Across China: Henan

Online lie puts five in jail

Five people were arrested over the weekend in Qixian county of Henan province for spreading an online rumor that radiation was leaking from a local factory and would explode, causing public panic and many residents to flee their homes.

The online rumor started to circulate on July 14 and the exodus was sparked Friday, when bystanders saw government workers at a factory using robots to examine a cobalt-60 irradiator.