Around the nation: residents' underground digging sparks Beijing night road collapse
A large hole appeared in the road next to a building in Deshengmen Inner Street, near Houhai Lake, at midnight on Saturday, Beijing Youth Daily reports.
BEIJING
Hole lot of trouble
A large hole appeared in the road next to a building in Deshengmen Inner Street, near Houhai Lake, at midnight on Saturday, Beijing Youth Daily reports. Workman tried twice – and failed both times – to fill in the 10-metre deep hole, measuring 15 metres by five metres, which kept appearing in the ground over the next 12 hours. Four houses nearby also suffered subsidence. Beijing’s vice-mayor Zhang Yankun told chinanews.com the problem was caused by residents carrying out underground excavations.
Sign of the times
The sign of Diaoyu Islands Malatang Noodle Shop – a Diaoyu Islands-themed restaurant that opened last September – was removed last Thursday night by the property’s management company because of fears it “might harm relations between Japanese tenants and others”, Global Times reports. The restaurant, in Chaoyang district – home to the Japanese embassy – has models of jet fighters, a replica machine gun and a table built like an aircraft carrier inside. Its menu includes banana fritters, called “Diaoyu hand grenades”. The owner was ordered to remove the sign before January 15, but said he would rather close down than change its name.
ANHUI
Child euthanasia plea