BLOCKED: People stand beside a road blocked after an earthquake in Toksun County, Turpan Prefecture, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on June 8, 2011. The earthquake measured 5.3 degrees on the Richter Scale (YAO TONG)

Help for Disabled

The government plans to offer the country's 83 million disabled citizens 12 years of compulsory education over the next five years and offer more benefits to improve their quality of life, according to a five-year development plan unveiled on June 8 by the State Council.

The government will provide disabled students with greater financial subsidies to meet their special needs and gradually institute free education from primary school to high school. The plan aims to help 13 million with rehabilitation services by building rehabilitation centers and health service centers in every city and town by 2015.

The government will provide the disabled with special support and guarantee a basic standard of living by expanding welfare scope and including all disabled citizens in urban and rural areas in the country's basic medical care insurance programs by 2015.

Heavy Floods

As of June 9, floods had killed 52 people and left 32 missing in China since the flood season started in June; heavy rains had inundated parts of 12 provinces in central and south China and affected 4.81 million people, said the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFDH).

The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Civil Affairs on June 8 allocated 35 million yuan ($5.39 million) for flood relief.

By June 9, floods had destroyed 7,462 houses and submerged 255,000 hectares of farmland in the country, incurring direct economic losses of 4.92 billion yuan ($760 million).

Protection for Pandas

A research center was launched on June 7 in southwest China's Sichuan Province to improve research efforts directed at the protection of giant pandas and other endangered species.

The International Center for Giant Panda Conservation Biology is a joint project sponsored by the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base and the U.S.-based Global Cause Foundation.

The center will employ both domestic and international resources, technology and funds to tackle major threats endangering the survival and development of giant pandas and other endangered species.

Colleges Pilots

China's military recruited around 200 pilot trainees from China's universities in annual recruitment that concluded recently, said a military statement issued on June 8.

Consisting of graduates and sophomores of bachelor degree programs from 143 military or civil education institutions, the recruits were admitted to the Aviation University of Air Force, said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.

The PLA Air Force started recruiting graduates from universities as pilot trainees in 2003 and initiated the selection of college sophomores as pilot trainees in 2006.