London, April 17 : An 8ft 1in tall man in China, who staggered staff at a hospital when he went there for a foot operation, may be the world’s tallest man.

Zhao Liang, 27, is a circus performer. His father is 5ft 11in and mum Wang Keyun 5ft 6in tall.

If Liang’s stature is confirmed, it would mean that he is nearly 4in taller than fellow 7ft 9in countryman Bao Xishun, 58, who holds the current Guinness world record.

Liang mother revealed how her son consumes three meals, and eight giant buns every day for lunch.

New Delhi, April 17 : A 7-year-old Chinese girl dialled a police hotline 700 times during in one month, thinking that it was fun to dial 110 and hear police talk.

Cops in Weng''an county, Guizhou province, revealed that the calls came from a mobile phone.

The police also revealed that the dialler uttered only a few soft words, reports the China Daily.

The newspaper report says that the little girl’s parents were away at work at the time, and that she lives with her grandparents.

She used her father’s mobile phone to dial the number.

Washington, April 17 : The discovery of an ancient flute in Xinglongwa, China, has suggested that Chinese musical instruments could be 3000 years older than previously calculated.

Traditional Chinese musical instruments are believed to have originated from the reign of Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, some two thousand years ago.

But, a flute made of bones, unearthed at the Xinglongwa Site in Inner Mongolian in 1986, has changed the timeline for musical instruments in China.

The ancient flute was made from the bones of bustard, a kind of bird usually seen in Northeast China. The tube is 18 centimeters long, with finger holes still evident.

Tokyo - China has expressed a willingness to mediate in talks between North Korea and the United States on Pyongyang's nuclear programme, a Japanese media report said Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told the Nikkei financial newspaper, "Maintaining the process is in the interest of each participant" of the six-party talks, which include Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, China and the United States.

Many analysts see a breakthrough in relations between the United States and North Korea as necessary for the resumption of the six-nation talks.

Beijing, Apr. 17 : In an attempt to tighten the noose on the Chinese media, the nation's media watchdog has issued a circular sermonizing the responsibilities and credibility of the press.

The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) has urged newspapers and organizations to verify the facts to ensure truthfulness and objectivity in their news coverage.

To facilitate it, the organizations must be strict in hiring reporters and editors. Those with a track record of fabricating news stories or seeking profit by abusing their jobs should not be employed, the circular read.