Sexy adverts put mobile firm in jam

A mobile phone company that displayed billboards in Guangzhou's busy areas featuring sexy young women has sparked a controversy among locals.

Pedestrians and drivers alike have been stopping to gawk at the adverts in the city's major streets. Some claim traffic is worse because of the boards.

The mobile phone company argues it has not violated any laws or regulations.

Nanguo Metropolis News.

300-year-old village timber topples

A 300-year-old banyan tree died and fell down early this week in Sanjia Village in Qingyuan's Qingcheng District of Guangdong Province.

Many old villagers recalled playing under the tree when they were young.

The tree reached more than 20 metres high and had a perimeter of at least 8 metres. It took several adults to put their arms to around it.

The root of the banyan tree was partly decomposed when it fell down.

Local landscape engineers said they believed the collapse of the ancient tree was due to the growing number of new residential building near the tree. The growing space for the tree has become less and less in recent years.

Qingyuan Daily

Giant fish flies from net to frying pan

Fishermen in Beihai, a coastal city in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, recently caught a giant grouper in the city's inshore waters.

The grouper fish reaches 2.1 metres long and weighs more than 164 kilograms.

The grouper died after it was caught and was later sold to a local restaurant at the price of 5,000 yuan (US$617).

Guangzhou Daily

Hotels lose stars over fire-hazard check

Hidden fire perils are causing fine hotels to lose their star ratings in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Tourism joined hands with local fire protection departments to launch a fire protection inspection campaign on the city's 1,460 hotels and restaurants last month.

It was the first time the hotels that failed to pass fire protection inspection had their star ratings scrapped or lowered in the province.

Guangzhou Daily

Human skulls cause airport security scare

Two human skull replicas caused a minor panic in the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport this week.

The accident took place at about when security inspection guards found what appeared to be two human skulls during an X-ray inspection.

Security guards, suspecting there may be a link to a crime, immediately seized the special luggage and got ready to report the would-be passenger to police.

The case came to an end after the owner, surnamed Cao, a professor from a local university of medical science, explained the two skulls were teaching tools made of plastic.

Cao showed a certificate offered by his university, indicating he had been allowed to bring the skulls to Chongqing for teaching.

Yangcheng Evening News

Lawyer's curses land him in court

A lawyer, surnamed Feng, was recently fined 1,000 yuan (US$125) after he cursed at the judges in a court case in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Feng abused the judges because he failed to agree the judges' sentence in a court case in Guangzhou Baiyun District People's Court last week.

But he was summoned to the court the next day and was fined for his behaviour.

Southern Metropolis New

(China Daily 03/18/2006 page3)