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Chinese boy, 10, jumps to death 'on teacher's order' Posted: BEIJING: A 10-year-old Chinese boy jumped 30 floors to his death after failing to write a self-criticism letter demanded by his teacher, state media reported Thursday. The fifth-grade primary school student had been ordered to write a 1,000-character apology by his teacher for talking in class, China National Radio (CNR) reported on its website, citing a neighbour. The educator allegedly told him to jump out of a building after he failed to complete the task, the report quoted relatives and the neighbour as saying. "Teacher, I can't do it," was found written in one of his textbooks, CNR said. "I flinched several times when I tried to jump from the building." The child smashed into a parked car beneath the flat where his family live, the West China City News reported. His furious relatives posted a banner outside the school in the southwestern city of Chengdu reading: "The teacher forced our kid to jump off the building," pictures showed Thursday. "The police investigation is still under way," an official of Jinjiang district, where the incident happened, told AFP, declining to comment further. Strict discipline is an essential part of China's education system and culture, and tradition demands deference to authority, putting children under pressure to obey instructions. The boy's school said Thursday on its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter, that the child and some of his classmates had been ordered to write reviews of their behaviour after they disturbed a speaking competition. He died "by accident", it said. -AFP |
Strong earthquake hits Taiwan, shakes buildings in capital Posted: TAIPEI: A strong earthquake struck eastern Taiwan Thursday, shaking buildings in the capital and causing tremors across the island. The 6.3 magnitude at 8:02 pm (1202 GMT) had its epicentre 53 kilometres (33 miles) southwest of Hualien city at a depth of 19.5 kilometres, according to the country's Seismology Centre. The US Geological Survey gave a slightly higher magnitude of 6.6 and a shallower depth of 9 km. There was no immediate information on any damage or casualties. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no immediate threat of a tsunami. Residents in Taipei took to social media to describe their alarm after the quake hit. "Yikes. Now the sirens are going. Definitely the worst earthquake I've felt here," wrote Lola Dodge on Twitter, describing herself as an expat living in Taipei. Elga Reyes tweeted: "Ohmygod. That was the scariest moment ever! Earthquake in Taipei. I could hear the walls creaking. And felt like I was swaying on a ride." -AFP |
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