Bus blaze cause identified

Flammable items were to blame for the fire on a bus that killed three people and injured 12 others on Monday, police said yesterday, without elaborating.

The two women killed have been identified as local residents, but the identity of the third victim, a man, is as yet unknown, police said.

3 gardeners killed

Three gardeners were killed and five others were injured yesterday after being hit by containers that fell from a lorry crossing an overpass above where they were working, police said.

The incident happened at 2:40 pm in the Baoshan district of Shanghai, police said.

Young stars of literature

Twenty middle-school students, including two from Hong Kong, were named "stars of literature" on Monday by the All-China Student Union and China Association of Writers. The nationwide essay competition, lasting seven months, attracted 26 million entries from 20 provinces and municipalities and was funded by the Shanghai Hengyuanxiang Group.

(China Daily 05/07/2008 page5)