NEW HOMES: The picture shows the relocated Quanli Village in Lueyang County, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, on December 9. More than 200 quake survivors have moved into houses in the newly built village in preparation for the upcoming winter

Compensation Coming

A compensation scheme for the families of babies killed or made sick by tainted milk is under review, a Health Ministry spokesman said on December 10.

The ministry is collecting medical records and checking statistics to make preparations for compensation, spokesman Mao Qun'an told reporters.

Mao said he "has not been authorized to release details" about the compensation plan but assured the media that relevant departments are working on it and will release the results once it is adopted.

Mao added that local governments had bought hospital ultrasound equipment and medication when more than 22 million children needed testing after drinking baby formula containing an industrial chemical called melamine. That testing started in September.

Children who were confirmed to have developed kidney stones received free treatment.

Longest Rail Line

The world's longest high-speed rail line, connecting the capital and Shanghai, is nearing completion, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said on December 7.

MOR Spokesman Wang Yongping said 91 percent of the track length, or 1,203 km, has been completed. Major tasks remaining include building bridges over the Huaihe and Yangtze rivers and the main terminal in Shanghai, he said. More than 110,000 workers are busy with the remainder of the project.

Trains will take less than five hours to make the run, which currently takes at least 11 hours. The MOR said it plans to have 120,000 km of rail line in service by 2020, of which 16,000 km will be dedicated to passenger services only.