Briefly

Quake in Hebei felt in Beijing, no damages

A 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck Yongqing county in Langfang city, Hebei province, at 1:21 am on Wednesday. The epicenter was located 13 kilometers from Beijing and at a depth of 20 km. By 7 am on Wednesday, three aftershocks had been recorded, with the largest measuring 2.9 magnitude. The agency said the quake was felt in most parts of Beijing, with the highest intensity reaching 4 degrees, well below the city's seismic fortification standards. No building damage has been reported, and everyday life in the capital has not been affected.

SPP approves arrest of former customs official

China's Supreme People's Procuratorate has approved the arrest of Sun Yuning, former deputy head of the General Administration of Customs, on suspicion of taking bribes. Sun's case was investigated by the National Commission of Supervision before being handed over to prosecutors, the SPP said in a statement on Wednesday. The country's top anti-graft authority announced an investigation into Sun in September last year. Before his arrest, Sun was expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office.

Large shale oil reserve located in Shandong

The China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), the country's largest oil refiner, has announced the discovery of more than 140 million metric tons of proven shale oil reserves in Shandong province. It is the first shale oilfield with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons to be certified by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and a major breakthrough in oil and gas exploration in the Jiyang shale oil national demonstration zone. To date, the estimated shale oil resources have reached 10.5 billion tons in the demonstration zone.

Past CPPCC vice-chair of Hunan pleads guilty

A former senior official in Hunan province pleaded guilty to bribery charges in a court hearing on Tuesday, admitting to taking more than 107 million yuan ($14.8 million) in bribes during his time in office. Dai Daojin, former vice-chairman of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, stood trial at the Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province. He was accused of abusing his positions to help businesses and individuals with contracts, promotions and other favors.

Xinhua - China Daily