The number of AIDS patients in Guangzhou, capital Guangdong Province, is increasing at an average of 80.64 per cent a year.
　　Last year alone, the southern Chinese metropolis detected 212 HIV positive cases, an 128 per cent increase over 2000, Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily reports.

The municipal government has pledged to take active measures to check the spread of the fatal disease.

20% diplomas

scrutinized as fakes

More than 20 per cent diplomas submitted to government scrutiny agencies in South China's Guangdong Province were found to be fakes, Shenzhen Commercial Daily reports.

Since May 2001, the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Education has assessed more than 3,500 diplomas and found more than 800 of them to be fakes.

Most of the diplomas were sent by the province's government departments, foreign-funded companies and joint ventures and private-run firms.

Bird hunting

ban in effect

Bird hunting has been banned in South China's Guangdong Province for three years in an effort to protect wildlife, Guangzhou Evening News reported yesterday.

Because of its warm weather Guangdong used to be a paradise for wild birds but overhunting led to a drastic fall in their numbers in recent years.

The province still has 503 different kinds of birds, accounting for 40.5 per cent of the country's total variety. Of them, 87 are under State protection.

SHENZHEN

Drug-selling den

destroyed

Shenzhen police have destroyed a drug-selling den in an apartment in the city's busy Luohu District and detained five suspects, Shenzhen Commercial Daily reports.

More than 570 grams of heroin, 1 kilogram of marijuana and more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,024.1) in cash were seized.

This is the biggest drug racket to be busted in Shenzhen this year.

Patient attacks

doctors, injures 3

A patient who attacked three doctors in Shenzhen's Longhua People's Hospital was detained by police on Tuesday, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

Zeng Deqi is a migrant worker from Central China's Hunan Province and had sought treatment for impotency in the hospital.

He was seen charging into a traditional Chinese medicine department with a chopper around 9:25 am and attacked the three doctors working there.

Zeng was caught by security guards at the hospital gate when he tried to escape.

The most seriously injured doctor is still under intensive care.

Police said Zheng might have been unsatisfied with the result of his treatment and tried to vent his anger.
　　
　　
　　From Chinadaily.com.cn