In Brief

Ten missing after being tricked with job offers

Ten people from Yanbian, Jilin province, are missing after travelling to Ghana for work last August, a report says. The New News reported yesterday that 19 job seekers were held captive in the West African country after paying up to 200,000 yuan each to a man who promised them work on a farm. Nine of them later escaped. Staff Reporter

Foreign minister's visit linked to hostage cases

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing made an unannounced visit to Fuzhou , capital of Fujian province , on Saturday. The Ta Kung Pao newspaper suggested that Mr Li would meet local authorities to discuss the problem of workers seeking employment overseas without approval. Two groups of mainlanders held hostage in Iraq in April last year and this month came from Fujian. Staff Reporter

More than 6,500 leprosy patients reported

China had a total of 6,552 leprosy patients by the end of 2003, including 1,411 cases diagnosed during that year, a Xinhua website reported, citing figures released by the mainland's disease control centre on World Leprosy Day. Most of the new cases were found in the provinces of Yunnan , Guizhou, Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi and Fujian. Staff Reporter