Around Beijing

1 Dongcheng

Police swoop to snare scalpers in spring rush

Beijing railway police rounded up almost 300 ticket scalpers during a recent 46-day crackdown over the Spring Festival travel peak.

All 288 suspects were discovered in nine illegal exchange dens, with 26 of them detained by authorities as of last Friday, Mirror Evening News reported.

On Feb 10, police followed a suspected ticket scalper in Xicheng district for more than an hour before confronting him in a supermarket. He had three train tickets to Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, and 1,660 yuan in cash.

Investigations found that the man, who had arranged to meet a female buyer, had increased the price of the tickets by 316 yuan.

2 Haidian

Couples flock to tie the knot on Valentine's

The number of marriage registrations has surged for this year's Valentine's Day, Mirror Evening News reported on Sunday.

As of 10 am on Saturday, 700 couples had made online reservations at the capital's district civil affairs bureaus. Haidian district received the biggest number, with 400 couples registering to wed.

Civil affairs bureaus say they are fully prepared for the surge.

3 Chaoyang

Stray dog killed after attacks on passersby

Police officers beat a stray dog to death on Friday after it attacked six people in Heizhuanghu village, Chaoyang district, Beijing Times reported.

The first victim - a man surnamed Wang - was walking home at about midnight when the dog pounced outside a restaurant and bit him on his right hand. Wang spent 2,000 yuan on medical treatment and reported the attack to local police, hoping to find the owners and get compensation.

A spokesman for the police said the animal had attacked five other people.

4 Huairou

Music teacher held over sexual assault claims

A primary school music teacher has been detained on suspicion of molesting six girls during classes in Huairou district, Beijing Times reported on Sunday.

The teacher, surnamed Li, has worked at the school for more than two years. Parents of the alleged victims quoted by the Times claimed that Li forced the students to face the wall while he "sexually assaulted the most beautiful girl by the piano".

Parents raised the alarm after one student refused to attend the music class. The school has reportedly already paid compensation to the affected families, although the sum was not disclosed.

Blood bank offers credits to keep

A blood bank in the capital is to start rewarding visitors credits that can be exchanged for goods and services to keep donations flowing during traditionally low seasons.

The decision to set up a public welfare bank was announced by the Beijing Red Cross Society Blood Center on Feb 11, according to reports on the Qianlong news website. It is hoped that the project will alleviate the shortages that usually occur in summer and winter months.

Depending on the time they visit and amount of blood they give, donors will receive credits to can be used with cooperating businesses and organizations. For example, 500 credits can be exchanged for free registration at 30 major hospitals, while 200 is worth free access to several online magazines.

Ambulance crews see rise in drunken callouts

Emergency services vehicles were dispatched 353 times to help drunken people between Feb 2 and 11, an increase of almost 20 percent on the same period last year.

The statistics were provided by the Beijing Emergency Medical Center, which responds to 120 calls, and Red Cross Society's 999 Emergency Aid Center.

About 60 percent of calls during the Spring Festival holiday came from households, while staff at restaurants and bars made the rest, Mirror Evening News reported.

With Lantern Festival approaching on Feb 17, a traditional time for family reunions, the emergency centers have again urged citizens to drink in moderation.

Center debuts nation's first ever e-sports show

China's first-ever electronic sports show debuted on Saturday at cespc.com, the official website of the China e-Sports Development Center. The show will be broadcast every week at 7 pm.

The show features a wide range of news topics, including reviews of popular computer games, information on the latest gadgets, and interviews with top e-sports stars.

China Daily

(China Daily 02/14/2011)