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Top News

Cyclone toll could hit 10,000
YANGON: The death toll from a devastating cyclone in Myanmar could reach 10,000, a foreign diplomat said yesterday, citing the country's foreign minister.

Last batch of Olympic tickets go on sale

Doctor makes right call on mystery deaths

3 burned to death in Shanghai bus fire

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Top News

Book reveals Chinese women's roles
"Women hold up half of the sky" - it is a Chairman Mao saying that recently released figures seem to reaffirm, shedding light on the gender issues facing the country.

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Nation

Chengdu people walk to express concerns
CHENGDU: About 200 people here in the capital of Sichuan province held a "group walk" on Sunday afternoon to express their concerns over the environmental impact the construction of two plants may have on their city.

Canine cadets recruited to sniff out potential hazards

PLA ready to help ensure Games safety

Death toll from virus climbs to 26

Security boosted at Tian'anmen

Association aims to get divers in deep water

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Nation

Guangdong to provide 1.2 m jobs
GUANGZHOU: Authorities in Guangdong province are looking to provide 1.2 million jobs this year and give equal treatment to migrant workers in areas like social insurance.

Birth insurance scheme extended

Panchen Erdeni visits exhibition

Hi-tech approach to language development

Climbers confident of peak performance

Big wage rises on cards in Shanghai

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China Scene

Heroism comes naturally to earthy policeman
Suicide bombers and wild flood waters may sound scary to some, but to Zheng Yun, they mean just another day at the office.

China Scene: West

China Scene: Central

China Scene: South

China Scene: North

China Scene: East

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Insight

Past imperfect but future far from tense
Talk of skills on the soccer field and the Brazilians readily come to mind. The very mention of baseball reminds people of the Americans. There are people in other countries who are, or were, associated with one sport or the other, but perhaps none have used it on the diplomatic field as successfully as China. Beijing's ping- pong diplomacy began in 1971 and opened the door for people-to-people exchanges between China and the US.

Youth visit to bring Chinese, Japanese people closer

New climate pact 'can be reached' by next year

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Comment

No logic in blaming China for Darfur
China and the Arab nations have a long tradition of interaction. Even before Zheng He's voyages over 600 years ago, China had both direct and indirect contacts with Arabic nations through economic and cultural links. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China-Arab relations have continued to advance. The China-Arab Cooperation Forum provides a favorable platform for wide-ranging links between China and the Arab nations.

Cartoon

Seeds of friendship

For regional stability

Hot Words

Spoilsports fail to hit

TYC's terror nature exposed

HK worries on negative interest rates

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Opinion

Japan's role crucial for Asia
Japan is a small island nation on the edge of Asia. That is the image we tend to have. But is it correct?

Letters and Blogs

CNN and Cafferty degraded themselves

People-to-people dialogue can aid official diplomacy

From our archives

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International

Putin: Victory Day military parade not saber-rattling
Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that the show of tanks and other military hardware at this year's Victory Day parade should not be seen as saber-rattling.

Sudan to ask donors for $6b at Oslo meeting

Obama faces big tests today

New legal woes raise questions on Olmert's future

Iran rules out nuclear halt despite incentives

Around the World: Japan

Around the World: Belarus

Around the World: Turkey

Around the World: France

Around the World: Malaysia

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International

India angry over Bush remarks on food
A remark by President George W. Bush saying India was partly responsible for rising global food prices has sparked a nationalistic storm across the political spectrum, with the defence minister calling it a "cruel joke".

Doctor proposes $47,000 price for kidney donation

Bloomberg to offer London advice

News Makers

World Scene: Azerbaijan

World Scene: Germany

World Scene: United Kingdom

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Torch Relay

'Farm boy' honored to carry Olympic torch
WANNING, Hainan: On the eastern coast of Hainan Island is a farm that holds a special place in China's history.

Overexcited athlete just keeps on running

Thousands turn out in Hainan

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Business

Refinery capacity to increase
Asia's largest refiner Sinopec has said it plans to increase the capacity of its Zhenhai refinery by 15 percent by next September, a move to boost the company's fuel and chemical production.

Crude storage project started

Fund managers get green light for HK

Positive signals boost market

Chinese firms triumph in US battery suit

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Business China

ASEAN+3 set up $80b fund
Finance ministers of ASEAN countries and China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN+3) have agreed to arrange an $80 billion pool in Asian foreign exchange reserves to prevent any financial crisis.

Nod to buy into insurance firm

Deal on carbon credit

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

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Business Roundup

Copper falls in Shanghai on weak demand
Copper futures fell in Shanghai on the first trading day after a national holiday on signs Chinese buyers are holding back amid ample local supplies and high world prices.

Biz scene

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Business International

Swedish firms vie to keep staff satisfied
High-tech gyms, free breakfasts, and programmes to help people lose weight or stop smoking: modern Swedish companies pamper their employees in a bid to combat one of Europe's highest absenteeism rates.

Is the US ditching the SUV?

IPO set to net a billion for Sprott

Buffett says financial pain largely self-inflicted

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

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Business International

Yahoo shares tumble on scrapped bid
Yahoo Inc, the Web company that spent three months fighting a takeover by Microsoft Corp, fell 21 percent in early trading after the software maker scrapped the bid because executives failed to agree on the price.

Withdrawal puts pressure on Ballmer

Sprint gains on takeover reports

UBS may cut 8,000 jobs on losses

IN BRIEF (Page 17)

Page18

Life

Treasure hunters
Nearly two decades ago, Zhang Wei and two other colleagues dived into a sea to search an 800-year-old merchant vessel.

Discovery that came out of the blue

Who's in

Page19

Life Culture

Impact is imminent
Joan Chen. Gong Li. Zhang Ziyi. Liu Yifei? The starlet who co-starred with Jet Li and Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom may just be China's next big thing. Thanks to her performance in the kungfu blockbuster, the 20-year-old has just joined the William Morris Agency (WMA), the prestigious talent and literary agency with past like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Katharine Hepburn. Liu is one of the agency's only two Chinese actresses; the other is Zhang Ziyi.

Rebuilding opera's famous chamber

MTV granted Games exclusive

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Life Pulse

Back against the Wall
In chilly winds of early April, Yang Yongfu, 46, walked in an internal passageway in a section of Great Wall stretching up to the mountaintop. Yang limped along the ridge of the mountain range and reached the signal fire platform at the top. He is not a tourist, but the constructor of the 760-m long Great Wall conjunct with three signal fire platforms.

Have bowl and chopsticks, will eat and travel

Reviews

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Sports

Real retains title with last-minute victory
MADRID: Real Madrid was crowned Spanish champion for the 31st time on Sunday after defeating Osasuna 2-1, scoring twice in a sensational final three minutes.

Beer baths as Bayern Munich claims Bundesliga crown

AC wins Milan derby to go fourth and delays Inter title party

Lehmann's departure signals revolution

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Sports China

Bryant inspires Lakers to beat Jazz
LOS ANGELES: Kobe Bryant delivered another masterclass to guide the Los Angeles Lakers to a 109-98 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Sunday.

Ronaldo devastated by transvestite incident

Sprinters Bolt and Gay consider NY showdown

Score board

IN BRIEF (Page 23)

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Special Supplement

Exhibitions show Qingdao's economic prowess
Already renowned in China for its regattas, expansive beaches and the sailing venue in the upcoming 29th Olympic Games, Qingdao is using its advantages to attract more international conventions and exhibitions.

All walks of life ready for Games

Giant firms anchor industrial clusters

Famous brands lead city fortunes