Beijing Bites

Family sues over drowning

The family of a man, who died of drowning in Shichahai Lake after falling off a boat, has sued the boat company for failure to ensure the safety of customers and asked 320,000 yuan in compensation.

The man surnamed Shangguan rented a boat with his girlfriend on Aug 28, but he fell off the boat and the girlfriend could not untie the life buoy on the boat, Xicheng district court was told.

A staff member from the boat company came to his assistance, but he did not have proper skills or a rescue certificate. The boat company claimed the staff jumped into the lake to save the man and sent boats to rescue.

The man died in the lake.

Unhappy wife's plot

A woman accused of trying to poison her husband with pesticide appeared in Fengtai district court yesterday.

The woman was accused of putting pesticide in her husband's food on Aug 29, after the pair had a quarrel. However, the husband discovered the poison and reported it to police the next day.

The woman said the husband did not treat her and their daughter well. She said she wanted a divorce but the husband did not agree, so she wanted to put some poison into the food to "scare" him.

Hep B carrier sues center

A hepatitis B carrier, who was denied a health status certificate so that he could work in the catering industry, is suing the Beijing center for disease prevention & control (CDC) and Beijing municipal bureau of health in Dongcheng district court, the Beijing Evening News reported yesterday.

The man surnamed Liao said he applied to the Beijing CDC for a health status certificate on Sept 10, after the country lifted a ban on hepatitis B carriers working in the catering industry in July. However, Liao was denied a health certificate. The 28-year-old said he worked at an engineering company and did not want to be a chef, but wanted to fight for the protection of his rights.

Safe pork project

The municipal government will fund several butchers over the next two years which will provide safe pork to the market.

The pilot companies will take 80 percent of the market share. All products will be transported in refrigerated vehicles, which will also guarantee the quality of the pork.

Beijing was selected along with nine other provinces and municipalities to build safe pork markets by the Ministry of Commerce in August.

Direct entry into PKU

Four high school headmasters will be able to recommend graduates to Peking University without the need for entrance exams, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

The four schools are the Renmin University of China High School, Peking University High School, Beijing Normal University High School, and Beijing No 4 High School.

Previously, all students must pass college entrance exams to get into university.

Nominations from high school headmasters are hoped to encourage comprehensive qualities rather than just scores. More than 400 high schools in the country applied for the right but only 39 were approved, including four in Beijing.

Power cables cut off

Power to an English training school in Haidian district was cut off in a property management dispute on Sunday, the Beijing News reported yesterday.

The property management company of the complex visited the school asking for 2.1 million yuan in property management fees. An employee of the company then cut the cables.

The school admitted they owed 2.1 million yuan but referred to a period of five days when water and power had been cut off in October 2008. The two sides currently hold an agreement that says if water or power to the school is not available for a single day, the school has the right to refuse to pay 10 percent of the management fee.

Two men die in accident

Two men died on Sunday morning when their car crashed into a cement mixer, the Beijing News reported.

The accident happened at 4:20 am on Sunday when the red car, carrying two men, collided with the industrial vehicle. Firefighters used special machinery to get the men out, but they had already died. An investigation into the cause and the identities of the men is ongoing.

(China Daily 11/17/2009 page26)