Chinese "environment activist" sentenced to 3 years

A Chinese man who claimed himself to be an environment activist has been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of extortion and fraud on Friday. Wu Lihong, 39, a farmer in Zhoutie Township of Yixing City in east China's Jiangsu Province, was also fined 3,000 yuan (about 390 U.S. dollars), the Yixing City People's Court ruled. Wu had led a campaign to clean up the Taihu Lake in eastern China. He was hailed as an "eco-warrior" for spending years to expose and report on polluting factories.