Beijing Bites

Traffic control closures

The Lama Temple subway station and several roads will be closed as a result of traffic control efforts during the Spring Festival holiday, according to police, the Beijing Morning Post reported on Saturday.

The roads around the Temple of Earth, Longtanhu Park, Lianhuachi Park and Dongyue temple will also be closed to drivers during the temple fairs.

Subway lines two and five will not stop at Lama Temple station on Feb 14 to control the expected influx of visitors.

Compensation for lost leg

A 59-year-old migrant worker, surnamed Hu, got 50,000 yuan in compensation from Hongjia Construction Company on Friday after an accident two years ago in which he lost his right leg, Beijing Daily reported.

The company initially refused to admit the accident, which happened during Hu's lunch break, was a work accident and compensate him. A compromise was reached with the help of court mediation.

Coal plants phased out

The city's four coal-fired power plants will gradually convert to gas for electricity generation and heat supply in a step to protect the environment, Beijing Youth Daily reported yesterday.

Datang, one of the four operating companies, will complete the upgrade by the start of 2012. Their electricity generation capacity will double and the area of the city heated will grow by 70 percent. Pollutants released into the atmosphere will be greatly reduced.

Guohua Cogeneration Plant in Chaoyang district may be moved or converted to gas.

17 drivers banned for life

Seventeen drivers were banned from driving for life after fleeing from traffic accidents after drinking liquor, the news website Qianlong.com reported yesterday.

Police said almost 65 percent of the drivers were under 35. So far, 203 drivers have been banned from driving after drinking alcohol.

Mistress held for stabbing

A married woman has been charged by Fengtai district prosecutors after allegedly trying to kill her lover in a hotel on their third anniversary.

Beijing Times reported the woman, surnamed Wang, attacked the man on Dec 31, allegedly stabbing him before trying to take her own life. The report said her lover, surnamed Chong, wanted to break up with her. Staff at the hotel heard Chong's shouts and intervened.

Make payment by phone

About 20 million customers of Beijing Mobile can pay for goods from 300 outlets of Wu Mart and Merry Mart in the capital by swiping their mobiles, Beijing Daily reported.

Customers can change their SIM card to a RFID-SIM card - without changing their phone numbers - and can charge their phones with cash to make payments at the stores.

Prize scam nets prison time

A man who duped 56 people by pretending to be from a Beijing TV shopping center was sentenced to two years at Tongzhou district court, the Mirror Evening News reported yesterday.

Ma Shuai was convicted of cheating his victims out of 23,000 yuan between December 2008 and March 2009.

Ma told his victims they had won prizes from the TV shopping center and needed to pay a small amount of insurance to collect the prizes.

Man rows with 'slow' police

A man who allegedly overtook and boxed-in a police car on Saturday because it was being driven too slowly has been detained by Xuanwu district police, Beijing Evening News reported.

The man, surnamed Liu, said he wanted to buy some food for his wife but was slowed by the police car, prompting him to overtake, block the car and then quarrel with the officers for more than 10 minutes.

(China Daily 02/08/2010 page26)