Water flow eases quake lake fears BEICHUAN, Sichuan: A "decisive victory" was achieved yesterday in draining the Tangjiashan quake lake that had been threatening to breach its dam and wash away people downstream.
Authorities vigilant of water safety Ensuring water sanitation is a key task of medical workers in areas impacted by the May 12 earthquake, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman said yesterday.
Panda safety main concern of rangers WENXIAN, Gansu: Fan Wen'an, head of the committee of Baishuijiang Biosphere National Reserve, looks up at the gathering dark clouds above Minshan Mountain and predicts more rain.
China reiterates position on Darfur issue Vice-President Xi Jinping yesterday reaffirmed China's commitment to a political resolution to the Darfur issue, and said he hoped the Sudanese government continues to make efforts to end the conflict.
Hospitals' database breached SHENZHEN: The personal records of 40,000 pregnant women were leaked from a hospital database in Shenzhen, Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.
A 'flying' steam shovel in Chongqing Zhang Bin was recently surprised to see a bright orange steam shovel perched atop an abandoned office building near his apartment complex in Chongqing municipality's Yuzhong district.
Futures trading, weak dollar behind oil shock Turmoil and chaos have been a byproduct of oil ever since the world chose it as the main energy resource. It may be hard to judge the choice as right or wrong, but when people realized that the cost and the risk of abandoning this energy source would be even greater than of using it, they chose to find ways, be it economic, diplomatic or military, to shore up energy "security". The sad reality is the process of seeking "security" would give rise to more elements of insecurity and one of the symptoms of this condition is the shockwave of high oil price.
Ensuring product safety As EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy, I began an official visit to China from yesterday. This is my second visit to China in a little over one month; I previously accompanied EU President Jose Manuel Barroso during his unprecedented series of talks with Premier Wen Jiabao to take forward the EU-China strategic partnership and to launch the High Level Dialogue Mechanism, which will address key concerns in the trade relationship.
Fertilizer cost new threat to food crisis It powered the Green Revolution and helped save millions from starvation, but now one of the most important tools on the farm is being priced out of reach for many of the world's growers.
S.Korean Cabinet offers to resign South Korea's entire cabinet offered to resign yesterday in the face of massive street protests, as its increasingly unpopular president warned that Asia's fourth-largest economy could be heading into crisis.
Measures and moods as market dives The government must not intervene in the stock market even as it plumbs new depths, said experts, as the Shanghai Composite Index yesterday came close to plunging to the 3000 mark.
A combo photo shows a view of the earthquake-hit county of Beichuan before the flooding and after a controlled draining of the nearby Tangjiashan lake (in red frame) yesterday. AFP
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Business China
New worry for China Eastern China Eastern Airlines is facing yet another challenge in the lucrative travel market in Yunnan province after the industry watchdog suspended its routes and reduced its flight frequencies last month.
Banks drop on higher reserve requirement Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd fell to an 11-month low in Shanghai trading, leading banks lower after they were told to set aside more deposits as reserves for a fifth time this year, reducing funds available for lending.
Jobs takes wraps off faster iPhone Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs delivered the first major makeover of the iPhone, unveiling a faster, cheaper handset that may help him convince business users to switch over from the BlackBerry.
US trade gap widens in April The US trade deficit widened in April as the surging cost of oil boosted imports to a record, overshadowing the biggest gain in exports in four years.
Music roared and slowly I went deaf The audiologist didn't mince her words. "You've got the hearing of someone 30 years older than you." The results on the audiogram showed that I have "severe" hearing loss with high-frequency sounds, she says. It's not what a 44-year-old expects or wants to hear.
Horse whisperer In two months, Felix Coetzee, a Hong Kong-based jockey who has more than 620 wins in 15 racing seasons under his hat, will fly to Melbourne, Australia, to visit an old pal.
Nadal shrugs off talk of world's best PARIS: Rafael Nadal insists his standing as the world's second best player is accurate, but many who witnessed his French Open humiliation of Roger Federer believe the king's crown sits on the wrong head.
Maybe next time for paddler Ma Long While the nation anticipates another ping-pong sweep at this year's Olympics, China's table tennis chief Liu Guoliang is already planning for life beyond the Games, setting his sights on 19-year-old Ma Long.
Van Basten did perfect Italian job BERNE: Marco van Basten believes Holland has earned the right to dream of glory at Euro 2008 after its 3-0 demolition of world champion Italy kicked the tournament into life.
