Society

Four people were killed and at least six others were injured after a truck fully-loaded with gunpowder exploded Saturday in central China's Hubei Province.

The accident happened at about 00:20 am at a section of the Beijing-Zhuhai Highway in Xiaogan City of Hubei. Four died and six were injured, including one seriously, at the scene, a Xiaogan municipal government spokesman said.

The truck was heading for northern Hebei Province, carrying five tonnes of gunpowder from a firework material factory in Liuyang City of central China's Hunan Province.

The gunpowder was transported to a fireworks manufacturing factory in Haixing County of Hebei ahead of the Spring Festivals, police said.

A gangster show his weapons on Bed, from riffle to knife

Gang tattoo's is the symbol of a certain gang, a ticket to entry

Two people among 43 on charges of gang-related crimes were sentenced to death Thursday by a court in Yangjiang City, south China's Guangdong Province.

The Yangjiang Municipal Intermediate People's Court handed down the death sentence to two defendants in the first instance trial. Three others were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, the court verdict said.

At least six people died when a fire engulfed an apartment building in east China's Zhejiang Province Thursday, firefighters said.

Rescuers had found six bodies in the debris of the two-storied house in Fenghua City.

The fire brigade of Fenghua received a report of the blaze at 3:30 a.m. Thursday. The fire, which spread to about 200 square meters, was extinguished in half an hour.

The public security authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze and how many people were in the building when the fire began.

A new way of selecting students for higher education being piloted by the nation's top university has been slammed by some critics as still being "biased" in favor of academic achievement, instead of offering a way for students with other outstanding abilities.

The accusation came after Peking University on Monday night supported all 90 nominees put forward under the pilot program from 39 high schools nationwide. Most of the students recommended by their respective headmasters had excellent academic performance as a leading attribute.

Many headmasters said their recommendations had "top grades" and listed awards won by the students, suggesting academic achievement was still the most important factor in selecting students.