying his debts, Xiaoxiang Morning News reported on Tuesday.

Wang Changhong, 53, deputy director of the city's agricultural-machinery administration, was continuously absent from the administration without giving a reason for 146 days since Nov 29, until he was found on April 22 by the local disciplinary inspection and supervision departments.

Wang told the departments that he left the city for Guangdong province in order to avoid paying his debts on his businesses of smelters and coal mine. While in Guangdong province, he worked as a security guard and a driver.

Wang was fired on Friday from the administration for his absenteeism and for violating rules that bans government officials from operating businesses.

Sichuan

5 missing after boat overturns

Five people, including a child, are missing after a fishing boat capsized in a river in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday evening, local authorities said.

The accident happened at about 7 pm on the Shagou River in Guanyin township, Yibin county, when a boat with seven people overturned, the provincial safety supervision bureau said on Tuesday.

An adult and another child aboard were rescued after the accident.

2,500 relocated after mudslide

More than 2,500 people have been relocated in Southwest China's Sichuan province after a rain-triggered mudslide blocked a river and formed a barrier lake in the area, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The barrier lake on the Heishui River in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture was formed late on Monday after a torrential rain, according to the prefecture authorities.

The barrier lake contains an estimated 400,000 cubic meters of water, posing threats to residents downstream.

Zhejiang

Court staff learn the art of rejection

Court staff members at all levels in East China's Zhejiang province recently got a handbook on how to say no to presents, date invitations and pleas that may be regarded as taking a bribe and lead to corruption, Metropolis Express Daily reported on Tuesday.

The handbook, compiled by the discipline inspection department of Zhejiang High People's Court, teaches court personnel how to politely and tactfully reject presents, invitations and unfair pleas.

The handbook lists 24 occasions that may lead to presents or pleas during the process of handling a case, and it gives advice on how to cope with different situations.

Judges should know how to tactfully and properly reject offers, said Qi Qi, the head of Zhejiang High People's Court. That is why they compiled the handbook, Qi added.

Tibet

Tibet welcomes more tourists

More than 2.81 million tourists from home and abroad have visited the Tibet autonomous region in the first half of 2012, local authorities said on Tuesday.

According to statistics released by the Tibetan Tourism Bureau, the total tourism revenue in the six months totaled 2.4 billion yuan ($381 million), up 30.3 percent year-on-year.

Of the total number of tourists, 32,384 were from overseas, the bureau said.

Anhui

Repairs begin on ancient carvings

Repairs have begun on 1,000-year-old cliff carvings on Qiyun Mountain, the famed Taoist site in East China's Anhui province, local authorities said on Tuesday.

With an investment of 30 million yuan ($4.7 million), the repair project is expected to maintain 8,000 square meters of carvings using high-tech methods over the next three years, said Zhang Wei, deputy director of the Qiyun Mountain Nature Reserve Administration.

Qiyun Mountain bears 538 cliff carvings, classified by China as "National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units", but most have been eroded by rain and lichens over the past 10 centuries, Zhang said.

Shanghai

Explosion kills 1, wounds another

A vehicle exploded on Tuesday in Shanghai, killing one and seriously injuring another.

According to the official micro blog of Shanghai's Baosteel Group Corp, the steam explosion happened around 10:20 am when the vehicle in charge of heat supply for Baosteel Development Co exploded next to a canteen of the residential area belonging to the company, burning two.

The wounded were soon taken to the Baosteel Hospital, where one died. The other victim had burns that cover 80 percent of the body. That victim's life is still in danger.

Xinhua-China Daily