|
 |
|
MIMICKING COMBAT: Sailors on missile destroyer Guangzhou, which is on Chinese Navy's fifth escort mission in Aden Gulf, hold a competition of combating skills on May 18 (LIU CHUNHUI) |
Tycoon Jailed
Huang Guangyu, former Chairman of Chinese electronics retail giant Gome, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on May 18 after being convicted of illegal business dealings, insider trading and corporate bribery.
At the Beijing No.2 Intermediate People's Court, Huang was also fined 600 million yuan ($88.2 million) and received an order for the seizure of 200 million yuan ($29.4 million) worth of assets.
Huang was once the richest man in China's mainland and the former legal representative of both Gome and Beijing Pengrun Real Estate Development Co. He was arrested in 2009.
His two firms, Gome and Pengrun, were fined 5 million yuan ($735,000) and 1.2 million yuan ($176,000) respectively for giving bribes, the court said.
Huang was found to be liable for the bribes given by the two companies as he was personally involved or directed others to do so.
School Reopens
A "prefabricated school," the largest by far in quake-hit Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province, was put into use for orphaned students on May 18.
The 2,600 square meter prefab structure was for Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Orphans School in Yushu's Gyegu Town, Li Baoguo, a local official, told Xinhua.
As all the school buildings were destroyed in the quake, classes first restarted in tents 80 hours after the quake on April 14. Most schools in Yushu had resumed classes by the end of April.
The structure--with classrooms, administrative offices, dormitories, a library, a dining hall and a clinic--can accommodate up to 400 students, said Li. Presently, the school has more than 200 orphans at primary and junior high school level.
Housing Moves
The Central Government has urged provincial governments to step up efforts to ensure the supply of affordable housing by holding top provincial leaders accountable for the task.
The move is seen as another major effort by the Central Government to address the housing issue after the State Council introduced a slew of measures to curb rocketing housing prices in April.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development signed documents on May 19 with all the 31 provincial, municipal and autonomous region governments, as well as Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to guarantee they will fulfill the construction of much-needed housing this year.
China plans to build as many as 5.8 million affordable, low-rent houses for those with low incomes and those who now live in shantytowns, as well as reconstructing dilapidated houses for 1.2 million rural households this year.
Minimum Wages
Shanghai Municipality, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces have raised minimum wage levels to above 1,000 yuan ($147), amid a new wave of nationwide minimum wages rise.
This is the first time more than one city or region in China has required a 1,000-plus minimum wage at one time after adjustment.
Shanghai has the highest minimum wage across the country, 1,120 yuan ($164.7). Eleven provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have raised minimum wages more than 10 percent, while others increasing more than 20 percent.
Beijing and other provinces are also planning wage hikes, says the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. |
