 China Scene: North
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-01 07:53 Online personal finance a hit with young savers Keeping daily expense accounts on the Internet is the latest trend among young Chinese professionals looking to their future. Netizens that meet up on popular accounting websites such as www.coko365.com and www.qian8ao.com, exchange notes on the best ways to economize. Certain websites also run lists of the daily top ten savers and spenders. Netizens make use of web-based software for professional financial analyses that will help them to feather their nests for the future. (Beijing Legal Times) Jail and hefty fine for feeding lover's drug habit A young man infatuated with his drug addict girlfriend attempted to steal money from a township government office to buy the drugs she craved. During a day trip the pair took to a scenic spot in Pingding, a county of Shanxi province, on Saturday, Huo's girlfriend began suffering withdrawal symptoms. Desperate to help her but financially unable, Huo crept into the office intending to steal cash, but was immediately caught. The police put him behind bars for 15 days and fined him 1,000 yuan ($145) for the attempted larceny. (Shanxi Evening News)
Mother hampers son in his civic duty Gao Yang, a sixth grade pupil living in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, has not spoken to his mother for 6 consecutive days. He is angry with her for preventing him from making a citizen's arrest of a pickpocket on Saturday. Gao happened to catch sight of the pickpocket stealing a wallet from a man ahead of him and his mother. He raised the alarm and was about to rush forward to stop the petty thief. But Zhu, his mother, restrained the boy. Fearing that on being apprehended the pickpocket might injure him, she placed her hand over her son's mouth and forced him to walk swiftly in the opposite direction, much to his disgust. Since then, cold war has reigned between the boy and his mother. When Zhu consulted an expert to resolve the matter he admonished for protecting her son in this manner, as it contradicts his instinctive urge to combat crime. (Shanxi Evening News) Emergency hot air balloon landing in Changchun A hot-air balloon was forced to make an emergency landing on a hotel balcony in downtown Changchun, capital of Jilin province, on Thursday, after using up all its reserve fuel. A man surnamed Chen followed the balloon in his car for a few blocks, fearing it may crash. "Fortunately, only part of the balloon was damaged after it crash-landed on the balcony," he said. No one was injured. The balloon was one of many that had come to Changchun to take part in a hot-air balloon contest. "We had used up all four reserve cans of fuel after flying the balloon for about 2 hours, and were forced to make an emergency landing. We did our best not to endanger the safety of the public," one of the two pilots on board said. (East Asia Economy and Trade News) Boy leaves prison to take exam On Tuesday, a boy previously sentenced as a "juvenile delinquent" took the entrance examination for a vocational school in Jiutan, a city of Jilin province. The 15-year-old boy is currently residing in a local correctional facility. Last November, he got into a fight with a classmate, and the classmate died. He said he had not intended to kill him. The boy was sentenced to 3-years of reeducation through physical labor. To help him prepare for life after he is released, prison authorities allowed him to take the exam, accompanied by a plainclothes police officer. (news.sohu.com) (China Daily 07/01/2008 page5) |
