Academies ban officials

    from membership

    Senior government officials have been told to stay away from standing in elections for membership of the country’s two leading academies, The Beijing News reported on January 7.

    The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) announced their new election rules in December, both disqualifying* officials above division level from the biennial recruitment, which started on January 1.

    Death penalty upheld

    A court in Shanghai on January 8 upheld* the death sentence of a former postgraduate student convicted of* poisoning his roommate to death.

    The Shanghai Higher People’s Court rejected the appeal of Lin Senhao, a medical student at the prestigious Fudan University, after a second trial on December 8.

    Lin allegedly* used N-Nitrosodimethylamine* to contaminate* a water dispenser* in the dormitory he shared with the victim, Huang Yang, on March 31, 2013.

    China bans private drivers using taxi apps

    China’s Transport Ministry has banned taxi hailing apps, such as Uber and local rivals Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache, from drivers without taxi licences in a bid to* regulate the rapidly growing sector.

    The nationwide ban came after authorities in Chongqing began investigating Uber in December over concerns that its drivers were not properly licensed.

    25 air passengers probed Twenty-five passengers on board a plane in Kunming, Yunnan Province, were taken away by local police after they quarreled with the flight crew and opened some emergency exits of the plane early on Saturday.

    The China Eastern Airlines flight in Kunming was delayed by continuing snow last weekend.

    An elderly woman felt uncomfortable after hours of waiting. Concerning her physical condition, many other passengers demanded an explanation by the captain.

    (SD-Agencies)