Briefly

FUJIAN

Ex-chief of Anhui court jailed for 15 years

Zhang Jian, former president of the Anhui High People's Court, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes of about 71.8 million yuan ($11.1 million) by a court in Fujian province on Tuesday. The Xiamen Intermediate People's Court also imposed a fine of 5 million yuan and ordered Zhang to turn over the bribes he accepted as well as related interest to the State treasury. Zhang said he would not appeal. From 1995 to 2019, Zhang illegally accepted money and gifts worth 71.8 million yuan by taking advantage of his posts, including the head of the prison bureau in Hubei province, vice-president of the Hubei High People's Court and president of the Anhui High People's Court, to help others profit in construction projects, personnel promotions and case handling, the court in Fujian said.

BEIJING

Sci-fi convention set to open in capital

The 2021 China Science Fiction Convention will be held from Sept 28 to Oct 5 at Beijing's Shougang Industrial Park in Shijingshan district. The sixth annual sci-fi extravaganza will present the latest in wearable technology, as well as online seminars with noted scientists, sci-fi authors and movie producers from around the world, organizers said at a news conference on Tuesday. This year's convention will also showcase books, games, toys and a variety of cuisines to allow visitors to experience the wonders of science fiction and China's latest science and technology developments in an immersive way, said Qi Chunli, an official from Shijingshan district.

SICHUAN

Radioactive waste glassification begins

China's first plant immobilizing radioactive waste in glass has been officially put into operation in Guangyuan, Sichuan province, the China Atomic Energy Authority said. A test run started on Aug 27 and the first tank of solidified glass was produced from radioactive waste liquid. The project headquarters said the plant's facilities had met operating standards and it was deemed fit to start formal operation from Sept 11. The plant can convert highly radioactive liquid nuclear waste into a solid glass form suitable for long-term storage and disposal. China is one of only a few countries to have mastered the technology. The project, approved by the China Atomic Energy Authority in 2004, was designed jointly by China and Germany.

China Daily