Thailand is trying attract tourists back to its beaches by calling in a revered Chinese sea goddess to ward off the spirits of thousands who died in last December's tsunami. A statue of Godmother Ruby, known as Mazu in Chinese, will be brought to the Thai island of Phuket from the Chinese coastal province of Fujian next month for ghost-clearing rites, says Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Thailand is trying attract tourists back to its beaches by calling in a revered Chinese sea goddess to ward off the spirits of thousands who died in last December's tsunami. A statue of Godmother Ruby, known as Mazu in Chinese, will be brought to the Thai island of Phuket from the Chinese coastal province of Fujian next month for ghost-clearing rites, says Suwalai Pinpradab of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The first group of women have been selected to train in China as astronauts. Thirty-five women between 17 and 20 years old will train as pilots at the Chinese military's Aviation University.

China's official news agency Xinhua reports a mysterious disease has killed 17 farmers in southwestern China. 41 more are been hospitalized. Preliminary investigations reveal the victims became infected after butchering sick pigs or sheep. Xinhua also says those affected have developed symptoms like high fever, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

Douglas Maher - All Headline News Staff ReporterDuring the October launch of the Shenzhou VI spacecraft, an estimated 40 grams of pig sperm will be taken on board; some kept outside of the spacecraft's biological capsule and some inside, according to Chinese state media.