Briefly

Gas explosion kills two in Shandong province

A gas explosion rocked a house in Gaomi, Shandong province, on Sunday morning, killing two and injuring two others, according to a post on the official WeChat account of the Gaomi Emergency Management Bureau. The injured parties suffered minor wounds. Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.

Inner Mongolia confirms bubonic plague cases

The Inner Mongolia autonomous region confirmed two bubonic plague cases on Saturday, according to a local government. The two cases were the husband and daughter of a previous case confirmed on Aug 7, the government of the Sonid Right Banner in Xiliin Gol League said on its official website on Saturday night. The cases' close contacts have all been brought under quarantine and have not shown any abnormal symptoms as of Saturday.

Former bank executive sentenced to prison

Zhang Huayu, former vice-president of China Everbright Bank, was sentenced on Friday to 12 years and six months in prison for accepting bribes of more than 14.6 million yuan ($2 million) and abusing his personal influence. According to the verdict issued by the Intermediate People's Court of Heze, Shandong province, Zhang was also fined 1.3 million yuan. His illicit earnings and property will be seized and turned over to the State treasury. The verdict was made in light of various facts, including that Zhang had pleaded guilty, accepted his punishment and turned over most of his illegal gains, the court said.

China Daily - Xinhua