Briefly: April 12

Former official stands trial for bribery

Zhang Fusheng, former deputy head of the Ministry of Emergency Management's National Fire and Rescue Administration, stood trial at the Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court in Southeast China's Fujian province on Thursday. Prosecutors said Zhang took undue advantage of his various positions, including those in the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Emergency Management, to assist individuals and organizations in matters related to project contracting, personnel promotion and job transfers from 1997 to 2022. In return, Zhang accepted money and valuables worth 38.93 million yuan ($5.49 million) personally and through relatives. Zhang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The sentence will be announced later.

8 confirmed dead after collision with ship

All eight people who were missing after a collision between a fishing boat and a ship off the southwestern coast of South China's Hainan province have been confirmed dead, the provincial maritime search and rescue center said on Wednesday. The fishing boat Yuenan Aoyu 36062 collided with the Panamanian-registered container ship SITC DANANG about 111 kilometers west of Sanya around 12:15 am on April 3. The fishing boat sank, and the bodies of all eight people onboard were recovered by Wednesday afternoon. SITC DANANG is docked at Sanya and is under investigation.

Crackdown on foul play in student enrollment

The Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide campaign to address violations in primary and junior high school enrollment. The campaign aims to fully strengthen the management of the enrollment of students across the nine years of compulsory education, and improve the long-acting mechanism of fair enrollment, according to a circular released by the ministry on Thursday. Such violations include receiving money related to enrollment, recruiting students via wrongful means such as offering high rewards, fabricating promotional materials and verbal agreements, and setting up "key classes" to admit more top students. The circular urged local education administrations to overhaul their primary school and junior high school enrollment policies and measures, and rectify or abolish any that go against the country's policies.