13 dead, 3 injured in traffic accident

Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and three others injured after an overloaded passenger van rear-ended a semitrailer truck on an expressway section in Central China's Henan province early on Thursday morning, according to local authorities. The crash took place at around 2:40 am at a section in Nanyang city. The nine-seat passenger van was carrying 16 people at the time of the accident. The Ministry of Public Security has dispatched a work team to Nanyang to guide the investigation and response efforts.

Mainland, SARs legal seminar held

The 14th Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao Legal Seminar was held in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Thursday, with emphasis on strengthening talent education and promoting economic development. Jointly organized by the China Law Society, the Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Secretary for Administration and Justice of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the event aims to better leverage rule of law as a key safeguard for advancing various fields of cooperation between the mainland and the SARs, while also seeking to inject strong legal momentum into the high-quality growth of the Greater Bay Area and the promotion of high-level opening-up.

Fraud verdict against criminal gang upheld

The Chongqing Higher People's Court on Thursday rejected the appeal of members of a criminal gang led by Xu Faqi while upholding the first-instance verdict pronounced on Jan 30 this year. The court also approved Xu's death sentence with a two-year reprieve. The first-instance judgement for the syndicate members, delivered by the Fifth Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing Municipality, determined that the defendants' actions constituted six crimes, including fraud, intentional injury, and drug smuggling and trafficking. In addition to the verdict against Xu, defendants Zhang Longlong, Luo Yujun, Xi Kangqiang and Liu Shibing were sentenced to terms ranging from life imprisonment to up to 25 years, along with additional penalties like property confiscation and fines. Zhang, Xi and Liu appealed against the verdict, which was dismissed by the second-instance court. The court ruled that the first-instance verdict was based on sufficient, true evidence and legitimate procedures.

China Daily - Xinhua