IN BRIEF

Safety

Life ban sought for food crimes

People convicted of food safety crimes in the capital may face permanent bans from the industry, according to a draft amendment to the Beijing Food Safety Regulation.

The new draft, which aims to impose tougher punishment for food safety crimes and violations, was released recently for public comment.

The public can visit the websites of the city's food safety office or legal affairs office to register opinions, or send comments by post to either office, by April 25.

Under the current regulation, which took effect in 2007, people whose licenses are revoked are banned from the food business for three years.

Rules for school buses passed

The long-awaited school bus safety regulations that came into effect on April 10 includes an extensive range of measures aimed at reducing accident risks.

Prominent among the changes are stipulations that buses carrying students will be given priority in traffic, while companies and drivers will need to get licenses for offering school transport services.

Despite the landmark legislation being approved by the State Council, experts and industry insiders say there is still a long way to go before the changes will make a difference.

"The regulations do not mean the problem of school bus safety has been solved," said Zhou Hongyu, a National People's Congress deputy involved in drafting the legislation.

Industry

Group to regulate rare earths

The rare earth industry in China established an association on April 8 to promote development of the sector.

The association, with 155 members, including industry giants Aluminum Corp of China and China Minmetals Corp, will help boost the sector, Su Bo, deputy minister of industry and information technology, said.

Gan Yong, president of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, will be the association's president.

Space

Spacecraft in launch center

The manned spacecraft Shenzhou-IX has been delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province on April 9, a spokesman with the country's manned space program said.

The assembling of Shenzhou-IX and its associate vehicles was complete, but its carrier rocket, the Long March-2F, had not been delivered as it was still undergoing tests, the spokesman said. China will launch the manned Shenzhou-IX spacecraft between June and August and strive for a manned space rendezvous and docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module.