BUMPER HARVEST: A combine harvester works in a wheat field in Huzi Village, Henan Province, on June 2, as the wheat reaping season starts in the largest wheat-producing province in China (YANG FAN)

Resources Tax

China introduced a new tax on sales of crude oil and natural gas in western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Finance said on June 2.

The 5-percent tax is aimed to increase revenue for the local government of the resource-rich region, and is part of a support package unveiled at a central work conference held in Beijing last month.

The new measure, a shift from current taxes based on output, is a crucial step to save natural resources by raising the cost of consumption.

Court Slaughter

According to local authorities, a man killed himself after shooting three judges dead and injuring another three in a court office on the morning of June 1 in Yongzhou City, Hunan Province.

The gunman, Zhu Jun, barged into an office on the fourth floor of the courthouse and shot the judges before killing himself, police said.

Zhu, 46, was head of the security squad of the China Post branch bureau of Lingling District. He took a submachine gun and two pistols from his subordinate under the guise he would have the guns examined by higher authorities.

The investigation concluded Zhu committed the attack as revenge on the court. Zhu's family and colleagues told police Zhu thought the court unjustly handled the property division when he divorced his wife three years ago. The victims were not involved in Zhu's divorce case, police said.

Disturbed Pregnancy

More than half of all expectant mothers in Chinese mainland cities are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to results from a recent survey released on May 28.

The survey by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group is based on interviews with main caregivers of children under 5 years old and pregnant women in seven Chinese cities including Beijing. Altogether, 9.9 percent of pregnant women suffered from frequent passive smoking and 4.8 percent were exposed to smoke almost every day. About 7.7 percent of respondents believe "smoking doesn't affect the health of expectant mothers and their children."

The survey found the top three reasons behind the expectant mothers' exposure to passive smoking are: family members who are not able to quit smoking (56 percent); a senior in the family smokes and asking him or her to quit is impolite (27 percent); a family member's work-related social activities requires them to smoke (26 percent).

Tibet in Dossiers

The China Tibetology Publishing House recently released a 10-volume compilation of Tibet's historical archives of the Republic of China period (1912-49), providing a rich record of the southwestern region as a then administrative division of the country.

The compilation, titled Archives Compilation of Tibet and Tibetan Affairs Preserved by the Second Historical Archives of China, gives a record of government policies on Tibet and measures taken to manage major events and issues in the region.

The compilation, as the first part of a 50-volume series, also includes documents that reflect the development of politics, the economy, religion, culture and education in other Tibetan areas in the neighboring provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan.