Under-skirt photographers are busted, 'Good Samaritan' students are offered free helicopter training in US, and a gang that climbed walls to steal things has been caught.

Caught for clicking under skirt

Fifteen members belonging to a 18-crew gang have been arrested for allegedly taking photographs of women under their skirts in Beijing and then selling them online, according to The Beijing News on Thursday.

They reportedly took the images by sticking cameras at the end of walking sticks. A 10-minute under-skirt video apparently fetches 500-1,000 yuan ( $80-160) on porn websites.

'Good Samaritan' offered free helicopter training in US

Two senior high school students who missed this year's college entrance exam after being injured while trying to stop a knife attack will be provided an opportunity to train in helicopter flying on public expense, according to officials.

Promotion Center for Emergency Assistance under China's Ministry of Civil Affairs said if Liu Yanbing and Yi Zhiyong, who hail from Yibin city of Jiangxi province, pass a physical test then they will be able to join its program in the United States for free, CCTV News reported Wednesday. Both students have said their dream is to become pilots.

Machines dispense cooked rice automatically

Machines that dispense cooked rice automatically have been introduced at a canteen at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou city of Guangdong province, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday.

The machines can dispense 100g-150g rice in just 2.5 seconds with great precision. One student joked that he will no longer have to worry about small servings in the canteen, said the report.

'Spider-Men' stole items worth 1 milion yuan

A 10-member criminal gang that climbed buildings in high-end residential compounds to steal things has been busted, in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, hsw.cn reported Wednesday.

Local police introduced the criminals, all 24 to 36 year-old males and nine of them from Guizhou province, usually clamber gas pipelines and air-conditioner brackets to target rooms and steal belongings before dawn. The gang stole on 130 occasions in cities of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces in two months, with the stolen items worth around one milion yuan ($ 160,100).

Freed man accused of witness attack

An ex-convict named Zhang is accused of beating in August a witness who had testified against him, Jinghua Times reported on Wednesday. Zhang, who has been detained and is awaiting a court hearing, allegedly said the witness had committed perjury to help convict him in 2011 of causing trouble.

Burglar caught after messaging victim

A man appeared in court on Tuesday charged with entering the house of a woman and taking note of the instant messaging contact number on her computer, Jinghua Times reported on Wednesday. Guan Tinghui, 24, allegedly followed the woman to her rented house on March 17 to rob her, but instead remembered her QQ number. He later contacted her with the number and was caught by police. Guan stood trial on Tuesday, and a judgment will be announced later.

Blind man to work for doctorate in California

A man born in 1974 and who lost his sight at age 15 will go to the University of Southern California on June 28 with his family to study medicine, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday. Yang Yang will be the first blind man from the Chinese mainland to enter a US university's doctoral program after passing that country's Test of English as a Foreign Language. He already has a college diploma in acupuncture and massage.

Runaway groom gets half his dowry back

A Ningbo man was awarded half the 90,000 yuan ($14,500) dowry he gave his ex-fiancee's family before he called off the engagement because he is gay, China Youth International reported on Wednesday. According to the woman, the couple had no intimate moments except for holding hands. The man said he tried but failed to change his sexual orientation after the engagement. A court mediated the settlement.