In Brief
Virus kills 19 children
Nineteen out of 789 children infected with gastrointestinal virus EV71 in Fuyang, Anhui province , have died since March, Xinhua reported yesterday. Several city hospitals had received patients, most of whom had a fever or a rash on their hands and feet. A few suffered serious brain, heart and lung damage. A total of 204 patients remained in hospital. Among them, 18 were in serious condition. A team of health experts has been sent to the city to investigate. Klaudia Lee
Man held over plane hijack 'joke'
Police arrested a man who shouted out on a flight that he wanted to hijack the plane and then said it was a joke. The man, in his 30s, was flying from Shanghai to Beijing on Saturday when he made the threat. 'Just as the plane was landing, someone suddenly yelled, 'I want to hijack the plane',' a passenger told Xinhua. Police said although the man claimed he was joking, he had worried passengers. Reuters
Search for divers resumes
Taiwanese rescuers have resumed their search for eight scuba-divers missing in waters south of the island, officials said. Four police helicopters and six coastguard boats were searching near Chihsingyen (Seven Star Rock), a popular diving spot off Kenting National Park. AFP
Lottery boosts public welfare
Lottery buyers made the greatest contribution to the public welfare fund last year, exceeding donations made by individuals and enterprises, Xinhua said. They contributed 34.4 billion yuan (HK$38.23 billion) to the welfare services last year, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Staff Reporter
