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Authorities reveal details of prison scandal

Source: Xinhua Published: 2015-1-28 16:37:14

The justice department of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has revealed details about a prison scandal in which a prisoner reportedly used smartphones to blackmail several women.

Last week, a prisoner with the surname Wang was reported to have been chatting via the mobile app WeChat to blackmail women that lived near Nehe Prison in Tsitsihar City.

Wang threatened the women with exposing nude videos and pictures of them and succeeded in cheating two of the women out of over 110,000 yuan (about 18,000 US dollars), according to local prosecuting authorities.

According to the department, Wang managed to obtain nude photos from two of the women and coerced them to visit him in prison in June 2014. One of the women, surnamed He, claimed that Wang had sexual intercourse with her in the prison hall, but Wang denied the accusation. The prison guards said they did not see it happen.

Investigators were unable to restore data from the surveillance video footage because the alleged activity occurred too long ago.

According to The Paper, both Wang and He admitted to having sex there in telephone records obtained by the newspaper.

Apart from the sex accusations, Wang owned five cell phones while in prison.

The department said that out of the five phones Wang owned, three were from one of the women, surnamed Li. Li managed to sneak two mobile phones to Wang via prison guards after she left the devices at a vegetable shop outside the prison. Li gave the other to Wang when she was visiting him.

Cell phones are banned in prisons in China and visiting times are monitored by prison guards. The women managed to see Wang by bribing the prison guards, the department said.

The department also confirmed speculation that one of the women is the wife of a policeman, but not with the prison police.

The prison governor and political commissar have been removed from their positions, the department said Tuesday. The Supreme People's Procuratorate said three guards were also being probed for suspected negligence and abuse of power.

The justice department said the case has exposed loopholes in the management of the prison, which allowed guards to aid the prisoner's fraud racket.

Wang's case has caused public outcry about lax supervision and corruption in China's prisons and prompted online discussion.

"Drama! How did it all happen?" said a typical comment on microblog Sina Weibo.

"The authorities need to rethink carefully to avoid similar scandals," read another comment.

 

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Around the nation: endangered South China tiger cub nursed back to health after abuse at zoo

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 29 January, 2015, 9:56pm
UPDATED : Friday, 30 January, 2015, 12:21am

The endangered South China tiger cub, which is now feeding normally at a zoo in Jiangxi province after a breeder was found to have repeatedly hit the cub. Photo: Chinanews.com

JIANGXI

Abused tiger cub recovers

An abused endangered South China tiger cub has been nursed back to health by staff at a zoo in Nanchang in Jiangxi province, Chinanews.com reports. A breeder at the zoo was sacked after surveillance video showed him repeatedly hitting and throwing the cub onto the floor last week. The cub, which is now back feeding normally, has attracted citywide attention.

Fatal building collapse

A construction worker was killed and 16 others injured after an eight-storey building collapsed at night in the eastern province of Jiangxi province, Xinhua reports. Rescuers used sniffer dogs to search the rubble for survivors at the site in the campus of Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University.

HENAN

Demolition row injury

The owner of a factory was pushed from a three-metre-high wall as he protested against the demolition of his building to make way for a road in Jiaozuo, the Southern Metropolis News reports. A video of the incident two weeks ago shows him struggling with two men wearing hard hats before being pushed off the wall. He is still in hospital after suffering multiple broken bones. He said he had not expected the demolition that day and had not agreed on compensation. The matter is being investigated.

Storm in a teapot

A woman who broke the lid of a teapot in a shop in Zhengzhou was sued for 100,000 yuan in damages, Henan Business Daily reports. The lid broke as she was browsing in 2013. The owner claimed the teapot, made by a famous potter, was a prized item and demanded she pay 55,000 yuan. After she said she could pay only 45,000 yuan, the owner sued her for 100,000 yuan - 80,000 yuan for the pot and 20,000 for "psychological damage". The court ruling, that she pay 50,000 yuan, was disputed by both parties, so the case is to be tried again.

HUBEI

'Dead man' wakes up

A 45-year-old man, who was pronounced dead by doctors after falling into a coma, woke up in his coffin just as his family and friends were saying a final goodbye to him, the Wuhan Evening News reported. The man had been in a coma for three months, after suffering a brain haemorrhage before doctors certified him dead. One family member noticed signs of breathing and tears in the man's eyes as they said goodbye to him. Doctors, who are still treating the man in hospital, say the next step is for him to try to learn to walk again.

Trapped baby recovers

A one-year-old baby boy is recovering well after undergoing a nine-hour operation after his hand became trapped in the bottom of an shopping mall escalator, the Changjiang Daily reports. He had to be freed by firefighters after falling from his mother's arms as they went down on the escalator in Hubei province. Doctors said the surgery lasted longer than usual because a baby's blood vessels were not as big as those of an adult.

JIANGSU

Menu's handy idea

A seafood restaurant that serves food but no cutlery to customers opened in Xinjiekou in Nanjing , the news website News.qq.com reports. People use their hands to eat the dishes, served on plates, in plastic bags and metal buckets. The maritime-themed restaurant has fittings including portholes, oars, life-saving buoys and a diving helmet. A similar restaurant opened in Beijing last year.

Parking-spot tantrum

A man smashed 10 side mirrors on 10 cars after growing angry when he could not find an empty sparking space, the Yangtse Evening Post reports. He went out to for karaoke with friends in Huaian on December 30, but kicked the side mirrors of the cars after finding all the parking spaces were full when he returned. He was arrested after one car owner called police.

JILIN

Swimsuit appeal

Photographs of two young women in swimsuits pouring ice-cold water over their heads for charity in minus 20 degrees Celsius temperatures at a hot spring spa, attracted widespread online attention, China Daily online reports. Ten people took part in the challenge in Jilin city to raise funds for a local charity and promote the spa.

Manchu exhibition

Jilin province has curated an exhibition focused on elaborately embroidered ethnic minority Manchu costumes and accessories, CCTV news reports. More than 100 Manchu items of clothing and accessories used by Emperor Kangxi and other members of the Manchu royal families in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) are on display.

SHAANXI

Ancient 'temple' found

Archaeologists in the North Guanzhong Plain have found the remains of what could be the largest single building dating back about 3,000 years to the Western Zhou dynasty (1046-771BC), Xinhua reports. The rectangular foundation covers about 2,600 square metres. Experts said it could be a temple built by survivors of the preceding Shang dynasty (1600-1046BC).

Walkways must go

Local government officials in Yijun county said two 20 metre-high walkways at a construction site were illegal and must be removed by this weekend, Huashang Daily reports. The walkways link a six-storey building with a 17-storey building. Officials halted construction after ruling the walkways were not in the original building plans.

SICHUAN

Couple have 11 children

A Suining married couple have had 11 children in 20 years, the Southern Metropolis News reports. The couple, who make a living from recycling, met in 1995, but by the time local officials donated contraceptives in July 2012, they'd had 11 children. The man, who keeps three stray dogs and two stray cats, said they kept having babies to give themselves a better chance of changing their fate. Officials said the case was "tricky", with one report saying the couple were too poor to pay fines for exceeding the one-child policy.

Burned chef's payout

A chef in Dazhou won 40,000 yuan in damages after suffering burns and impaired hearing when defective fireworks exploded next to him, West China City Daily reports. Last July, residents celebrating a wedding hired him to provide the catering. They lit fireworks, which shot sideways and exploded beside him as he cooked food. His mother told the newspaper the faulty fireworks had been made by an unregistered company.

TIANJIN

Chilean cattle arrive

About 7,100 dairy cows shipped from Chile arrived at Tianjin's port on Wednesday, Xinhua reports. After a period in quarantine, the cows will be distributed to six provinces and municipalities. This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Smog law passed

New legislation passed in Tianjin aims to improve air quality by imposing unlimited fines on the most polluting companies, Xinhua reports. The regulation also calls for joint action with neighbouring Beijing and Hebei province to tackle smog problems in the region. Beijing has also called for joint action with its neighbours because 36per cent of its pollution is generated outside the capital.

 

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Around the nation: three dead, 10 injured in Guangzhou bus crash

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 31 January, 2015, 1:10am
UPDATED : Saturday, 31 January, 2015, 1:10am

Three people died when a bus crashed on the way from Guangzhou to Leizhou. Photo: SCMP Pictures

GUANGZHOU

Three die in bus crash

A bus travelling from Guangzhou to Leizhou flipped over, killing three people and injuring 10 others, Guangzhou Daily reports. One of the passengers said the driver started swerving on the road at about 90 km/h to 100 km/h and the bus flipped. The bus owners have been accused of charging customers without a licence.

Bigamist back in jail

A bigamist from Shenzhen who was let out of prison because he was supposedly seriously ill has been put back in jail, the Guangzhou Daily reports. The man, who is in his 50s, had been jailed for a year for marrying twice, but after his release on medical parole his second wife boasted to the first that there was nothing wrong with him and nothing she could do about it. The first wife formally complained to the courts and he is back behind bars.

HEILONGJIANG

Murderer executed

A man has been executed after he and his wife lured a teenaged girl to their home and killed her, Xinhua reports. Bai Yunjiang’s then-pregnant wife Tan Beibei told the girl on the street she had stomach pains and got her to accompany her home. Bai tried to rape the girl after she drank a drugged yoghurt drink and then suffocated her with a quilt, state media previously reported. The couple were convicted of the killing last year by a court in Jiamusi. Tan was jailed for life.

Traffic offences crackdown

Police in the province have carried out a three-day crackdown on traffic offences, the news website Dbw.cn reports. More than 20,000 officers were involved in the operation. Among the offences discovered were 133 cases of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

HENAN

Baby ‘dragged by cord’

A woman from Luoyang gave birth to a baby in a wheelchair in hospital and the child was dragged along the ground by its umbilical cord, the Dahe Daily reports. The woman was on the way to have a caesarian section when she gave birth. She was moved a few metres with the child’s heading touching the floor before staff realised what had happened, the report said. It was not clear if the child survived.

Missing-kidney suit

A woman from Xiangcheng is taking legal action after her right kidney was allegedly removed by mistake during surgery, the Huashang Daily reports. She has had two sets of surgery on other parts of her body to remove growths and tumours, but found during an ultrasound that her kidney was missing. She discovered the loss in 2008, but has yet to find out what happened.

HUNAN

Blackmailer jail term cut

A woman from Changsha, who blackmailed an official she had sex with by threatening to release nude photographs of him, has had her prison sentence cut, the news website Rednet.cn reports. A court in Tianxin district reduced her jail term from 1½ years to 10 months. She was also fined 30,000 yuan (HK$38,000). The report did not say why the court cut the sentence. The woman had demanded 400,000 yuan from the official. He refused and contacted the police.

US movie firm deal

Hollywood studio Lions Gate Entertainment is planning a US$1.5 billion film project with Hunan TV, the mainland’s second-largest broadcaster, China Radio International reports. Hunan TV will acquire distribution rights to four Lions Gate films a year on the mainland and the US company will help distribute movies produced by the Chinese firm on the international market.

JIANGSU

‘Nuisance callers’ held

A man from Changzhou and his son have been arrested for calling the police 150 times in a month, the Yangtse Evening Post reports. They complained about illegal gambling next door, but despite putting more than 10 officers on the case the police never found any evidence of wrongdoing. The man and his son run a cafe and they were angry that the mahjong and poker parlour next door was stealing their customers. They have been put in detention for seven and five days and charged with disturbing the peace.

‘London bridge’ is filthy

A replica of London’s Tower Bridge in Suzhou is surrounded by rubbish and filthy, polluted water, the news website News.2500sz.com reports. Buildings nearby are being demolished and many residents have moved away from the area, the report said. An official in charge of a water station said sediment had not been cleared for years and water levels had been low recently, which had turned reserves yellow. Some of his staff have alleged that workers at nearby construction sites have secretly dumped debris into the water. Suzhou has an extensive canal network and many replica bridges, including one of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

SHANGHAI

Expired medicines sold

A man from the Baoshan district has been charged with selling drugs that were past their sell-by date, the Shanghai Daily reports. The man allegedly sold the medicines to private clinics and unlicensed pharmacies at lower prices. His warehouse was raided in November.

Police officer ‘assaulted’

A woman has been jailed for one year for attacking a police officer after she was accused of trying to steal from a foreigner she had sex with, the Shanghai Daily reports. The woman met the foreigner at a bar last November and after spending the night together the man awoke to find her riffling through his things. He called the police. The woman hit the officer when he tried to take her away for questioning.

SICHUAN

Snow hits train services

Snow has disrupted train services between Chengdu and Hubei province, Xinhua reports. Trains on about a dozen routes suffered delays. Rail staff handed out drinks and snacks to passengers whose journeys had been disrupted.

Big forest fire

The authorities had to evacuate 114 villagers from their homes after a forest fire in Yajiang county, the news website Chinanews.com reports. About seven hectares of land were burned. The cause of the fire is not known. About 30 firefighters helped tackle the blaze. There were no reports of any injuries.

ZHEJIANG

Kissed robber and fled

A woman in Hangzhou kissed a masked robber threatening her with a knife to distract him so she could flee, the Qianjiang Evening News reports. She gave him 900 yuan when he threatened her in the street, but he wanted more and dragged her to an ATM. She pretended to start crying and said, “Just take me, I’ve been dumped.” She pulled down his mask, kissed him and then ran to a taxi and called the police. The robber was later caught.

Teenager kills girl, 5

A teenaged boy from Taizhou has been accused of molesting and killing a five-year-old girl in a dispute over 15 yuan, the Today Morning Express reports. The boy thought the girl had stolen the cash, so he searched her and found 14 yuan. He thought she might cry out for help so took her to a nearby hill and searched again and molested her. He decided to kill her because he feared she would tell others what had happened.

 

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Around the nation: Phone scammer took millions from rural elderly over five years

Also: Itinerant beggars demand to be sent to Hainan for the winter; Fishermen pose as Somali pirates - in the Yangtze estuary

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 01 February, 2015, 10:13pm
UPDATED : Monday, 02 February, 2015, 12:30am

Two homeless men in Hefei, which saw snow at the weekend, asked a local shelter to buy them rail tickets to tropical Hainan to spend the winter. Photo: Xinhua

ANHUI

Nice try

Two homeless men in Hefei , who had twice rejected offers of a bed from the city's homeless shelter, returned the shelter yesterday asking for two train tickets to tropical Hainan as they said the city was too cold for them, Ahwang.cn reports. The men, in their 40s, had come from Heilongjiang to Anhui to beg. As one had a cold, and the other's shoes were broken, they asked to go to Hainan for winter. The shelter refused but bought them tickets back to Heilongjiang, the coldest province in China.

Game of owns

Hefei man Li Xin is suing a mainland online-game company and another player after his account was frozen a day he bought it for 9,999 yuan (HK$12,540), the Anhui Shangbao reports. Li bought the account from a third party last year, but the next day found the account had been frozen. The game company refused to activate it because another player had claimed the account, saying it had been stolen. Li claimed he was the victim and is seeking 7,215 yuan in compensation from the firm.

GUANGDONG

Relatively ugly

A 65-year-old Guangzhou woman has received 5,000 yuan in compensation from her 38-year-old relative after fighting with him over a tree and dousing him with liquid manure made from excrement, the New Express reports. The woman told a court that her relative took four gang members to her yard threatening to remove a tree planted on his land and injured her finger badly. The man denied the claim, saying she attacked his father. The court sentenced both to five days' detention but ordered the man to pay the woman 5,000 yuan.

Coma after massage

A Shenzhen man named Fang remains in a coma after a 35-minute Chinese-style massage, the Jing Bao reports. Fang's brother said staff at the massage centre thought Fang was asleep about an hour after his massage, but only realised something was wrong two hours after that. Fang underwent surgery for a cerebral haemorrhage after his carotid artery was damaged by intense stimulation or a strike.

GUANGXI

Miraculous escape

A woman in Wuzhou escaped unscathed after she was struck by a speeding motorcycle as she rushed to a catch a bus, Liaoning Television reports. But the motorcyclist is in a coma after he was thrown metres in the crash. The woman got up immediately as if nothing had happened and continued walking towards the bus without paying attention to the crash scene.

Deadly double standard

A Nanning man beat his wife to death for having an affair while he was working in Guangdong, Modern Life Daily reports. After hearing rumours about his wife, the man returned home and found other men's clothes there. However, the husband admitted to police that he had affairs in Guangdong.

FUJIAN

Four suspected of rape

Four men, aged from 59 to 72, have been arrested on suspicion of rape after an 18-year-old mentally retarded woman in Zhangzhou was found to be seven months pregnant, the Haixia Daobao reports. The woman did not know who the father was but the men admitted they had lured her with pocket money several times.

Boy, 12, on the run

A 12-year-old boy who did not want to return to his hometown slipped away from his migrant worker father at Zhangzhou train station and was not found for 12 hours, the Strait City Daily reports. The pair were about to return to Sichuan for Lunar New Year.

JIANGSU

Car hijacking backfires

A man who hijacked a woman's car and seized her daughter as she picked her up from primary school has been arrested two days after the event, the Modern Express reports. The woman went to check the boot of the car and found the man inside, with the girl, when she returned. He ordered the mother to drive to a bank to get money. Once out of the car, the mother raised the alarm and the man fled. Police said the unemployed man's motive for the crime was to get some money for a birthday party for his six-year-old son.

'Pirates' of penury

Nine fishermen from Lianyungang have been jailed for between five to 11 years in Nantong for robbery, the Yangtse Evening Post reports. Since 2012, the nine wore makeup and pretended to be Somali pirates as they robbed fishing boats in the Yangtze River estuary. It is not known if any of the victims actually believed they were east African pirates, but they paid them up to 50,000 yuan nonetheless. The nine told police they could hardly earn a living from fishing.

SHAANXI

Marriage turns icy

To save his marriage, a 25-year-old man in
Baoji had to run naked around a busy block in the city three times, on his wife's orders, Xinhua reports. When police arrived at the scene, the man was covered in a jacket given to him by passers-by. Police had called his family to take him home.

Dying driver calls daughter

A 46-year-old woman died after driving her Citroen off an icy road into a fast-flowing river in Baoji, the Huashang Daily reports. As the car sank, in the last moments of her life, the woman phoned her daughter to tell her about the accident and to take care of herself. When police arrived at the scene minutes later, the car was submerged and the woman had died.

SICHUAN

Mechanic taught car thief

A car mechanic in Xinjin county has been jailed for two years for teaching a man he knew was a thief how to start a cars without a key, the Chengdu Economic Daily reports. The thief initially towed stolen cars to the garage to have them started but then asked the mechanic to teach him how to hotwire the vehicles, the report said.

Phone scammer caught

A Chengdu man has been arrested for phone scams that netted him millions of yuan from elderly victims over five years, the Chengdu Economic Daily reports. The man called hundreds of rural residents every day, pretending to be their child. He falsely told them that he had found some money that he would transfer to them. He would later phone back saying that he had to give half of the money to other people, which the elderly victims would then send to him.

ZHEJIANG

Ex-boyfriend killed

A man was stabbed to death outside a flat in Hangzhou in a lovers triangle, the Xiandai Jinbao reports. The victim was the former boyfriend of a female resident, who was living with her current boyfriend. When the victim called on the woman, the two men argued and the new boyfriend killed the old one. The couple were apprehended.

Mystery siege

Residents of Xihuatou village, Cixi , and police were tight-lipped after an alleged siege in which the local woman party chief was held hostage for a 50,000 yuan ransom yesterday, the Xiandai Jinbao reports. After two hours, the woman asked her husband to pay her captors 20,000 yuan, which they said was not enough. Villagers and officials refused to disclose further details. The woman was sent to hospital but her condition was not known.

 

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Around the nation: Man drinks himself into coma at business dinner

PUBLISHED : Monday, 02 February, 2015, 8:23pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 03 February, 2015, 1:11am

A man in Yiwu who drank two litres of liquor at a business dinner suffered a gastric perforation and lapsed into a coma. Photo: Bloomberg

ZHEJIANG

Coma? I’ll drink to that

A man in Yiwu who drank two litres of liquor at a business dinner required two weeks of hospital treatment after suffering a gastric perforation and falling into a coma, the Qianjiang Evening News reports. The man, 23, was taken to hospital after he began vomiting uncontrollably and spitting out blood. After arriving at hospital he fell into the coma and was treated with a series of blood transfusions. His family have vowed to stop him drinking.

Con victim turns arsonist

A man enraged at losing 8,000 yuan in life savings to a pyramid scheme set fire to a shoe factory in Wenzhou, the Qianjiang Evening News reports. A court convicted the man, 27, of arson and sentenced him to 11 years in jail. It ordered him to pay 110,000 yuan in compensation.

BEIJING

Old man dies in ditch

A man, 79, who was suffering from senile dementia, died in a ditch one week after becoming disoriented and lost near his home in Chaoyang district, the Beijing News reports. The man, who had wandered into the neighbouring Tongzhou district, died despite having been noticed by passers-by and sent to the police station on two occasions. Tongzhou police failed to find a note in his pocket with his family’s contact details. It was noticed during an autopsy, which determined that the man had frozen to death.

Theme park work to start

Construction of a 2 million square metre Universal Studios theme park will begin in Tongzhou district this year, Xinhua reports, citing the district’s annual government work report. The park, approved by the central authorities in September, is forecast to attract investment of 50 billion yuan (HK$62 billion) and is scheduled for completion in 2019. It will feature a retail and entertainment complex and the world’s first Universal-themed resort hotel.

CHONGQING

Nip-and-tuck tourism

Plastic surgery tourism trips to South Korea are growing in popularity among Chongqing residents, about 1,000 of whom travelled to the country for operations last year, the Chongqing Morning Post reports. Most travelled with tourist groups, according to one travel agent, who said that some agencies were offering sightseeing trips tailored towards guests who would be receiving plastic surgery during their visit. An industry insider said most opted for facial operations, which cost at least 20,000 yuan.

Trains delayed … to 2017

A property developer erected a bogus light railway sign near its project in the northern suburbs to lure people into buying homes there, the Chongqing Morning Post reports. Believing a new rail station had been built, many residents began searching for it, only to find that while a station was indeed planned, it was not scheduled to begin operation until 2017.

GANSU

Bronze price tempts gang

Rising bronze prices tempted a gang of eight to steal 12 bronze sculptures worth more than 150,000 yuan from across Yumen city, the Western Economic Daily reports. Police captured the gang after finding eight of the sculptures in a waste collection station late last month.

Love can rust a bridge

About 30 padlocks have been fastened to the Zhongshan Bridge across the Yellow River by amorous couples eager to display their love, Xinhua reports. Officials said workers had been sent to remove the padlocks but they kept reappearing. They fear the padlocks will cause the 106-year-old bridge to rust.

GUANGDONG

Couple’s home demolished

The home of an elderly couple in Guangzhou was demolished while they were away, the newspaper Xinxi Shibao reports. The couple, in their eighties, had earlier rejected the demolition company’s compensation offer of 5,000 yuan. All their belongings were destroyed. The couple, who had lived there 20 years, are suing the company.

Stabbed in head for purse

A woman in the Nanhai district of Foshan was stabbed by a robber after she refused to give up her purse, the Foshan Daily reports. The woman had been playing with her phone while waiting at a bus stop when the robber confronted her, then stabbed her repeatedly in the head and hands. Witnesses called an ambulance and the woman, bleeding heavily, was taken to hospital where doctors saved her. The police are searching for the robber.

SHAANXI

Poisoner is 4th time lucky

A woman in Yulin has been detained on suspicion of poisoning her abusive husband, after three unsuccessful attempts, Shaanxi Radio Television reports. She allegedly killed him by mixing pesticide into his dinner last month. She married the man after divorcing her first husband, with whom she had four children. She told police that her second husband often beat her children.

Detergent burns toddler

A toddler and her grandfather suffered burns to their faces when the old man, holding the girl in his arms, fell on to a floor that was being cleaned with a strong detergent in a restaurant in Hanzhong, the Huashang Daily reports. The girl’s grandmother also suffered burns to her face when she lifted her up and the girl’s wet clothes touched her face. All three, who were attending a wedding banquet, were sent to hospital.

SHANGHAI

Cabbies seek fair fare

All the money generated from taxi fare rises in the city will benefit drivers and not their companies, Xinmin.cn reports, citing transport officials. Shanghai taxi drivers have complained that they are struggling to make ends meet as too much of their takings must go to their companies. According to the municipal federation of trade unions, Shanghai taxi drivers made an average of 22 yuan per hour in 2013, which was below the municipal workers’ average.

Rare deer rarer still

Three rare deer released into a forest in Songjiang district were found dead over the weekend, two of them with bite marks on their throats, Xinmin.cn reports. Researchers who found the Chinese water deer suspect they died of fright or dog bites. The deer were among 10 released into a 12-hectare conservation area in December in an effort to reintroduce the species, which once lived in Shanghai but disappeared over a century ago.

YUNNAN

Firearms go up in fire

Police in Tengchong spent 15 hours destroying five trucks’ worth of guns and ammunition that were confiscated last year, the Spring City Evening News reports. Officers incinerated and buried more than 1,600 guns, detonated 4.8 tonnes of explosives and discharged about 38,000 bullets.

Foreigners’ high Aids rate

Foreigners last year accounted for more than 60 per cent of all Aids patients in Yunnan province’s Dehong prefecture, which borders Myanmar, China Youth Daily reports. In some counties, the rate could be more than 80 per cent, the prefecture’s deputy governor told a meeting on the weekend. He called for funds to control and prevent the disease among foreigners, but did not reveal the total number of Aids patients in the prefecture, which has a population of more than 1.2 million.

 

[Garbage]

.......................

 

[DepecheMode]

Get the balance right....

 

[Spetsnaz]

Around the nation: Abandoned boy, 8, stranded at school

Also: Fish with a dash of opium; woman divorces husband to marry nephew for sake of daughter's education

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 03 February, 2015, 11:06pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 03 February, 2015, 11:06pm

An eight-year-old boy has been living at a primary school in Henan after he was abandoned by his father in August. Photo: SCMP Pictures

HENAN

Son stranded at school

An eight-year-old boy has been stranded at a school in Linzhou since his father abandoned him in August, the Dahe News reports. The father took the boy to the primary school for registration in August and said he would return to pay the tuition, but has not been seen since. The father had custody of the boy after a divorce and his mother remarried into a poor family. The local civil affairs authority said they could only make the boy a ward if police proved his father was missing, but so far police say that is not legally the case.

Villagers block train

Six people were detained and 22 others faced "public security punishment" in Xixia county after they stood on train tracks to block a passenger train in a protest against their local government, Huashang Daily reports. Hundreds residents tried to petition the county government over a property dispute on Monday morning but got no response. More than 20 villagers then walked on to a railroad track and held up a train for 20 minutes.

ANHUI

Bicycle beat-up

The Fuyang government has denied it bought thousands of bicycles for nearly 10,000 yuan (HK$12,500) each, saying the funds covered all the expenses of a five-year public bicycle project, Xinhua reports. The city spent 65 million yuan on the project, which included the purchase of 6,500 bicycles to be rented to the public last year, leading to suspicions of corruption involving overpriced bikes. Officials said the money also included maintenance, setting up 7,800 stands at 200 bicycle stations, buying six bike transport vans and two maintenance vans, and wages for 90 management staff.

Personal data sold

An employee of a professional testing centre in Hefei has confessed to selling the personal information of 410,000 candidates, the Anhui Business News reports. Test candidates complained that they received unsolicited calls from vocational schools almost immediately after signing up for professional tests such as accountancy or architecture. The 31-year-old employee sold personal information for 1.4 yuan per person to training schools, pocketing 570,000 yuan.

BEIJING

Subway blitz

Beijing will dispatch inspectors to crack down on beggars, people handing out leaflets and fare evaders on the subway in May, the Beijing Morning Post reports. The subway operator said about 25,000 such people a day either bought the cheapest tickets or avoided paying altogether. The inspectors will be authorised to issue on-the-spot fines of between 50 yuan to 1,000 yuan for begging, 100 yuan to 10,000 yuan for handing out advertising leaflets, and 10 times the ticket price for fare evaders. No payout for hot pot

A court has rejected a woman's demand for 70,000 yuan in compensation after her young son ate a disinfection tablet at a hot pot restaurant, but warned the restaurant not to allow the mistake again, the Beijing Times reports. The woman took her two-year-old boy to a hot pot restaurant in March and found the boy vomiting in the middle of the meal. They then found the boy ate a disinfection tablet, used for sterilising eating utensils. The court said no compensation should be paid if the child showed no lasting effects after a series of checks and the restaurant paid the medical bills.

CHONGQING

Addictive dishes

A court in Hechuan district sentenced two restaurant owners to a year in jail, suspended for 18 months, and fined them 20,000 yuan for adding opium husks, a banned substance, to food to hook customers, Cqnews.net reports. The two ground the husks and sprinkled them on fish dishes. Growing opium is illegal in China, except for a single farm in Gansu that supplies medical morphine producers.

Airport upgrade

Chongqing Jiangbei Airport will open a third runway and a new 533,000 square metre terminal building in the first half of next year, the Chongqing Evening Post reports. The runway will raise annual capacity to 45 million passengers and 550,000 tonnes of cargo.

GUANGDONG

Vet kowtows

A 59-year-old vet in Foshan knelt down in front of the body of a dog that died a day after he performed an operation to sterilise the animal, the Southern Metropolis Daily reports. The vet insisted the owner should have told him the dog was 11 years old or he would never performed the surgery, while the owner said the vet should have told him of the risks of the operation. The owner insisted the vet kneel down to apologise to the dog and the vet obeyed, for fear of being beaten up by the owner. They settled later at a police station, with the vet apologising again to the owner, while the owner did not ask for compensation.

Bus hijacker charged

A man who was hallucinating on drugs when he hijacked a bus in Guangzhou in December has been formally arrested for endangering public safety, the Guangzhou Daily reports. The man had consumed ketamine and methamphetamine before boarding the bus and slashing seats with a knife. Passengers were able to leave the vehicle, but the driver was held by the man during a three-hour stand-off with police before being overpowered. Criminal suspects can be detained for 30 days, sometimes longer, for investigation, before being "formally arrested" when police believe they have sufficient evidence to press charges.

JIANGSU

Cracking cops

Jiangsu's public security department cracked all but two murder cases in the province last year, a rate of 99.6 per cent, Jschina.com.cn reports. Jiangsu has boasted of having the country's highest rates for 11 years, with no false convictions.

Ashes returned

Police detained two men in Donghai county for stealing a woman's ashes and demanding her family pay 200,000 yuan for their return, the Jiangnan Times reports. The ashes were stolen from her tomb last year. Last month her son received a text message demanding 200,000 yuan for the return of the ashes. Police traced the mobile phone to the two men.

SHAANXI

False sense of entitlement

A street community officer in Yanbao has been sacked for demanding 700 yuan from low-income families soon after they received 1,000 yuan allowances, Huashang Daily reports. A post appeared online on Monday claiming that the officer had gone to the homes of 15 families who had just received a 1,000 yuan allowance, and demanded - for no apparent reason - that they pay him 700 yuan. He was soon found out and sacked. The money was returned to the families.

Bathhouse arson foiled

A man in Xian has been jailed for two years for threatening to burn down a bathhouse after an argument, Huashang Daily reports. The man was drunk when he went to the bathhouse last year to demand that his membership be cancelled and refunded. He then bought a container of petrol and splashed it in the lobby, but was stopped by a relative and a staff member who grabbed a lighter from him.

ZHEJIANG

All in the family

A Ningbo woman has been prevented from marrying her nephew so her daughter could enrol at a Shanghai school, China.com.cn reports. Wedding registry staff became suspicious after finding out the couple had an age difference of 21 years and that the woman had divorced her husband only the day before. The woman said her daughter wanted to enrol at a school that required one parent to be a bachelor degree holder and own at least one property in the city. The woman divorced her husband to marry the nephew, who met the criteria.

Cashier checks out

A supermarket cashier in Ningbo has been arrested for embezzling 100,000 yuan after faking refunds for half a year, Zjol.com.cn reports. The supermarket did not require that goods be returned for refunds, so the cashier falsified receipts while pocketing the cash. Her plan came unstuck when the supermarket found records of refunds for goods that were no longer being sold. The woman gave herself up to police.

 

[Spetsnaz]

20 to be indicted in US$860 China financial scam

Xinhua
2015-02-02

Twenty people have been transferred to the procuratorate and are to be indicted in north China's Hebei province for a 5.39 billion yuan (US$862 million) fundraising scam, local authorities said Sunday.

A total of 36,000 people across the country claimed that they invested 5.39 billion yuan in the illegal fund-raising scheme by HJJGold Investment Group based in the city of Langfang, the city government said in a press release.

The group, which claimed to have more than 3,000 outlets nationwide, promised high returns for gold investment and bank saving-like wealth management products.

Local police launched an investigation in September last year as the group was found to be allegedly involved in absorbing public savings.

Twenty suspects, including the owner of the group, were officially arrested in early November.

The owner and his relatives used some of the funds on huge purchases of houses and luxury cars.

By Saturday, local police had frozen 2.8 billion yuan (US$448.5 million) funds, seized 489 kg of gold products, 231 kg of silver products and 66 cars, and sealed up 191 houses and 210,000 square meters of land with the group.

 

[Spetsnaz]

Around the nation: Aussie redback spider stowaway found at Guangdong port

Also: Quack doctor dismembers dead patient; Minibus driver kills man to fake his own death

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 9:48pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 04 February, 2015, 9:49pm

A venomous redback spider has been found by Customs officers in Guangdong among a container of iron frames from Australia. Photo: SCMP Pictures

GUANGDONG

Aussie spider invades

Quarantine officials in Zengcheng have seized a dangerous castaway - a venomous redback spider - in a shipment of metal frames from Australia, the Southern Daily reports. The spider, also known as Latrodectus hasselti, delivers a painful bite that can be lethal without prompt treatment.

Fetal gender tests seized

Customs officers at the Luohu border crossing in Shenzhen recently seized blood vials and documents for fetus sex identification tests that arrived from Hong Kong, China News Service reports. The haul included 12 fetus sex identification reports, 50 empty blood collection vials and 25 consent forms for the prenatal tests for possible new clients, China News Service reports. Such tests are legal in Hong Kong, but not on the mainland.

FUJIAN

Patient 'dismembered'

Fuzhou police have captured an unlicensed doctor who allegedly killed a patient by giving the wrong medication and then dismembered the body and thew it in a river, the Strait Metropolis Daily reports. The 39-year-old victim went to see the doctor at his clinic on January 30, but died after he was put on a drip. A river cleaner found two bags of body parts the next day.

Funds paid gambling debts

An official at a hydropower station in Longyan has been jailed for 23 years for using millions of yuan of public funds to repay his gambling debts, the Southeast Express reports. The man confessed that he lost 20 to 30 million yuan between 2009 and early 2012 in playing mahjong, using either public funds or borrowed money.

HEILONGJIANG

Clues left in wallet

A man in Harbin has received a suspended one-year jail sentence for withdrawing 13,000 yuan (HK$16,000) from two bank cards in a wallet he found on the street, the Xin News reports. The man guessed the password - the owner's birth date - for five bank cards in the wallet by checking the owner's ID card. He withdrew the money from two accounts at an automatic telling machine in October. The other three cards had no money in the accounts. He returned the money and was fined 20,000 yuan.

Mass deaths of pigeons

Disease control officials in Harbin are investigating the mysterious death of more than 800 pigeons at a landmark square in the city in the past month, the Life Daily reports. More than 1,200 pigeons were raised by the square management department but 800 of them died in four batches since the start of last month.

HUBEI

Villagers save driver

Twelve villagers have been praised in Nanzhang county, Xiangfan for saving a driver whose pickup truck plunged into a two-metre ditch on a country road, the Hubei Daily reports. The 12 local residents ran to the ditch and pulled the driver out of the vehicle after hearing a loud bang about 50 metres from their homes. Doctors said the badly injured driver would have died were it not for the villagers' efforts.

Looming parking crisis

Political advisers in Wuhan have warned of an impending shortage of parking spaces in the city and said the pace of adding more should be quickened, the Chutian Jin Bao reports. Deputies of the municipal people's political consulting conference said at their annual session on Tuesday that the city had planned to build 70 public parking lots since 2010, but only eight had been added by mid-last year. A deputy blamed complicated approval procedures among various departments for the delay.

JIANGXI

Don't try this at home

A man in Nanchang remains in hospital after he stuck a toothbrush in his anus while trying to ease constipation, which caused a stomachache and bleeding, China News Service reports. Doctors had to remove the 20cm brush from his body on Tuesday after he was rushed to the hospital the night before, but they said the 61-year-old was still under observation since his rectum was injured.

Seven hurt as bus hits shop

Seven people were injured when a public bus in Fuzhou crashed into a shop on Tuesday, China News Service reports. The vehicle lost control after giving way to an electric bicycle, then collided with a car and four other electric bicycles, before hitting the shop, police said.

SHANDONG

Baking powder crackdown

Jinan police busted five restaurants for using baking powder containing aluminium to make steamed bread, China National Radio reports. The metal is a banned additive that can damage the nervous system and brain if consumed over a long period. A police officer said surprisingly high amounts of the chemical were found in spot checks of one restaurant in December. Four other restaurants were found making steamed bread containing up to 1 gram of aluminium per kilogram of dough.

Real death in staged one

A married man in Weifang allegedly killed a man so he could use the body in an elaborate plan to fake his own death, Iqilu.com reports. The man, who was detained by police with his mistress earlier this month, confessed that they used his minibus to hit a woman pedestrian and her boyfriend at night late last month. Both victims were knocked out. The couple let the woman go, but kept the unconscious man inside the vehicle, which they set on fire to give the impression that the husband had burned to death, and the two could flee.

SHANGHAI

Metro cheat loaded

A beggar caught trying to evade the fare at a subway station on Metro Line 3 was found to have more than 5,000 yuan in her backpack, which she and her grandmother earned over the past two days, the Jiefang Daily reports. The woman, in her 20s, was stopped by staff when she entered the station without a ticket. The two women left their hometown a few days earlier and had been begging on lines 3 and 4 after arriving in Shanghai.

Surrogate swindle

A woman has been arrested for swindling people of more than 400,000 yuan with promises of arranging illegal surrogate mothers in the name of her former employer, the Jiefang Daily reports. Yangpu district prosecutors said the suspect worked at an investment firm that was involved in the illegal surrogacy business in 2008 and left in 2011. She tricked two women with fake contracts and asked for surrogacy service charges after she started a new job. The deception was found out when a client checked with the former employer after she was told the surrogate mother had suffered a miscarriage.

ZHEJIANG

Left to die on road

A man in Yuhuan county was run over and dragged to death by a passing car after he fell down on the street and was ignored by passers-by over the weekend, Sina.com.cn reports. Surveillance footage showed four vehicles and 23 people passed by the 57-year-old man without offering assistance.

Wetland park planned

Fuyang city plans to build a national wetland park covering 50 sq km by 2020, Zjol.com.cn reports. The park will include several islands on the Fuchun River, according to a wetland protection plan.

 

[Spetsnaz]

Around the nation: 18-tonne gem goes on display in Guangxi

Also: Boy chops off hand to overcome internet addiction; Property developer covers concreted site with potted trees to pass environmental inspection

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 05 February, 2015, 10:00pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 05 February, 2015, 10:00pm

The owner spent years cutting and polishing a 53-tonne bloodstone boulder to its present size. Photo: SCMP Pictures

GUANGXI

Massive gem on show

An 18-tonne piece of highly coloured bloodstone estimated to be worth more than 300 million yuan has gone on show in Guilin , China News Service reports. The owner, who is the deputy head of the Guilin Bloodstone Association, bought the stone as a rough, 53-tonne boulder six years ago. He spent the intervening years polishing it down into the present gem.

Fifty shades of green

A property developer in Nanning grew trees on concreted ground to pass a project assessment by city authorities, the China News Service reports. Dozens of brick boxes were built in front of the 32-storey building, filled with earth and planted with trees. Workers said the trees would be removed when the inspections were over.

BEIJING

Schools to get physical

Primary and middle schools in Beijing will add physical education classes and introduce winter sports as part of its drive to apply to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Beijing Times reports. Education officials did not give further details, but the capital's schools at present are required to have two PE classes for grades 10 to 12, three for grades 3 to 9 and four for grades 1 and 2.

Lung cancer rates soar

Reported cases of lung cancer grew by more than 40 per cent in the past, the Beijing Morning Post reports. Lung cancer is now the most common cancer among Beijing residents, followed by colorectal cancer and gastric cancer, the municipal health commission says. More than 8,200 lung cancer cases were recorded in Beijing in 2012, accounting for 20 per cent of all cancers that year.

FUJIAN

Gas spill leaves 5 dead

Five workers died after a toxic gas leak at a thermal energy plant in Yongan , the Strait City Daily reports. One worker was fixing a valve of a wastewater pool at the plant on Wednesday and was poisoned by hydrogen sulphide leaking from the bottom of the pool. Four colleagues who were sent to rescue him were also overcome by the fumes. The five workers were taken to hospital but did not survive.

Official 'raped girl, 13'

An official in Zhenghe county, Nanping , has been accused of raping a teenage girl, who got pregnant and gave birth recently, Fj.people.cn reports. Local police confirmed that the official had been detained and that the girl, who attends a local middle school, was under 14 when she became pregnant. A staff member said the official was a department head at the county's finance bureau, and been absent from work since the middle of last month.

GANSU

Taxi restrictions dropped

The Lanzhou city government cancelled a 20-year-old driving restriction on cabs from yesterday, as the city's demand for taxis grows, the China News Service reports. The restriction, first introduced in 1984 to battle traffic congestion and air pollution, required taxis to operate every other day. But as demand for taxis rose, the rule was changed in 2012 to allow taxis to operated six days a week. Yesterday it was dropped altogether, allowing drivers to operate on any day of the week.

Migrants receive back-pay

Thousands of migrant workers in Tianshui will receive delayed wages totalling almost 70 million yuan in time for the Lunar New Year, Tsrb.com.cn reports. More than 3,700 employees of 300 companies and organisations were finally paid following the joint intervention of various departments in a crackdown of wage abuse launched late last year. The crackdown "helped maintain social stability" before the holidays, officials said.

JIANGSU

Handed a second chance

A teenager cut off his hand to break his internet addiction had it reattached over the weekend by surgeons in Nantong , the Yangtse Evening Post reports. The boy, who frequently skipped school to visit internet cafes, got anxious about his studies and took the drastic step of cutting off his own hand last week. He then took a taxi to hospital and underwent a 10-hour operation.

Court disqualifies parents

A court in Xuzhou has withdrawn the guardianship of parents of a 10-year-old girl who was raped by her father and abandoned by her mother, China National Radio reports. However, the court did not reach a decision on an application by local Civil Affairs Bureau officials to be interim guardians until an adoption agreement could be signed with another woman. The girl said she wouldn't live with her parents or any of their relatives. In the meantime, she is staying at the home of the woman who is applying to adopt her.

SHAANXI

Zhou tomb complex found

Archaeologists have found 376 ancient tombs from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046-771BC) in Jingyang county, north of Xian , the Huashang Daily reports. The tombs are scattered along a 2km line and vary from 50 to 80 metres in width. Six pits with chariots and horses were found nearby. Experts believe the site was an army garrison.

Licence to con

A man in Baishui county has been jailed for seven years and fined 50,000 yuan for defrauding dozens of victims of a total of 230,000 yuan, the Huashang Daily reports. Claiming he had connections in the local vehicle administration, the man received "study fees" from 61 people, including his girlfriend's relatives. He promised that he could get them a driver's licence - without sitting for a test or having a health check-up - a couple of months after receiving their payment. He turned himself in May after spending all the money.

SHANGHAI

Problematic potions

The Pudong New Area People's Court has heard 32 cases of drugs illegally purchased from overseas since 2013, including 23 cases of drugs containing excessive levels of hormones, Thepaper.cn reports. The court said that since most of the cases involved "adult products", people were reluctant to report problems. Foreign medicines not approved by the State Food and Drug Administration are deemed "fake drugs".

Anti-pollution projects

The city government has earmarked 100 billion yuan over the next three years for more than 200 pollution-reduction projects, the China Business News reports. Authorities said the projects would cover eight areas of concern: water, air, soil, waste, industry, agriculture, ecology and recycling.

SICHUAN

Surgical bungle corrected

Surgeons in Chengdu have removed a rubber strip from the vagina of a woman who suffered an abscess and severe abdominal pain, the West China City News reports. The 20-year- old woman had three operations at another hospital in the city late last year to treat an abscess but her condition didn't improve. She visited another hospital and doctors removed the 3cm by 2cm strip last month, which they believe was left inside her during one of the earlier operations.

Phone scams on the rise

Police in Sichuan dealt with 12,000 telecommunications scams last year, which involved more than 300 million yuan, the West China City News reports. Telecom scams have grown by 20 per cent a year since 2010. Telecom providers in the province block about 23 million spam text messages each month, most related to scams.

 

[Midway]

Around the nation: Fourth panda dies of canine distemper in Shaanxi

Also: Kindergartern teachers 'abused pupils with sharp objects'; Former husband jailed for arson attack that injured his own children

PUBLISHED : Friday, 06 February, 2015, 10:14pm
UPDATED : Friday, 06 February, 2015, 10:14pm

A panda looks out of his cage at Beijing zoo. A fourth panda has died of canine distemper at a wildlife breeding centre in Shaanxi. Photo: EPA

SHAANXI

Another panda dies

A fourth giant panda has died from canine distemper at the province's endangered wildlife research centre, Shaanxi Television reports. Seven-year-old Fengfeng was diagnosed with the disease in late December and lapsed into a coma early last month. The disease affects many species of animals and is a leading cause of death in dogs.

Luxury goods hit

Sales of luxury goods in the province have slumped over the past year due to the central government's anti-graft campaign, the Huashang Daily reports. Managers of luxury shops said the number of visitors at some boutiques had fallen by half as fewer people bought luxury gifts. Another factor was the reduced spending power in the wealthy north of the province, the major source of consumers of such goods in past years, industry insiders said.

ANHUI

Dumped baby recovering

A newborn baby is recovering in hospital in Suzhou after she was dumped in a toilet by her 19-year-old single mother who gave birth in a car, the Anhui Business News reports. The mother, who is now under house arrest, told police that she had the baby on the way to the hospital, and abandoned it in the washroom at her mother's workplace.

Bribed official jailed

An official with the real estate bureau of Hefei has been jailed for 10 years for taking more 250,000 yuan (HK$315,000) in bribes, the Anhui Business News reports. The man, 51, abused his power to favour several property projects in exchange for bribes from developers and agents during his decade-long service at the bureau.

BEIJING

Names preserved, at least

Municipal authorities have drafted regulations that would ban new roads, bridges, squares and other public places being named after Chinese leaders or foreigners, but would let existing names to stay if they were not offensive, the Beijing Morning Post reports. The rules set standards for preserving ancient place names. For example, the names of hutongs, the narrow alleyways between the city's iconic courtyard houses, must be retained in the names of newly built roads nearby.

Driver on trial

A motorist is standing trial over the death of a pedestrian who was run over by three vehicles on a major road in Fangshan district in October, the Beijing Times reports. The first car hit the victim, in his 60s, at a crossroad, and the driver pulled over to phone for help but forgot to activate his hazard lights, the Fangshan district court heard. Two other cars then ran over the man, who was dead by the time an ambulance arrived. The court will deliver its judgment later.

GUANGDONG

Old-folks town

Xuwen county in Zhanjiang has named itself "China's town of longevity" as the percentage of its residents aged 100 or more is five times the central government's standard for the honour, the China News Service reports. The standard states that a location with more than three centenarians per 100,000 residents can be considered a place of extraordinary longevity. Xuwen, with a population of 730,000, boasts 112 residents who have celebrated their 100th birthday.

Minivan crash kills 11

Eleven people died and two are in critical condition after their minivan crashed in roadside ditch in Xingning county on Wednesday, the Southern Daily reports. The driver, a villager from neighbouring Longchuan county, was carrying relatives to a wedding in Meizhou when the vehicle, which could seat 11, rolled during a sharp turn.

HUNAN

Train stops in time

A train travelling from Huaihua to Loudi was barely able to stop in time to avoid hitting three boys playing on the tracks in Lianyuan , Rednet.cn reports. The driver applied the brake 300 metres from the boys after seeing them moving on the tracks on Wednesday. The train, which was travelling 80km/h came to a halt in front of the children, who climbed to the roadside after hearing the whistle.

Acid attacker arrested

A man in Leiyang who poured half a litre of sulphuric acid over his mistress in 2012, then later paid compensation, is to stand trial after being formally arrested for the offence, the Sanxiang Metropolis Daily reports. The man, 42, started an affair with the married woman in 2008 and attacked her in June 2012 after she wanted to break up. He later paid more 270,000 yuan in compensation and 100,000 yuan for medical fees to the victim, who had severe scars over her body and face.

SHANDONG

Abuse claims investigated

Police in Liaocheng have detained two kindergarten teachers who allegedly abused pupils with sharp objects, the Qilu Evening News reports. About 20 children at a kindergarten in the city have been pricked and pinched by two young women teachers with pencils, toothpicks and ear studs as punishment for disobeying the teachers, local authorities said. Parents weren't aware of the problem until a child told his mother about it, according to the report.

Animal waster clogs river

A river in a town in Liaocheng has been clogged with hundreds of bags containing animal waste, Iqilu.com reports. A villager said the bags, weighing several tonnes, were filled with animal parts such as chicken bones and butchered scraps. It is not known where they came from or who dumped them. The local environment bureau is removing the waste.

SHANGHAI

Airport traffic improved

Aircraft can now land or take off simultaneously at Pudong International Airport's parallel runways, the Oriental Morning Post reports. The new flying mode, introduced on Thursday, is expected to cut long waiting times and flight delays, an air traffic controller at the airport was quoted as saying. Previously, aircraft had to keep a distance of at least 2km on the runways.

Navigation system tested

Shanghai's maritime authority has launched a trial of China's own Beidou navigation system to guide ships in poor visibility, Eastday.com reports. The Yangshan Deep-Water Port was forced to delay the operations of large ships for more than 50 days last year because of poor visibility, mostly due to smog, an authority spokesman said.

SICHUAN

Sweets meet bitter end

Over 10 tonnes of sweets have been dumped at a waste recycling company in Chengdu after they were used to form a colourful candy carpet in front of the city's International Financial Square a week ago, the West China City News reports. The 2.7 million sweets were laid on the ground to form a 185-metre by seven-metre wide "carpet" as part of the tower's first anniversary celebration. The organiser promised to give away the sweets after the exhibition, but unexpected rain turned them to mush.

Husband jailed for arson

A man has been jailed for eight years for setting fire to his former wife's home, injuring their two children and the woman's mother, the West China City News reports. The man, who divorced the woman in 2013, had asked for to remarriage but was refused. Infuriated, he threw two bottles of petrol into a bedroom of the woman's home, where the grandmother and his own children were taking a nap, in March last year.

 

[Spetsnaz]

China among 'worst of the worst' as global freedom declines: report

2015/01/28 22:09:05

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) China maintained its spot near the bottom of this year's Freedom in the World index, ranking among the "worst of the worst" offenders in terms of both civil and political rights as freedom rankings declined worldwide.

The annual report by U.S.-based human rights watchdog Freedom House cited centralization of authority in China, handing it a score of 7 out of 7 for its citizens' political rights, indicating "few or no political rights because of severe government oppression," and 6 out of 7 for civil liberties, indicating strong limits on expression and association and the frequent detention of political prisoners.

Lower numbers indicate a higher level of freedom based on the organization's methodology.

The report, published online Wednesday, cited hardline policies by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who it called the most powerful Communist Party leader in a decade and a half.

Freedom House noted targeted actions taken by the Chinese government against civil organizations, academics and sanctioned churches as well as increased Internet censorship and suppression of the Uyghur minority.

China was scored particularly poorly for its electoral process, discretionary political rights (i.e., treatment of minorities), and rule of law.

China's overall score of 6.5 puts it on par with the Gaza Strip and Cuba.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, was marked 2 for civil liberties and 5 for political rights, earning an overall 3.5 and a "partly free" status.

The report noted China's growing influence over the special administrative region despite major public resistance, while attacks on journalists, corporations withdrawing advertising from certain "critical media outlets," and self-censorship drove freedom of the press to decline sharply.

However, the semi-autonomous territory earned high marks for rule of law.

Taiwan in contrast earned an overall score of 1.5 -- a score of 2 for civil liberties and 1 for political rights.

No in-depth report was issued for Taiwan, but the scores were unchanged from the 2014 report, when the island received high marks in electoral process and pluralism.

Last year, concerns were voiced over new cases of corruption in Taiwan's government, bias in the media and judicial independence.

Taiwan's score put it on par with Croatia and Israel.

Freedom House said that worldwide freedom declined over the past year for the ninth year running. Its scores showed that 61 countries exhibited erosions of freedom while just 33 saw improvements.

Of 195 countries and territories assessed, 89 were labeled "free," 55 labeled "partly free," and 51 "not free."

"Until recently, most authoritarian regimes claimed to respect international agreements and paid lip service to the norms of competitive elections and human rights," said Arch Puddington, Freedom House's vice president for research, in a press release.

"Today they argue for the superiority of what amounts to one-party rule, and seek to throw off the constraints of fundamental diplomatic principles."

(By Wesley Holzer)

 

[flickr]

Fake app-ranking factory uncovered in China

Staff Reporter
2015-02-05

A female worker reportedly gives out fake ratings to apps by physically going handset to handset. (Internet photo)

A photo recently uploaded online in China showing someone reportedly working on an array of mobile phones has gone viral overnight, as it gives a glimpse into China's app-ranking manipulation factory, reports Tencent Technology.

In the photo posted on to China's Weibo microblog, a woman with about a hundred iPhones placed before her appears to be giving out fake ratings to apps by going phone by phone.

About a hundred fake ratings, which have the potential to affect the top lists of Apple's App Store, can be created within an hour or two.

Apple has had adopted a number of measures to crackdown on fake downloads and cheating the rankings, including lowering the price of apps to only 1 yuan (US$0.16) which the company hopes could draw more real users to rate.

Yet given the fact that people in China are physically simulating real users, as seen in the leaked photo, it would be tough to crack down on the industry.

Numbers are important, as a majority of users refer to ratings when it comes to downloading apps. Those with better ratings have a much higher chance of being downloaded.

 

[Yazoo]

Henan doctor sacked after baby dragged by wheelchair and died

Xinhua
2015-02-01

A surveillance video showing the mother giving birth in a wheelchair. (Internet photo)

A doctor has been fired and several staff were demoted after a newborn baby was killed after being dragged several meters by the mother's wheelchair.

The baby was born on Jan. 2 while the mother, surnamed Shang, was being moved in a wheelchair to receive a cesarean on the insistence of the doctor, said hospital managers with the Women and Children Medical Care Center of Luoyang City, central China's Henan province.

Chinese hospitals have long reported high cesarean rates, which experts blame on profit-seeking doctors and mothers using cesareans to give birth on an auspicious date or to secure a painless delivery.

Surveillance cameras showed the baby hit the ground head-first and was dragged by the attached umbilical cord for more than 10 meters before the nurse noticed.

The left side of the baby's head was swollen with what doctors thought was intracranial hematomas and the baby died later despite medical treatment.

The father, surnamed Pan, said Shang's water broke on the evening of Jan. 1 after seven months' pregnancy, and the doctor on the night shift of the hospital advised natural labor after examination that day.

Qin, however, strongly recommended the cesarean because Shang gave birth to their first child 15 years ago in the same manner.

The hospital on Friday sacked Qin Hongjuan, the doctor who demanded cesarean and removed several others from their administrative posts. Two nurses who moved the mother also received penalties.

The hospital admitted a lack of experience in the doctor's cesarean suggestion and improper handling, including the nurses' use of a wheelchair to transport the mother and their failure to notice the baby coming out.

Local media reported the case on Friday, and the city health department has launched an investigation into whether the hospital should be held responsible for the baby's death.

 

[Pfizer]

China anti-graft investigators say officials unable to explain assets worth hundreds of millions of yuan

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 10:59am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 11:54am

He Huifeng [email protected]

Wan Qingliang, the former party head of Guangzhou, has been detained by anti-graft investigators over allegations of “serious violations of party discipline”. Photo: Reuters

Guangdong anti-graft investigators have revealed more details about the province’s top-ranked officials suspected of corruption, with some unable to explain the source of hundreds of million yuan in assets, the New Express reported.

Zhong Shijian, deputy head of Guangdong’s Commission for Discipline Inspection, said yesterday 95 senior officials in Guangdong, including bureau and departmental heads, were detained by anti-corruption investigators last year.

This was an increase of 1.5 times on the number of officials detained by the commission in 2013.

Guangdong had detained more high-ranking officials than any other province in China, Zhong told yesterday’s group discussion at the annual session of the provincial Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Zhong said some officials faced allegations of colluding with property developers and businessmen and failing to explain the source of huge assets.

In some case rampant corruption involving the leadership of a city had been uncovered.

Zhong said Jiang Zunyu, former secretary of the Municipal Politics and Law Committee – taken away by the committee for investigation in October – had allegedly been found, along with other family members, to own 42 apartments, along with deposits and stocks valued at more than 200 million yuan (about HK$250 million)

Jiang was unable to explain the sources of all these assets, Zhong said.

Luo Ou, deputy secretary general of the Guangdong provincial government, had also been unable to explain the sources of alleged assets of more than 100 million yuan, he said.

Huang Huahui, former deputy director of the land consolidation department under the Guangzhou land development centre, had allegedly been found to have accepted bribes of nearly 90 million yuan.

However, Zhong admitted that the current major anti-graft crackdown was not deterring some corrupt officials.

Pan Shengshen, former vice-chairman of the Guangzhou Committee of the conference, had allegedly continued to accept bribes of more than 12 million yuan even after Wan Qingliang, the former party head of Guangzhou, was detained over allegations of “serious violations of party discipline” – a euphemism often used to refer to corruption.

Zhong also said that nine out of a total of 11 senior leaders in Lechang, a small city in northern Guangdong, had allegedly been discovered accepting bribes.

 

[Spetsnaz]

70 listed firms involved in corruption scandals

By Bai Tiantian Source: Global Times Published: 2015-2-10 0:38:02

Anti-graft measures will make business ‘healthier, transparent’

At least 70 Chinese-listed companies have been affected by China's ongoing anti-graft campaign, with companies from the energy and natural resources sectors taking the biggest hit, media reports revealed Monday.

According to The Beijing News, 18 companies from the energy and natural resources sectors, including nonferrous metal, coal, oil and gas industries have been tainted by corruption scandals, roughly one-quarter of the total number.

Six of the affected companies are in real estate and six from finance sectors. The newspaper also tallied four pharmaceutical firms and three from the shipping industry.

Companies listed include both State-owned enterprises and private firms.

The report came after a slew of executives, including China Minsheng Banking Corp president Mao Xiaofeng and CEO Li You of the Founder Group, a high-tech conglomerate, were reportedly recently taken away for investigation.

"Many of the companies suffered severe consequences from the anti-graft campaign, such as profit slumps and executives resigning. Some companies even filed for bankruptcy. But in the long-term, anti-graft measures are beneficial to the market as it regulates the behavior of both the companies and the officials. It's making our business practice healthier and more transparent," Lin Boqiang, a professor with Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

Others feel that excessive government intervention is one reason behind the corruption.

"[Take the real estate sector for example,] government is both the supplier of land and the regulator of the real estate market. The system is prone to corruption as officials and entrepreneurs can easily collude with each other to maximize their benefits," said Gu Yunchang, a secretary-general of the China Real Estate Association, according to The Beijing News.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) last week released the result of its third round of inspections in 2014. It reported that some executives in China Unicom, a State-owned telecommunication company, have traded their power for money and sex, allowed relatives and relevant people to seek profits under their influence as well as receive perks and foreign trip packages from suppliers.

The CCDI also reported on problems it found with energy giants Shenhua Group and China Huadian Corporation, and China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

"This round of inspections is different from the previous ones … the CCDI is known for its careful choice of targets. This round focused on large SOEs and revealed quite a few problems. It could be a signal that the CCDI is shifting its focus to large SOEs this year," read a commentary by the Beijing Youth Daily.

Although the companies involved in the graft scandals come from different industries and suffered various degrees of punishment, investigations showed a resemblance in methods as companies tried to cozy up to officials to obtain approval for land, mining or other proprietary rights.

Liu Tienan, former deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December for trading his power at the national economic planning body for benefits from companies.

He used his influence to help businessman Song Zuowen, board director for the Nanshan Group, acquire a contract with the Aluminum Corporation of China in exchange for 7.5 million yuan ($1.2 million).

Some offered jobs for relatives or mistresses of high-level officials in exchange for favors and leverage in businesses.

Minsheng Bank allegedly paid salaries to a dozen relatives of high-level officials who did not carry out any actual work.

People in this "secret club" included former senior official Ling Jihua's wife Gu Liping, and Yu Lifang, wife of Su Rong, former vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's National Committee, according to caixin.com. Ling Jihua, former leader of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, is currently under investigation for violating Party discipline.

Some officials adopt a more clandestine method to make money. Their relatives would help small companies acquire initial public offering approvals with their family's political influence and gain huge profits selling company shares.

Ling Jihua's brother, Ling Wancheng, who also used the name Wang Cheng, became incredibly rich by running several companies that went public from 2008 to 2010, reported The Beijing News.

Shares of the firms liked to Ling, including LeTV, one of China's leading online entertainment portals, fell after announcement of the CCDI probe into Ling in December as investors rushed to cash out amid fears of a further slump.

 

[Pfizer]

Around the nation: Woman driver faces 100,000 bill for dinging $5m Rolls Royce

Also: Guangzhou plans to give residency to 1.5 migrant workers; Poor dad beaten by demanding son

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 9:02pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 9:02pm

A woman driver who ran into a 5-million-yuan Rolls Royce Ghost faces a repair bill of 100,000 yuan. Photo: SCMP Pictures

FUJIAN

Driver faces crippling bill

A woman driver who escaped injury after colliding with a Rolls-Royce Ghost in Fuzhou was stunned to learn she faces an enormous bill for the damage. When told the luxury sedan valued at more than 5 million yuan would cost at least 100,000 yuan to repair, she phoned for help. A friend soon arrived in a Maserati, and tried to negotiate with the driver of the Rolls-Royce. But police decided the woman was responsible and should cover the repairs.

Temple 'killer' caught

Police in Fuzhou have arrested a man accused of killing two people, including a three-year-old boy, and injuring another, the China News Service reports. The suspect went to a Buddhist temple, planning to pray for luck in a lottery. As he could not afford incense, he decided to hide in the temple after closing time to steal some. But he bumped into a temple keeper, and allegedly attacked him with a stick. When the keeper died, he attacked the keeper's wife and grandson, fearing they would report him to the police.

BEIJING

Paid riches for rags

A woman who paid more than 800 yuan (HK$1,000) for a new coat imported from South Korea at online retailer Taobao Marketplace received one that was worn out and dirty, the Beijing Morning Post reports. At first the dealer refused to take back the garment, but offered her 100 yuan for dry cleaning. The woman complained to Taobao, but waited nearly two weeks for a reply. In the end, Taobao promised a full refund.

Temple events cancelled

Beijing will cancel some key events at temple fairs to limit the number of visitors during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, The Beijing News reports. A temple fair has been cancelled in Lianhuachi Park, as well as worshipping ceremonies at the Temple of Heaven have been cancelled. The moves are out of security concerns following a stampede in Shanghai on New Year's Eve that killed 36 people.

GUANGDONG

Four die in residential fire

Four people died in a blaze at their residential building in Foshan yesterday, Xinhua reports. Firefighters rescued 14 others trapped in the building during the hour-long fire that started at about 6.30am. Police and fire department officials are investigating the cause.

Migrant residency plan

Guangzhou will accept about 1.5 million migrant workers from rural areas working in the city as urban residents in five years, according to a new pilot plan for urbanisation, the Southern Metropolitan News reports. By 2020, the proportion of people classed as city residents will reach about 88 per cent. The provincial capital will invest nearly 150 billion yuan to meet the target, meaning the transformation of each migrant worker into an urban resident will cost around 100,000 yuan.

HAINAN

Dad beaten for being poor

Police stopped a man, 20, beating his father at Sanya train station, People.com.cn reports. The son was upset that his father asked him to take a train home for Lunar New Year, instead of buying him an air ticket. He also felt ashamed of his father's image as a migrant worker. The father said he could not afford a flight for his son, and begged for his understanding.

More tourists for Sansha

The city of Sansha plans to open new routes for cruise ships and some islands to tourists to expand its emerging tourism business, according to Mayor Xiao Jie, Xinhua reports. It will also develop mariculture industries and build a maritime museum. Sansha city was established in July, 2012, to administer most of the South China Sea.

HEBEI

Police bust 'cooperative'

Police in Xingtai have arrested all "major suspects" in an illegal fundraising scheme that swindled about 1.2 billion yuan from 36,000 people, the China News Service reports. Police did not say how the self-described "cooperative community" worked but rejected reports that it was worth more than 8 billion yuan. They say the scheme was started by 38 farmers in 2007, who promised high returns and other forms of bonuses including overseas trips and expensive agricultural devices to attract investment from other farmers who lived in Hebei and neighbouring provinces.

Air quality improves

The environmental bureau said the province's 11 main cities enjoyed an average of 152 days with good air quality last year, 23 more than in 2013, the China Environmental News reports. The average concentration of PM2.5 pollutants dropped 12 per cent from a year earlier. The bureau punished 7,090 companies for illegal pollution discharges. But seven local cities still ranked among the nation's 10 most-polluted cities.

HUNAN

Baby abandoned

A baby girl was left at a hospital in Changsha five hours after she was born, and doctors say they are waiting for her parents to return, the Changsha Evening News reports. The mother went into labour on the street and a passer-by called an ambulance. She gave birth in the vehicle and was then sent to hospital with the child. Her husband came to the hospital to check on her, and later left, claiming he was going home to fetch some documents. The mother also quietly left the hospital. In the meantime, their phones have been switched off.

Entire gang jailed

A local court in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture has sent all 27 members of a gang to jail for between one to 25 years, Xinhua reports. Their offences included intentional injury, drug dealing, possession of firearms and fraud. The gang operated underground casinos in Fenghuang county and Longren city for three years.

JIANGSU

In for the bling

Xuzhou police have arrested a woman for steeling an iPhone 6 plus from a mobile phone shop, Jschina.com.cn reports. Surveillance showed the woman tried unsuccessfully to steal from a gold jewellery shop. The woman escaped the phone shop in a taxi, but was caught by police a week later. She told police she stole because all her friends were wearing gold accessories or using expensive cell phones.

Kind or incompetent?

A man in Nanjing found only a 100-yuan note missing from his wallet after his car was broken into, the Yangtse Evening News reports. The man left a Louis Vuitton handbag worth more than 10,000 yuan in his car while he was dining. He returned to find a car window smashed and signs someone had rummaged through the bag, including his wallet, but only the 100-yuan note was missing.

SHANDONG

Officials killed in crash

Seven officials died when their minibus overturned in Mengshan Park on Monday, Xinhua reports. Another 14 people were injured. All the passengers were officials from the park's tourism management bureau, who were conducting a fire prevention inspection of the park.

Bribe paid for home

An employee at a Jinan government agency has been jailed for 10 years for taking a 220,000-yuan bribe from two companies, the Jinan Times reports. In return, the official helped the two companies win bids for construction projects. He used the ill-gotten gains to buy a home.

 

[Spetsnaz]

Around the nation: Man hauled out of hospital after overstaying his welcome...by three years

Also, girlfriend's loyalty test ends in tears and mother turns burglar to keep son at home

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 11 February, 2015, 9:23pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 11 February, 2015, 9:23pm

Police officers carry a man out of a Beijing hospital where he has been staying for more than three years. The man claimed doctors had injured his left leg during an operation in 2011 and refused to leave. Photo: Reuters

BEIJING

Industrial fatalities

More than 500 people were killed in industrial safety incidents in the capital between 2010 and last year, with the construction and manufacturing industries seeing the most fatalities, the Beijing Evening News reports, citing a study by the Beijing Administration of Work Safety. About 280 of the fatalities were related to non-compliance with safety procedures, and about 60 were tied to inadequate safety equipment, it said.

Faces of Winter Olympics

Basketball star Yao Ming has been named the ambassador in Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, alongside five others, China News Service reports. Paralympic star Hou Bin, former figure skating world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, and Olympic champion speed skater Zhang Hong are also among the ambassadors. Beijing is competing against Almaty, Kazakhstan, to host the event, and the International Olympic Committee will announce their decision in July.

CHONGQING

The cost of snacking

A Yubei district resident has complained of being forced to pay 300 yuan (HK$378) to retrieve six packages of snacks she had bought online, the Chongqing Evening News reports. The woman had received a text message saying that her packages of chocolates, biscuits, almonds and butter had been delivered to the wrong person, and was asked to pay 300 yuan - on top of the 1,000 yuan she had already paid for the goods - for the packages. She refused to do so, but when she finally received the packages, she found them empty.

Drug-lab gang busted

Chongqing police have arrested a group of people on suspicion of producing the illegal drug ephedrine and seized 7kg of the drug as well as 123 tonnes of ephedra grass, China News Service reports. The group had allegedly bought the grass in Inner Mongolia and set up underground laboratories to produce the drug. Investigations are ongoing.

FUJIAN

Bird flu cases on the rise

The Fujian provincial health bureau saw 30 human cases of the H7N9 bird flu virus last month, of which, eight people died, China News Service reports. The number was a significant increase from December, when six cases were recorded. Provincial authorities have closed down wet markets selling live poultry in cities including Fuzhou , Xiamen , Quanzhou and Zhangzhou .

Quack doctor jailed

A 78-year-old man in Sanming city has been sentenced to three years' jail, suspended for three years, for illegally practising medicine, the Strait City Daily reports. He had treated a 41-year-old man who later died of haemorrhagic shock. He had been trying to set a broken bone in the victim's left foot using a traditional Chinese medicine method, although he did not have a licence to practise medicine. The victim started bleeding and died in the man's home the following day.

HENAN

Bribes for books

The Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court has sentenced an education official to 12 years' jail for corruption, the Dahe Daily reports. The official, who was in charge of buying exercise books for primary and middle school pupils, received a 10-fen commission for each book he bought from a printing plant. He took a total of 670,000 yuan between 2010 and 2013.

No water after dispute

The tap water supply for residents in Kaifeng city's Qi county has been suspended, after a dispute between the local water plant and the county government, the Dahe Daily reports. The water plant claimed that the county government had given it a plot of land for expansion, but the residents disputed the ownership of the land and besieged the plant, making it impossible to process the water.

HUBEI

Raising soccer stars

The Hubei provincial education bureau plans to raise 50 million yuan this year and build 700 soccer schools within three years, the Changjiang Times reports. The bureau said this was because President Xi Jinping wanted to improve China's performance in soccer and Hubei had an advantage as many members of the national soccer team were from the province.

'Suicidal' student appeals

A university student has appealed a Wuhan court's ruling that her institute was not responsible for her injury after she fell six floors to the ground in October, 2013, Chutian Metropolis Daily reports. The woman demanded 520,000 yuan in compensation from the university, arguing its dormitories were not equipped with guard rails. The court, citing police records, ruled that the woman had been trying to commit suicide when she leapt from the dormitory building.

JIANGSU

'Hit-and-hide' pair nabbed

Yancheng city police have arrested two people suspected of fatally injuring a man and leaving him for dead on a river bank, China News Service reports. The 58-year-old man's body had been found in a river last week, with injuries to his head. Police investigations showed that the two suspects, aged 26 and 38, were on a motorbike and had knocked down the victim. Afraid, they hid him in a hole in the river bank although he was still alive.

Molester-teacher jailed

A Xuzhou court has sentenced a 59-year-old teacher to five years' jail for repeatedly molesting two schoolgirls, Xinhua reports. The primary school teacher had harassed the two six-year-old girls several times since November.

SHAANXI

Mother turns 'burglar'

A man from Tongchuan city made a police report over a missing bag containing 10,000 yuan in cash, only to find out that the "burglar" was his mother, the Huashang Daily reports. The man had been planning to travel to Guangdong to seek employment but found his bag of cash and train tickets missing from his home. Investigators found his mother behaving nervously and she later admitted she had hidden the bag as she wanted her son to spend the Lunar New Year at home. The man said he would delay his trip.

Violent wife jailed

A Tongchuan city court has sentenced a woman to three years' jail, suspended for five years, for trying to kill her husband who suffers from mental disorders, Huashang Daily reports. The woman had quarrelled with her husband and tried to strangle him with a rope. When he passed out, she turned herself in to police.

SICHUAN

'Loyalty test' ends in tears

A Chengdu woman was left heartbroken after her boyfriend failed a "loyalty test" that she had bought for 28 yuan on Taobao, the West China City Daily reports. She had paid for a girl to see if her boyfriend would be easily seduced. But the man soon agreed to meet her in a hotel. The woman broke up with the man after the test.

Taking the long way home

A man from Deyang city has decided to travel home from Shanghai, where he works, via five train trips this Lunar New Year, the West China City Daily reports. He will spend 300 yuan more and seven hours longer compared with taking a direct train from Shanghai to Chengdu. But the train lover said he would enjoy spending time at each stop, sampling the local cuisines.