Woman executed for killing stepdaughter

A woman who abused and killed her stepdaughter was executed on Tuesday in Fujian province after the high court approved her death sentence, local authorities said. Xu Jinhua was put to death by the Putian Intermediate People's Court, which had convicted her of intentional homicide and abuse and sentenced her to death. Prosecutors supervised the execution in accordance with the law, and Xu was allowed to meet with close relatives beforehand, the court said. According to the court, Xu tied up her stepdaughter in a bathroom in December 2023 and tortured her for 17 days, leading to the death of the 12-year-old girl. Xu and the child's father, Liu Jiang, were later detained by local police.

Ex-security official expelled from Party

Gao Yichen, former deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Preventing and Handling Cult Issues and former vice-minister of state security, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for serious disciplinary and legal violations, the top antigraft watchdogs announced on Thursday. Gao was found to have engaged in collusion between politics and business, exchanging benefits, and severely polluting the political environment. The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced in a statement that he breached integrity by accepting gifts and monetary rewards and receiving vehicle services from private business owners.

Death toll in Baotou steel plant blast now 9

The death toll following a blast at a steel plant in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has risen to nine, with one other person still unaccounted for as rescue efforts continue, local authorities said on Tuesday. The explosion took place at 3:03 pm on Sunday at a plate plant of Baogang United Steel in Baotou city, according to the on-site emergency rescue headquarters. Previous reports said that the blast originated in a 650-cubic-meter saturated water and steam spherical tank. The Work Safety Commission under the State Council has decided to oversee the investigation into the explosion, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.