CPC Congress launches website

The media center for the upcoming 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will launch its official website on Thursday, offering services for domestic and overseas press and readers.

The site, www.cpcnews.cn, feeds journalists and readers with the congress agenda, latest news, announcements and background information on past CPC national congresses in Chinese and English. The 18th CPC National Congress will open on Nov 8 in Beijing.

Military to recruit better-educated

China seeks to encourage more well-educated young people to join the military through preferential policies, ranging from promotions to educational opportunities.

A recruitment spokesman from the Ministry of National Defense said young people with college degrees will receive preferential treatment during this year's recruitment period, which begins on Thursday. Online recruitment is already open to the public, the ministry said in a statement.

Farm produce prices edge down

The price of farm produce in 36 large and medium-sized cities in China fell because of abundant supplies, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

The price of food accounts for about 30 percent of the nation's consumer price index, the key measure of inflation. The CPI rose 1.9 percent year-on-year in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Rules for human genetic research

Public opinion is being sought on a draft regulation on human genetic research that highlights the rights of donors.

The draft proposes introducing a licensing procedure for all organizations involved in the collection and storage of human genetic material, while also prohibiting unauthorized activity in the field.

947 sentenced for food crimes

A total of 947 criminals have been sentenced for producing and selling poisonous or harmful food, according to a spokesman for the Supreme People's Court.

Courts have completed more than 730 criminal cases relating to food offenses, including gutter oil, Yu Housen said at a news conference on Tuesday.

China recalls toxic Korean noodles

China's consumer quality watchdog said on Tuesday instant noodles imported from the Republic of Korea will be recalled because of their carcinogenic content.

The recall came after the Korean Food and Drug Administration announced last week it was recalling six types of instant noodles made by Nongshim, the ROK's largest instant noodle maker, after they were found to contain benzopyrene, a compound that can cause lung cancer.

Media graduates' exhibition opens

The 6th annual Digital Graduation Exhibition of the New Media Youth Exchange Week was launched on Tuesday at Beijing Normal University.

The event attracted 33 new college graduates from Taiwan and more than 150 students from the mainland. It's the first time the cross-Straits cultural communication event has been held on the mainland.

Zhejiang

Hangzhou first to offer free Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi has become available in downtown Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. It is the first time free Wi-Fi has been offered across an entire Chinese city.

The government announced on Tuesday that there are 2,000 telecommunication stations covering 220 square kilometers of the city's urban area where the "i-hangzhou" signal can be picked up.

Shandong

Teacher caught pricking kids

Surveillance footage from a private kindergarten in Shandong province has caught a preschool teacher pricking children's arms and legs with a needle.

The footage, aired on a Jiangsu TV news program, was taken at Haipei Kindergarten in Dongying. Kindergarten director Wang Yanan apologized to the children's parents, saying she was responsible for failing to supervise the teacher.

Hubei

Dam not affected by minor quake

The Three Gorges Dam remained intact after a magnitude-3.2 earthquake jolted a county 38 km away early on Wednesday, experts said.

The tremor hit Zigui county in Hubei province at 3:42 am, according to the China Earthquake Network Center. Its epicenter lies 5 km below ground. No casualties had been reported as of Wednesday afternoon.

Hunan

Astronauts training for missions

Chinese astronauts are being trained in manual space-docking techniques and also receiving physical training to prepare for next year's missions under the country's manned space program, its chief designer said Wednesday.

Zhou Jianping told the second manned space flight academic conference in Changsha, Hunan province, that preparations for missions were proceeding. China plans to build its own space station in about 2020.

Chongqing

1.5m natural gas vehicles by 2015

China has the potential to become the world's largest market for natural gas automobiles, with 1.5 million expected to be on the roads by 2015, according to experts.

Brenda Smith, a council member of the Asia Pacific Natural Gas Vehicles Association, who is attending a natural gas auto forum in Chongqing, said the world was ready to embrace an era of natural gas automobiles, and China was leading the way. China had only about 3,000 natural gas filling stations at the end of 2011.

Taiwan

Cross-Straits prosperity seen

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou said on Wednesday he believes there will be lasting peace and prosperity between them of the Taiwan Straits and no wars will occur between the island and the mainland.

He made the remarks while addressing the 34th Veterans' Day in Taiwan, China News Service reported, citing Taiwan media.

Industrial forum set for this month

The second cross-Straits industrial cooperation forum will be held in November.

On Wednesday, Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the event will be held on Nov 21 and 22 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, which is expected to draw more than 200 cross-Straits experts and scholars.

China Daily-Xinhua