Society

Around China: PLA ends exercise with live fire

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-09 06:52

1 SHANDONG

PLA ends exercise with live fire

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) concluded a five-day air defense exercise on Saturday with a live-fire drill and precision attacks on air targets with ground-to-air missiles.

The drill, in Shandong province, was part of the exercise code named "Vanguard-2010", which began on Tuesday in seven cities across Henan and Shandong provinces, involving more than 12,000 personnel.

Seven types of ground-to-air weapons, including a new type of ground-to-air missile and another state-of-the-art anti-aircraft gun, were used in intercepting and concentrating fire on targets.

Nearly 200 military aircraft, including drones, reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters, were involved in the five-day drill, said Feng Zhaoju, deputy commander of the PLA Jinan Military Command.

2 GUANGDONG

Workers invited to watch movie

One hundred migrant workers enjoyed a rare treat of watching a film and interacting with high-ranking officials on Saturday afternoon at the invitation of Wang Yang, the Party chief of Guangdong province, .

The event signified the successful endeavors of the workers in gaining respectable status against all odds. Wang said he was inspired by an invitation sent to him from the migrant workers community in Guangdong. He urged society to treat migrant workers with respect, gratitude and kindness.

During the discussions, Wang shared personal anecdotes and explained encouraging policy adjustments to add to the inspirational power of the film.

No approval for villas, says official

A group of villas are being built in the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, without official approval, Xinhua News reported on Sunday.

A local urban management official said the garden failed to renew its project planning certificate when the area of the land for the villas far exceeded what was permitted 18 years ago. The management administration has asked the garden many times to restore the original layout, but have yet to receive a reply.

The garden said it is renovating the Home of Scientists, a guest house, which is being carried out jointly with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong province government and Guangzhou city government.

Excessive manganese in tap water

Rough weather conditions and human activities are the main causes of excessive manganese detected in tap water in Guangdong province, the Guangzhou Daily reported, citing a report of Lufeng city government.

Toxic levels of manganese were found in tap water provided by a supplier in Da'an town on Aug 2.

Investigations by the Guangdong environmental protection bureau showed there may be manganese-rich sediments near the supply well field of Da'an Waterworks.

As Lufeng suffered a long drought before June 25, the Luohe River dried up, then surged when heavy rains came. The drastic change in water level led to enriched manganese in the groundwater. As well, human activities such as sand dredging contribute to the alarmingly high concentration.

Steps taken for clean Asian Games

Ten major polluting enterprises will be closed by September 30, and more than 50 enterprises will reduce or shut operations during 16th Asian Games in November in Guangzhou, Guangzhou Daily reported on Sunday.

Emergency plans for air pollution control during Asiad have been formulated. It is estimated about 50 to 300 polluting enterprises will be affected. The Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau said enterprises that could not complete environmental renovation by September 30 should reduce or shut down operations until December 22.

3 GUANGXI

72 poisoned at funeral service

At least 72 people had symptoms of food poisoning after having dinner at a funeral ceremony in Liuzhou city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local authorities said on Saturday.

Dongxiang township clinic notified the Rong'an county government of a steady inflow of patients suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea on Saturday evening. Preliminary investigations showed they fell ill after eating at the funeral service. The victims were taken to a local hospital and are in stable conditions.

An investigation has been launched.

Events to mark diplomatic ties

Grand celebrations will be held from Aug 25 to 29 in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and China.

More than 32,000 young people, including 3,000 from Vietnam, will participate in events held in eight cities across the region, said Chen Jiwa, the autonomous region's deputy Party chief.

The activities, including a gala evening, friendship forums and sports games, aim to boost mutual understanding, trust and cooperation between the two countries and peoples, Chen said.

4 XINJIANG

Seven trapped in coal mine pit

Seven miners were trapped in a coal mine pit following a gas leak early on Sunday morning in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, local authorities said.

The leak occurred at 12:46 am when the seven were working underground at the Mingfangou Coal Mine in the northern mountainous region of Kuqa county, said a spokesman with the county government.

By 1 pm, rescuers had entered the shaft four times but failed to reach the miners, due to the high gas content and poor visibility.

Rescuers were racing to get fresh air and spray water into the shaft to decrease gas density and reduce dust, the county government said.