IN BRIEF

Beijing

Belt and Road portal launched

The official website of the Belt and Road Initiative (www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn) was launched on Tuesday, offering information on investment policies and enterprises involved in the initiative, among other topics. The website, called the Belt and Road Portal, also has an English version and is operated by the State Information Center. The website aims to offer information in other languages such as Russian, French, Arabic and Spanish later this year, according to a statement on the website.

Guangxi

Ex-senior official tried for graft

Yu Yuanhui, a former senior official from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, stood trial on Tuesday on charges of taking bribes. Yu, formerly a member of the standing committee of the regional Communist Party of China committee, and Party chief of its capital city, Nanning, accepted bribes worth more than 9 million yuan ($1.3 million), according to the intermediate people's court in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province. Yu made a final statement to the court in which he pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. The verdict will be issued at a later date.

Henan

1,000-year-old pagoda renovated

A 1,000-year-old pagoda has started its largest-scale renovation since 1949, local officials said on Tuesday. The nine-story octangular pagoda, in the Wuhua Temple in Luoyang city, stands 37.2 meters tall and features carvings of buddhas and giants. According to the local annals, the pagoda was built during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), but some of the construction materials date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The renovation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Guangdong

15 arrested for drug trafficking

Fifteen people have been arrested for drug trafficking after 9.79 kilograms of heroin was seized during a raid, local police said on Monday. Police from Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region began a joint investigation in December. Two members of the ring are still at large.

Fujian

Four killed in factory collapse

Four people died when a cement factory collapsed in Zhangzhou, local authorities said on Monday. The incident occurred at 2:26 pm when a shed in the cement factory in Nanjing county collapsed, trapping four workers, according to the county publicity department. Three people died at the scene and another in hospital.