BEIJING -- Milk came off the shelves in supermarkets, schools and Starbucks outlets across China -- and in markets in Hong Kong and Singapore -- as the scandal that began with poisoned baby formula spread in earnest to milk and other products from some of the country's biggest, most venerable dairy brands.

A person close to the situation said China's government is considering a recall of all locally produced dairy goods and could force all companies to reapply for permission to sell their products. Early Saturday, Beijing instructed regulators and businesses to recall all tainted products. "Local authorities should rectify the dairy industry so as to bring a fundamental change to the dairy market and products," said a statement by China's State Council carried on the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

China quake death toll rises above 8,700

By WILLIAM FOREMAN – 44 minutes ago

CHENGDU, China (AP) — A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and a chemical plant Monday in central China, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the worst quake in three decades.

The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam.