Explosion fallout

Two executives from the China PetroChemical Corp (Sinopec Group) were suspended from their posts on Wednesday for the company’s oil pipeline blast that killed 55 people in Qingdao of East China’s Shandong province.

Tian Yimin and Qian Jianhua were, respectively, Party secretary and general manager of the Sinopec Pipeline Storage and Transportation Co, a subsidiary of Sinopec.

 

World Cup China?

Officials from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are lobbying Chinese sports authorities to bid for hosting the 2026 World Cup, Titan Sports reported.

On Tuesday, Zheng Zhi, captain of Guangzhou Evergrande, became the first Chinese to be named AFC Player of the Year since Fan Zhiyi claimed Asian football’s highest individual accolade in 2001.

Moon plan

Chang'e-3 spacecraft, China’s first lunar rover, is scheduled to land at Hongwan region, a vast place on the moon, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry of National Defense announced on Tuesday.

The lunar rover will be launched in early December, according to the administration.

Timeline of China's lunar program

4G expectations

Stock prices for China’s telecommunication companies soared on Wednesday after news reports of China’s plan to start commercial 4G mobile communications services next month.

China Mobile, China’s biggest mobile operator with over 700 million users, will start 4G services on Dec 18. China is expected to issue licenses for 4G before the new services start.

Tomb building

Police in Fuqing city, East China’s Fujian province, have stopped construction on 500 luxurious tombs to protect the environment.

It’s a local custom to build tombs while people are still alive, and some people have destroyed 1,000 square meters of forest to build a tomb, Southeast Express reported on Wednesday.

 

Temperature change

The government in East China’s Anhui province said that a new bridge was destroyed because the imported construction materials could not adapt to the different temperature conditions in China.

The bridge material was imported from South Korea, and the paste was brought from Britain. The materials were produced under their native environment, but they are not fit for the temperature in Bengbu, a local official told China National Radio.

PLA video game

An online video game developed by the People’s Liberation Army has set the battle scene with China’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, guarding the Diaoyu Islands.

Glorious Mission Online is a military-themed computer game developed by the Nanjing Military Area Command of the PLA and Giant Interactive Group Inc.

No holds barred training for elite force
Slide: China's special forces

Food waste deposit

Some buffet restaurants in East China’s Shandong province are requiring customers to pay a deposit to prevent waste, Qilu Evening News reported.

Customers have to pay an average of 10 yuan per person before eating at one restaurant in Zhangdian district of Zibo city, and they can get the money back if they finish their meal without waste, the newspaper said.

Cleaners show students the value of food