Self-taught boy diagnoses illnesses by feeling pulse

A nine-year-old boy can feel the pulse of "patients"and accurately diagnose what disease they are suffering from, Nanfang Daily reports.

Song Weichen's medical inspiration came from a TV serial shown last year "Miracle-Working Doctor Xilaile""none in the doctor's family is connected to medicine.

Song's grandfather was his first patient; the prescription by Song was just as good as the one from hospital, the proud man said.

Father pays allowance to son after DNA test

A 67-year-old man in Hainan has been ordered to pay a monthly living allowance of 250 yuan (US$30) to a nine-year-old boy after DNA tests showed the was, indeed, his son, Nanguo Metropolis reports.

In 2002, the boy filed a lawsuit in Meilan District Court complaining that his father did not acknowledge their relationship and paid no money for his living expenses.

DNA tests revealed that the boy's father was Wu, who had an affair with the boy's mother in 1992 when she was 32.

Male ticket scalpers hide in women's toilet

A gang of male ticket scalpers hid in a women's toilet to evade police in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, but were caught, Information Times reports.

A special public security bureau taskforce has been set up in the city to fight mass illegal-ticket deals for rail and road transport with Spring Festival drawing near.

Scalpers charge three to four times the normal fare as "processing fee."

Mega carnival offers food-and-music feast

Guangdong residents are set to enjoy a mega carnival during Spring Festival in Panyu district of Guangzhou, the provincial capital, News Express reports.

World-class entertainment facilities, all imported, musical shows and food fairs will feature in the carnival, which is expected to attract 1.8 million visitors.

Quarrelling husband mistaken for burglar

A man who was quarrelling with his wife over household expenses and trying to grab some money from her was mistaken for a burglar by a security guard who stunned him with a fierce blow, Haikou Evening News reports.

Wu and his wife were arguing just at the entrance of a bank in Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan Province on Monday when the security guard rushed out and bashed him on the head.

Sleepwalker hurt badly after falling five floors

A man who fell from his fifth-floor apartment and injured himself badly early on Thursday morning was not trying to commit suicide but sleepwalking, Yancheng Evening News reports.

The accident happened at 3 am in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. He suffered broken bones all over his body and needs prolonged medical treatment, doctors said.

The man has a history of somnambulism, according to his wife.

(China Daily 01/16/2004 page4)