BEIJING

Eight expelled over visas

Police expelled eight foreigners living in China with expired visas after raiding an apartment in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, the Beijing Evening News reports. The eight Asian women, who entered China on tourist visas from Guangzhou, went to work in Fujian province without applying for work visas, then moved to Beijing to avoid detection by police.

Bogus policeman jailed

A man who dressed up in a police uniform to swindle money and other goods from local businesses was jailed for one year for “cheating and bluffing”, the Beijing Times reports. The man, surnamed Wang, fooled the proprietors of shops in Xicheng district into paying him bribes of money and other goods after dressing up as a policeman in August 2013. He had told shop owners their premises were not properly licensed and they needed to give him cash and other items, including cigarettes, if they wanted to stay in business.

GUANGDONG

Sweet smell of success

A company is looking to hire 10 women on monthly salaries of 20,000 yuan in Qingyuan, but to qualify they must be “naturally sweet smelling”, China News Service reports. The Fogang Tianye Green World, which includes 26 hectares with pomelo blossom trees, said it needed to employ women who smelt nicely to pick the flowers and make tea. Successful candidates, who would be trained in tea making, would need to bathe in a floral bath each day before picking flowers, to help ensure the natural fragrance of flowers was not masked, the report said.

Knife attack suspect held

A man believed to be mentally ill was detained by police after allegedly stabbing a man with a knife and also damaging three cars with a brick during an unprovoked attack in Jieyang city, news portal Sznews.com reports. Jieyang Municipal Public Security Bureau said that the suspect, identified as Wu Moufang, was believed to have a history of mental illness. Police are investigating the matter.

HUBEI

Human bones found

Maintenance staff discovered a bag of human bones while investigating the blockage of a sewage pipe at a park in Wuchang in Hubei province, Xinhua reports. The workers were called in after sewage began seeping out onto the pavement. Police said they were investigating the matter and believed the bones were those of a man.

River water promise

Officials drank from a river affected by quality concerns to prove their commitment to preserving local water resources, Modern Express reports. Li Yongfu, head of Hubei’s environmental supervision team, and Zhang Shanggui, deputy mayor of Jingmen, both drank water straight from Zhanghe River.

HUNAN

Hunter kills villager

A hunter gave himself up to police after accidentally killing a man in Xiangyin county he mistook for an animal, news website Rednet.cn reports. He shot dead the villager with an air rifle after aiming at a “red shadow” on a thermal imager he thought was a rabbit, he said.

‘Counterfeiter’ held 

A university dropout, 19, is among six people detained by Ningxiang county police for allegedly using digital editing software to produce fake banknotes, the news portal Rednet.cn reports. The man, who gave up his studies because he could not afford the fees, reportedly learned how to counterfeit money using Photoshop on the QQ chat social media website.

JILIN

Idle student shamed

A student at Jilin Huaqiao Foreign Language Institute was publicly shamed after being caught counting money during a self-study period, news portal Xwh.cn reports. The institute introduced a mandatory study period from 6.30pm to 8.30pm every Monday to Friday. But one student, surnamed Chen, received a public warning after teachers caught him counting money to buy his breakfast during a routine check. He said he and other students had all been counting money, but he was too slow to run to his desk.

Food for thought

First-year chemistry students at Jilin University were given cookery as a surprise winter holiday study assignment, news website Jlu.edu.cn reports. Chemistry professor Cui Zengduo told them to use their knowledge of chemistry to practise cooking – to improve their life skills. He said many students gaining top marks in China’s university entrance exams were unable to take care of themselves.

SHANGHAI

Flat conman jailed

A man was jailed for 22 months for stealing up to 21,000 yuan by posing as a landlord’s tenant, the Shanghai Daily reports. A court in Jiading district was told the thief, identified as Fan, asked the man for his bank card and a copy of his identity card so he could transfer the rent. Instead he used the card to withdraw 15,000 yuan in cash and buy goods worth 6,000 yuan.

Colour-coded traffic alert

The Shanghai government is to use a colour-coded traffic congestion alert system, the Shanghai Daily reports. It will rank traffic levels on a scale of zero to 100, linked to the colours green, yellow, orange and red. If the alert hits red, the heaviest congestion level, officials can restrict vehicles registered outside the city and send extra police to affected areas.

SICHUAN

Homework done at hotel

A 14-year-old student booked into hotel to finish off her homework to avoid getting into trouble, the Qianjiang Evening News reports. The girl was worried she would be told off so used her lai see money to book a room. Her father, a Sichuan native surnamed Chen, alerted police after she went missing from school. Police said she took a taxi to a hotel, where she was found chatting to the owner while doing her homework.

Couple die on same day

An elderly couple married for 68 years both died aged 88 within hours of one other, Chengdu Business Daily reports. Huang Youqin, of Chengdu, who with his wife, Wang Kaihui, had six children, died from a heart attack two weeks ago. Six hours later Wang was taken ill and died in hospital.