Beijing Bites
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Residents in the Huilongguan area sign a petition calling on the city's planning authorities to reopen a subway station nearby when Line 8 is operational. A station used to be part of the plan for Line 8 but has been cancelled in the latest version by planning authorities citing a lack of traffic volume. Mirror Evening News |
CCTV tower to be repaired
Both the roof and parts of the main steel structure of the damaged Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the CCTV complex will need to be rebuilt, said architects with the Beijing Urban Construction Group, which is responsible for the project.
The statement was the first time that authorities admitted that the main frame of the building will need rebuilding. Previous assessment said only that exterior parts of the 5 billion yuan showpiece would need replacing.
The charred tower will not be torn down, but repairing of the marred landmark, which started last month, is expected to take about one year. CCTV staffers are expected to move into the new CCTV headquarters in 2011 after a two-year delay.
Liu Xiaoqing compensated
Famous Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing will get 50,000 yuan in compensation from a medical cosmetic company after it used her photograph in advertising without her permission. The payment deal was reached on Saturday at Chaoyang district court, Beijing Youth Daily reported. Liu's lawyer said the company offended the portrait rights of Liu in the advertisement. But, the company defended itself by claiming Liu was the image representative of its product. Both sides reached a settlement chaired by the court.
Spilled glass kills man
A man in his 40s died after he was showered with broken glass following a truck accident in Shunyi district, Beijing News reported yesterday.
Two others were injured in the incident. A witness, surnamed Xie, said the truck appeared to take a corner too quickly, causing some of the glass load to fall from the truck. The witness said people tried to secure the rope holding the rest of the load in place but it broke and more glass spilled from the vehicle. Police are investigating.
Expo profile raised
The first flagship store in Beijing selling franchised products of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo will open in February in Wangfujing Street, Beijing Daily reported on Friday.
China's first and biggest flagship store for the Expo opened on Jan 20 in Shanghai. More than 3,000 products are sold in the store, including mascots, stationary, cups and coats.
Fake invoice gang arrested
Xuanwu district police have arrested 11 suspects who allegedly made and sold 370,000 fake invoices, police said in a press release yesterday.
They arrested three suspects in June and have since been trying to find out the masterminds behind the operation. The 11 arrests were made on Thursday.
Eight in 10 will advance
About 80 percent of the city's 81,000 high school graduates will be able to enter universities this year, the Beijing examinations authority said yesterday. The number of students who will sit the college entrance exam is 20,000 less than the number in 2009, a record low.
An eye on village crime
New police stations, each with a station master and police officers, have been built to keep an eye on lawlessness in nine villages with high crime rates in Chaoyang district, the Morning Post reported.
Chaoyang police said the police stations in the villages will help with case-info collection, population management and rental housing administration. The idea of setting up such stations in villages with high crime rates may be extended to the whole city.
Waitress killed in blaze
An 18-year-old waitress died in a fire at her restaurant yesterday morning, Beijing Evening News reported.
The fire started at around 7 am yesterday at a temporary dormitory for waiters and waitresses at the restaurant near Andingmen. The woman was sleeping at the time.
Witnesses said the dormitory was an illegal building that comprised flammable materials. The fire is under investigation.
(China Daily 01/25/2010 page26)
