IN BRIEF

Shandong

13 saved, 3 missing in oil tanker blast

Thirteen people were rescued and three remained unaccounted for after a suspected explosion rocked an oil tanker in waters off Shidao Island in East China's Shandong province on Sunday. Thick smoke was seen from Xinglongzhou 569 which, with 16 people on board, sailed 90 nautical miles south of Shidao Island in Weihai city. The fire was later under control and the tanker was towed away.

Anhui

Officers injured during inspection

China's top environment watchdog has urged local authorities to bring to justice those responsible for violence against law enforcement officers. On March 12, four law enforcement officers were attacked and injured while gathering evidence relating to unauthorized production at a textile company in Dangshan county. The company did not pass its environmental impact assessment. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has called for an investigation and "severe punishment" for the attackers.

Guangdong

Life expectancy to hit 77.8 years

The average life expectancy in the province is expected to reach 77.8 years in 2020 as a result of an improved healthcare system, according to an official document.

The average life expectancy reached 77.1 years in 2015, an increase of one year compared with 2010, 0.8 years higher than the national average life span, according to the province's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for the health sector.

Xinjiang

More transnational freight trains to run

Freight train X9081 heading for Kazakhstan's Almaty was ready to leave a major logistics center in Urumqi, capital of the autonomous region, on Wednesday.

This year, 300 westbound transnational freight trains will run from the region, 80 more than last year.

A total of 200 will be bound for central Asian countries, 50 for Russia and 20 for Germany, Turkey and Iran, according to the regional economic and information technology commission.

Last year, 220 transnational freight trains left from Xinjiang, nearly triple the number in 2015. The service has boosted the region's export of chemical products, construction materials, machinery, automobile parts, garments and food.

Beijing

Nation promotes 'green funerals'

China has once again promoted the idea of "green funerals" - involving planting trees or flowers over where family members are buried, or scattering their ashes at sea - ahead of the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Day on April 4. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which regulates the country's funeral industry, required all of its sub-bureaus nationwide in a public notice on Monday to think of ways, including waiving fees or offering rewards, to encourage residents to adopt more ecological practices in an effort to save land and funeral-related spending.