People's Daily Online

Mine gas outburst toll rises to 13 in SW China

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:32:49 +0800

The death toll from a coal mine gas outburst in southwest China's Sichuan Province rose to 13 with five still missing as a new body was found on Saturday, rescuers said. The incident occurred at 2:52 a.m. Friday in a mine in Jiuqing Town, Xingwen County. The Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Administration said 44 miners were underground at the time. Only 26 emerged safely from the pit after the accident. So far relatives of 13 dead miners have signed contracts with the mine ...

Four responsible in north China fireworks blast surrender to police

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:31:09 +0800

Four people said to bear responsibility for an explosion at a fireworks plant that killed 15 people last month in north China have surrendered to police, local authorities said on Saturday. The legal representative, surnamed Xu, and three shareholders of the plant surrendered to police and were taken into custody. Another three people responsible in the explosion were arrested at the scene and police were searching for the final suspect, an Aohan Banner Public Security Bureau off ...

Beijing admits guns, ammunition for Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:30:01 +0800

Beijing has admitted about 230 pistols and rifles and 180,000 rounds of ammunition brought by overseas athletes for the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games, local authorities said on Saturday. Staff with the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection have worked around the clock since Aug. 28 to ensure the rapid and smooth entry of the guns and bullets carried by Paralympians from about 40 countries and regions, a station spokesman said. More than 4,000 athletes from ...

Report finds 20% Guangdong shore polluted by sewage

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:28:50 +0800

About one-fifth of the coastal waters near south China's Guangdong Province are polluted by industrial and domestic sewage, a government report said. The 2007 Guangdong Oceanic Environment Quality report said 9,300 sq km of the shore had been polluted to some degree. The area accounts for 18.6 percent of the province's total inshore area. The Pearl River Delta was worst affected, according to the report by the Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and Fishery Administration released on Fr ...

Endangered monkey population doubles in three decades in SW China

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:27:49 +0800

The number of wild gray snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species only found in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has more than doubled to about 850 over the past three decades. The monkey, the rarest among the three species of golden monkeys in China's Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Hubei provinces, mainly lives in the 419-square-kilometer mountainous Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve in Guizhou. Thanks to the steady improvement of the environment and government protection measu ...

Chinese president holds grand luncheon to welcome distinguished guests for Beijing Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:53:15 +0800

Chinese president Hu Jintao held a grand luncheon at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Saturday to welcome international dignitaries who have come to attend the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Proposing a toast, Hu said by participating in the Games, Paralympians from around the world display self-esteem, self-confidence, self-improvement and self-support. They share joy, forge friendships, realize dreams and experience success. They challenge themselves and bring out the ...

Chinese vice premier meets Special Olympics chairman ahead of Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:53:06 +0800

Vice Premier Hui Liangyu met with the visiting chairman of Special Olympics International (SOI), Timothy Shriver, here on Saturday. "Caring for people with disabilities is a significant way to promote peace, friendship and human progress," Hui said at the meeting. "The Special Olympic Games in Shanghai last year and the Beijing Paralympic Games will serve as a platform for people with disabilities from all over the world to realize their dreams. The two Games will also further promot ...

China to equip major hospital in Afghan capital

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:21:28 +0800

The People's Republic of China after rebuilding one of the major hospitals in the Afghanistan capital Kabul has agreed to equip it with modern facilities, Afghan public Health Ministry said on Saturday. "Provision of medical equipment to the Jumhuriat Hospital or Republican Hospital by China with a value of 2.5 million U.S. dollars is another important step in the strengthening of health system in Afghanistan," the ministry said in a statement. Afghan Minister for Public Health S ...

German president arrives in Beijing for Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:19:59 +0800

German President Horst Koehler arrived here Saturday afternoon for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Paralympics. During his stay in China, Koehler will attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics and other relevant activities, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry. &$&$ ...

China launches two natural disaster monitoring satellites

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:13:59 +0800

China launched two satellites for monitoring ecological environment and natural disasters at around 11:25 a.m. here Saturday. The two satellites, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province and carried by a Long March 2C rocket, were expected to enhance the country's capacity to forecast natural disasters, according to Bai Zhaoguang, a leading scientist and designer of the satellites. Under the name "Environment 1", the two satellites were the first of it ...

13 trapped in north China mine blast

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:12:25 +0800

Thirteen people were trapped after a coal mine blast in north China's Hebei Province, police confirmed on Saturday. An explosion occurred at around 3 a.m. Friday in a mine which had stopped production in Guye District, Tangshan City, trapping nine maintenance staff, the Tangshan City police said. The mine owner then organized four people to enter the mine for rescue operation, but they also went missing, the police said. Rescue work is still under way. The cause o ...

China's top court upholds 5-year jail sentence to man over ATM windfall

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:11:35 +0800

China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) upheld a 5-year jail term meted out by a local court in southern Guangdong Province to a young man who illegally withdrew 175,000 yuan from an ATM. The SPC's ruling meant the five-year prison term for Xu Ting, who took 175,000 yuan (about 25,500 U.S. dollars) from a faulty ATM in Guangdong in April 2006, has already come into force. Zhang Xinqiang, Xu's lawyer, received the SPC's ruling document from the Intermediate People's Court of Guangzho ...

Chinese president meets Iranian counterpart

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:10:29 +0800

Chinese President Hu Jintao met on Saturday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is here to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Games, scheduled for Saturday night. Hu first extended a warm welcome to Ahmadinejad and thanked Iran for its support to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. "I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you and other Iranian leaders for the assistance your government provided for theChinese people affected by the May 12 ...

Full text of Chinese President's toast at welcoming luncheon of Beijing Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:09:37 +0800

&$ &$Chinese President Hu Jintao proposes a toast during a welcoming luncheon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Sept. 6, 2008. President Hu Jintao and his wife Liu Yongqing held a welcoming luncheon here on Saturday for dignitaries and their spouses who will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Games, scheduled for Saturday night.(Xinhua Photo/Pang Xinglei)&$&$ The following is the full t ...

Mercedes-Benz China recalls vehicles for software coding mistakes

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:06:22 +0800

Mercedes-Benz China has decided to recall vehicles that might be given incorrect software calibration number (SCN) coding in recent visit to workshops. The error could cause various problems in different automobile models. It might disable fuel pump's reaction to car crash, when it was designed to cut off fuel supply. Other problems include ineffective speed limit and fuel meter mistakes. The recall involves 22 vehicles in China, including R-Class, SLK-Class, GL-Class, C-Class, C ...

Chinese president confident of delivering high-standard Paralympic Games with distinctive features

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:38:39 +0800

Chinese President Hu Jintao said here on Saturday that he is confident that Beijing and China will deliver a high-standard Paralympic Games with distinctive features. "We have set the goal of 'two Games with equal splendor' and, guided by the concept of 'transcendence, integration and equality,' made the utmost effort in the preparation for the Games," said Hu at a welcoming luncheon of the Beijing Paralympic Games. "Since the 1960s when the first Paralympic Games was held and tha ...

Chinese president proposes toast at welcoming luncheon of Beijing Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:35:45 +0800

Chinese President Hu Jintao just started to propose a toast at a welcoming luncheon at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing for foreign dignitaries who will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Games, scheduled for Saturday night. &$&$Source: Xinhua&$&$ ...

ROK PM arrives in Beijing for Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:34:58 +0800

Han Seung-soo, prime minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived here Saturday morning for the upcoming Paralympics. He will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics Saturday evening and other relevant activities, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry. &$&$Source: Xinhua&$&$ ...

Chinese president and wife greet foreign dignitaries at welcoming luncheon

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:34:04 +0800

Chinese President Hu Jintao and his wife Liu Yongqing greeted foreign dignitaries and their spouses at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing on Saturday, ahead of a welcoming luncheon of the Beijing Paralympic Games. The presidential couple shook hands with the foreign guests one by one, and had pictures taken with them. All the guests will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics, scheduled for Saturday night in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, in ...

China supports quake-zone students in nationwide IT contest

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:02:04 +0800

The Chinese Ministry of Education said on Friday it would support students in the quake zone in this year's nationwide IT contest, since the country has a dire shortage of technology talents. The ministry will reserve 10 seats in the final round for students from southwest China's Sichuan Province, the center of the May 12 earthquake, and it plans to raise the award quota for them. In addition, the ministry will provide free training material and online study accounts. An officia ...

Iranian president arrives in Beijing for Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:59:43 +0800

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beijing on Saturday for the Beijing 2008 Paralympics. He will attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics scheduled on Saturday evening and other relevant activities, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry. &$&$Source:Xinhua&$&$ ...

China to aid Cuba for damages by Hurricane "Gustav"

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:58:50 +0800

The Chinese government will donate 300,000 U.S dollars to Cuba for damages caused by Hurricane "Gustav", the Cuban radio reported on Friday. The Cuban radio also said that the Chinese Red Cross Society will also donate 50,000 dollars to the Cuban Red Cross, to help Cuba to repair damages caused by the hurricane. On Aug. 30, "Gustav" swept western Cuba, destroying some 100,000 houses and also affecting electricity services, communications facilities and crops. &$&$Source:X ...

Iranian president leaves for Beijing Paralympics

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:58:07 +0800
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left here Friday night for China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games due to be held on Sept. 6-17. Ahmadinejad was accompanied by Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki, Vice President Esfandiar Rahim Mashaii, Physical Education Organization head Mohammad Aliabadi and Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, a senior advisor to the president. "Paralymipic Games is one of the most important international sport events, which should ...

U.S. envoy calls for verification of DPRK's nuclear declaration

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:57:28 +0800
Top U.S. nuclear talks negotiator Christopher Hill on Friday called for verification of the nuclear declaration of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "We all agree on what the DPRK needs to do," Hill, assistant Secretary of State, told reporters after meeting with his counterparts from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan in Beijing on Friday night "to review the situation where we are". "We need a means to verify the declaration," Hill said, noting that "what we ...

Japanese PM pledges continued efforts for ties with China

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:56:57 +0800
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said on Friday that he would like to make continued efforts in the future to further develop the relations between Japan and China. The outgoing prime minister made the remarks during meeting with a Chinese delegation, which is led by Song Jian, president of the Sino-Japanese Friendship Association, at his official residence in the evening. During the meeting, Fukuda recalled his meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ...

China, Cuba urged to exchange more students

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:56:17 +0800
Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong on Friday pledged for closer cooperation with Cuba on education, especially the exchange of students and the opening of a Confucius Institute. Liu made the remarks when meeting with a Cuban educational delegation led by Lissette Diaz Castro, a representative of the Council of State of Cuba. Hailing the sound development of China-Cuba ties, Liu expressed the appreciation for the efforts Cuban government has taken to train Chinese students. ...

S. Korean PM: Development of S. Korea-China ties unprecedented

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:55:26 +0800
"South Korea and China have witnessed an unprecedented expansion of bilateral ties over the years since they forged diplomatic relations," South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-so said in Seoul Friday. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the prime minister, who will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics Saturday, spoke highly of the ever-increasing cooperation and exchanges in various fields between China and South Korea. "The cooperation between the two natio ...

China to allow issuing exchangeable bonds to ease stock oversupply

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:51:32 +0800
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) will allow shareholders of listed companies to issue exchangeable bonds, a move to ease oversupply in the stock market that has helped to drive down share prices. The CSRC published a draft regulation on the newly-introduced financing tool on its website on Friday night, soliciting public comment by Sept. 12. Shareholders can issue bonds with an embedded option to exchange the bond for the stock of a company other than the issuer ...

Oil price could spur China industry restructuring

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:50:48 +0800
Concern over surging oil prices could mean the restructuring and upgrading of China's industries, according to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) official here on Friday. "Commodity price hikes have severely affected the Chinese economy, but they also occurred as China faces industrial restructuring challenges," Li Yuefen, the UNCTAD Debt and Development Finance Branch head, said. Rising commodity prices and wages have made it increasingly difficult for ...

China's cabinet urges stricter safety control at chemical plants after blast

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:49:11 +0800
China's cabinet on Friday urged the country's chemical plants to tighten work safety control after a fatal blast in the south. Officials at all levels must "learn deep lessons" from the accident and map out development plans for local chemical industry with specific safety and environmental standards, said an urgent circular issued by the Office of the Work Safety Commission under the State Council, or cabinet. Disqualified technicians or institutions must be banned from providin ...

Senior Chinese official underlines "virtue" in selecting officials

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:47:52 +0800
A senior Chinese official on Friday stressed the importance of moral integrity in selecting officials. Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that the country's officials should possess moral integrity and professional competence, with virtuous morality being the foremost quality. They should have unswerving ideals and be loyal to the Party, diligently serve the people and be free of corruption, he told the ...