Foxconn Technology Group yesterday denied production was affected at a plant in Henan province that makes Apple's iPhones, although both state media and an overseas labour watch group said some workers halted production lines on Friday, apparently over higher quality control standards. China Labour Watch reported that 3,000 to 4,000 workers at the Foxconn plant in the Zhengzhou city went on strike on Friday over increased quality control demands and having to work during an extended national holiday. Xinhua, quoting a local government spokesman, said more than 100 quality inspectors refused to go to work for an hour on Friday after one of the inspectors was allegedly assaulted by the workers, who have been dissatisfied with the new inspection standards for the iPhone 5. AP, Reuters

At least 27 people were injured in an explosion at a six-storey block of flats yesterday afternoon in Baoding city, Hebei province. Three injured people were in critical condition, a spokesman with the city government said. Witnesses reported seeing heavy smoke after the explosion, which shattered the windows of buildings 200 metres away. A rescue operation was under way last night, authorities said, and the cause of the accident was being investigated. Xinhua