We told you on Sunday how a Russian woman was sentenced to death in Zhuhai for heroin smuggling. A 35-year-old Filipino man is set to join her in the gallows for the same crime -- he was found carrying 1.495 kg of heroin in September 2008 at the Guilin International Airport, and his execution is set for December 8. more ›

"TWO girls and a woman were rescued from a gang planning to sell them as wives in neighboring Jiangsu Province, local police said yesterday. A 12-year-old girl and her 15-year-old cousin were found by officers in a hotel in Xuhui District. The woman was located in a village in Jiangsu. Eight men were detained by officers for alleged human trafficking offences dating back 10 years. Police said they saw the girls taken into a hotel on Shilong Road in Xuhui by three middle-aged men on June 16. During a spot check by police, the three men claimed to be relatives of the girls. However, they were unable to give even the names of the girls parents." [Shanghai Daily] more ›

A scandal involving family planning officials trafficking in newborns has just come to light in Hunan province. more ›

The thousands of children kidnapped every year and the ensuing media attention has led to China finally starting up a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking, which began on April 9. more ›

That's what the Washington Post reported. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two jailed American journalists, were working on a story about the trafficking of North Korean women in the border area of China and North Korea when they were detained. As you've no doubt heard, the two journalists have been sentenced to 12 years in a N. Korean labor camp, while people and governments around the world try their best to secure their release. more ›

• China database to track children [BBC] "China is setting up a DNA database to help trace missing children, as the authorities struggle to tackle people trafficking. By the end of the month, a network of more than 200 DNA centres is due to be set up. Thousands of children in China are stolen or sold each year."
• More on Beijing doping: cyclist, runner, walker join list [LA Times] "Five down, one to go." On the list of athletes at the Beijing Olympics who doped: German cycler Stefan Schumacher, Croation 800-meter runner Vanja Persic and Greek race walker Athania Tsoumeleka.
• China announces regulations for financial information in settlement with US, Europe [AP] "Beijing announced rules that ease controls on foreign financial information providers Thursday under an agreement with the U.S., Europe and Canada, but said those already operating in China must apply for permission to continue. The rules eliminate a requirement that foreign providers must work through a Chinese agent and reduce the amount of information they must disclose about their operations."