Briefly

Funds allocated for flood response work

China has announced the allocation of 496 million yuan ($69.6 million) from the natural disaster relief fund to assist flood control efforts across a broad swath of the country. The emergency funds were jointly allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement released on Thursday. The new funds will be used to support flood and disaster control work in the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangdong, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Former Shanghai lawmaker stands trial

Dong Yunhu, a former senior legislator in Shanghai, stood trial at the Hefei Intermediate People's Court in Anhui province on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to charges of corruption. Dong, who previously served as secretary of the leading Party members' group of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and as chairman of the committee, faced allegations of abusing his positions from 2002 to 2023. Prosecutors said Dong leveraged his authority to assist various organizations and individuals in matters involving financing, loans, land transfers, business operations, and personnel arrangements. In exchange, he accepted illegal payments totaling over 148 million yuan ($20.8 million) in money and valuables.

Direct flight links Guangzhou, Budapest

A new direct air route linking Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, with Budapest in Hungary, was launched on Thursday. The inaugural flight, CZ649, departed Guangzhou at approximately 1 am, carrying over 200 passengers, marking the first direct flight between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hungary.

Xinhua