Looks like Ziketan is officially no longer a Ground Zero for pneumonic plague now that China has lifted the quarantine blockade around the Qinghai town. Though the outbreak has claimed three victims, no new infections had been reported for over a week and authorities decided it was time to end the quarantine. The disease had traveled to humans through a wild marmot, which came in contact with a dog, which later died. The dog's owner, a 32-year-old herdsman, became infected by fleas while burying his pet. It spread to his family and neighborhood, killing his father-in-law and neighbor. Nine other people are still hospitalized. Source: AFP more ›

• The Seven People You’ll Meet in Hotel Quarantine [A Product Guy] "Having now spent almost 3 days here in Hotel Quarantine, and adjusted to life in the Big House, I’ve noticed some common patterns among the types of people I’m encountering and sharing these experiences with. Generally, they fall into one of seven categories."
• Police fatally wound man during protest in China's Xinjiang [AFP] "Police in China's western-most Muslim region of Xinjiang fired warning shots to disperse a crowd protesting against a real estate project Tuesday, fatally wounding a man, state media said. The incident occurred in the regional capital Urumqi when a policeman identified as Kudelet Kurban accidentally fired his gun into a crowd of about 60 people, Xinhua news agency reported."
• U.S. may be within N. Korea missile range in 3 years, official warns [LA Times] "North Korea may be able to overcome technical difficulties and assemble a missile capable of hitting West Coast cities within three years, a top Defense Department official said Tuesday, but it is unlikely to be able to deliver a nuclear warhead in that time frame. The U.S. assessment came as North Korea's rulers show signs of preparing for additional weapons tests in the face of international condemnation and new United Nations sanctions."

Is it just us or does it seem like China's starting to rack up the swine flu cases faster? A man who returned to Guangdong from a tour in the U.S. and Canada was confirmed to be the country's fourth case of swine flu. He began to display symptoms en route from Hong Kong to Guangdong and was immediately put into quarantine. Meanwhile, an Italian tourist with swine flu symptoms is being treated at a hospital in Tibet. The 23 people traveling with her are now staying at a local hotel under observation. Source: Xinhua more ›

• China cracks down on foreign journalists [FT.com Video] "Foreign journalists trying to conduct interviews in the Sichuan earthquake zone in western China are being attacked and detained as Beijing ratchets up security in preparation for the first anniversary of the devastating quake on May 12. Jamil Anderlini, FT Beijing correspondent, traveled to Sichuan and was the target of such attacks. He reports on how officials used violence and threats to suppress his coverage."
• From gold farmers to kings: online gaming in china [US China Today] "Apparently the virtual world has not been hit by the financial crisis. In early April, Changyou, the online gaming division of the popular Chinese portal site Sohu.com, had its initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange. The stock jumped 25% by the day’s end, raising over US$128 million in company proceeds."
• Love, lust and time to party as hotel 'captives' scent freedom [SCMP] "Dozens of people partied in the lobby of the quarantined Metropark Hotel in Wan Chai last night to celebrate their impending release today, as guests told tales of love, lust and laughter from the week-long internment. Sheets that had covered the windows of the locked-down hotel for days were ripped down amid the festivities, revealing smiling guests raising glasses of wine, beer and other liquor and kissing one another."

Despite their draconian health measures at the airport, swine flu managed to enter Hong Kong anyway. On Friday, a 25-year-old Mexican national who had come to Hong Kong via a flight from Shanghai (sigh) was found to have Asia's first confirmed case of H1N1. So Hong Kong authorities decided to extend their draconian health measures to the rest of the island and have now quarantined tourists and employees at the hotel where he was staying. more ›