Beijing

Xi returns to Beijing after tour

Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Friday after state visits to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organization meetings. Xi paid state visits to the four nations from Sept 3 to 13, during which time he attended the eighth G20 Leaders' Summit in St. Petersburg and the 13th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek.

Accounting exam goes toward paperless

About 850,000 candidates across China will take the computer-based national accounting basic-level certification exam from Saturday to Thursday, the Ministry of Finance announced on Saturday. The scope of this year's paperless exam has expanded to all test centers in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the MOF says. The remaining 16 provincial-level regions will pilot computer-based exams in selective centers, the ministry said. Another 500,000 candidates will take the same exam with paper and pencil in October.

School bus safety rules tightened

The national school bus safety management assembly has demanded guarantees about school bus safety after two recent accidents, the Ministry of Education said on its website on Saturday. The assembly, composed of the ministry and 19 other departments responsible for school bus safety, said those entrusted with the duty of assuring safety should be severely punished for leaving children to die on school buses in Henan and Guangdong provinces in late August and mid-September. As of July 2013, the rates of death and injuries caused by school bus accidents respectively dropped by 13 percent and 21.2 percent.

436,000 hopefuls take judicial exam

About 436,000 people will take China's national judicial examination on Sept 14 and 15 - 32,000 more than last year, the Ministry of Justice reported. Nearly 18 percent of the candidates graduated this year. The ministry said 258 examination districts have been set up around the country, with more than 14,000 exam sites in 31 provincial-level regions and Hong Kong and Macao. The national judicial examination is one of China's most exacting national tests. It is the professional qualification for lawyers, judges, prosecutors and other legal careers.

Hunan

180 students sick from milk and cookies

As of Friday afternoon, 180 students in Hunan province had been hospitalized after showing adverse symptoms following school meals, local authorities said on Saturday. Children from some elementary schools in Xinhua county have headaches and stomachaches, and have been vomiting since Sept 10. The pupils began to show symptoms after they had milk and cookies at local schools. The students have been sent to local hospitals for treatment. As of Friday afternoon, 168 had been discharged, while 12 remained for further observation, the county government said. Preliminary investigations showed milk might have caused the illness and further investigation is underway.

Macao

Global Tourism Economy Forum to open

A two-day Global Tourism Economy Forum will kick off in Macao on Wednesday. The event will center on the theme "Regenerate our Economies: Invest in Travel and Tourism" and will invite 40 ministerial officials and private leaders from renowned corporations to explore tourism's role in revitalizing and driving global economic growth. It is the second time for the city to run the forum after its inauguration last year, and it will host the forum in 2014. Hosting the event will elevate Macao's international reputation and lower its dependency on gaming, government officials said.

Watch out

Chinese passenger liner detained in Jeju

A Chinese passenger liner with more than 2,300 people aboard was detained on Friday by a local court in the Republic of Korea's Jeju Island, following a request by a Chinese shipping service company, the operator said on Saturday. The Henna was detained before departure by a Jeju court when Jiangsu Shagang International Trade Co, Ltd applied for a seizure order on claims related to a legal dispute, Beijing-based HNA Tourism Holding (Group) Co Ltd said on its website. The ship was originally bound for Incheon from Jeju on Friday, HNA Tourism said. By 12 pm on Saturday, all passengers and crew had been stranded for more than 20 hours, and no departure time had been confirmed, the cruise operator said.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 09/15/2013 page2)