News You Might Have Missed: The Middle East, Morals and Mooncakes

China has been making news well beyond its border recently with relationships in the Middle East. Domestically, a recent incident has fueled a debate about the lack of good Samaritans in China. And we’ve found this year’s oddest mooncake.

Earlier in the month, headlines were made when Chinese-made Qurans were found to be riddled with printing errors. Embarrassed authorities have vowed not to let China produce anymore Qurans. Coincidentally, a day after the outcry from Iran, China pulled out from various oil and gas investments in Iran. Meanwhile, other Middle Eastern relations seem to be tipped more favorably towards China. Pakistan's Sindh province has announced that Chinese language studies will be mandatory in schools, starting in 2013.

A recent tragedy is spurring debate about the state of morality in China. An elderly man in Wuhan collapsed in public and was ignored by passersby for an hour; he was only attended to when his family arrived, and by then it was too late. Reluctance to come to the aid of the injured has been an unfortunate trend in recent years. A poll on the People’s Daily website found that 87 percent of respondents would not offer assistance to an elderly person; only 13 percent said they would be willing to help. Do these statistic seem completely heartless? The hesitation to help stems from an equally disturbing trend of victims suing (or attempting to sue) the bystanders who approach them to offer assistance. Beijing lawyer Stan Abrams offers an in-depth look at the issue on his blog China Hearsay and makes the case of why this is not an issue over a lack of Good Samaritan laws, as foreigners frequently suggest.

For a more lighthearted look at bystander nonchalance, check out the following clip from Tianjin featuring a girl with an oversized passion for mooncakes.

Photo: CBSnews.com