Ministry to improve weather response

The Ministry of Transport pledged on Thursday to improve its response to bad weather, ministry spokesman He Jianzhong told a news conference. The ministry will enhance its cooperation with meteorological authorities to forecast and make proper preparations as early as possible for extreme weather conditions.

Rural-school closure policy put on hold

The Ministry of Education has suspended a 12-year-old policy that encouraged closures and mergers of rural schools. According to a report by an education NGO, the number of primary and secondary schools in China's rural area dropped by 50 percent from 2000 to 2010. This means that 63 primary schools and three middle schools close every day, making it difficult for children in rural areas to attend school.

More than 30 percent work long hours: survey

A recent health survey showed that more than 30 percent of those polled work more than nine hours a day. The survey, which mainly targeted corporate health management and employees' health status, was led by four organizations. It was carried out among 220,000 participants across 11 cities in 2011.

Luxurious decorations banned for SOEs

New regulations released on Wednesday banning luxurious decorations in offices and the purchase of above-the-standard cars for officials at State-owned financial companies. China's top finance supervision and audit authorities issued the regulations to define and manage the business expenses of the officials. The regulation will take effect from next month.

Shandong

Tutor sacked over student death

A university tutor in Qingdao has been fired over an incident in which a drunken student plunged to her death. Liu Xiao'ao, a freshman at Qingdao Qiushi College, died after falling from a fourth-floor restaurant bathroom window on Oct 27. The 19-year-old and four other students had been asked to have dinner with six teachers before the accident. The group drank 48 bottles of beer.

Guangdong

Kuomintang's Wu visits Meizhou for festival

Wu Po-hsiung, honorary chairman of the Kuomintang, arrived in Meizhou, Guangdong province, on Thursday to attend a cultural and arts festival. The arrival was part of Wu's one-week visit to Fujian and Guangdong provinces, where he will attend a series of cultural exchange activities between Taiwan and the mainland. Wu will also go to Guangzhou on Saturday.

Shanghai

Rules issued on excessive packaging

The country's first regional rules on excessive packaging of products will take effect in Shanghai next year. The rules were approved recently, and will be implemented in February. Under the rules, manufacturers who sell products with excessive packaging and refuse to correct the situation will face fines as high as 50,000 yuan ($8,000).

Psychological test added to recruitment

For the first time, Fudan University included a psychological test in its enrollment process, the school said on Wednesday. The test will be applied to students trying to enter the school without taking the National College Entrance Examination because of their outstanding performance in high school. The move is aimed at paying more attention to the students' mental health.

Inner Mongolia

Ordos developed into mining pilot zone

Chinese land authorities are planning to develop Ordos Basin into a mining pilot zone to guarantee that the mineral-rich area develops in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. At a national conference on Wednesday, senior officials discussed plans to explore and develop minerals in Ordos Basin, which has about 25 percent of the country's total coal output and 20 percent of total oil and gas output.

Henan

Police chief suspended for bullying truck drivers

The traffic police chief Zhang Qilong in Huojia county was suspended from his post after local policemen were allegedly found bullying truck drivers. A seven-minute video circulated on the Internet showing a truck driver being fined 13 times by local traffic policemen. None of the policemen gave the driver a receipt after issuing the fine.

Chongqing

Official says video in scandal fake

Lei Zhengfu, Party chief of Chong-qing's Beibei district, who is suspected of being involved in a sex video scandal, said that the clip is fake. Lei said the images, which show a man having sex with a young woman, are not real. "The video and the photos are fake, fabricated," Lei was quoted as saying by the China News Service on Wednesday. Online posts alleged that Lei had affairs with many women.

Shaanxi

Whistle-blowing dairy manager dies

A man who disclosed illegal activities in the dairy industry, including adding water to milk, died on Nov 14 after being attacked by unidentified suspects earlier this month. Jiang Weisuo, 44, general manager of a dairy company in Xi'an, was attacked on Nov 2 after he attended a meeting at his company. Police have detained a suspect, but the motive of the attack remains unclear.

High-tech zones promote investment

High-tech development zones in Shaanxi displayed investment and cooperation projects in Hong Kong to attract local investors on Wednesday. The development zones from Xi'an and other cities including Baoji, Yulin and Weinan promoted their key projects in sectors such as energy, chemical industry, machinery manufacturing and aerospace industries at a seminar in Hong Kong.

China Daily