Chinese freed in Egypt

    Twenty-five Chinese kidnapped in Egypt were freed Feb. 1, a day after they were taken hostage* by Bedouin tribesmen*, Ma Jianchun, commercial affairs counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, said.

    It was the second kidnapping in days that has sparked worry about Chinese workers in dangerous places.

    Wukan village election

    Thousands of residents in the southern Chinese village of Wukan, known for recent massive protests regarding illegal land use and other issues, saw the start of an election for new leadership on Feb. 1, after former village heads were removed.

    The voting will result in the selection of an independent election committee to supervise upcoming rounds of voting for villagers’ representatives and a new village committee, according to election procedures.

    PM2.5 data released

    Beijing on Thursday began publishing daily average figures for PM2.5 — fine particles smaller than 2.5 microns* that are not covered by the official air pollution index. By 8 a.m. Thursday, the 24-hour average in the Chinese capital stood at 16 microns per cubic meter, far lower than the level recommended by the World Health Organization.

    9 punished for pollution

    Guangxi’s regional government has disciplined* a vice-mayor of Hechi and eight other officials responsible for the cadmium contamination of Longjiang River, including two junior officers from a district environmental protection bureau who may face prosecution for dereliction* of duty.

    The deputy director of Guangxi’s supervision department, Lei Yongda, said Saturday an investigation into possible corruption or other misconduct linked to the spill was under way, Xinhua reported.

(SD-Agencies)