China Scene: West

Official jailed a year for finger in relief till

A civil affairs official in Huaxian county, Shaanxi province, was recently sentenced to a year in jail for embezzling money from disaster and poverty relief funds.

Ren Xinqun, 53, a township civil administrative official, illegally took 12,000 yuan ($1,750) of disaster relief funds on August 2006 and 4,150 yuan of poverty aid in October last year.