East

For refund, dad told to prove 'free' bug is Dutch

A father in Qingdao, Shandong province, who discovered a live bug in a can of Dutch baby milk powder was told to identify which country it came from in order to get his money back.

The man, called Wang, bought a can of Friso milk powder imported from the Netherlands for his baby and said he found the creature the day after opening the can.

The local distributor for Friso confirmed the insect was probably in the can when it was opened and agreed to compensate Wang by giving him two free cans. However, when Wang rejected their offer, the distributor insisted Wang prove the insect was from the Netherlands.

An official surnamed Huang at Friso's China headquarters said it is unlikely a bug could survive the high-temperature sterilization process and vacuum packaging. The company has offered to pay for tests to identify the origin of the bug.

(China National Radio)

Pet store at zoo defies eviction order

Bosses at Shanghai Zoo say they are still waiting for a pet shop operating on park grounds to move out, a year after it was given an eviction notice.

The store, which is managed by a woman called Xie, has been running since the early 1990s and was initially only allowed to display the animals, said Wang Aishan, director of the zoo's management office.

As the center is poorly facilitated and frequently receives complaints from nearby residents about the noise, the zoo decided to terminate Xie's lease last year.

However, the store is still open for business.

"We will ask the pet shop to move out as soon as possible," Wang said.

An advertisement outside the shop says it sells purebred dogs and cats and "prices are negotiable".

Xie said she sells 3-month-old Huskies for 1,500 yuan ($230) and adults for 3,000 yuan. She added that people can call her in advance and she will take them into the zoo through the staff entrance.

(China Daily)

Cleaners reunite owners with wallets

A couple working as street cleaners in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, have returned more than 100 lost wallets to their owners.

Shen Xiantai, 58, moved to Nanjing with his wife Zeng Yongqin in 2005. The couple said they try hard to find the right owner and never ask for money in return.

"Most of the wallets were stolen by thieves who have taken the money and threw the wallets in the trash," Shen said. "But there are usually some important documents and cards in them, so we make sure the owners get them back."

(Modern Express)

Central

College couples told: behave or miss honors

A college in Xiangtan, Hunan province, has defended new rules that bar students who "behave badly" in a relationship from receiving honors.

Many critics say Xiangtan University's Business School, which issued the controversial document on Oct 13, is attempting to meddle in people's lives.

Ou Dingyu, who is charge of student affairs, assured that the rule is not aimed at stopping students from having boyfriends or girlfriends, but hoped it can reduce things like couples' disputes and unwanted pregnancies. "The terms and words may not be accurate. We hope students don't misunderstand our intentions," Ou said.

(Zhuzhou Evening News)

North

Metro worker uses body to cover door

An unnamed Beijing subway worker has been hailed for protecting passengers when a carriage's doors failed to close properly.

The incident happened on Oct 17, when passengers on a train about to leave Datunludong station heading north on Line 5 raised the alarm about a door malfunction.

It was nearly 6 pm, rush hour in the capital.

Witnesses say a young man in a blue subway uniform boarded the carriage and stood in front of the half-opened door.

Holding onto the rails beside the doors, he used his body to shield passengers from potential harm while the train traveled to the next station, where the service terminated.

(Beijing Evening News)

Yellow River nature film wins praise for director

A young filmmaker from Beijing is winning acclaim for a 4-minute documentary about wild animals along the Yellow River, a film that took four years to make.

Qiao Qiao, a Beijing Film Academy graduate who recently won an award at a competition in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, said he prefers documentaries to commercial movies because they better capture China's development.

To complete the film titled Homeland, Qiao sold his car, his Beijing home and borrowed money from friends. He led his crew along the river to record birds, fish, amphibians and other animals living under the threat of pollution.

He said that the Yellow River, which is regarded as the country's "Mother River", has been betrayed by her "children" and is seriously polluted.