Yesterday was one month to the day of the May 12 earthquake and several people told of their stories of bravery, self-sacrifice and suffering in the Great Hall of the People.
A teacher, doctor, soldier, army officer, reporter, local Party secretary and firefighter all recounted their experiences in the Sichuan quake.
Missing helicopter found
Earlier this week the wreckage of the relief helicopter and the bodies of 18 people were found on a mountain near Yingxiu town.
The copter’s black box was found and will likely reveal the exact cause of the crash on May 31.
Chinese stocks drop
The mainland stock market fell 2.21 percent to close below the 3,000 mark Thursday for the first time in 15 months.
Investors are worried the government may take further tightening measures to check inflation and the growing money supply.
Last weekend the central bank raised the bank reserve ratio up 1 percentage point to 17.5 percent, causing stocks to fall this week.
S Korean Protests against resumption of US beef imports
The Republic of Korea’s president has approached his main rival in his party to be prime minister to stem anger over policies triggered by mass protests.
The rallies call for President Lee Myung-bak’s resignation after barely three months in office.
His decision to open the ROK market wider to US beef sparked a mass protest in the streets.
A few days earlier his cabinet offered to resign, and media reports say Lee was planning to reshuffle his cabinet.
HK kills chickens over H5N1 scare
Hong Kong Wednesday ordered the slaughter of all live poultry in markets and shops around the city.
The move comes after the deadly H5N1 virus was found in chickens in four markets across the city.
About 3,500 birds will be slaughtered.
IN-DEPTH
Tangjiashan quake lake drained
A “decisive victory” was achieved earlier this week when the water from the Tangjiashan quake lake was successfully drained into the manmade sluice.
Water gushed out of the quake lake, the largest of more than 30 formed by landslides triggered by the May 12 earthquake.
The muddy water flooded low-lying areas in the devastated Beichuan County, which had already been evacuated.
The water level in the quake lake had dropped to around 720 meters above sea level, nearly 20 meters below the highest or the overflowing point.
Heavy rains in South, East China
Heavy rains have lashed China’s southern and eastern regions this past week.
The China Meteorological Administration said the downpour will continue to fall between the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Yangtze River area for the next few days.
The heavy rains also affected parts of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang.
The CMA issued an orange-level rainstorm watch in these areas, which means precipitation could reach 50mm within a three-hour period.
As of Thursday afternoon, 1.356 million people were affected.
Anti-terrorism drills for Olympics
On Wednesday the police, military, and emergency response departments tested their ability to handle major terrorist attacks during the Games.
The drill simulated a chemical explosion in Chaoyang Park.
The exercise was the beginning of a series of anti-terrorism drills dubbed “Great Wall No. 5”.
These teams should be able to handle biological attacks, bombings and chemical, nuclear and other radioactive accidents.
They will be on duty around the clock from July 1.
China-Taiwan Straits talks
A 16-member Taiwan delegation from Taiwan is in Beijing for the first cross-Taiwan Straits talks in nine years.
The Straits Exchange Foundation headed by Chiang Pin-kun, and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait’s Chen Yunlin agreed to set up permanent representative offices to coordinate contracts.
Chen also accepted an invitation from Chiang to visit the island later this year, a move which analysts say will inject momentum into the development of cross-Straits ties.
The two sides also agreed on strengthening the exchange of visits between ARATS and SEF personnel and enhance economic, cultural and social visits at various levels.
PICTURE
US food chains stop selling tomatoes
Fast-food restaurants and grocery stores are not offering sliced tomatoes after an outbreak of salmonella poisoning in the United States.
Establishments like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut pulled the tomatoes from their menus earlier this week until the source of the “Saintpaul” salmonella infection is known.
Beijing Subway goes paperless
On Monday the Beijing subway said goodbye to paper tickets, replacing them with electronic ones.
Now passengers can buy new tickets from vending machines or use Yikatong prepaid cards.
Also next month, Line 10, the Airport Line and Olympic Line are scheduled to open.
Yao Ming helps quake victims
Houston Rockets’ center Yao Ming has set up the Giving Back Fund for earthquake victims in Sichuan.
The foundation has donated $2 million to help build quake-resistant schools.
More than 185 schools and 8,000 classrooms were destroyed in the quake.
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
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Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
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Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.
He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.
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