Beijing

Military asked to implement 'mass line'

President Xi Jinping has instructed the People's Liberation Army to implement a "mass line" campaign as part of efforts to build a strong military. "Mass line" refers to a guideline under which the Communist Party of China is required to prioritize the interests of the people and persist in exercising power for them. The PLA should build inner relations featuring solidarity, friendship, harmony and purity, he said, adding that bad elements such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance should be firmly opposed.

Chongqing

Blackmail, sex scandal trial begins

A trial involving six people accused of blackmail, including one woman in a sex tape scandal with a former official, concluded on Friday evening in Chongqing. The hearing was not open to the public. Twenty-one government officials and directors of State-owned companies in Chongqing were sacked over their involvement in the sex scandals. The verdict is pending.

Kunming

Floods and landslide hit SW China

Two people were killed and another two remain missing after a rain-triggered flash flood occurred on Friday in Yanjin County in southwest China's Yunnan province, the county government said Saturday. Elsewhere in Luzhou city in southwest China's Sichuan province, four people were confirmed dead and three others injured in a rainstorm-triggered landslide on early Saturday morning. In Xishui county of southwest China's Guizhou province three people were confirmed dead and two others remain missing after rainstorm-triggered landslides occurred early Friday morning, local authorities said Saturday. Rescue works are still under way.

Shanghai

Beidou launches demonstration project

A demonstration project was launched on Friday in the Yangtze River Delta for China's Beidou satellite navigation system, which will provide precise navigation, positioning and time services to the nation's richest region. The Shanghai government-led pilot plan is expected to deploy the Beidou system, China's version of the global positioning system, for various daily uses, including supervision of key vehicles, monitoring the elderly and children and high-precision positioning.

Changsha

Teacher detained for molesting 8 girls

A teacher in Central China's Hunan province has been detained for allegedly molesting eight of his female primary school students, local authorities said on Friday. A police investigation resulted in allegations that 51-year-old Pan Shilai molested eight girls, the county government said in a statement. Huang He, headmaster of the school, has been suspended from his post and local education authorities have arranged psychological counseling for the girls.

News Watch

State councilor to visit Myanmar

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will visit Myanmar from June 23 to 24 at the invitation of its government, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Saturday.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily 06/23/2013 page2)