China Digest, September 29, 2012

Anhui

Shop owners protest fee

The authorities in Sicheng town, Suzhou city, have received widespread complaints over a 200 yuan (HK$245) "festival fee" levied on shop owners by the town ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Xinan Evening News reports. Township officials warned shop owners they could face "troublesome" inspections and increased fines for food safety and litter violations if they refused to pay.

Fuelling up for festivities

Anhui's commerce department has ordered service stations to stockpile enough fuel to meet increased demand during the "golden week" holiday next week, as many families will be travelling in private cars, the Xinan Evening News reports. Those caught adding water in gasoline would be punished severely.

Beijing

Flocking to top jobs

Top job openings in Beijing's state-owned enterprises attracted more than 1,000 job-seekers this month, although most applications focused on a few lucrative industries, such as finance, Xinhua reports. More than 100 applied to be deputy general manager of Beijing Enterprises while only one wanted to be chief engineer at Beijing Chemical Industry.

Dog bites prove deadly

As of July, seven Beijing residents had died from rabies resulting from dog bites this year, Xinhua reports. Municipal health authorities warned residents to stay away from other's dogs because many had not received necessary vaccinations or health checks. There have been more than 10,000 reported dog bites in the capital this year.

Chongqing

Killer litter in kids' school

Some parents are planning to transfer their children from a Shapingba kindergarten after a brick dropped from a neighbouring high-rise landed on a van parked outside the school, the Chongqing Evening News reports. Teachers had complained about things being thrown into the kindergarten's property, but police could not determine who was responsible.

Pulled from the waters

Two Fujian province residents were rescued by bystanders after accidentally driving into the Jialin River, the Chongqing Economic Times reports. The victims said they were trying to exit a car park adjacent to the river. The car park has neither fences nor warning signs.

Fujian

Plan to subsidise bulbs

The Fujian government plans to sell 11 million compact fluorescent light blubs at half price this year in an effort to encourage their use, the Fuzhou Daily reports. Residents have cited higher purchase prices as their reason for ignoring previous attempts to promote the energy-efficient bulbs. The government estimates the programme could save more than 300 million yuan on electricity annually.

Pervert kicked off bus

A female passenger literally kicked a man off the Line 89 bus in Fuzhou after catching him masturbating, the Fuzhou Evening News reports. The woman said the man was a frequent passenger on the bus, which is taken by many university students and always wears the same shirt and has the same strange expression on face. He refused to leave until after receiving a second kick.

Liaoning

Burglar boy caught

Shenyang police have arrested a 12-year-old boy who they say broke into four flats and stole tens of thousands of yuan worth of property to pay for online games at internet cafés. Police said the boy, who was deemed too young for criminal charges, broke into each flat from the balconies.

CCTVs to nab litterbugs

The Shenyang government hopes to install more than 200 high-definition surveillance cameras by the end of the month to catch motorists who routinely throw rubbish from moving vehicles onto downtown streets, the Shenyang Evening News reports. The government said all other efforts to deter the practice had failed.

Shaanxi

Making space for parking

The Xian government will pay developers 800 million yuan over the next three years to add 40,000 parking spaces, the Xian Daily reports. Tourist areas and business districts will be given top priority. Some 7,000 spaces are already under construction.

Gold mine fire kills five

Five people died and two were injured when a fire broke out at a Tongguan county gold mine, Xinhua reports. A preliminary investigation suggested that the fire was started by welding sparks from construction workers replacing a tunnel's support framework.

Shanxi

Dishonest teachers sacked

Two primary school teachers in Qingliangsi town, Lin county, have lost their teaching licences for lying about their ages and work experience on their résumés, the Shanxi Daily reports. The teachers, both in their 30s, were seeking higher pay and promotions. The county government has launched an investigation to determine if anyone helped them falsify their personal records.

Officials probe collapse

The government is investigating a collapse that killed five people at a industrial waste dump in Jiaokou county, Luliang city, on Thursday, Xinhua reports. It was unclear what the victims were doing at the facility. Two were killed at the scene; the others died in hospital.

Yunnan

Man blows up in fight

A 33-year-old Jinping county man blew up himself, his wife and his mother-in-law during a fight about his wife's divorce settlement on Tuesday, the Chuncheng Evening News reports. The man strapped dynamite to himself while in the house with the two women. His brother-in-law, who was also at home, ran when the bomber lit the fuse and escaped.

Police out in full force

Yunnan authorities have assigned 8,000 traffic police to the province's highways to cope with an expected 40 per cent traffic increase during the upcoming holiday week, the Yunnan Information Daily reports. Trucks carrying poisonous, flammable or hazardous materials will be banned from the expressways.

Zhejiang

Drivers to avoid rest stops

The Zhejiang government is advising motorists to avoid more than 20 rest areas on the province's expressways next week as a result of the increased holiday traffic, the Morning Express reports. The government started expanding facilities at busier rest areas in Jiaxing , Shaoxing and Xiaoshan last month, but still fear potential back-ups in rest areas that run out of parking spaces.

'Rotten' tomatoes in probe

At least one Qingyuan county parent is blaming "funny smelling" tomatoes for sickening more than 100 local high school pupils on Wednesday, the City Express reports. Students reported vomiting and diarrhoea, with some requiring hospital treatment. The county government has launched an investigation, but cautioned that it was too early to draw any conclusions.