China Scene: South

Suicide of 12-year-old girl rocks community

Guangzhou's Haizhu district is in shock after the suicide of a 12-year-old girl on Monday.

Zhou Xiangyu reportedly took her life after her pencil was stolen. The primary school student hanged herself in her home at about 6 pm.

Police sealed off the scene but ruled out the possibility of homicide. Zhou's classmates said she was very unhappy after her pencil was stolen the previous day.

Zhou was born in Sichuan province, but moved to Guangzhou five years ago when her migrant worker parents took jobs at a local factory.

(Nanfang Daily)

Internet binge ends in intestinal problems

A young man surnamed Huang was diagnosed with obstructed intestines after a night of surfing the Internet in Nanning, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Monday.

Huang was sent to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment when he started suffering from severe stomachache.

Doctors operated immediately. Huang is now in a stable condition in hospital but believes spending 10 continuous hours online might have something to do with his predicament.

(Nanguo Morning Post)

(China Daily 04/11/2008 page6)