Trending news across China on Oct 13

Power queen's self defense

Li Xiaolin, chairman of China Power International Development, on Saturday denied accusations she had brokered a secret multi-million pound deal to help Zurich Insurance carve up the Chinese market. The company issued a statement, saying Li has never had any personal relations with any insurance company, nor does she know any people from such companies. UK-based The Telegraph revealed that in 1995 Li was the key person who introduced executives from Zurich to three Chinese businessmen who held a majority stake in New China Life, the country's largest insurance company, Beijing News reported.

Passport problems

It took a Hebei province native working in Beijing almost six months to get a passport, CCTV reported. A man, surnamed Zhou, commuted from Beijing to his place of birth, Feng county, six times to apply for a passport, which was denied until the CCTV investigation exposed on Friday that the local public security authorities were giving him a hard time. The involved staffers were immediately punished. The story has been retweeted over 20,000 times on Sina Weibo.

Hsu's troubles linger

Taiwan talk show diva Dee Hsu was summoned to the Taipei district public prosecutors' office on Friday to testify as a witness in an insider-trading case and a false advertisement case involving her husband and father-in-law, both of whom were questioned one week ago. Top Pot Bakery, which Hsu once promoted, came under fire for the use of artificial flavorings that it promised it avoided. The prosecutors wanted to find out whether she knowingly lied to consumers and committed fraud. The story generated more than 7,400 discussions on Sina Weibo.

Fortune telling rip-off

People with only a primary school education can be packaged as fortune-telling masters for the price of 4,800 yuan ($784) in tuition fees. The so-called masters can demand 52,000 yuan ($8,497) for office feng shui inspections and 77,000 yuan ($12,582) to secure eternal good luck, according to a CCTV report revealing high-grossing fortune telling scams in Beijing.

Rumor crackdown

Don't be fooled by widely circulating "life wisdoms" such as papayas help enlarge breasts. Beijing's online anti-rumor platform has revealed many common sense beliefs are actually false. If you thought it was dangerous to have juice and seafood together, you can now rest easy. If you take vitamin C regularly to prevent colds, you may be disappointed. (www.qq.com)

Generous Bryant

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers' new season was hammered by Thursday's 104-86 loss to the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas, the trip had a silver lining. Kobe Bryant took the entire team out to dinner at STK steakhouse on Wednesday, which cost a whopping $12,000. It apparently was a drop in the bucket for the iconic Lakers player who is one of the best paid in the league. (www.163.com)

New taxi standards

Taxi drivers are not allowed to use passengers' destinations to decide whether or not to drive them, according to new national taxi service standards. Taxi companies should address passenger complaints within 24 hours. Drivers are also banned from smoking and having pungent food in the car before starting a strip. (www.chinanews.com)

FTZ housing frenzy

Housing prices jumped 30 percent since the beginning of the year near Shanghai's newly designated free-trade zone amid expectations that the cluster of companies will boost home values. Second home prices have risen to 23,000 ($3,595) - 29,000 yuan ($4,739) per square meter in Gaoqiao in the city's northeast. Housing agencies are stepping up their presence in the lucrative market. Centaline has opened three offices in the area and plans to expand further, Shanghai Morning Post reported.