"Crack found in new dam" from South China Morning Post

"YUNNAN - A government-funded dam built in Luquan county had already started to crack just two months after completion, the City Times reports. Construction of the dam - which created a 600-square-metre reservoir in Tuojing village, which has long been short of water for irrigating crops - was completed in December, but villagers found a crack wide enough to fit a finger. Local authorities said they would send workers to fill the crack with concrete."

"Three die in internet suicide pact" from South China Morning Post

"ANHUI - Three internet users, two men and a woman, killed themselves on Thursday in a suicide pact in a hotel room in Hefei, Zhongan Online reports. Police said the people from three different cities had made the suicide pact online, but gave no further details."

"Xinjiang foreign trade soars" from South China Morning Post

"XINJIANG - Foreign trade with the Xingiang Uygur Autonomous Region has increased rapidly in the past five years, Xinhua reports. From 2006 to 2010, foreign trade amounted to US$76 billion, up more than 230 per cent from 2001-2005."

"The Sensex index has lost 14 per cent this year and has dropped into an intriguing 200-point support/resistance band. Concerns about slowing growth have been joined by worries over corporate scandals." from Wall Street Journal

"Guangdong orders another base wage rise" from South China Morning Post

"Guangdong will raise minimum wages by an average 18.6 per cent on March 1, and more increase are set to follow over the next five years."

"Man found dead in Net cafe" from South China Morning Post

"ZHEJIANG - A 21-year-old man died at an internet cafe in Hangzhou on Wednesday, Hf365.com reports. The internet cafe owner said the man died of starvation. Police said the man only had his ID card and half a pack of cigarettes. The cause of death is being investigated."

"Property sale turns chaotic" from South China Morning Post

"ZHEJIANG" - There was chaos on Saturday when thousands of people queued up to buy properties in Hangzhou's suburban Xiaoshan district, the Beijing Times reports. A representative of the developer said they prepared to sell only 468 flats, but more than 2,000 people showed up. People were dissatisfied with the limited supply of housing and accused the developer of hoarding properties or selling some flats to staff."

"300 cattle die in blizzard" from South China Morning Post

"INNER MONGOLIA"- More than 300 cattle have died since Tuesday after a blizzard wreaked havoc in Wulatehou Banner in Bayannaoer League, CNR.cn reports. Road access to 31 villages was cut, causing difficulties for herdsmen, who are short 6,5000 tonnes of feed for their 248,000 cows."

"Boy,10, hangs himself with scarf" from South China Morning Post

"YUNNAN- A 10-year-old boy hanged himself with a red scarf at his Kunming home on Wednesday after being punished at school, Yunnan.cn reports. His mother said he was asked to copy seven pages of his textbook by his teacher at lunchtime on Wednesday and had not been able to go home for lunch. He committed suicide after returning home after school. The school said the boy was a good pupil who had won awards in several competitions."

"Protest over subway noise" from South China Morning Post

"More than 100 residents in Daxing district protested near their estate on Saturday morning over noise from an adjacent subway station, The Beijing News reports. The residents said shocks from the subway line were so intense that they had caused some buildings to crack and their exterior surfaces to peel."

"Mix-up with divorce papers" from South China Morning Post

"SICHUAN- A couple who tried to get a divorce at Luzhou's Longmatan district marriage registration office last Friday discovered when they got home that they had instead been given marriage certificates, Newssc.org reports. The office said it dealt with more than 4,000 couples getting married or divorced each year but only had two staff to cope with the workload. The couple received their divorce certificates on Thursday."

"Thieves escape with 5kg of gold" from South China Morning Post

"JIANGSU- Three armed men wearing masks escaped with five kilograms of gold jewellery from a jewellery store in Donghai county on Thursday, the Yangtse Evening News reports. Police sealed off the shop to investigate the crime, the second robbery to target the shop."

"Guard killed as buildings burn" from South China Morning Post

"SICHUAN - One man was killed when fire swept through two adjoining buildings in Chengdu early yesterday morning, Scol.com.cn reports. The fire started in one building at 3am before strong wind carried it to the other building. A nightwatchman burned to death. More than 100 firefighters attended the blaze."

"Fule spill creates huge traffic jam" from South China Morning Post

"INNER MONGOLIA - About 1,000 vehicles are caught in a 10kilometre traffic jam on the Beijing-Tibet highway in Xinghe county, Xinhuanet.com reports. The traffic started to back up yesterday after an oil tanker that was rammed from behind by a car leaked eight tonnes of diesel fuel. Police are searching for the driver of the car, which sped off after the accident."

"Drunken official kills five teenagers while reversing car" from South China Morning Post

"Five teenagers were killed when they were struck by a car driven by drunken official in Henan province on Sunday night. It was the latest in a series of traffic accidents that stirred public outrage about lawbreaking officials. It occurred in Luoning county, Luoyang city, at 11.30pm. The county's post office chief, Gu Qingyang, who had been drinking alcohol, reversed his car into five of seven teenagers walking on the road, police said. The youngest killed was 13, police said. Gu was held for questioning."

"Grass sprayed green - on orders" from South China Morning Post

"SHAANXI- Workers at a park in Shangluo spray-painted the grass green because they were told officials wanted to see green grass in winter, the Xian Evening News reports. People said the grass along a 4.2-kilometre-long road in the park had suddenly turned green, but the grass in other places in the park was yellow."

"Four die in expressway crash" from South China Morning Post

"Four people were killed when a van rear-ended another yesterday on the Guilin-Liuzhou Expressway in Yongfu county, China National Radio reports. Three people in one van died at the scene and the fourth died later."

" 'Burglars' held at home of 5o Cent" from South China Morning Post

"Jackson, whose hits include Candy shop, claimed this year that his wealth - including his mansion and an estimated US$400 million fortune - is not enough. "I used to equate success with my finances... I didn't have anything," he said."

"Man grows 10cm horn on head" from South China Morning Post

"JIANGXI- An 80-year-old man in Wuyuan county has grown a horn on his head for two years, Jxnews.com.cn reports. The horn is 10cm long and looks like a goat's horn. The man said that when it started grow, he felt a little pain. He said he used to have another horn, on the right side of his head, but accidentally broke it off in October. He said he wanted to have the remaining horn cut off, but could not afford the medical fee and had decided to leave it alone." 

"Museum sued over 'stolen' Cezanne"

"A Parisian engineer is sueing New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to recover a Paul Cezanne painting that he said the Bolsheviks stole from his great-grandfather during the Russian revolution."