Private bodyguards increase

The growing number of affluent Chinese has triggered an increase in personal protections services, The Washington Post reports. These bodyguards, many of whom are women, work as drivers, caretakers, or are disguised secretaries. Regular citizens in China are prohibited from carrying firearms, but bodyguards possess martial-arts skills to disarm or subdue an attacker with a few quick thrusts and hand chops.

Private bodyguards in China do everything from protecting wealthy celebrities and businessmen to assisting in security for such major events as the Shanghai World Expo. Many of China's new wealthy elite have decided to maintain a lower profile and increasingly, they are turning to private security companies for protection.

4 Japanese investigated in China

Xinhua reports that four Japanese are being investigated in China for having entered a military zone without authorization and illegally videotaped military targets in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, local state security authorities said Thursday. The state security authorities have taken measures against the four people according to the law. The security authorities only gave one name of the four Japanese nationals, Sada Takahashi. "Currently, the case is being investigated," the state security authorities said in a statement. No further details were provided.

US walks out on Iranian leader

Delegates from the United States and other nations walked out of the UN General Assembly on Thursday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a fiery speech in which he stated that some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, CNN reported. He followed with the claim that the attacks were aimed at reversing "the declining American economy and its script in the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime, and that the majority of the American people, as well as most nations and politicians around the world, agree with this view."

China-Australia hold naval drills

The Chinese naval frigate Luoyang, and the visiting Australian HMAS Warramunga, successfully completed a live-fire exercise in the waters of China's Yellow Sea on Sept.23. It was China's first joint-naval exercise with a Western navy ship.

Pigs dine on mooncakes

The price of mooncakes dropped abruptly after the Mid-autumn Festival. Shopping malls have launched various promotions, such as discounts up to 75 percent off, Sanxiang City Express reports. A small portion will remain on the shelf for a while, but the majority will be fed to pigs. Manufacturers still retain a lucrative profit.

Woman to survive being cut in half

A 31-year-old Canadian woman, Janis Ollson, has become the first person to survive being cut in half. She was reassembled with a prosthetic left leg and an artificial pelvis.

A 31-year-old Canadian woman, Janis Ollson, was diagnosed with sarcoma-a form of bone cancer, when she was pregnant three years ago, the Daily Mail reported. In order to remove the tumor, she agreed to undergo ground-breaking drastic surgeries that entailed being cut in half and then using more than 240 staples to put her back together. She survived and was reassembled with a prosthetic left leg and an artificial pelvis. She has become the first person to survive being cut in half. Since her groundbreaking surgery, three other patients have had the operation but only one has survived.

Traffic snarls former bike kingdom

The paralyzed traffic in Beijing after a moderate rain last Friday afternoon has caused local citizens to reminisce of the good old days when they lived in the famed "bicycle kingdom" only a few decades ago, CNN reported.

The soaring economy has put more people in cars and paradoxically, slows the city's tempo. Now in Beijing, many citizens would rather ride than drive. The city has more than 4.5 million vehicles and soon perhaps its wide highways will be huge parking lots.

Young beggar harasses females

A middle-school-aged beggar reportedly harassed female passengers on Beijing subway, according to Beijing News. The beggar targets young and single female passengers. He cursed and harassed them physically when they refused to give him money. A passenger took the beggar's image with her mobile phone and sent it to the police who say they plan to apprehend him.

Bosnian actress in Jolie's film

A largely unknown Bosnian actress Zana Marjanovic has surprisingly nabbed the lead role in Angelina Jolie's directorial debut about a Serbian man and Bosnian woman who meet on the eve of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, Reuters reported. The romantic drama, which was announced in August when Hollywood actress Jolie visited Sarajevo as a goodwill ambassador of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, will be based on her own screenplay and will star regional actors. The film is expected to cost $15 million and will start shooting this week in Budapest.

Loofah outgrows Yao Ming

Mr. Li, in Shunyi District, Beijing, has planted a 2.46 meters long loofah, which is taller than Yao Ming, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Li said that every year he will buy seeds of loofah and plant them in spring. He had planted a 1.9-meter-long loofah several years ago; however, this 2.46-meter loofah is his masterpiece.

(China.org.cn September 25, 2010)