Nation will stick to family planning

The country will stick to its family planning policy as one of its basic national policies and will maintain a relatively low fertility rate on the mainland, said Wang Xia, minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission at a meeting on Tuesday. Wang said coverage of free reproductive health examinations before pregnancy will be expanded to all counties on the mainland to help prevent birth defects.

Scenic areas to be built along route

Twelve scenic riverside areas will be built along the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project by the end of 2015, authorities said on Wednesday. The project, the largest of its kind in the world, is designed to divert water from the Yangtze River in the south via eastern, middle and western routes to satisfy the demand for water in the arid northern region of China.

Girl sentenced for killing newborn son

A 16-year-old girl was sentenced to three years in jail, with the sentence suspended for three years, for killing her newborn son, according to a verdict announced by the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday, China News Service reported. The girl drowned an infant boy after giving birth to him in a rest room of a building in the city's Haidian district on May 20, 2011. The court took into account the fact that the girl was still a minor when she committed the crime.

Guangdong

Underwear factory fire injures five

Five people were injured in an underwear factory fire in Chaonan district of Shantou, Guangdong province, on Wednesday afternoon, local government sources said. The blaze is the second factory fire in the Chendian township of Chaonan within a month. On Dec 4, a fire in a similar factory killed 14 workers, all younger than 20, and seriously injured one.

Landing system fails at airport

More than 1,000 passengers were affected when the landing system at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport broke down on Tuesday night. Many flights were canceled or delayed in the provincial capital of Guangdong province because of the failure, Guangzhou Daily reported. Airport authorities said 57 flights were affected. Operations at the airport, one of the nation's three busiest, returned to normal after midnight.

Hong Kong

36 people elected as deputies

Thirty-six people, out of 52 candidates, from different sectors of Hong Kong society were elected on Wednesday as deputies to the 12th National People's Congress, China's top legislature. Among the 36 deputies were nine women. The congress will convene in Beijing to elect new State leaders and discuss State affairs in March.

Representative to Hong Kong assigned

The State Council, China's cabinet, appointed Zhang Xiaoming as director of the government's liaison office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. Zhang, who is replacing Peng Qinghua, will no longer serve as deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.

Shanghai

15 injured, 3 sharks die in aquarium blast

Fifteen people were injured and three small sharks died in an explosion at an aquarium in Shanghai on Tuesday. The blast occurred in the city's East Nanjing Pedestrian Road. No official reason for the explosion has been given by the Shanghai Oriental Shopping Center, the aquarium owner. The center resumed business on Wednesday. It is the second explosion this year at the aquarium. In June, a blast there killed two small sharks.

Recruitment begins for Disney park

Walt Disney started a recruitment campaign on Tuesday for its new theme park in Shanghai. A total of 39 positions are being offered on the company's website to support the resort project. Positions include assistant contract manager, IT infrastructure manager, and employees responsible for administrative matters, purchasing, and engineering projects. The resort is expected to open in 2015.

Shaanxi

UK film week kicks off in Xi'an

The Xi'an Qujiang British Film Week kicked off on Wednesday in Xi'an, the provincial capital. The five-day film event, which is sponsored by the Xi'an Qujiang Film and TV Investment Group and the United Kingdom embassy, will show five British films. The UK embassy held cultural exchange activities in 26 Chinese cities to promote British culture and understanding between the two countries.

Jiangxi

Official sentenced for taking bribes

Wu Zhiming, former deputy secretary-general of the Jiangxi provincial government, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes, Jiujiang Intermediate People's Court heard on Wednesday. The court found Wu guilty of taking bribes worth 47.32 million yuan ($7.53 million). He helped those giving bribes benefit from projects and assisted them with job promotions by taking advantage of his post.

Guizhou

Child killed in road accident

A 6-year-old kindergarten pupil died and another four were injured in a road accident in Guizhou province on Tuesday, local authorities said. The accident happened in Yanhe county of the city of Tongren around 10 am, when an agricultural vehicle drove into five children who were on their way home from school. The four injured are still hospitalized, although their condition is not life-threatening.

Heilongjiang

Railway reaches easternmost county

A new passenger rail line connected the country's easternmost county of Fuyuan to inland areas on Tuesday, and it is expected to boost the economy and tourism in the China-Russia border town. A three-month trial passenger service has been launched. Two passenger trains will run between Fuyuan and the provincial capital Harbin daily. Each trip takes about 17 hours.

Henan

Improper operation led to fatal crash

Speeding and improper vehicle operation were behind a deadly bus accident, police announced on Tuesday. On Dec 9, a bus carrying 34 people ran into an electric bicycle and crashed into a pond in Minquan county in the province. Twelve people died, including the cyclist. The bus driver and seven other staff members of a local transport company that owns the bus have been arrested.

Hunan

Flying Tigers Museum opens

A museum commemorating the Flying Tigers, a US air squadron, opened to the public in Hunan province on Tuesday. The Flying Tigers Museum, located at the Zhijiang Airport in Zhijiang county, houses 1,387 historical artifacts. The First American Volunteer Group, which the Chinese nicknamed the Flying Tigers for their courage, was formed in 1941 to help China drive out invading Japanese troops in World War II. About 2,264 Flying Tigers members died in the war.

China Daily - Xinhua