Beijing  - At least one person died and tens of thousands were evacuated Wednesday as Typhoon Hagupit brought gales and torrential rain to much of southern China.

The island province of Hainan evacuated about 107,000 people from vulnerable areas while two cities in nearby Guangdong province moved more than 38,000 as the typhoon approached, news reports said.

Hagupit made landfall in Guangdong's Dianbai county near the city of Maoming, packing winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour at its centre, the government's Xinhua news agency quoted meteorologists as saying.

One man died in Dianbai after he was blown down while trying to repair the roof of his house, the local Yangcheng Evening News said.

Wellington - China's contaminated milk scandal has cost the world's largest dairy exporter, Fonterra Cooperative Group, 139 million New Zealand dollars (95 million US dollars), the company said Wednesday.

Chairman Henry van der Heyden revealed the loss at a press conference in New Zealand's largest city Auckland, saying he was shocked by media reports from China that Fonterra's partner, Sanlu Group, might have received complaints of sick children as early as December.

"I would be absolutely disgusted and appalled if information was held back," van der Heyden said. "What has happened here is a criminal event."

Beijing, Sept 24 : A former official of China''s Ethnic Affairs Commission has been sentenced to death on corruption charges, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Du Maoji, the former Deputy Director of the General Office of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC), was sentenced to death for corruption with a two-year reprieve at the first trial, a state media report said.

The information was released by the Zhengzhou Railway Transportation Intermediate Court on Tuesday. Maoji was convicted for embezzlement, bribery and for illegally obtaining public funds.

According to the court, the total amount involved was as much as 25.92 million Yuan (nearly 3.8 million dollars). Du siphoned off 20.62 million Yuan for himself.

Hong Kong  - Dozens of flights were cancelled Tuesday as Typhoon Hagupit, which killed at least five people in the Philippines, bore down on Hong Kong.

Schools and kindergartens were closed Tuesday afternoon, and ferry services to outlying islands were suspended as the fast-moving storm closed in on the high-rise city of 6.9 million.

Weathermen forecast the typhoon would brush past Hong Kong Tuesday evening before making landfall in southern China. A high storm signal was expected to be hoisted by 6 pm (1000 GMT) Tuesday.

The Hong Kong Airport Authority said 47 flights had been cancelled Tuesday afternoon as high winds and squally rain lashed the former British colony.

The Chinese Health Ministry announced in a statement, released late on Sunday, that the number of children affected by consuming contaminated milk products has doubled, with about 12,900 in hospital and 104 of them seriously ill. This has reportedly been one of the worst product safety scandals in years.  

More than 80 percent of the sick were reported to be under age two. Hitherto, four deaths have been blamed on toxic milk powder causing kidney stones and agonizing complications.

Berlin - Germany's economic assistance ministry is ending all
financial aid to China, a spokesman said Monday, following complaints
that China is rich enough to fund its own projects.

Ministerial spokesman Stephan Bethe said Berlin would no longer
provide financial backing for development projects but would continue
to act in an advisory capacity.

Last year the ministry provided funds worth 67.5 million euros
(97.8 million dollars) to China, but has made no commitments for this
year or next, the spokesman said.