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SCMP Reporter

Fujian
Common fungi now rare
A once common fungi in Yongan now faces extinction as a result of soaring demand, Fujian Daily reports. After buyers offered more than 1,500 yuan (HK$1,845) per kilogram of the russula vinosa, which locals call honggu (red mushroom), gatherers rummaged through fields throughout the summer, destroying much of the mushroom's natural habitat.
Pervert caught on bus
A man was caught by passengers at a Fuzhou bus stop on Monday for taking indecent photos of women with a camera mounted on his shoe, Strait News reports. He was discovered when he placed his foot between a female passenger's legs. He was turned over to police, who released him without charge.
Gansu
Cracking down on smokers
Police have detained 76 people in Baiyin this year for smoking violations, Xinhua reports. The suspects were caught lighting up in areas considered fire hazards such as at petrol stations. Police also shut down nearly 300 businesses that allowed smoking in their premises.
Sharing technology
The provincial government has offered North Korea technology to fight drought in agriculture, Gansu Daily reports. Authorities told visiting North Korean officials this week they would show them how plastic ground covers can retain soil moisture and ensure good harvests even in a years of little rain.
Guizhou
Contagious diseases
More than 8,500 people were infected by contagious diseases with 44 deaths in the province last month, according to health authorities, Guiyang Evening News reports. The most common disease was tuberculosis, followed by hepatitis B, dysentery, syphilis and hepatitis C.
Small businesses die early
The average life span of small business in the province is three years, according to a recent study by the provincial social science academy, Guiyang Evening News reports. Intense competition, high taxes and corruption were the main reasons small businesses failed.
Jiangsu
Used clothes go to waste
Residents in the province throw away more than 600,000 tonnes of clothes a year even though most can still be worn, Xinhua reports. Provincial authorities said that as farmers became more affluent, fewer accepted second-handed clothes from urban residents and the government had no channels to recycle the used clothes.
Circus buys baby giraffes
A circus in Changzhou imported six baby giraffes from South Africa on Tuesday with a plan to take on a country-wide tour, Modern Express News reports. The circus owners said the giraffes, which cost 200,000 yuan each, would quickly be trained to generate income for the circus in a tour to 11 mainland cities.
Liaoning
Five new city zoos
Shenyang plans to build five small zoos in the city to promote interaction between humans and animals, Liaoshen Evening News reports. The city relocated its large old zoo from the city centre area to a nature reserve in the country more than a decade ago but few residents visited it because of the distance. The first new zoo is expected to open next year.
Maritime drones
Provincial fishery authorities say they will build two bases for maritime surveillance drones in Yingkou and Dalian , Liaoning Daily reports. China has used drones for some years to monitor coastal waters in disputes with neighbouring countries such as North Korea.
Shaanxi
Cop held in kidnap case
Dali county police have arrested a police officer in connection with a kidnapping and murder last week, Xinhua reports. The victim, the relative of a wealthy businessman, was believed to have been murdered after a 1.6 million yuan ransom was paid, police said.
Pollution busts limits
Dust pollution in the centre of Xian reached levels up to 26 times the national standard in nearly all monitored areas on Tuesday night, Xian Evening News reports. The city's environmental authorities said the main contributor to the pollution was trucks entering and leaving construction sites between 10pm and 3am. There are more than 1,200 construction sites in the city.
Zhejiang
Cobras found in building
Two cobras have appeared separately in a commercial building in central Jiaxing in less than a week, causing panic among tenants, City Express News reports. The first cobra was found in a foot massage centre last Saturday and the second in a coffee shop on a different floor. Firefighters removed the reptiles before anyone was hurt, but they could not explain how the snakes got there.
Wedding beggars arrested
Cangnan police have arrested nine beggars who turned up at weddings and refused to leave until after receiving payment from the host, Wenzhou Metropolis News reports. Police said the suspects, wearing filthy clothes, often sat at the gate of a hotel where a wedding was taking place and begged for money. The host usually had to pay a few hundred yuan for them to leave.


China Digest, October 18, 2012

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