Shanghai

Official expelled from Party

Wang Jun, deputy head of Songjiang district, has been expelled from the Party and turned over to the judiciary on suspicion of a disciplinary violations and crimes, the city's commission for discipline inspection said on Monday. Wang, 53, held the position of deputy district head since December 2006, according to the district government's website.

Cabby's business license revoked

A taxi driver lost his business license and was suspended for five years after allegedly charging a foreign passenger 2,300 yuan ($376) for a 4-km ride, 115 times the fare allowed, Shanghai Evening Post reported on Monday. After charging the exorbitant fare, the driver forced the passenger to get out of the taxi.

Strange dishes in new semester

With the start of the new school semester, school cafeterias have also updated their menus and some are rather strange. East China Normal University introduced a new menu item that features corn cooked with grapes. Such a peculiar and daring dish has astounded not only students but also thousands of netizens.

Yunnan

4 dead, 7 missing in bridge collapse

At least four people died and seven others are missing after a bus and a car fell into a river in Dali prefecture on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday. The bus and the car fell into a river in Yunlong county in Dali at around 10 pm on Sunday after a bridge collapsed due to a mudslide, prefectural authorities said.

Beijing

Ministry denies traffic fee rumor

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has denied that traffic congestion fees will be collected nationwide, China National Radio reported on Monday. The ministry said that the reports about the traffic congestion fees were not true, and the measure would only be implemented to solve traffic problems in megacities such as Beijing.

Man attempts suicide near shop

A middle-aged man attempted to kill himself at a video shop on Sunday, Beijing News reported on Monday. A witness said the man stood for some time at the doorway of the shop on Xizhimennei Street before he attempted to kill himself with a knife. Police took the man to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Guangdong

Girl, 13, loitersat airport for days

A 13-year-old girl with dreams of flying in an airplane was found loitering at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport for several days wearing a flight attendant uniform. New Express reported on Monday that the girl was first found loitering at the airport on Aug 5 and was sent to the city's child protection center by police. On Aug 21, she went back to the airport and told airport staff and police that she wanted to be near the planes. She said she bought four flight attendant uniforms online. The girl was sent back home.

Hunan

Ex-tourism chief gets 10 years

A former official who accepted bribes was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Shaoshan city people's court, Legal Daily reported on Monday. Guo Guanghui, former director of the city's tourism bureau, received 1.01 million yuan ($165,000) from 2007 to 2010.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily USA 09/10/2013 page3)