Disposable income growth Chinese people’s disposable* income expanded at a faster pace than economic growth in the first quarter of this year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday. Per capita* nominal* disposable income of Chinese nationwide rose 8.5 percent in the first three months from a year ago, and per capita real disposable income after taking into consideration the effects of inflation increased 7 percent, outpacing the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.9 percent in the period, NBS figures showed. HIV test kits Harbin Medical University is the second university in Heilongjiang Province to sell HIV test kits* in a vending machine. It is part of a program launched by the Chinese Association of STD and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control to address HIV transmission on campus. Nine such vending machines had been installed in five universities across the country by the end of 2016, the association said. The machine is designed with a deposit drawer, but looks just like any other and, alongside the kits, sells snacks, cup noodles, and drinks, Xinhua reporters saw. A kit is sold at a discounted price of 30 yuan (US$4.38), compared to 286 yuan on the market. Rail ticket prices Ticket prices for some bullet trains traveling in China’s southeastern coastal area will be adjusted from April 21, according to China Railway Corp. The move will affect trains running at 200 to 250 kilometers per hour between Shanghai and Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, two major economic hubs along the eastern coast, the State-owned railway operator said. The 1,623-km Shanghai-Shenzhen link consists of three sections: Shanghai to Hangzhou; Hangzhou to Ningbo; and Ningbo to Shenzhen. Professor sentenced An associate chemistry professor was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for manufacturing narcotics* and selling them abroad. The culprit*, surnamed Zhang, and his partner, surnamed Yang, made more than 4 million yuan (US$582,000) in profit annually from the business, according to a statement from the intermediate people’s court of Wuhan City, capital of Central China’s Hubei Province. (SD-Agencies) |