Pulse

Around Beijing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-24 07:57

Court

Angler sued over friend's drowning

An amateur angler was on Sunday ordered to pay 30,000 yuan in compensation to the parents of a friend who drowned on a fishing trip, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Judges in Pinggu district heard that Wang, the defendant, turned down the offer of going fishing during a call with Zhao, the deceased. However, he later relented when Zhao visited his home to ask in person.

During the expedition, the victim drowned as he attempted to retrieve a box of cigarettes that had fallen from the boat. Wang told the court he tried to pull his friend from the water with a fishing rod, but it broke.

Crime

Jobless robbers in hotel debt

Two graduate jobseekers appeared in court on Sunday accused of robbing a woman to pay their hotel bill, Beijing Times reported.

Wang and his girlfriend came to Beijing for job interviews last June and stayed in a hotel in Changping district. While waiting for a reply, however, the couple ran up a debt of several thousand yuan.

Judges heard that Wang, who confessed to planning the robbery, knocked a woman on the head with a brick outside a bank on Jan 8 but failed to grab the woman's handbag before he was caught. The victim claimed compensation of more than 110,000 yuan. A verdict is pending.

Drying clothes reveal thief's hideout

Police have snared a thief who stole handbags from snack bars after recognizing his clothes hanging on a washing line, Beijing Times reported.

Officers in Haidian district had received frequent reports of lost bags since early April and were able to identify the offenders using footage recorded by closed-circuit cameras. Li, a driver, was detained quickly and confessed. However, his partner Zhao holed up in a rental apartment. As police combed the area, they spotted clothes drying on a balcony that matched Zhao's in the footage.

Community

Red Cube opens to aid community work

The first community one-stop service center - or Red Cube - opened for business on Sunday in the Rainbow New City neighborhood in Daxing district, Beijing Daily reported. Organized by the Red Cross Society of China, the center, which has red walls, windows and doors, houses nine community services, including emergency aid and blood pressure measurement. It has an ambulance and five medical workers. Not only is the Red Cube designed to provide faster and more efficient services to the public, but is also a platform for social workers and volunteers.

Movement targets illegal construction

Miyun county has launched a project to improve residents' living conditions by eliminating illegal construction, production and trade, according to Qianlong website. Taishan Mountain Movement includes a policy to forcefully demolish illegal or unsafe properties if owners fail to do so before a given deadline, while measures will also be taken to ensure the orderly operation of large-scale agricultural markets.

Urban management officers, also known as chengguan, will patrol key areas - namely along the Beijing-Chengde Highway and Shunyi-Miyun Road - to ensure all illegal buildings are removed.

China Daily

(China Daily 05/24/2011)