IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Arrest warrant issued for ex-Interpol chief

An arrest warrant has been issued for former vice-minister of public security and former Interpol president Meng Hongwei on a bribery charge, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Wednesday. The National Supervisory Commission, having completed an investigation, transferred the case to the SPP for criminal charges. Meng, 65, was elected Interpol president in 2016. He resigned in October 2018, the same month the commission began investigating him for "serious violation of the laws". In March he was expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office.

Inner Mongolia

4 killed, 35 injured in chemical plant blast

Four people have been confirmed dead and 35 others injured in an explosion at a chemical plant in Ulaanqab, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, early on Wednesday morning, local authorities said. The blast happened at 2:55 am at Dongxing Chemical Co, a subsidiary of Inner Mongolia Yidong Group, according to the city. The injured have been sent to the hospital, and the local government has mobilized to fight the fire and search for survivors.

Hebei

221 detained in gun trade bust

Police caught 221 suspects and seized 303 guns and more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition in a crackdown on the illegal trading of guns online, the provincial public security department announced on Wednesday. Most of the guns were modified from nail guns, the police said. In October last year, police in Shijiazhuang solved a case involving two guns and traced them to a dealer surnamed Xu. Investigators found that the online gun ring has been operating nationwide. In January, Hebei sent more than 600 police officers to various parts of China, where they investigated 1,563 suspects and arrested 221 in 20 days.

Guangdong

Customs cracks waste smugglers

Customs officers in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, have cracked three gangs smuggling more than 2,400 metric tons of waste plastic, it was announced on Tuesday. The plastic was sent to Huizhou, Shantou and other cities in the province, according to officers. Waste plastic contaminates air, soil and underground water if not properly disposed of. Customs officials said they would continue cracking down on waste smuggling with help from environmental and market supervision departments.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily Global 04/25/2019 page4)