CHONGQING

Man jumps to death, kills two pedestrians

A 31-year-old man surnamed Li jumped to his death from a flat on the 30th floor of a building in Chongqing on Tuesday night, killing two female teenagers walking beneath him. The police bureau in Shapingba district, where the incident occurred, said the two pedestrians, aged 15 and 17, were high school students from the city's Qijiang district who were in the city center to take an entrance examination for students hoping to major in art at Chongqing University. The man was from Wuhan, Hubei province.

INNER MONGOLIA

North China pasture hit by snowstorm

Ten days of continuous snowfall have left 2.8 million hectares of grassland in Inner Mongolia autonomous region buried under deep snow, affecting herdsmen and their livestock. Bayannuur's agriculture and animal husbandry bureau said on Wednesday it has received reports that the snowstorm has left 1,244 livestock dead, and caused direct economic losses of 40.36 million yuan ($5.7 million) to herdsmen. The city government has sent rescue teams to help farmers and herdsmen.

NINGXIA

Region to open first high-speed railway

Ningxia Hui autonomous region will open its first high-speed railway on Sunday, according to local authorities. The railway opening means all Chinese mainland provincial-level areas except for Tibet autonomous region will offer high-speed rail services. The 212-kilometer line will link Yinchuan, the regional capital, with Wuzhong and Zhongwei, with trains traveling at a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour.