听新闻 练听力 Headline News 2016 March 19

Passenger jet crashes in southern Russian city, kills 61 Construction, real estate, finance, consumer services to pilot taxation reform Hong Kong confirms one human infection of H7N9 avian flu 2 arrested in illegal sale of vaccines Largest Python Skin Smuggling Case Unveiled in China China maintains yellow alert for smog Main Suspect in Paris Attack Captured FIFA announces sponsorship deal with Wanda Group Passenger jet crashes in southern Russian city, kills 61 Russian officials say a passenger jet crashed in southern Russia, with all 55 passengers and six crew on board believed to have been killed. Most of the passengers on board were Russian. The aircraft, a Boeing 737, crashed early morning on Saturday at the airport in Rostov at the end of a flight from Dubai. Emergency officials say the pilots had to abandon an initial attempt, and the crash happened during a repeat attempt. It is not clear what caused the crash, but poor visibility and high winds are being considered as factors. Construction, real estate, finance, and consumer services are to pilot China's taxation reform, replacing business tax with value-added tax, starting in May. The decision follows a taxation reform program approved by the Chinese government on Friday. Under the program, the applicable tax rates for construction and real estate will be 11 percent, and those for finance and consumer services will be 6 percent, while the rates for small-scale taxpayers will be 3 percent. The pilot sectors will involve nearly 10 million more taxpayers, whose yearly business tax adds up to 2 trillion yuan or nearly 300 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 80 percent of the gross business tax revenue. Hong Kong has confirmed a human infection of H7N9 avian flu. Local health authorities confirmed that an 81-year-old woman has been infected, and is now in stable condition in hospital. But the patient says she's had no close contact with live poultry. More than ten people have had close contacts with the patient. Her daughters received treatment earlier in the week after suffering headaches and fever. The first human cases of H7N9 bird flu were reported in China three years ago. It's most likely to spread among people in winter and spring. A mother and daughter from Shandong province have been arrested for selling illegal vaccines worth 570 million yuan, or 90 million US dollars, since 2010. It is believed to be the largest case of its kind in China in terms of the amount of money involved. Police say the two suspects allegedly sold vaccines that were not properly refrigerated, as required by national standards, in 18 provinces and regions across the country. The improper handling of the vaccines may have rendered them ineffective. Police are currently attempting to trace everyone who may have taken the vaccines in question to warn them their health may not be protected. Customs officials from south China's Hainan Province have announced that they've seized 68 thousand pieces of python skin worth 48 million U.S. dollars. Sixteen suspects have been caught after raids in Hainan, Fujian and Guangxi provinces. A local company is alleged to have obtained a wild animal license for the produce folk instruments, but instead had been smuggling python skins from Vietnam since 2014. It's also alleged that the company made fake customs declarations to avoid taxes. Pythons are protected in China and the importation of python skin is tightly controlled licensed. A yellow alert for smog in northern China is being maintained over the weekend, as pollution spreads over a wide area of the country. On Saturday morning, PM 2.5 density in most parts of Beijing ranged between 260 and 400 micrograms per cubic meter. Provinces including Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shaanxi will also be shrouded by heavy smog through Saturday before a cold front gradually disperses the pollution. "Yellow" is the second level of China's four-tier colour coded warning system for severe weather, including pollution. Belgian authorities have confirmed the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the key suspect in the Paris attacks in November last year. Abdeslam was arrested along with another suspect on Friday afternoon in the Molenbeek district of Brussels. Belgian media says Abdeslam was taken to a local hospital for a gunshot injury to his leg. After the arrest, French President Francois Hollande said the suspect should be extradited to France as soon as possible. Hollande added the arrest would not be the final stage in investigating the case, noting a larger terror network exists in Europe. FIFA has signed a sponsorship deal with Wanda Group of China. The contract will grant Wanda the highest level of sponsorship rights, including all FIFA competitions and corporate activities and the next four World Cups. FIFA's president has commended China for its investment into the development of football in the country.