Broke teenager caught kidnapping himself

Ma, an 18-year-old resident of Pingliang, Gansu province, kidnapped himself last Thursday in an attempt to extort money from his parents.

Ma's father, who runs a small restaurant, received a phone call on Thursday afternoon from a stranger using his son's mobile phone, saying that his son had been kidnapped. The caller asked for 20,000 yuan ($2,900).

Ma was working in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, so his parents traveled there to contact police. Investigators soon found that his son had not been kidnapped at all.

"I just wanted to get some money from my parents, so I gave 100 yuan ($14) to my friend and asked him to call them," Ma told police after he was found.

(Chinese Business View)

Chengdu opens transfer window for IC cardholders

From May 1, people who have bus IC cards in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, are able to ride for free for two hours after paying their first fare.

Officials from the local bus company said Chengdu is the first city to introduce such a measure. "When you pay for a bus ride with your IC card at 9 am, you can transfer to other buses for free until 11. Your IC card will keep track of the time," an official with the bus company said.

(West China Metropolis Daily)

Father demands raising fee from elusive daughter

Liu, a resident of Xinjin, Sichuan province, recently filed a lawsuit seeking child support payments from his daughter.

A court held a hearing on Friday in which Liu said he struggled to raise his daughter after her birth in 1975, but she gave him the cold shoulder in 2000. He demanded that she pay him 5,000 yuan ($714) as a raising fee. In her defense, she said that her father had been obliged to raise her and that she had never specifically sought to avoid him.

The court said it would make a ruling later.

(Chengdu Commercial Daily)

Thief finds little comfort in sealed air-raid shelter

A thief lost his way in an air-raid shelter while fleeing the scene of a theft in Chongqing municipality on Friday. Police and firefighters eventually helped him out of his predicament.

One morning a resident surnamed Zhang heard calls for help coming from a sealed air-raid shelter in a residential block and called police.

Police and firefighters spent the next two hours pulling the man from the shelter. However, as soon as he got out, an onlooker pointed out that he had just stolen something and was trying to escape. Police took him in for questioning.

(Chongqing Time)

Ancient tombs yield intriguing ornaments

Four ancient tombs dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century to 771 BC) were unearthed on Friday in Chang'an district, Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.

Archaeologists found several shell ornaments in the tombs as well as five bronze tripods, reflecting the occupants' high imperial status. Excavations continue.

(www.xatvs.com)

(China Daily 05/08/2008 page5)