‘AIDS demolition team’ probed

    A Henan Province city is looking into allegations about an “AIDS demolition* team,” whose members reportedly claim to be AIDS patients and have threatened to infect residents who refuse to move out of their homes.

    The government of Nanyang City in Henan Province confirmed the existence of the team, but said it was not hired by the local government.

    Taiwan fines Uber

    Taiwan has slapped a string of* fines on app-based taxi service Uber for operating illegally, the latest blow to the U.S. company, which is embroiled in* a number of international disputes.

    A spokesman for the island’s highways department said Uber had registered with the authorities as a company, but had not declared that it was offering transport services.

    Dropped cash recovered

    Hong Kong police said on December 25 they have recovered some HK$4.8 million (US$615,000) out of the HK$15 million that went missing after a money transport van spilled large bundles* of cash over a busy road on Christmas Eve.

    Some motorists and passers-by treated themselves to an early Christmas, dashing onto Gloucester Road to pick up large stacks of banknotes*.

    Police said on December 25 that 27 people had handed over cash, including two individuals who returned HK$1 million and one person who handed in HK$2 million.

    University bans Christmas

    A university in Shaanxi Province has banned Christmas, calling it a “kitsch*” foreign celebration unbefitting* of the country’s own traditions and making its students watch films instead.

    The Beijing News said that the Modern College of Northwest University, located in Xi’an, had strung up banners around the campus reading “Strive to be outstanding sons and daughters of China, oppose kitsch Western holidays” and “Resist the expansion of Western culture.” A student told the newspaper that they would be punished if they did not attend a mandatory three-hour screening of films on traditional cultures.(SD-Agencies)