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Top News

The day the earth moved
The strongest earthquake to hit China in more than three decades jolted Wenchuan county in Sichuan province at 2:28 pm yesterday, killing more than 8,500. Casualties are expected to rise fast.

Wen: We need calm, confidence, courage

Telecom services hit

Major quakes in the past three decades

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Wenchuan Quake

Chengdu reels from the aftermath
A few hours after the earthquake hit Sichuan province at 2:28 pm yesterday, the provincial capital of Chengdu could be seen reeling from one of worst quakes in the country in recent history.

Feeling the earth tremble

World leaders send their condolences

Cities see evacuations, disruptions in transport

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Wenchuan Quake

Quake 'predicted' 5 years ago
A seismologist warned more than five years ago that based on historical records and animal studies, a strong earthquake was likely in Sichuan.

Rescue teams now in race against time

Refineries unaffected by tremor: Reports

Quake Snippets

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Special Supplement

Expo brings the memory of Anhui merchants to life
Sponsored by the Anhui provincial government and organized by the provincial bureau of commerce and the Huangshan city government, the 2008 China Anhui Investment and Trade Expo will be held in Huangshan from May 18 to 20.

Snapshot of the province

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Nation

Anger over 'peeping' traffic cam
SHENZHEN: Many people here are angry on learning that a traffic surveillance camera had been trained on their homes in this southern city of Guangdong province.

Guangzhou property investments slide

Medics trained to deal with terrorist attacks

Tibetan women opt for fewer babies

Teen forgoes exam to help ill mother

Across China: Beijing

Across China: Sichuan

Across China: Anhui

Across China: Shanghai

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Torch Relay/China Scene

Coastal crowds cheer on relay
QUANZHOU: Lin Yongyu, a teacher at the Quanzhou No 5 Middle School, arrived at the 300-year-old Linzhang Gate of the port city of Quanzhou at 7 am yesterday. His student Zhang Min, a torchbearer, was to run past the gate.

Ping-pong ace returns home to roaring welcome

China Scene: Central

China Scene: South

China Scene: West

China Scene: North

China Scene: East

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Insight

To raise oil prices or not, that is the question
Diesel sold out. This notice can be seen at many gas stations in the country. Diesel has been in short supply again in a number of provinces and regions over the past few weeks, with Guangdong, Guizhou and Yunnan being the worst hit.

Bush pleas for cheaper fuel may fall on deaf ears again

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Comment

No reason to deny Tibet reforms and rule of law
I had the pleasure of visiting Tibet last month. What I saw and heard there has convinced me that the recent attacks on China by some Western media outlets over the issue of Tibet are seriously flawed. And I would like to share some of my thoughts of the issue with the readers here.

Cartoon

Price battle half-won

Meet nursing needs

Hot Words

Coke kids show love for roots

Diet pills in the time of rice shortage

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Opinion

Panic no answer to price rise
High energy prices pose a monumental challenge to economic growth. Everyone knows this. But high food prices stir more visceral fears. The concern today is that the world faces a serious crisis as a result of accelerating prices of food staples.

Outside View

Ma, Ma, open the door, he cried out fitfully

Real test starts for Japan,China

From our archives

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International

Fish vendor ensures kids hooked on school
As a child, Yoo Yang-seon loved to read, but her father believed educating women was a waste of time and punished her with a whipping if he found her with a book.

Wrinkles could be key to buying cigarettes

Sino-Japanese youth exchanges blossom

Polish Schindler dies at age 98

Web start-up unveils semantic search tool

World Scene: United Kingdom

World Scene: Switzerland

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International

PM Putin names new government
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reshuffled the Russian government yesterday in his first major action since leaving the Kremlin, bringing in some high-profile figures from his presidency but leaving prominent ministries unchanged.

US flies cyclone aid to Myanmar

Sharif's party to quit Cabinet

Serbia in coalition scramble

US and DPRK urged to 'move toward each other'

Around the World: Lebanon

Around the World: Georgia

Around the World: Asia Pacific

Around the World: Germany

Around the World: United Kingdom

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Business

Inflation still high at 8.5% in April
China's consumer inflation surged to 8.5 percent year-on-year in April, highlighting the difficulty of realizing the government's annual target of 4.8 percent.

Bank reserve ratio raised for fourth time

Special supplement: Plans formed for Heilongjiang-HK business ties

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Business China

Trade surplus slackens
China's trade surplus decreased slightly last month from a year ago amid declines in international trade growth triggered by the global economic slowdown.

Yuan past 7 to a dollar again

Consultancy plans IPO in Switzerland

Vehicle sales slow down in April

Foreign banks spare the ax in China, Asia

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

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Business Roundup

Market shaken but not stirred by quake
Shanghai stocks ended 0.37 percent higher yesterday, giving up some of their late gains after a strong earthquake in Southwest China rocked buildings in Shanghai about half an hour before the market closed.

Biz scene

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Business International

Wal-Mart to profit from price cuts
Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, may report today that first-quarter profit rose after discounts lured Target Corp and Macy's Inc customers coping with record gasoline prices.

Indian factory output up at slowest pace since '02

Blackberry Bold hopes to shake Apple's tree

Rose set for a roasting at M&S annual meeting

IN BRIEF (Page 16)

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Business International

Allianz says Q1 earnings fell by 65%
Allianz SE, Europe's biggest insurer, said a loss at Dresdner Bank and lower profit at its insurance divisions drove earnings down 65 percent in the first quarter.

HSBC sets aside $3.2b for more US bad loans

MBIA reports loss as slump deepens

Man to lose 9 homes in meltdown

IN BRIEF (Page 17)

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Life

Journey to Venus
With three swift, agile moves, Jin Xing whirls her long, black hair into an elegant bun and fixes it with a silver pin. She wears a tight black shirt and loose fitting crimson trousers, clothes that cover a slim but powerful body. Her expressive gestures manifest the traits of a great dancer.

What's new

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Life Culture

All the right movies
Movie producer Wang Zhonglei works from a large ranch-like homestead hidden in green woods about 30 km northeast of Beijing. From the French-style windows in his plush office, he can see the front door of his villa home and can watch his horses graze on the beautifully manicured lawns.

Dancing in the light of yin and yang

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Special Supplement

Olympic spirit catching fire in Lintong
As the Olympic torch relay crosses China, its 5,000-year old civilization is catching fire with the 3,000-year old Olympic spirit.

Ancient Xi'an treasures and culture still vibrant

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Sports China

An entertaining obstacle
What do you expect out of a basketball Game? Some excitement? A few superstars? Or just a taste of patriotism? Anyone at the Wukesong Indoor Arena on August 10 - the opening Olympic game - will get a sampling of all this.

Nike's stars unveil new Olympic wear in Beijing

Juventus, Parma promise to bring stars to Shanghai

Yao's main concern is to stay on court

Teammates' failed tests may keep Guo out of China Games

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Sports

Title has Fergie bouncing to Moscow
WIGAN, England: Sir Alex Ferguson claims Manchester United will be "bouncing" all the way to Moscow for next week's Champions League final after a 2-0 win at Wigan secured the club's 10th Premier League title.

Nightmare of 2002 coming back to haunt Inter Milan

Score board

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Sports

Jazz holds off Lakers, Spurs crush Hornets
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: The Utah Jazz needed overtime to down the Lakers while the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a rout of New Orleans on Sunday to square both Western Conference series in the National Basketball Association playoffs.

Garcia gets major lift with Sawgrass triumph

Phantom goal helps Finland overcome US

Penguins top Flyers to take 2-0 series lead

IN BRIEF (Page 24)