Border police seize smuggled reptiles

Border police in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region seized a large number of snakes and tortoises in a suspected cross-border smuggling case. The reptiles, contained in about 160 boxes aboard a truck, were confiscated in Fangchenggang on Saturday, according to the regional public security border defense forces on Tuesday. Most of the animals were alive. The truck driver said he was hired to transport them to Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

Jiangsu

Officer hurt while saving woman

A police officer in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, was seriously injured when he rescued a woman trying to jump from the balcony of a high-rise building on Sunday, Chinanews.com reported on Tuesday. Zong Deyu led officers who saved the woman, but he broke an arm and a leg when the woman fell to the balcony floor. After a five-hour operation, Zong was in stable condition. The woman was not injured.

Jiangxi

Boy dies aboard kindergarten bus

A 5-year-old boy died in hospital in Jiangxi province after a driver at a kindergarten left him on a school bus. Xu Yaxi lived in a village in Dexing and took the bus to the kindergarten. On Monday morning, bus driver Yin Chunhua took children to the kindergarten but did not see Xu was still aboard. The boy was only found in the afternoon, the local government's publicity department said on Tuesday. Yin and the kindergarten manager were held by police.

Yunnan

Four arrested in fake cash case

The public security office at Kaiyuan railway station in Yunnan province arrested four people suspected of transporting counterfeit money and seized more than 400,000 yuan ($65,194) in counterfeit notes, China National Radio reported on Tuesday. It said the four have admitted to buying the counterfeit money at a price of eight yuan for one 100-yuan note in Hunan province and planned to sell the money in border areas.

Guangdong

Faulty-elevator worker charged

An elevator maintenance worker has been charged with causing a major liability accident in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, after a woman died when an elevator malfunctioned, Nanfang Daily reported on Tuesday. The 24-year-old nursing intern died on May 15 after she became stuck in the doors when the elevator suddenly malfunctioned, stopped between floors and then moved sharply up and down in the Changhong Building. Investigations showed the maintenance worker did not follow safety management regulations.

Hebei

Nude beach to promote tourism

A nude beach, the first in northern China, will be built to promote tourism in Luanxian county, Hebei province, the county government said at an investment promotion fair. The county will invest 3.2 billion yuan ($522 million) on a project featuring cultural tourism, said Tian Wenxue, deputy head of the county. Facilities including a golf course, equestrian venue and nude beach will be built, he said.

Chongqing

Schools stop in hot weather

Students at some middle and primary schools in Chongqing were allowed to leave school at noon as temperatures soared, China News Service reported. The Chongqing meteorological authority on Tuesday issued an orange alert (the second highest), warning of high temperatures for the third day in a row. Workers at building sites were ordered to stop working between 11 am and 2 pm.

Beijing

Woman arrested for false accusation

Police arrested a woman for falsely claiming online that she had seen a golden retriever killed by three policemen, the Haidian branch of the Beijing Public Security Bureau said on Tuesday. The woman spread the rumor on Sina Weibo on June 12. The police checked surveillance footage from the area where the woman claimed the incident happened and interviewed residents, but did not find any evidence to support her claim.

Capital on alert for Middle East virus

Beijing cannot rule out the possibility of new SARS-like coronavirus MERS-CoV infections, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Health said on Monday. The virus originated in the Middle East. The bureau called for vigilance among the public and urged travelers returning from the Middle East who develop respiratory infections to see a doctor as soon as possible, according to Beijing Times. Beijing has launched a 24- hour clinical service with 110 participating experts on call.

Henan

Zookeeper killed by brown bear

The forestry authorities in Xinmi, Henan province, detained the owner of a zoo in the city after a keeper was bitten to death by a brown bear, Dahe Daily reported. The bear mauled the keeper, Chu Haisong, as he tried to drive it into its cage on Monday afternoon. The bear then dragged the keeper into its cage and bit him. The bear was later tranquilized by police and sent to Zhengzhou City Zoo in the provincial capital.

Xinhua -China Daily