Shanghai bomb squad sent to check out bomb scares

Shanghai police say bomb squads have been sent out twice in the past two days to check suspicious bags and parcels that turned out not to contain explosives. Workers and shoppers were cleared from a shopping mall in northwest Shanghai's Putuo district early Thursday after staff at a supermarket found a briefcase behind an ATM machine, according to police and eyewitnesses. Authorities have urged the public to be vigilant about any possible threats especially during the Olympics, so a bomb squad equipped with a special vehicle for carrying explosives was summoned. The vehicle removed the briefcase, which contained only newspapers and plastic bags.