Departure gate
Your passport to the latest destinations and airline promotions
Pageant contestants romp in the park
One hundred and twenty Miss World contestants made their first major venture into China with the first stop at Beijing's Badachu Park on Monday.
Having been greeted by a traditional lion dance and welcomed by representatives from Beijing and Sanya, as well as incumbent Miss World Kaiane Aldorino, the contestants gathered around a blessing tree, and tied wish ribbons for luck.
It was then time to participate in a range of cultural activities around the grounds of Lingguang Temple, including lessons in tai chi and dumpling making. They also tried their hands at various Chinese crafts, such as kirigami (paper cutting), painting Peking Opera masks, and traditional Chinese knotting. They took home their finished products as unique self-made souvenirs of their trip.
Olympic Park to get royal branding
London's Olympic Park will be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the 2012 Games.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company said last week that the name will take effect once the 121.5-hectare park reopens to the public in 2013.
"We chose the name because there is no more durable institution in this country than the monarchy," Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
Queen Elizabeth II gave her permission for her name to be used, and the International Olympic Committee and British Olympic Association also approved the change.
Visitors to South Africa exceed expectation
African football fans flew in unexpectedly large numbers to watch the World Cup in South Africa, driving up the number of foreign visitors to nearly 400,000, according to new data Wednesday.
South Africa's last predictions had forecast 300,000 visitors arriving for the four-week tournament that wrapped up on July 11, but consulting company Grant Thorton said the actual numbers far exceeded expectations.
The surprise boost in the numbers came from wealthy African tourists who travelled to South Africa by plane from other parts of the continent.
South African authorities have yet to release final numbers of arrivals during the World Cup period, but Michael Tatalias of Southern Africa Tourism Services said the new data highlighted the economic benefits of the tournament.
Gateway marks Sino-Canadian links
A glistening new Chinese arch that now spans the main street of Ottawa's Chinatown as a symbol of the links between Beijing and Ottawa was inaugurated by the Chinese ambassador and Canadian leaders on Thursday.
Built entirely of reinforced concrete and stone, the arch is designed to look like a gigantic wooden gate.
In recent times these gates have usually been given to cities by China as a token of esteem, or else set up by local business or community organizations.
Construction of China-Laos rail line
The building of a railway between Southwest China's Yunnan province and Laos will kick off on Oct 28, according to its Chinese contractor.
The 530-kilometer railway, expected to be completed in 2015, will link Mohan in Dai autonomous prefecture of Xishuangbanna and Vientiane, the capital of Laos, said Li Zhanqun, board chairman of the Yunnan Xiaoxiang Pan-Asia Investment Co. The railway is part of the Trans-Asian railway network, which will cover 114,000 kilometers and travel through 28 countries throughout the region.
Airline news and deals
AA to fly LA-Shanghai route: American Airlines said it has won US government approval for flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai and plans to start service April 5. AA said the Los Angeles-Shanghai route was the largest market for US-China travel not already served by a US airline.
Free tickets, lodging for Australia trip: Passengers are being offered free tickets and free hotel nights if they buy a business- or first-class ticket on China Southern's Guangzhou-Brisbane route to be launched on Nov 1.
Tickets are already on sale with more details on www.csair.com.
Free text alerts for flights: Passengers afraid of missing their flights can now subscribe to free message alerts from VeryZhun.com. Since Oct 1, those who book the service will get messages during the flight: a reminder to leave for the airport three hours ahead; a weather forecast for the two airports; a notice of the departure; a message if the flight is delayed or cancelled, and a notice that the flight has arrived. Those who need to send or receive friends and family at the airport can also subscribe to the service so they do not miss arrival times.
China Daily - Associated Press - AFP - Xinhua
(China Daily 10/10/2010 page16)
