Briefly

TIBET

Bullet train service to debut this year

High-speed Fuxing bullet trains will be put into use on the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway starting in June, connecting two major cities in the Tibet autonomous region, the annual conference of China's national railway operator announced on Monday, China Central Television reported. A section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, the 435-km Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway－75 percent of which is bridges and tunnels－has a designed top speed of 160 kilometers per hour and is expected to be completed and put into operation by the end of June. The railway line is designed to eventually have 34 stations, with 17 expected to be put into use during its initial operation. As the railway will go through areas that are sparsely populated and have thin air, the trains will be powered by both electricity and diesel to help prevent service interruptions. Special modifications will provide extra oxygen in carriages.

BEIJING

Over 75,000 nabbed in gambling crackdown

Chinese police cracked more than 3,500 cases and apprehended about 75,000 suspects in a sweeping crackdown on cross-border gambling last year, the Ministry of Public Security said. Police busted over 2,260 gambling platforms nationwide, as well as around 1,960 illegal payment platforms and underground banks during operations last year, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website. During the campaign, more than 600 Chinese suspects were brought back to China from abroad by Chinese police in collaboration with their counterparts in countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

China Daily - Xinhua