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Four-million-car mark looms in Beijing
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-09 08:59
Four-million-car mark looms The number of vehicles in Beijing is expected to surpass 4 million by next week, the city's traffic management authority said Tuesday. By Monday, the number of vehicles in Beijing had topped 3.98 million and on average, about 10,000 vehicles are registered every week. The increasing number of vehicles hitting the roads is putting growing pressure on the traffic management. Olympic furniture on auction More than 1,000 pieces of furniture used during the Beijing Games will go under the hammer at the end of this year. Most of the furniture was used in VIP guest rooms during the Games last August, according to the Beijing Jiahe Auction House, which will be in charge of the auction. The auction house advises the public to visit www.jhgp.cn for more information. Family dies from poisoning A family of four died on Monday afternoon in Wangsiying, Chaoyang district, possibly due to carbon monoxide poisoning from stove heating, the Beijing Times reported. The family, including a couple, their eight-month old baby, and the wife's sister, died at around 6 pm. They were from Henan province and ran a small business in Beijing. Many families nearby also lack public heating and use stoves instead. US tourist sent home An elderly American tourist suspected of suffering from Alzheimer's disease was sent home with the help from the Beijing exit and entry administration and the US embassy on Dec 2, police said Tuesday. The woman, in her 70s, was staying in a hotel in Haidian district after arriving in Beijing. Hotel workers said the woman stayed in the room all day, and just ordered food from phone calls. Her visa then expired. The police called the embassy for help and both sides worked together to help the women return home, police said. Funeral home sued A man, who was denied the right to claim his father's ashes from the funeral house after losing his receipt, is suing the funeral house at Shijingshan district court, the court said Tuesday. The man surnamed Zhu said he deposited his father's ashes three years ago. From September 2008, he attempted to have the funeral house return the ashes seven times but was repeatedly denied. Zhu has asked the court to order the funeral home to return the ashes and pay 6,000 yuan in compensation. The case continues. Beijing fights illegal fireworks Qualified firecracker stall owners who sell illegal fireworks will have their licenses revoked and be forbidden from connection with the business for three years, the Beijing News reported Tuesday, quoting the Beijing municipal work safety authority. Officials said all legal firecrackers sold in Beijing carry electronic codes and it takes only seconds to spot illegal goods. Beijing normally bans firecrackers within the Fifth Ring Road, but will allow firecrackers in the city center during Spring Festival. Millions of vaccines left There are still 3 million vaccines for A/H1N1 flu available, Beijing Evening News reported Tuesday. About 2.16 million people had received the H1N1 vaccine by the end of last week. But among them, the elderly people are in the minority, according to Wu Jiang, head of Institute of Immunization and Prevention of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He called on more people to have the injection as another wave of flu is coming during the end of December and around the New Year. Fake drug paralyses patient A leukemia patient, who became paralyzed after taking fake methotrexate, will sue the hospital and the drug manufacturer at Xicheng district court later this week, the Beijing Morning Post reported Tuesday. The drug she took at the hospital, whose name was not disclosed, was determined to be fake. The girl patient asked for compensation of 9.57 million yuan. Reckless driver gets jail An illegal motorized rickshaw driver who ran over a police officer was sentenced to one year in prison by Xicheng district court, the court said Tuesday. The man surnamed Wen was waiting for customers at Xinjiekou, Xicheng district on Aug 9 when two police officers came over to inspect him. Wen started his vehicle's engine and attempted to escape, but knocked down an officer in the process. PhD peddler offered job Sun Aiwu, a post-doctorate researcher who returned from the US and became a peddler in Wudaokou, was given 20,000 yuan in aid from a company in his home province of Shandong to help treat his mental condition, the Beijing News reported Tuesday. The company also offered a 500,000-yuan annual salary to hire the chemist who was once published in Science magazine, Sun's brother-in-law Liu Quansheng said. Liu said Sun's condition has now stabilized at hospital. Construction noise reduced New technology has been implemented to reduce noise from the construction of Beijing's new subway lines, including the second phase of Line 10. The noise will be controlled to less than 40 decibels, which is quieter than the noise of a refrigerator, said spokesman Wan Xuehong. The second phase construction of Subway Line 10 will be completed at the end of 2012. |
