Briefly

BEIJING

Workplace safety checks stepped up

China has dispatched 16 teams to inspect risk control efforts across the country to ensure workplace safety during the Spring Festival holiday and the Winter Olympics, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday. The inspection teams, organized by the State Council's Office of the Work Safety Commission, will supervise production safety efforts in 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps till the end of March, the ministry said. China will ring in the Year of the Tiger on Feb 1, and the Winter Games will kick off on Feb 4.Special attention will be given to areas prone to workplace safety risks, including road traffic, construction and urban gas supply.

JIANGSU

Ex-vice-chairwoman of Xinjiang sent to prison

Ren Hua, former vice-chairwoman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday for taking bribes totaling 47.15 million yuan ($7.45 million). She said she would not appeal the sentence, which was handed down by the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province. The court also fined her 4 million yuan. Ren made use of her positions, including being Party chief of the Department of Culture and the Department of Education in Xinjiang, and head of the publicity department in Urumqi, the regional capital, to provide help for entities and individuals in project contracting, bank loans and other areas－receiving bribes in return.

Xinhua - China Daily