Society

Twenty-seven students in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province were sickened Wednesday in a suspected case of food poisoning, authorities said Thursday.

Affected students from the Central School at Dongyang Township in the province's city of Qiqihar were sent to the hospital after having breakfast at the school, said a city government spokesman.

Their symptoms included nausea, high fever and headache, said the spokesman.

China's tennis legend Li Na made history again at the French Open, beating Maria Sharapova of Russia 6-4, 7-5 here on Thursday to roar into the women's singles final.

Li, 28, became the first Chinese woman to enter the French Open singles final. She had already made history twice at the French Open as the first Chinese lady to advance to quarterfinals and semifinals.

Today's final berth ensured Li Na, world No. 7, to rise to at least No. 5 on the WTA rankings.

Beijing's daily license plate restrictions are to be extended to include bad weather conditions, major events and festivals, according to a municipal work plan released on Tuesday.

Depending on the day of the week, licence plates ending in certain numbers are banned from the roads, a congestion-busting policy that was first applied during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

"Almost half of the cars disappeared from the roads during the Games," said veteran taxi driver Dou Keying. "Yet, it was unfair to private car owners. Why should the government allow them to buy cars but ban them from driving them?"

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday called for efforts to develop medical services in rural areas and expand health insurance coverage.

Efforts should be made to reform county-level hospitals and ensure that low-income patients benefit from the country's healthcare reforms, Li told health officials at a meeting on healthcare reform, over which he presided.

In an effort to make the country's medical service "equitable" and "convenient," Li urged health authorities to train more doctors, expand the coverage of the country's essential medicine system and ensure that outpatient services are accessible in villages.