The Beijing News
October 15, 2008

Former vice mayor of Beijing Liu Zhihua went on trial yesterday in Hengshui, Hebei Province, 28 months after he was sacked for corruption and "degeneration" (a common euphemism for having a mistress).

The 59 year-old Liu was charged of accepting 6.9 million yuan in bribes, mostly via his wife and his mistress Wang Jianrui. Wang owns a construction company and won contracts for several Olympic projects thanks to her relationship with Liu.

Also on today's front page, China reclaimed part of Heixiazi Island (Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island). A big photo shows a squad of Chinese soldiers patrolling the newly acquired territory.

The Fengtai District court of Beijing denied a home buyer's request for a full refund after the developer dropped the price by 10% eight days after her purchase. Meanwhile, the Shenzhen city government called for a halt to developer compensation of home buyers for losses caused by the price drop.

The government ordered sales of all dairy products produced before September 14 and untested for melamine to cease. Those products which pass a test for melamine may be sold with special labels on the packaging.

The government released a draft plan for new health care reforms yesterday. The new plan calls for increased investment in public health services to ensure affordable medical services for all citizens.

The Ministry of Education banned universities from providing preferential student accommodation at higher prices to students seeking to pay more for comfort. The ban came on the heels of reports that university students in Sichuan could rent an entire four-person dormitory room, provided that they paid four times the housing fees.