China Scene: East

Cabbie an accomplice in burglary of his own home

A taxi driver surnamed Shen was surprised to discover that he had inadvertently helped a thief transport a batch of goods that had been stolen from the driver's own home in Huainan, Anhui province, last Thursday.

Shen was working late that night, and at around 3 am he spotted a man in his 50s hailing a cab near Shen's home. He was about to call it a night, but he saw the man struggling with a stack of goods, including a bag of rice, fish, chicken and duck meat, so he decided to help.

He dropped the man off, and when he returned home he discovered that someone had broken into his kitchen. Shen suddenly realized that the man he had just dropped off had stolen his groceries.

Shen returned to where he dropped the man off and at around 8 pm that night, he saw the man eating at a food stand and seized him.

Beat police searched the man and found a vice, screwdriver and other tools. The man eventually confessed to the burglary.

(Xin'an Evening News)

Hours-old baby gives gift of sight after dying

A 36-hour-old baby boy became the youngest cornea donor in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Tuesday.

The baby, surnamed Luan, passed away 36 hours after being born in a difficult delivery in Longyan. His parents decided to donate their son's corneas and body to help those who needed them.

As the local Red Cross could not provide such a service, they called the Red Cross of Fuzhou, the provincial capital, to help with the donation. The organization sent over doctors to help with the procedure.

(www.taihainet.com)

(China Daily 03/28/2008 page6)