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SCMP Reporter

Decorator admits killing family

A mainland decorator has confessed to killing a Taiwanese businessman and the businessman's  pregnant mistress, three-year-old daughter and domestic helper in Guangdong's Humen township last week, Xinhua has reported.

The 24-year-old man from Anhui province , identified as Zhang Hualai,  was arrested on a train leaving Guangdong for Anhui last Friday.

Taiwanese jewellery and fashion accessory supplier Chang Chien Yung-kun   and the other household members were found stabbed to death in their  apartment last Thursday.

Zhang sneaked into the apartment  but was discovered by the  girl and the maid. He killed them both and then lay in wait for Chang and his mistress to return,  Xinhua quoted  police as saying.Chow Chung-yan

Stay out of diplomatic spat, Australia asked

Taiwan asked Australia to stay out of the diplomatic battle between the island and the mainland over the tiny South Pacific island state of Vanuatu.

'We urge the Australian government not to be influenced by China to get involved in the domestic affairs of Vanuatu at this sensitive moment through cutting economic aid,' Foreign Minister Mark Chen Tan-sun said.

Mr Chen said he  summoned the Australian representative to Taiwan to express the island's displeasure over Canberra's involvement. The diplomatic tug of war came after Vanuatuan Prime Minister Serge Vohor  secretly visited Taiwan on November 3 to sign an agreement establishing formal relations, a deal since repudiated. Australia, the main aid donor to Vanuatu, recently threatened to suspend  aid.Jacky Hsu

Income gap, disorder are worrying cadres

The income gap and social disorder are the main problems concerning Communist Party officials, an internal survey shows.

In a poll of 107 officials holding leading positions in local governments, the Central Party School found that 44 per cent saw the income gap as the most serious problem affecting social development. Twenty-four per cent said social disorder worried them most, while 8.4 per cent named corruption.

The results signal growing concern about social instability, as reflected in the increasing number of large protests.  In a similar survey last year, officials expressed most concern about unemployment,  community spirit and corruption.Grace Liu

Former bank officials jailed for fraud

Three ex-officials from the Beijing branch of Bank of China were sentenced to six to eight years in jail for a 60 million yuan financial fraud involving false documents,  the Qianlong News reports.

The case, involving former bank clearing department director Xiao Delin, deputy director Cai Guoqing  and deputy divisional chief Wang Xu,  was revealed during an investigation into the corruption case of China's most-wanted fugitive, Lai Changxing .Staff Reporter



In brief