Panyu Incineration Plant Project to be Carried out According to Law
They are now more details available about the controversial project of a waste incineration plant the government hopes to build in Panyu District. The project has outraged citizens living in the surrounding areas where the plant is to be built but the Guangzhou government said at a press conference yesterday (November 22) that the project is fully aligned with Chinese law. However, the program won't start until it passes an environmental evaluation. Our journalist Wang Jianping has the details:
The Deputy Secretary-general of Guangzhou Lv Zhiyi, said the construction of the waste incinerator complies with laws enacted both by the country and province:[record] National policies stipulate that costal cities and cities with developed economies and land shortages should treat waste through incineration plants, so this is something we must do in the future. In full honesty, I assure you that the decision taken by the government is for the good of citizens. What's more, the plant shall not produce any additional pollution.
During the press conference, it was also announced that the government has asked the South China Institute of Environmental Sciences to conduct the environmental evaluation, after which the results will be presented to the general public.

Guangzhou Auto Show Kicks Off
The 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show opened its doors to the media this morning, with 70 new models under the lenses of photographers. Tomorrow, will see professional buyers visit the Pazhou International Convention and Exhibition Center but individuals will have to wait until Thursday to get a glimpse of the latest models.

Death toll rises to 104 in coal mine blast
The death toll from the deadly coal mine blast in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has risen to 104, according to the local authorities earlier this morning (November 23). Another four people are still trapped in the shaft. The blast happened at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Xinxing Coal Mine which belongs to the state-owned Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group in Hegang City. A total of 528 miners were working underground when the blast happened. Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang visited the area on Saturday to give his support to the rescue operations and to the families of the victims. He also urged officials in other regions to learn from the tragedy and step up better safety measures. The Supreme People's Procuratorate yesterday also sent a team to Hegang to investigate any possible abuses of power, government inaction or misconduct, as well as under-the-table deals at the mine that may have compromised safety standards.