A man in central China has been sentenced to a year in jail for ringing a bell to end a national college entrance exam too early, forcing the students to hand in their papers nearly five minutes before the exam should have ended, state media said yesterday.

Xiao Yulong, 54, admitted having rung the bell at the school in the province of Hunan four minutes and 48 seconds early “by mistake” on June 8, meaning 1,050 students had to hand in their exams before they were required to do so, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The incident led to thousands of students and parents gathering “multiple times” at the school and the local education bureau to demand that the Government investigate, it said.

A court sentenced Xiao to one year in jail for negligence, Xinhua said. However, he was also given a one-year reprieve, Xinhua said, which means he may serve either very little or no time inside. (Reuters)

Bankers box for charity

Hong Kong bankers shed their expensive pin-striped suits and donned boxing gloves late on Thursday as they traded blows in the ring at an annual charity event.

The sixth edition of “Hedge Fund Fight Nite” saw 14 contestants from some of the Asian financial hub’s major banks throw punches at each other, much to the delight of hundreds of well-dressed, cheering spectators.

“Words can’t describe it,” said Anthony “The Tank” Carango, representing Nomura International Hong Kong Ltd. “It is the best feeling,” he added on stepping into the ring.

The boxers – including two women and a contestant over the age of 50 — spent five months training for the fight, sacrificing their social lives to be in the best shape possible for the bout. (AFP)

Live shark on golf course

Things don’t always land where they’re supposed to on a fairway, but the shark that mysteriously appeared near the 12th tee of a California golf club seems to have been the result of a birdie.

The two-foot (60cm) leopard shark is thought to have been picked up by an osprey off the nearby Pacific coast and dropped as the bird flew over the San Juan Hills Golf Club south of Los Angeles, club officials said on Thursday.

Director of Club Operations Melissa McCormack, who snapped a picture, said the fish had what appeared to be bite marks which made them think it was dropped from a bird’s beak. They decided to rush it back to the ocean, five miles (8km) away. (AFP)

‘Diseased’ desserts on menu

Maggot therapy cupcakes, gingerbread cigarettes and a severed leg cake were being served up yesterday at a London museum which aims to educate the public about disease.

“Eat Your Heart Out 2012” at St Bartholomew’s Pathology Museum features anatomically-accurate cakes, cookies and cocktails plus information on the diseases which inspired the treats.

“We hope to create an interest in the topics of anatomy and pathology, for example – raise awareness of the need for blood donations, educate visitors about transplants and ensure people understand the dangers of alcohol abuse and smoking,” said Carla Connolly, the museum’s technician and assistant curator.

“Most importantly, we’ll be showing that serious, or often taboo, subjects can still be communicated through an accessible medium.”

The display has been created by Emma Thomas, aka Miss Cakehead, and the event runs until tomorrow. (AFP)

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