Science can be fun Children interact with a performer at a science show at the Nanjing Science and Technology Museum on Thursday. The museum has launched its 2,700-square-meter comic and animation studio, providing an interactive experience in animation entertainment. Photo by Cui Xiao / for China Daily

Beijing

Radiation stays normal after test

No artificial radioactive nuclides had been detected in Northeast China as of 11 am on Thursday, according to the country's environmental watchdog. The Ministry of Environmental Protection sent several radiation monitoring detachments to monitor and evaluate the environment in Northeast China after a recent nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Monitoring results collected by 25 automatic monitoring stations in Northeast China's border areas showed that radiation was still normal at noon on Thursday, according to the statement.

Patrols continue near Diaoyu Islands

Chinese marine surveillance ships continued regular patrols in the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Friday, the State Oceanic Administration said. The ships included Haijian 50, Haijian 66 and Haijian 137, the administration said in a statement on its website.

Yunnan

2,350 sent to fight fire near Yulong

More than 2,300 people have been deployed near Yulong Snow Mountains in Yunnan province on Friday to fight a forest fire there. A forest fire broke out in Yulong Naxi autonomous county at 3 pm on Thursday, but it had no effect on the Yulong Snow Mountains, a famous scenic spot in China, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Jiangxi

Naked man runs around airport

A naked man who broke into an airport was confirmed to have taken drugs and will be detained for 20 days, the airport authority said on Friday. A Nanchang resident ran to the apron of Changbei International Airport at 10 pm on Thursday, forcing the management authority to suspend operations for safety reasons. The man was found squatting in a ditch an hour later, the airport said.

Highway crash leaves eight dead

Eight people died on Friday when two vehicles collided on a highway in Jiangxi province. The eight were all riding in a minibus that collided with another vehicle near Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, according to the local highway police administration.

Shandong

Flotilla returns after training

A flotilla of the People's Liberation Army navy has completed the year's first open-sea training exercise in the western Pacific Ocean and returned to the port city of Qingdao on Friday. During the 18-day training exercise, the flotilla patrolled the South China Sea and conducted a joint anti-submarine exercise.

The flotilla comprised three ships - DDG-113 Qingdao and the two frigates FFG-53 Yantai and FFG-546 Yancheng.

Hong Kong

HK man gets jail for setting fire to dog

A Hong Kong man was sentenced to eight months in jail on Thursday for setting fire to a neighbor's dog, Nanfang Metropolis Daily reported.

Computer technician Mok Chung-ting, 31, said in court that he was unable to get a good night's sleep for months because of the dog's constant barking. On Sept 1, he splashed paint thinner on the 6-year-old mongrel and set fire to the animal, leading to serious injuries that killed the dog hours later.

Tourism chief apologizes

Rosanna Law, the deputy commissioner for tourism for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, apologized on Friday to 20 mainland tourists left stranded without accommodation in the city, insisting it will not happen again. A tour group from Shenzhen had to sleep in a bus on Tuesday because the receiving travel agency in Hong Kong had not arranged accommodations.

Guizhou

Patients did have contact with birds

Health officials in Guizhou province have confirmed that two patients diagnosed with avian influenza H5N1 did have close contact with birds. One of the patients, a 21-year-old woman, died of multiple organ failure at the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital on Wednesday. The other, a 31-year-old man, is still under ICU treatment.

China Daily-Xinhua