Tibet

More women receive free cancer tests

Free cancer tests for women will be offered in 13 additional counties in the Tibet autonomous region in 2013, the local health department said on Friday. The expanded campaign is being launched by the regional government's Department of Health and the Tibetan Women's Federation. Statistics indicate that more than 51,000 Tibetan women have benefitted from the campaign since it started in 2009.

Shaanxi

'House Sister' arrested in fake ID scandal

On Friday, the Shenmu County People's Procuratorate in Shaanxi province formally approved the arrest of Gong Aiai, former deputy head of the Shenmu County Rural Commercial Bank, in Yulin city. The court said that Gong possessed four hukou IDs, a household registration record unique to each Chinese citizen. The three fake ones, two registered in Shaanxi province and the other in Beijing, have been revoked. In January, online whistleblowers revealed that Gong, who later became known as "House Sister" among the public, had more than 20 properties worth an estimated 1 billion yuan ($159.4 million) in the capital. Beijing police later confirmed Gong owned 41 properties in the city, totalling 9,666.6 square meters. The investigation is continuing.

Yunnan

4.97 m affected by lingering drought

Nearly 5 million people in Southwest China's Yunnan province have been affected by a drought that has continued there since winter, provincial authorities said on Saturday. More than 1.43 million people and 796,000 heads of livestock lack sufficient drinking water, according to the Yunnan Provincial Water Resources Department. Meanwhile, about 536,200 hectares of farmland have also been affected by the drought, including 55,333 hectares that will yield no crops. The provincial water resources department has allotted 230 million yuan ($37 million) for drought relief.

Beijing

Strong winds bring dust to capital

Strong winds dispersed Beijing's lingering haze, but ushered in dust storms and a sharp temperature drop on Saturday. This is the second bout of dusty weather to hit Beijing this year, following the first on Feb 28. The wind and dusty weather changed the capital's major air pollutant component from PM2.5, airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, to PM10. The capital's air quality was measured at moderate to dangerous levels, according to an air quality report released by municipal officials.

Afghanistan

Suicide bomber kills 9 during Hagel visit

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a defense ministry gate in Kabul on Saturday, killing nine civilians and injuring 14 during a visit to Afghanistan by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, underlining the insurgent threat as NATO troops prepare to leave. Hagel was nowhere near the explosion, carried out by an insurgent on a bicycle.

Dprk

Pyongyang rejects UN resolution

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea formally rejected a UN Security Council resolution on Saturday that demands an end to its nuclear arms program, as China called for calm, saying sanctions were not the "fundamental" way to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Egypt

5 riot defendants get life sentences

Egypt's Port Said Criminal Court sentenced five people on Saturday to life imprisonment for their role in the Port Said football riots which killed more than 70 in February 2012. The court also confirmed the death sentences it issued on Jan 26 for another 21 defendants.

Kenya

Kenyatta wins presidency by slim margin

Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's founding president, won the presidential election by the slimmest of margins with 50.03 percent, provisional results showed, just enough to avoid a runoff after a race that has divided the nation along tribal lines. Kenyatta's main rival, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, trailed with 43.28 percent of the vote.

News Watch

Venezuela's VP now acting president

Venezuelan Vice-President Nicolas Maduro was officially sworn in on Friday as the country's acting president, following the death of President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday. Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader who served as foreign minister and vice-president under Chavez, has asked the election authority to "immediately call elections".

Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 03/10/2013 page2)