Trapped workers rescued; 'swindlers' in suicide leap; bird flu is back
PUBLISHED : Monday, 08 December, 2014, 3:20am
UPDATED : Monday, 08 December, 2014, 3:20am
A trapped worker is supported by rescuers after being rescued from the collapsed expressway tunnel under construction in Longyan, Fujian. Photo: Xinhua
CHONGQING
Fake beggars arrested
Four men from Anhui have been caught begging on the pretence of being migrant workers who were owed their pay and needed money to return home, the Chongqing Evening News reports. Police found that the men in fact came to Chongqing by plane from Nanchang, Jiangxi, on November 28 and had already earned thousands of yuan by begging in the city's downtown area. One man was even using an iPhone 6.
Big deposit, small change
A woman deposited 100,000 yuan (HK$126,000) in 5-yuan banknotes and 1-yuan coins at a local bank over the weekend, the Chongqing Morning Post reports. The woman said the money was alimony from her ex-husband after their divorce. The bank had to assign 30 employees to count the money.
FUJIAN
Trapped workers rescued
Rescuers on Saturday morning freed 21 workers who were trapped for more than 35 hours in a collapsed tunnel in Longyan city, news website Gmw.cn reports. The men had been working on a 30-metre expressway tunnel when it collapsed early on Friday morning.
Ex-deputy mayor expelled
Former Fuzhou deputy mayor Shi Xiaoyu has been expelled from the Communist Party and had his retirement benefits cancelled for "severe disciplinary and legal violations", the provincial portal of Chinanews.com reports. Shi, 61, reportedly engaged in adultery and took bribes of more than 2.3 million yuan during his term in office between 2006 and 2012. He retired early last year.
GUANGDONG
Viral infection detected
An imported case of chikungunya fever was detected at a Shenzhen checkpoint on November 24, the city's Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said on Friday. Four cases of the mosquito-borne viral infection that causes joint pains have been detected at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint so far this year. Nearly 780,000 suspected cases of chikungunya fever were recorded in the Caribbean Islands, Latin America and South America between last December and October.
Fake homeowners in court
A couple stood trial at the Shenzhen Municipal Intermediate People's Court recently for using forged estate documents to swindle 10 homebuyers out of 10 million yuan, the Guangzhou Daily reports. Prosecutors said the couple used the fake certificates as pledges for money to repay their gambling debts between April 2012 and October last year. A verdict is still pending.
HEILONGJIANG
Endangered tiger spotted
The endangered wild Siberian tiger, one of the world's rarest animals, was spotted on a highway in Luobei county, Hegang city on Saturday evening, news website Chinanews.com reports. A villager who spotted the tiger took photos of it as it crossed the road. Traces of wild Siberian tigers have been found in the province since June, thanks to decreased human activity in forests and habitat restoration.
Drug traders busted
Police have cracked down on a gang of more than 40 people in Mudanjiang city for using drugs and trading in methamphetamines, Xinhua reports. The gang reportedly bought 360 grams of drugs from a producer in Shanxi province at 180 yuan per gram between last December and October, and then sold the substance to other drug users at up to 800 yuan per gram.
SHAANXI
'Swindlers' in suicide leap
Xian police have found that a couple who jumped off a cliff with their mothers on November 24 had allegedly swindled several people out of nearly 200 million yuan, news website Hsw.cn reports. The pair, both 32, committed suicide with their mothers at the Huashan resort area. They left a suicide note with a Taoist nun, and the message led the police to their bodies. After learning of the couple's death, victims called the police saying they had thought the pair were suppliers to a local supermarket giant and had lent them a lot of money. The case is under investigation.
Highway crash kills four
Four people died and two were injured in a traffic accident in Yulin city on Friday night, Xinhua reports. A van carrying six people crashed into the back a trailer on an expressway linking Inner Mongolia and Guangdong. Four people in the van died on the spot and the other two were taken to hospital, where both are in critical condition.
SHANGHAI
Bird flu is back
A 38-year-old Shanghai man was on Saturday confirmed to have contracted the H7N9 bird flu in the city's first such case since summer, news website Eastday.com reports. The municipal commission of health and family planning said the man was being treated but did not offer any additional information.
Birdcatchers nabbed
Three men have been arrested for illegally catching 62 migratory birds at Shanghai's Dongtan Wetland Park, news website Shanghai TV reports. It is migratory season for the birds, and a large number usually arrive at the Yangtze River Delta. Many people in the region keep birds as pets, fuelling a trade in illegal trapping, particularly in the delta wetlands, which are important habitats for East Asian migratory fowl.
SHANXI
Oldest pagoda gets a fix
The authorities are putting 7 million yuan into repairing the 958-year-old Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian county, Xinhua reports. The 67-metre five-tier pagoda is the oldest and tallest of its kind in the world. It was built in 1056 with brackets and sockets and no nails. The repair work began on Thursday and is expected to be completed within 11/2 years.
'Mine your safety' drive
The provincial government will carry out a six-month safety inspection campaign on 1,077 coal mines across the province from this month to May, news website Sxrb.com reports. The campaign is aimed at avoiding accidents in coal mines, and those found to be below safety standards will be shut down.
ZHEJIANG
Fumes poisoning denied
Zhejiang Normal University has denied an online rumour that it exposed students to formaldehyde fumes in its recently renovated dormitories, causing 20 students to develop serious health issues, CCTV news reports. The university said the work done in the dorms met safety standards. An increasing number of students are now calling for further checks into the incident, but local authorities have yet to respond to their demands.
Rumour-monger punished
A 23-year-old man in Dongyang city has received a 10-day detention for spreading rumours through mobile phone apps that a 19-year-old woman had given HIV to 324 men since September, news website Zjol.com.cn reports. More than 100,000 internet users read the comment in the span of just two days.
