EMERGENCY RELOCATION: The local government in Fuyun County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, sends vehicles on January 19 to transport sheep that are too weak to travel to temporary settlements as a result of the blizzard (SHEN QIAO)

China's Stars

China took one step toward its goal of building an independent global navigation network capable of rivaling foreign systems with the successful launch of a new orbiter into space on January 17.

It was the third orbiter China has launched for the network, also known as Beidou or the Compass system, and was carried by a Long March 3III rocket into geostationary orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

It joined two others already in orbit to form a network, which will eventually include 35 satellites and in 2020 will be capable of providing global navigation services to users around the world.

The Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. and the Chinese Academy of Carrier Rocket Technology developed the new orbiter and the carrier rocket, respectively.

Dangerous Mining

China suffered 1,616 coal mine accidents in 2009, down by 338 compared to 2008, said Zhao Tiechui, Director of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety (SACMS), while addressing a national meeting on workplace safety in Beijing on January 18.

SACMS also reported 2,631 deaths resulted from the accidents, which was also down by 584 year-on-year. Most coal-producing provinces saw a year-on-year decrease in mine accidents.

But Zhao said China's small mines, which produce 35 percent of the country's coal, were responsible for 70 percent of the fatalities.

Disastrous Blizzards

Heavy snow has delayed flights, closed highways and caused injuries in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since January 17.

More than 80 people were rescued on January 19 after being stranded for two days on a highway by the blizzard.

Northern areas of Xinjiang suffered from the worst snow seen in 60 years, with drifts accumulating to average depths of 50 cm and one to two meters in mountainous areas.

China's Central Government allocated 124 million yuan ($18.2 million) on January 19 to help people suffering from the extreme winter weather in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Whistleblowers Rewarded

Chinese authorities received more than 90,000 tips about pornographic websites and rewarded 215 informants amid the country's latest Internet crackdown from December 4, 2009 to January 15, 2010.

Authorities offered rewards of 1,000-10,000 yuan ($147-$1,470) for each tip and gave out a total of 224,000 yuan ($32,900), according to the National Anti-Pornography and Anti-Illegal Publications Office.

Organizations responsible for receiving the tips will verify the information in a timely manner and reward more whistleblowers in a bid to encourage public participation in the crackdown, the office said on January 18.

Last year, more than 15,000 pornographic websites, including some 11,000 mobile WAP sites, were shut down or blocked across the country.