House approves foreign wiretap bill By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer

House approves foreign wiretap bill By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States.

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The 227-183 vote, which followed the Senate's approval Friday, sends the bill to Bush for his signature.

Late Saturday, Bush said, "The Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, has assured me that this bill gives him what he needs to continue to protect the country, and therefore I will sign this legislation as soon as it gets to my desk."

The administration said the measure is needed to speed the National Security Agency's ability to intercept phone calls, e-mails and other communications involving foreign nationals "reasonably believed to be outside the United States." Civil liberties groups and many Democrats said it goes too far, possibly enabling the government to wiretap U.S. residents communicating with overseas parties without adequate oversight from courts or Congress.

The bill updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. It gives the government leeway to intercept, without warrants, communications between foreigners that are routed through equipment in United States, provided that "foreign intelligence information" is at stake. Bush describes the effort as an anti-terrorist program, but the bill is not limited to terror suspects and could have wider applications, some lawmakers said.

The government long has had substantial powers to intercept purely foreign communications that don't touch U.S. soil.

If a U.S. resident becomes the chief target of surveillance, the government would have to obtain a warrant from the special FISA court.

Congressional Democrats won a few concessions in negotiations earlier in the week. New wiretaps must be approved by the director of national intelligence and the attorney general, not just the attorney general. Congress has battled with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on several issues, and some Democrats have accused him of perjury.

The new law also will expire in six months unless Congress renews it. The administration wanted the changes to be permanent.

Many congressional Democrats wanted tighter restrictions on government surveillance, but yielded in the face of Bush's veto threats and the impending August recess.

"This bill would grant the attorney general the ability to wiretap anybody, any place, any time without court review, without any checks and balances," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., during the debate preceding the vote. "I think this unwarranted, unprecedented measure would simply eviscerate the 4th Amendment," which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

Republicans disputed her description. "It does nothing to tear up the Constitution," said Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif.

If an American's communications are swept up in surveillance of a foreigner, he said, "we go through a process called minimization" and get rid of the records unless there is reason to suspect the American is a threat.

The administration began pressing for changes to the law after a recent ruling by the FISA court. That decision barred the government from eavesdropping without warrants on foreign suspects whose messages were being routed through U.S. communications carriers, including Internet sites.

__

On the Net:

The roll call vote for the surveillance bill can be found at:

S. 1927: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll836.xml

House OKs new oil company taxes By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

House OKs new oil company taxes By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer
Sat Aug 4, 9:53 PM ET



WASHINGTON - Declaring a new direction in energy policy, the House on Saturday approved $16 billion in taxes on oil companies, while providing billions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives for renewable energy and conservation efforts.

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Republican opponents said the legislation ignored the need to produce more domestic oil, natural gas and coal. One GOP lawmaker bemoaned "the pure venom ... against the oil and gas industry."

The House passed the tax provisions by a vote of 221-189. Earlier it had approved, 241-172, a companion energy package aimed at boosting energy efficiency and expanding use of biofuels, wind power and other renewable energy sources.

"We are turning to the future," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The two bills, passed at an unusual Saturday session as lawmakers prepared to leave town for their monthlong summer recess, will be merged with legislation passed by the Senate in June.

On one of the most contentious and heavily lobbied issues, the House voted to require investor-owned electric utilities nationwide to generate at least 15 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind or biofuels.

The utilities and business interests had argued aggressively against the federal renewables mandate, saying it would raise electricity prices in regions of the country that do not have abundant wind energy. But environmentalists said the requirement will spur investments in renewable fuels and help address global warming as utilities use less coal.

"This will save consumers money," said Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., the provision's co-sponsor, maintaining utilities will have to use less high-priced natural gas. He noted that nearly half the states already have a renewable energy mandate for utilities, and if utilities can't find enough renewable they can meet part of the requirement through power conservation measures.

The bill also calls for more stringent energy efficiency standards for appliances and lighting and incentives for building more energy-efficient "green" buildings. It would authorize special bonds for cities and counties to reduce energy demand.

Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was essential to commit to renewable energy while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Doing so, she said, will help address global warming and make the country more energy-independent.

"It's about our children, about our future, the world in which they live," Pelosi said.

Democrats avoided a nasty fight by ignoring — at least for the time being — calls for automakers to make vehicles more fuel-efficient. Cars, sport utility vehicles and small trucks use most of the country's oil and produce almost one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming.

That issue, as well as whether to require huge increases in the use of corn-based ethanol as a substitute for gasoline, were left to be thrashed out when the House bill is merged with energy legislation the Senate passed in June.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said he was confident the final bill that will go to President Bush will contain a significant increase in automobile fuel economy requirements.

"This is a historic turn away from a fossil fuel agenda toward renewable energy. It's been a long time in coming," said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in an interview. Markey abandoned efforts to get an auto mileage provision into the bill, but also expressed confidence one will be added during negotiations with the Senate. The Senate in passing energy legislation in June called for a 40 percent increase auto mileage to 35 mpg by 2020.

Republicans said the House bill did nothing to increase domestic oil and natural gas production or take further advantage of coal, the country's most abundant domestic energy resource.

"There's a war going on against energy from fossil fuels," said Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas. "I can't understand the pure venom felt against the oil and gas industry."

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said the bill was "a political exercise" to promote "pet projects, ... pet ideas." He predicted it "isn't going anywhere" because President Bush will veto it if it gets to his desk.

The White House indicated President Bush might veto the bill if he gets it saying it makes "no serious attempts to increase our energy security or address high energy costs" and would harm domestic oil and gas production.

The bill would repeal for oil companies a tax breaks given in 2004 to help domestic manufacturers compete against foreign companies, and another tax break pertaining to income from foreign oil production. Critics of the two tax provisions called them loopholes that the industry had taken advantage of.

The House-passed bill also includes an array of loan guarantees, federal grants and tax breaks for alternative energy programs. They include building biomass factories, research into making ethanol from wood chips and prairie grasses and producing better batteries for hybrid gas-electric automobiles.

The legislation would end a tax break for buying large SUVs, known as the "Hummer tax loophole" because it allows people who buy some of the most expensive SUVs to write off much of the cost.

__

On the Net:

Roll call votes for the two energy bills can be found at:

H R 3221: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll832.xml

H R 2776: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll835.xml

Police close highway outside Charleston 24 minutes ago

Police close highway outside Charleston 24 minutes ago



GOOSE CREEK, S.C. - Authorities closed a highway outside Charleston for more than five hours Saturday night after police found explosives in the trunk of a car, a newspaper reported, citing an FBI agent.

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Julie Johnson, assistant special agent-in-charge for the FBI in Columbia, said there was "no immediate threat," according to The (Charleston) Post and Courier.

Law enforcement officials closed the road about 7 p.m. after the traffic stop in Goose Creek, home to the Naval Weapons Station. The station houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held.

Johnson said the FBI was still trying to determine whether a crime had been committed but that there was "no immediate threat" related to the traffic stop.

South Carolina law enforcement Chief Robert Stewart told The Associated Press that his officers were on the scene, but that the FBI was handling the case and he did not elaborate.

Goose Creek, with a population of about 30,000, is located about 20 miles north of Charleston.

Katrina evacuees trapped in trailers By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer

Katrina evacuees trapped in trailers By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 11 minutes ago



BAKER, La. - It was bad enough when Hurricane Katrina chased Carrie Lewis out of her assisted-living home in New Orleans. Now she fears the rest of her life may be spent in the isolation of a federally sponsored trailer park.

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Because hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed so much affordable housing, Lewis and thousands of others displaced — mainly the poor, elderly and infirm — have nowhere else to go.

"I want to go home," said Lewis, 79, who now lives in the Renaissance Village trailer park. "They don't have places for old people in New Orleans yet. What am I supposed to do? I don't want to die in a little trailer in the middle of a field somewhere."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided 120,000 trailers to people displaced from their Gulf Coast homes by the 2005 hurricanes.

Pamela Lomis and her two children feel abandoned. Lomis lives in a FEMA trailer in the Sugar Hill trailer park in the midst of cane fields near Convent, La., about midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

It's 20 miles from the nearest grocery store. A single bus leaves each morning at 9 a.m. and returns at 4 p.m., Lomis' life line to a world that seems distant.

"We just sit around here with life slipping by," Lomis said. "We're just on hold. Just waiting for something that never comes," she said.

She isn't alone.

"Our biggest challenge is finding housing for people," said Mario "Sam" Sammartino, who supervises Catholic Services caseworkers at Louisiana's FEMA trailer parks. "What's left here is the poorest of the poor. Anyone with a job or a house has already left."

Many of the hurricane evacuees from New Orleanians didn't own homes or lived in the city's 5,100 public housing units. But federal officials plan to tear down four projects and replace them with mixed-income developments, and private rental housing — if it can be found — is expensive.

Sammartino and others working to resettle residents believe it will take at least five years to clear the FEMA parks. About 45,000 trailers are still occupied in Louisiana, 20,000 in Mississippi, 17,000 in Texas and 400 in Alabama.

Along with the isolation and cramped quarters in the trailers, now there are claims the trailers themselves are making people sick.

Reports of illness had trickled in to FEMA, but documents presented to Congress recently showed FEMA discouraged investigation of formaldehyde in its trailers. The chemical, commonly found in manufactured housing, can cause respiratory ailments and even cancer.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers began collecting samples last week from FEMA trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi.

"That's just one more thing on the list of things I worry about," said Helen Felton, who lives in a trailer at Renaissance Village.

"I want out of this trailer, out of this place, but I get my little Social Security check. Do you know how far $660 goes?" asked Felton.

Those who remain in the trailers will start paying rent to FEMA in 2008, starting with a modest $50 a month and then rising.

"How are you going to pay if you don't have money," asked Sharon Norah, 50, who lives on disability assistance in a Renaissance Village trailer with her 9-year-old son, Calvin.

Renaissance Village, with 565 trailers about 100 miles northwest of New Orleans, is the Taj Mahal of FEMA parks, said Carol Spruell of Catholic Charities. Unlike some others, it has a basketball court, a tent for community activities, laundry rooms and a playground. Volunteer groups provide health care, mental health services and educational services.

There is bus service to Baton Rouge, about 15 miles away, but the hours in which it runs limit employment options for people like Albert Renfroe, 57, a cook in New Orleans before Katrina.

"I'd like to get back to something more normal," said Renfroe. "But if I could get a job I don't have a way to get back from it. The bus just doesn't run late enough."

FEMA is pushing to get people out of trailers, said spokesman Bob Josephson. All hurricane-related housing assistance ends in March 2009, but replacement housing has been slow to develop in some areas such as New Orleans.

"We do provide rental assistance," Josephson said, but the help is temporary.

"We have a difficult challenge, particularly with people on fixed incomes," he said.

Montana gov: Fire is in 'hands of God' By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer

Montana gov: Fire is in 'hands of God' By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 1 minute ago



HELENA, Mont. - Authorities worried about firefighters' safety on Saturday pulled them off a fast-growing wildfire in western Montana and told residents of about 200 homes to get out of the way.

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"This fire is in the hands of God right now," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said after taking a helicopter flight over the blaze, which already had burned nearly 8 square miles since starting Friday afternoon.

Winds between 25 and 30 mph were helping to fan the blaze northeast of Missoula, near the popular getaway spots of Seeley and Placid lakes. The fire was volatile and could grow rapidly, jeopardizing crews, Schweitzer said.

"We can't risk firefighters' lives," he said.

Residents of about 200 homes scattered around Seeley Lake and Placid Lake to the south were ordered to evacuate, said Jamie Kirby, a fire information officer. The governor told them to "open the gates, turn the livestock loose, take your pets, shut off the propane at the tank, shut off the electricity and get out."

There were no reports of homes burning, Kirby said. It was not known how close the fire was to the residences, a mix of year-round and vacation homes.

In northwestern Montana, about 26 miles north of Whitefish, authorities ordered the evacuation of about 50 homes ahead of a fire burning in the Flathead National Forest. The fire had burned 14,000 acres, or nearly 22 square miles, by Saturday evening.

Montana has seen dozens of fires in a wildfire season that began earlier than usual. Major fires included one north of Helena that was last measured at 37,000 acres, or about 58 square miles, and was projected to grow Saturday with the help of winds.

That fire was about half a mile from a 100-kilovolt power line. NorthWestern Energy removed vegetation near the line, sprayed its poles with chemical fire retardant and covered the poles with protective wrapping, said utility spokeswoman Brandy Powers.

Northwest of Los Angeles, meanwhile, fire crews braced for another possible flare-up by a month-old forest fire that has forced hundreds of people to flee rural cabins.

"It's not good. We expect it to run again," fire spokesman Pete Nicklin said Saturday.

By Saturday evening, the fire was moving away from hundreds of rural homes and heading into an unpopulated area of dense vegetation, officials said

The fire in Los Padres National Forest had charred an estimated 44,400 acres — 70 square miles — by Saturday and was 60 percent contained, little changed from Friday, fire officials said.

Flames were about four miles from the Santa Barbara County hamlet of Paradise Road, where firefighters guarded some of the 175 threatened homes. About 650 people evacuated the community Friday, along with youngsters from a camp for delinquent boys.

The wildfire had been slowed for days by a weather condition that trapped cool, moist air at ground level, but the weather changed Friday and the blaze dashed through 6,000 acres of wilderness.

On Saturday, northeasterly wind was threatening to blow up and fan the flames into head-high brush.

"It hasn't burned in 100 years. It's thick and heavy and it's tinder-dry," Nicklin said.

The area was crowded with thousands of visitors for Santa Barbara's annual Old Spanish Days Fiesta.

The blaze was started July 4 by sparks from equipment being used to repair a water pipe.

A handful of homes and cabins in Michigan's Upper Peninsula were evacuated Saturday as a precaution near a wildfire that had blackened about 5,300 acres, said Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Mary Dettloff.

The fire was 30 percent contained Saturday, but fire officials were concerned about the possibility of stiffening wind, Dettloff said. The DNR said the fire was probably started by lightning on Thursday.

Elsewhere, flames had blackened about four square miles of remote pine forest in southern New Jersey, authorities said. The fire, which started Friday, wasn't contained Saturday but wasn't showing signs of spreading, said Elaine Makatura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. Its cause had not been determined by Saturday night.

Bridge search ends for day with no luck By HENRY C. JACKSON and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writers

Bridge search ends for day with no luck By HENRY C. JACKSON and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 29 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - Divers spent a third fruitless day searching for victims of a deadly bridge collapse, finding no bodies inside a crushed car pulled earlier Saturday from the murky Mississippi River waters.

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Authorities said they had been unable to check at least one other car lying beneath another vehicle on the river bottom. They planned to return to work Sunday with sonar equipment to scan areas upriver and downriver.

An examination of a car lifted onto a barge Saturday "did not find anything in the vehicle in terms of victims or human remains," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Police also released an official list Saturday of the eight people reported missing, matching estimates that had been lowered from the hours immediately after the collapse. The official death toll is five.

In releasing the list, police cautioned that the number could still rise, saying it's possible some victims have not been reported missing.

Investigators have names that haven't been connected to the bridge, and divers and recovery workers have found license plate numbers that don't belong to an identified missing person or survivor, authorities said.

A detailed examination of the wreckage around the southern end of the bridge led investigators to conclude "that is probably not where the event began," said Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The southern end shifted 81 feet during the collapse.

As a result, he said, investigators will use a helicopter mounted with a high-resolution camera — equipment like that used by Hollywood film crews — to look for points where the metal was cut, sheared or pulled on the northern end.

Rosenker also announced that the FBI had completed mapping the debris field, which will allow the state transportation department to begin removing cars from the fallen bridge's deck, as well as the deck itself.

Under police escort, families of the missing were bused Saturday from a Red Cross center to the disaster site. When the doors opened, about 40 people streamed out and went straight to the edge, a few with arms wrapped around each other's shoulders.

Most appeared silent, while a few pointed at the collapsed bridge. After no more than 10 minutes, they reboarded the buses, some hugging as they left to return to the temporary Red Cross center.

The Associated Press earlier identified five of the missing, who all appeared on the police list: Christine Sacorafas, 45, a recent transplant to Minnesota who was on her way to teach a Greek folk dancing class; Greg Jolstad, 45, a construction worker who was operating a skid loader on the bridge; Peter Hausmann, 47, a former missionary heading to pick up a friend; and Somali immigrant Sadiya Sahal, 23, a pregnant nursing student traveling with her 2-year-old daughter, Hanah.

The police list also included Vera Peck and her 21-year-old son, Richard Chit, who were in the same car, and Scott Sathers.

Of the roughly 100 injured, 24 remained hospitalized Saturday, five in critical condition.

President Bush took an aerial tour of the damage Saturday morning, then went to the scene to speak with a construction worker who helped rescue children. After walking around the site, Bush went to a makeshift command post where he spoke with the families of two victims, as well as first responders and rescue workers.

Bush praised the divers and all those who rushed to help victims of Wednesday's collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, a major Twin Cities artery.

The president also pledged to help expedite the bridge's reconstruction. The eight-lane bridge, which came tumbling within seconds during evening rush hour, once carried 141,000 vehicles a day.

State transportation officials set an ambitious timetable for rebuilding the bridge, announcing Saturday they hoped to award a contract in September and have the project completed by the end of 2008 — about 15 months.

The U.S. House late Saturday approved $250 million in funds to help repair the bridge; the Senate had approved the amount Friday. Congress still would have to appropriate the money in future legislation.

A memorial service with songs and prayers for the victims was set for 7 p.m. Sunday. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Mayor R.T. Rybak encouraged Minnesotans to attend and honor the families and first responders.

The Minnesota Orchestra and other musicians were scheduled to perform, and any money raised will be distributed to victims' families.

Minnesota's legislative leaders began putting lawmakers on standby for a post-Labor Day special session. Pawlenty, in a huge political concession, announced he is willing to reverse his longstanding opposition to a state gas tax increase.

Pawlenty said that he hopes lawmakers will agree to his ideas for funding road and bridge repairs but that details had not yet been worked out. The state's gas tax has stood at 20 cents per gallon since 1988.

State transportation officials said Saturday that they have hired the New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm as the consultant to review Minnesota's bridge inspection protocols. Parsons will also assist in speedier inspections of the state's bridges.

The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990, and inspections over the years had raised alarm, with findings of rust-eaten steel beams, missing bolts and cracks in the welding that held load-bearing parts together.

A consulting company noted that one possible fix — steel plating of fractures — carried a "relatively high cost," according to a January report. Transportation officials deny that cost pressures swayed their decisions.

State bridge engineer Dan Dorgan said he made the final decision to monitor the bridge's weaknesses through regular inspections but not take more drastic measures, such as bolstering the trusses with steel plates, which he feared could have worsened the structural problems. His staff and consultants ultimately backed that call, he said.

Repairs over the years included bolting and welding on braces, shooting concrete into cracks and patching over crumbling concrete.

After the collapse, federal officials ordered states to immediately inspect bridges of similar designs. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Saturday that those inspections hadn't found any immediate problems.

___

Associated Press writers Vicki Smith, Deb Riechmann and Adam Pemble contributed to this report.

Soldier gets 110 years in rape-slay case By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer

Soldier gets 110 years in rape-slay case By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer
23 minutes ago



FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A soldier convicted of rape and murder in an attack on an Iraqi teenager and her family was sentenced Saturday to 110 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

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The sentence was part of a plea agreement attorneys for Pfc. Jesse Spielman had made with prosecutors that set the number of years he could serve in prison, regardless of the jury's recommendation.

The jury had recommended life with parole, a sentence under which he would have to wait longer for the possibility of freedom.

Spielman was convicted late Friday of rape, conspiracy to commit rape, housebreaking with intent to rape and four counts of felony murder.

Military prosecutors did not say Spielman took part in the rape or murders but alleged that he went to the house knowing what the others intended to do and served as a lookout.

In closing arguments, the military prosecutor, Maj. William Fischbach, said Spielman played a "bit part" but stressed he shared responsibility.

Spielman took the stand to petition jurors for leniency before he was sentenced.

"I don't really blame my chain of command. I don't really blame anybody," he said quietly. "I could have stopped it. I take responsibility for my actions."

Spielman, 23, of Chambersburg, Pa., received the longest sentence of four soldiers who have been convicted. Three other soldiers pleaded guilty under agreements with prosecutors for their roles in the assault and were given sentences ranging from five to 100 years.

Spielman's grandmother, Nancy Hess, collapsed outside the courtroom after the verdict was read; Fischbach ran to her side and called 911. Soldiers in Spielman's unit fanned the woman with napkins.

Spielman's sister, Paige Gerlach, screamed: "I hate the government. You people put him (in Iraq) and now, this happened."

Defense attorneys declined to comment after the sentencing hearing.

Spielman had pleaded guilty on Monday to lesser charges of conspiracy to obstructing justice, arson, wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking. The 110-year sentence encompasses those crimes, too.

The case stemmed from the March 12, 2006, rape and slaying of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, 14, and the killings of her parents and sister. The attack took place in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

Prosecutors rested their case Thursday amid struggles to overcome a fellow soldier's recanting of a story that Spielman acted as a lookout.

Spc. James Barker said in earlier testimony that he had allowed investigators to draft sworn statements for him that implicated Spielman.

Barker testified Wednesday that several portions of the document were untrue, including references to Spielman's role in the conspiracy to attack the family and his knowledge of plans to rape the girl.

But Sgt. Paul E. Cortez testified that Spielman stood guard. Cortez said Spielman was within a few feet of the others as they held down the screaming girl and did nothing to stop them.

Barker, Cortez and another soldier, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles.

Steven D. Green, who was discharged from the Army before being charged, faces a possible death sentence when he is tried in federal court in Kentucky. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder and sexual assault.

Barker and Cortez gave investigators conflicting statements about whether Spielman knew of the plan to rape the girl and whether he was present when they discussed it over whiskey and gin, according to testimony.

During their courts-martial, Barker and Cortez testified they took turns raping the girl while Green shot and killed her mother, father and younger sister. Green shot the girl in the head after raping her, they said.

The girl's body was set on fire with kerosene to destroy the evidence, according to previous testimony

Bridge search ends for day with no luck By HENRY C. JACKSON and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writers

Bridge search ends for day with no luck By HENRY C. JACKSON and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 24 minutes ago



MINNEAPOLIS - Divers spent a third fruitless day searching for victims of a deadly bridge collapse, finding no bodies inside a crushed car pulled earlier Saturday from the murky Mississippi River waters.

Authorities said they had been unable to check at least one other car lying beneath another vehicle on the river bottom. They planned to return to work Sunday with sonar equipment to scan areas upriver and downriver.

An examination of a car lifted onto a barge Saturday "did not find anything in the vehicle in terms of victims or human remains," said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Police also released an official list Saturday of the eight people reported missing, matching estimates that had been lowered from the hours immediately after the collapse. The official death toll is five.

In releasing the list, police cautioned that the number could still rise, saying it's possible some victims have not been reported missing.

Investigators have names that haven't been connected to the bridge, and divers and recovery workers have found license plate numbers that don't belong to an identified missing person or survivor, authorities said.

A detailed examination of the wreckage around the southern end of the bridge led investigators to conclude "that is probably not where the event began," said Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The southern end shifted 81 feet during the collapse.

As a result, he said, investigators will use a helicopter mounted with a high-resolution camera — equipment like that used by Hollywood film crews — to look for points where the metal was cut, sheared or pulled on the northern end.

Rosenker also announced that the FBI had completed mapping the debris field, which will allow the state transportation department to begin removing cars from the fallen bridge's deck, as well as the deck itself.

Under police escort, families of the missing were bused Saturday from a Red Cross center to the disaster site. When the doors opened, about 40 people streamed out and went straight to the edge, a few with arms wrapped around each other's shoulders.

Most appeared silent, while a few pointed at the collapsed bridge. After no more than 10 minutes, they reboarded the buses, some hugging as they left to return to the temporary Red Cross center.

The Associated Press earlier identified five of the missing, who all appeared on the police list: Christine Sacorafas, 45, a recent transplant to Minnesota who was on her way to teach a Greek folk dancing class; Greg Jolstad, 45, a construction worker who was operating a skid loader on the bridge; Peter Hausmann, 47, a former missionary heading to pick up a friend; and Somali immigrant Sadiya Sahal, 23, a pregnant nursing student traveling with her 2-year-old daughter, Hanah.

The police list also included Vera Peck and her 21-year-old son, Richard Chit, who were in the same car, and Scott Sathers.

Of the roughly 100 injured, 24 remained hospitalized Saturday, five in critical condition.

President Bush took an aerial tour of the damage Saturday morning, then went to the scene to speak with a construction worker who helped rescue children. After walking around the site, Bush went to a makeshift command post where he spoke with the families of two victims, as well as first responders and rescue workers.

Bush praised the divers and all those who rushed to help victims of Wednesday's collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, a major Twin Cities artery.

The president also pledged to help expedite the bridge's reconstruction. The eight-lane bridge, which came tumbling within seconds during evening rush hour, once carried 141,000 vehicles a day.

State transportation officials set an ambitious timetable for rebuilding the bridge, announcing Saturday they hoped to award a contract in September and have the project completed by the end of 2008 — about 15 months.

The U.S. House late Saturday approved $250 million in funds to help repair the bridge; the Senate had approved the amount Friday. Congress still would have to appropriate the money in future legislation.

A memorial service with songs and prayers for the victims was set for 7 p.m. Sunday. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Mayor R.T. Rybak encouraged Minnesotans to attend and honor the families and first responders.

The Minnesota Orchestra and other musicians were scheduled to perform, and any money raised will be distributed to victims' families.

Minnesota's legislative leaders began putting lawmakers on standby for a post-Labor Day special session. Pawlenty, in a huge political concession, announced he is willing to reverse his longstanding opposition to a state gas tax increase.

Pawlenty said that he hopes lawmakers will agree to his ideas for funding road and bridge repairs but that details had not yet been worked out. The state's gas tax has stood at 20 cents per gallon since 1988.

State transportation officials said Saturday that they have hired the New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff engineering firm as the consultant to review Minnesota's bridge inspection protocols. Parsons will also assist in speedier inspections of the state's bridges.

The bridge was deemed "structurally deficient" by the federal government as far back as 1990, and inspections over the years had raised alarm, with findings of rust-eaten steel beams, missing bolts and cracks in the welding that held load-bearing parts together.

A consulting company noted that one possible fix — steel plating of fractures — carried a "relatively high cost," according to a January report. Transportation officials deny that cost pressures swayed their decisions.

State bridge engineer Dan Dorgan said he made the final decision to monitor the bridge's weaknesses through regular inspections but not take more drastic measures, such as bolstering the trusses with steel plates, which he feared could have worsened the structural problems. His staff and consultants ultimately backed that call, he said.

Repairs over the years included bolting and welding on braces, shooting concrete into cracks and patching over crumbling concrete.

After the collapse, federal officials ordered states to immediately inspect bridges of similar designs. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said Saturday that those inspections hadn't found any immediate problems.

___

Associated Press writers Vicki Smith, Deb Riechmann and Adam Pemble contributed to this report.

Helicopters drop food to 2 million By BISWAJEET BANERJEE, Associated Press Writer

Helicopters drop food to 2 million By BISWAJEET BANERJEE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 20 minutes ago



LUCKNOW, India - Helicopters dropped food to almost 2 million marooned Indian villagers on Saturday as the death toll from unusually heavy monsoon rains and floods in South Asia rose to more than 225.

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The food drops to 2,200 villages cut off by flooding aimed to help desperate residents in the worst-hit eastern parts of India's Uttar Pradesh state. Umesh Sinha, the state relief commissioner, also said nearly 280,000 acres of rice paddy crops had been destroyed.

In India's northeastern Assam state, flooding forced rhinos from their habitat at the Kaziranga National Park and their panicked charges killed one person and injured two others, wildlife officials said.

At least 229 people have been killed in India and neighboring Bangladesh, and 19 million driven from their homes in recent days. The South Asian monsoon season runs from June to September as the rains work their way across the subcontinent, a deluge that scatters floods and landslides across the region and kills hundreds of people every year.

The number of dead in Bangladesh rose to 81 Saturday, up from 65 a day earlier, the country's information ministry said. Raging floodwaters have battered 38 out of 64 districts in the delta nation of 145 million people.

Fakhruddin Ahmed, head of Bangladesh's military-backed interim government, visited the northwestern district of Sirajganj on Saturday. Despite the devastation, he said the government had enough food and medicine to distribute and foreign assistance wasn't yet needed.

One person looking for that help was 45-year-old Aleya Begum, who took shelter on an embankment with more than 50 other families after their homes washed away in Pabna, 75 miles north of the capital, Dhaka.

She said the group was short of drinking water.

"I've lost everything. We need help from the government to survive," Begum said.

Low-lying areas around Dhaka were under neck-deep water, and many residents were using boats to travel around. Government meteorologists said water levels in Dhaka continued to rise.

Flooded rivers started to recede Saturday in the Indian state of Assam — but there was no such respite in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.

Mayawati, Uttar Pradesh's top elected official, said India and neighboring Nepal had signed a treaty in 1996 to solve the annual flooding by building dams and hydropower projects, but the projects have not yet begun.

"The federal government has turned a blind eye to the recurring floods in the state," said Mayawati, who uses one name.

In Uttar Pradesh, flooding deaths came in all shapes and sizes: Two villagers were killed when a house collapsed, two children were swept away by floodwaters, and one person was killed by a snake bite.

With hundreds of farming villages submerged along the southern edge of the Himalayas, people took refuge wherever they could. Women and children were spotted screaming for help as they perched in treetops in Uttar Pradesh.

So far this year, some 14 million people in India and 5 million in Bangladesh have been displaced by flooding, according to government figures.

___

Associated Press reporters Julhas Alam and Farid Hossain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Wasbir Hussain in Gauhati contributed to this report.

Foot-and-mouth disease found in UK By ROMINA SPINA, Associated Press Writer

Foot-and-mouth disease found in UK By ROMINA SPINA, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 10 minutes ago



WANBOROUGH, England - Britain raced to avert economic disaster Saturday by halting meat and dairy exports and the movement of livestock around the country after foot-and-mouth disease was found on a southern English farm.

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The strain of the highly infectious disease found was identical to one used at a nearby government-funded laboratory that is researching vaccines for the virus, Britain's environment agency said Saturday. Officials are still investigating other possible sources, the country's chief veterinarian said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown vowed to work "night and day" to avoid a repeat of a 2001 outbreak, when millions of dead animals were burned on pyres, swathes of the countryside were closed, rural tourism was badly hurt and British meat was shut out of international markets.

"Our first priority has been to act quickly and decisively," Brown said. "I can assure people ... we are doing everything in our power to look at the scientific evidence and to get to the bottom of what has happened and then to eradicate this disease."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, said Britain had banned the export of live cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, as well as carcasses, meat and milk.

The United States and Japan immediately banned British pigs and pork products in response to the outbreak. British beef is already banned in both countries because of mad-cow disease.

The European Union was also likely to announce a ban on British livestock imports in the 27-nation bloc when its executive body meets on Monday.

British authorities also imposed a nationwide ban on transporting cattle, sheep, goats and pigs in response to the outbreak.

Foot-and-mouth disease causes fever and blister-like lesions on the mouths, teats and hooves of affected animals. It can be deadly in livestock but is harmless to humans.

Although many animals recover, the disease leaves them debilitated, causing major losses in meat and milk production.

DEFRA said animals on a farm near Wanborough, about 30 miles southwest of London, had tested positive for the disease, which affects livestock but not humans.

The strain of the disease was the same as one used at the Institute for Animal Health's Pirbright Laboratory, which is about four miles from the affected farm.

Authorities have asked the lab to review its biosecurity procedures, the government's chief veterinarian, Debby Reynolds said. Reynolds ordered a new six-mile protection zone to be set up around the farm and the lab.

The strain detected in the outbreak is not one recently found in animals, DEFRA said.

Indications the virus came from the lab suggest the problem could be contained, said Andrew Biggs of the British Cattle Veterinary Association.

"The proximity of this farm to Pirbright was too much of a coincidence," he told British Broadcasting Corp. television. "We know where it comes from now, but there are still chances of it spreading. ... I don't think we can let our guard down."

No one at the laboratory returned a phone message seeking comment Saturday.

Officials did not specify how many animals at the farm were infected, but said all livestock on the farm were slaughtered and incinerated.

Scientists were trying to determine if vaccinations could be used to try to halt the spread of the disease.

The government was criticized for not using vaccines to try to fight the 2001 epidemic. A report on that outbreak by a senior scientific body, the Royal Society, concluded that vaccinations should be a major tool of first resort in the event of future outbreaks.

Reynolds said it was too soon to determine how far the disease may have spread.

Reynolds said there had been a small number of reports of signs of illness among livestock on other farms in the country, but none had so far proved to be foot-and-mouth disease.

Farmers near the infected site said they were hopeful quick action would contain the disease.

Kim's army visits prompt speculation 2 hours, 11 minutes ago

Kim's army visits prompt speculation 2 hours, 11 minutes ago



SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has visited military bases for four straight days, an unusual frequency that has prompted speculation he may be about to make a decision regarding the country's disputed nuclear program.

The visits come ahead of a joint U.S.-South Korean military exercise. On Friday, North Korea denounced the upcoming Aug. 20-21 drill as an "unacceptable provocation."

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday that Kim inspected an army unit and expressed satisfaction with its combat readiness. It was the fourth straight day that KCNA reported Kim visiting an army base.

Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's largest newspaper, said the visits may indicate Kim was about to make an important decision, possibly regarding his country's nuclear programs.

North Korea shut down its sole functioning nuclear reactor last month in exchange for energy aid under a deal with the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

Kim periodically visits military bases to ensure the loyalty of his troops, the backbone of his iron-fisted rule. But it is unusual for him to make so many visits in such a short time.

"I think the main purpose is to boost the morale of soldiers during vacation season and ahead of" the joint military exercise, said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.

North Korea has condemned the annual drill in South Korea as a rehearsal for a northward invasion. The U.S. and South Korea say the exercise, staged since 1975, is defensive.

About 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War which ended in a cease-fire, leaving the two Koreas still technically at war.

Iraqi power grid nearing collapse By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer

Iraqi power grid nearing collapse By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 39 minutes ago



BAGHDAD - Iraq's power grid is on the brink of collapse because of insurgent sabotage, rising demand, fuel shortages and provinces that are unplugging local power stations from the national grid, officials said Saturday.

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Electricity Ministry spokesman Aziz al-Shimari said power generation nationally is only meeting half the demand, and there had been four nationwide blackouts over the past two days. The shortages across the country are the worst since the summer of 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, he said.

Power supplies in Baghdad have been sporadic all summer and now are down to just a few hours a day, if that. The water supply in the capital has also been severely curtailed by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.

Karbala province south of Baghdad has been without power for three days, causing water mains to go dry in the provincial capital, the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

"We no longer need television documentaries about the Stone Age. We are actually living in it. We are in constant danger because of the filthy water and rotten food we are having," said Hazim Obeid, who sells clothing at a stall in the Karbala market.

Electricity shortages are a perennial problem in Iraq, even though it sits atop one of the world's largest crude oil reserves. The national power grid became decrepit under Saddam Hussein because his regime was under U.N. sanctions after the Gulf War and had trouble buying spare parts or equipment to upgrade the system.

The power problems are only adding to the misery of Iraqis, already suffering from the effects of more than four years of war and sectarian violence. Outages make life almost unbearable in the summer months, when average daily temperatures reach between 110 and 120 degrees.

One of the biggest problems facing the national grid is the move by provinces to disconnect their power plants from the system, reducing the overall amount of electricity being generated for the entire country. Provinces say they have no choice because they are not getting as much electricity in return for what they produce, mainly because the capital requires so much power.

"Many southern provinces such as Basra, Diwaniyah, Nassiriyah, Babil have disconnected their power plants from the national grid. Northern provinces, including Kurdistan, are doing the same," al-Shimari said. "We have absolutely no control over some areas in the south," he added.

"The national grid will collapse if the provinces do not abide by rules regarding their share of electricity. Everybody will lose and there will be no electricity winner," al-Shimari said.

He complained that the central government was unable to do anything about provincial power stations pulling out of the national system, or the fact some provinces were failing to take themselves off the supply grid once they had consumed their daily ration of electricity.

Najaf provincial spokesman Ahmed Deibel confirmed to The Associated Press Sunday that the gas turbine generator there had been removed from the national grid. He said the plant produced 50 megawatts while the province needed at least 200 megawatts.

"What we produce is not enough even for us. We disconnected it from the national grid three days ago because the people in Baghdad were getting too much, leaving little electricity for Najaf," he said.

Compounding the problem, al-Shimari said there are 17 high-tension lines running into Baghdad but only two were operational. The rest had been sabotaged.

"What makes Baghdad the worst place in the country is that most of the lines leading into the capital have been destroyed. That is compounded by the fact that Baghdad has limited generating capacity," al-Shimari said.

"When we fix a line, the insurgents attack it the next day," he added.

Fuel shortages are also a major problem. In Karbala, provincial spokesman Ghalib al-Daami said a 50-megawatt power station had been shut down because of a lack of fuel, causing the entire province to be without water and electricity for the past three days.

He said sewage was seeping above ground in nearly half the provincial capital because pump trucks used to clean septic tanks have been unable to operate due to gasoline shortages. The sewage was causing a health threat to citizens and contaminating crops in the region.

Many people who normally would rely on small home generators for electricity can't afford to buy fuel. Gasoline prices have shot up to nearly $5 a gallon, Karbala residents say, a price that puts the fuel out of range for all but the wealthy.

"We wait for the sunset to enjoy some coolness," said Qassim Hussein, a 31-year-old day laborer in Karbala. "The people are fed-up. There is no water, no electricity, there is nothing, but death. I've even had more trouble with my wife these last three days. Everybody is on edge."

Iraq has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Iran. But oil production has been hampered by insurgent and saboteur attacks, ranging from bombing pipelines to siphoning off oil. The attacks have cost the country billions of dollars since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Dilapidated infrastructure has also hindered refining, forcing Iraq to import large amounts of kerosene and other oil products.

The electricity problems come as leaders are trying to deal with a political crisis that erupted when the country's largest bloc of Sunni political parties withdrew from the government.

President Bush called Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Vice President Adel Abdel-Mahdi to urge them to try to preserve political unity in the country, where the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under a stiff challenge from rival political forces and insurgents.

Talabani, a Kurd, and Abdel-Mahdi, a Shiite, provided few details of the conversations in statements released by their offices. But both men have been involved in trying to solve the crisis.

Elsewhere, the U.S. military announced the death of a Marine during combat Thursday in Iraq's western Anbar province.

The U.S. military also issued a statement saying its forces killed four suspects and captured 33 others Saturday in raids in northern Iraq and along the Tigris River Valley.

In northern Iraq, a prison riot was brought under control two days after it broke out when Iraqi guards prepared to move inmates into an isolation unit and U.S. soldiers surrounded the facility.

The riot at Badoosh prison outside Mosul, about 220 miles northwest of Baghdad, involved nearly 65 inmates. Iraqi guards killed one inmate who was trying to escape from the prison yard and wounded two others inside the prison, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The U.S. military said American troops did not fire any rounds during the disturbance and no U.S. or Iraqi troops were wounded.

___

Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.

Afghanistan poppy cultivation skyrockets By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

Afghanistan poppy cultivation skyrockets By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 37 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Afghanistan will produce another record poppy harvest this year that cements its status as the world's near-sole supplier of the heroin source, yet a furious debate over how to reverse the trend is stalling proposals to cut the crop, U.S. officials say.

As President Bush prepares for weekend talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, divisions within the U.S. administration and among NATO allies have delayed release of a $475 million counternarcotics program for Afghanistan, where intelligence officials see growing links between drugs and the Taliban, the officials said.

U.N. figures to be released in September are expected to show that Afghanistan's poppy production has risen up to 15 percent since 2006 and that the country now accounts for 95 percent of the world's crop, 3 percentage points more than last year, officials familiar with preliminary statistics told The Associated Press.

But counterdrug proposals by some U.S. officials have met fierce resistance, including boosting the amount of forcible poppy field destruction in provinces that grow the most, officials said. The approach also would link millions of dollars in development aid to benchmarks on eradication; arrests and prosecutions of narcotraders, corrupt officials; and on alternative crop production.

Those ideas represent what proponents call an "enhanced carrot-and-stick approach" to supplement existing anti-drug efforts. They are the focus of the new $475 million program outlined in a 995-page report, the release of which has been postponed twice and may be again delayed due to disagreements, officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because parts of the report remain classified.

Counternarcotics agents at the State Department had wanted to release a 123-page summary of the strategy last month and then again last week, but were forced to hold off because of concerns it may not be feasible, the officials said.

Now, even as Bush sees Karzai on Sunday and Monday at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Md., a tentative release date of Aug. 9, timed to follow the meetings, appears in jeopardy. Some in the administration, along with NATO allies Britain and Canada, seek revisions that could delay it until at least Aug. 13, the officials said.

The program represents a 13 percent increase over the $420 million in U.S. counternarcotics aid to Afghanistan last year. It would adopt a bold new approach to "coercive eradication" and set out criteria for local officials to receive development assistance based on their cooperation, the officials said.

Although the existing aid, supplemented mainly by Britain and Canada and supported by the NATO force in Afghanistan, has achieved some results — notably an expected rise in the number of "poppy-free" provinces from six to at least 12 and possibly 16, mainly in the north — production elsewhere has soared, they said.

"Afghanistan is providing close to 95 percent of the world's heroin," the State Department's top counternarcotics official, Tom Schweich, said at a recent conference. "That makes it almost a sole-source supplier" and presents a situation "unique in world history."

Almost all the heroin from Afghanistan makes its way to Europe; most of the heroin in the U.S. comes from Latin America.

Afghanistan last year accounted for 92 percent of global opium production, compared with 70 percent in 2000 and 52 percent a decade earlier. The higher yields in Afghanistan brought world production to a record high of 7,286 tons in 2006, 43 percent more than in 2005.

A State Department inspector general's report released Friday noted that the counternarcotics assistance is dwarfed by the estimated $38 billion "street value" of Afghanistan's poppy crop, if all is converted to heroin, and said eradication goals were "not realistic."

Schweich, an advocate of the now-stalled plan, has argued for more vigorous eradication efforts, particularly in southern Helmand province, responsible for some 80 percent of Afghanistan's poppy production. It is where, he says, growers must be punished for ignoring good-faith appeals to switch to alternative, but less lucrative, crops.

"They need to be dealt with in a more severe way," he said at the conference sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There needs to be a coercive element, that's something we're not going to back away from or shy away from."

But, in fact, many question whether this is the right approach with Afghanistan mired in poverty and in the throes of an insurgency run by the Taliban and residual al-Qaida forces.

Along with Britain, whose troops patrol Helmand, elements in the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Defense Department and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have expressed concern, saying that more raids will drive farmers with no other income to join extremists.

There is also skepticism about the incentives in the new strategy from those who believe development assistance should not be denied to local communities because of poppy growth, officials said.

Opponents argue that the benefits of such aid, new roads and other infrastructure, schools and hospitals, will themselves be powerful tools to combat the narcotrade once constructed.

One U.S. official said the plan was a good one but might take another year or two before it can be effectively introduced.

___

On the Net:

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/

State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs: http://www.state.gov/p/inl/

Audio link to comments on new strategy by acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Thomas Schweich at the Center for Strategic and International Studies: http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1350/

U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html

Yao Ming, Ye Li shoot wedding photos

Yao Ming, Ye Li shoot wedding photos
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-02 10:29:15
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)

Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and his fiancée Ye Li shoot wedding photos at the Taihu Yuan scenic resort in Lin'an, east China's Zhejiang province on July 31, 2007. [Photo: dfdaily.com]





Aug.2 - Chinese basketball superstar, Yao Ming, got up early Tuesday to shoot probably the most important group of photos in his life - his wedding photos - with his fiancée Ye Li, a national basketball team player from Shanghai.

They arrived early Tuesday morning at the Taihu Yuan scenic resort, the source of Taihu Lake, in the city of Lin'an, just two hours' drive from Ye Li's hometown, the Oriental Morning Post reported.

During two hours of shooting time, Yao Ming was moved by the beauty not only of his fiancée, but also of the scenery. He inquired into such environmental protection measures as limitations on the tourist flow.

In fact, the NBA Houston Rockets center has been active in environmental protection. Last August, he pledged to stop eating shark's fin soup, a Chinese delicacy, as he joined a campaign to promote wildlife protection.

In previous media reports it was introduced that Yao Ming and Ye Li would apply for a marriage certificate within this summer.

Over 560,000 apply to be 2008 Olympics volunteers

Over 560,000 apply to be 2008 Olympics volunteers
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-02 11:09:16







Chinanews, Beijing, Aug. 2 – According to statistics, 561,296 people have applied to be 2008 Olympics volunteers, 318,189 of the applicants being from Beijing, and 36,666 of them from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and other regions global wide, a record number in Olympic history.

According to officials from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), there are more female applicants than male, most applicants have higher education backgrounds, and more than 97% of applicants are aged below 36.

Special Olympics flame to arrive in China

Special Olympics flame to arrive in China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-02 15:46:30







Chinanews, Beijing, August 2 – The Special Olympics flame, or the Flame of Hope, will arrive in Beijing on September 26, and the domestic part of the torch relay for the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics will be started soon after its arrival in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. The terminal of the relay will be Macao SAR.

This will be the first Special Olympics World Summer held in Asia, in a developing country and in China.

The torch bearer will mainly be police and other law enforcement officials, to show the strong ones’ care for the weak. The torch relays of previous Special Olympics were held in the host countries only, but the torch relay of the Shanghai Special Olympics will traverse through several countries in the world.

The flame was ignited in Athens on last June 29, then the torch started its journey to China.

The torch will reach Shanghai on September 30, and it will be then sent to the stadium on October 10, to be lit at the opening ceremony, with more than 10,000 athletes and their coaches as eye-witnesses.

Little girl running to Beijing to celebrate Olympics

Little girl running to Beijing to celebrate Olympics
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:48:17







Chinanews, Haikou, Aug 4 – Amid controversy, Zhang Huimin, an eight-year-old girl in Hainan Province, had been running on foot for an entire 30 days now. On Thursday noon, she reached Chibi city in Hubei Province.

The girl’s act made her become the center of spotlight. Media covered every movement of the girl, including even the slightest details like the clothes she wore and the kind shoes she wore on. People held different views about the girl, who had made up her mind to run 3,500 kilometers to Beijing on such hot and sultry days.

On August 2, reporters from CCTV’s No. 12 channel interviewed Zhang Jianmin, the little girl’s father, by telephone. The reporters also interviewed sports experts from the Hainan Provincial Sports Science Research Institute as well as the reporters from China News Service who covered the event.

On July 3, Zhang Huimin started to run from Tian Ya Hai Jiao (Remotest Corner of the Earth) in Sanya, Hainan. She intended to run through seven provinces and reach the Tiananmen Square in Beijing on August 28.

On August 3, a British TV station team arrived in China to cover the news about the little girl.

China to build 100 national labs

China to build 100 national labs
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-01 17:33:57







Chinanews, Beijing, August 1 – According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China will build 100 technological labs during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period (2006-2010).

As science and technology, particularly in the creative industry, are placed on top of the development strategy agenda, it is natural for China to set up more national labs to enhance its industrial and scientific competitiveness.

The new labs will do research in the fields of next-generation network, wireless communication, pharmacy, renewable energy development, ecology, etc, all of which are greatly needed in China.

It is believed that the research of the national labs will inject new vigor into manufacturing industry in China, and greatly promote China’s position on the international industrial chain.

The national labs of oceanic industry, shipbuilding, express railway will be established pretty soon, and those of other industries will be set up in the foreseeable future, too.

Wild camel flock found in Turpan Basin

Wild camel flock found in Turpan Basin
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:09:35







Chinanews, Urumqi, August 3 – Zoologists in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were surprised to find a wild camel flock of 44 in the Gobi desert south to the Shanshan County, in the Turpan Basin. This is the first time to see so big a wild camel flock since the founding of Wild Camel Reserve in China.

Wild camel has been put on the Red Book of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union, for its population is even smaller than the population of giant panda. It is estimated that there are only 800 wild camels in the world, 50% of which live in Xinjiang.

The traces of wild camels were found on last July 23 by the Wild Camel Protection Team. The next day, the team met the camels at a fountain nearby.

Actually it is rare to find so many wild camels at a time even in Lop Nur, the center of the Wild Camel Reserve.

World Acupuncture Research Conference to be held in Beijing

World Acupuncture Research Conference to be held in Beijing
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:31:11







Chinanews, Beijing, Aug. 4 – Shen Zhixiang, director-general of the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies (WFAS), revealed on Thursday that 140 countries and regions in the world had accepted acupuncture and moxibustion as a formal way of medical service.

He said that World Acupuncture Research Conference will be held in Beijing on Oct. 20 this year with the support of World Health Organization, the WFAS, and the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Founded in 1987, the WFAS has contributed a lot to the development of acupuncture and moxibustion research, and given training to 10 thousand doctors and nurses from 106 countries and regions worldwide in the skills of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Pollutant discharges into China's seas increase in first half

Pollutant discharges into China's seas increase in first half
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 14:49:57
(Source: Xinhua)






BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- More than 77 percent of Chinese coastal city sewer outlets discharged excessive amounts of pollutants into the sea in the first six months, State Oceanic Administration revealed on Friday.

According to an oceanic monitoring report issued by the administration, the total amount of discharged pollutant from more than 500 coastal city sewers exceeded that of the same period last year by 18.2 percent.

Most of the sewer outlets were improperly arranged, with 43 percent constructed in aquiculture, tourism and reserved areas and 33 percent located in harbor and shipping areas, the report said.

Only 8.4 percent of the sewer outlets were located in designated discharge areas, it said.

Organic compounds, suspended matter, phosphates and ammoniacal nitrogen were the major pollutants.

The report said 82.8 percent of the sewer outlets along east China's Yellow Sea discharged excessive pollutants.

Li Chunxian, spokesperson with the administration, said the average daily pollutant discharge from the outlets in the first half was 9,230 tons, 6.7 percent more than the same period last year.

However, Li said the average daily sewage discharged into the sea dropped to 60.65 million tons, a decline of 16.3 percent.

The decline was mainly due to less runoff during dry periods, Li said.

The administration would intensify monitoring of sewer outlets in coastal areas and tighten controls over sewage disposal of high resource-consuming enterprises in coastal areas and the amounts of major pollutants discharged, Li said.

China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials held in Xi'an

China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials held in Xi'an
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:06:09







Chinanews, Xi'an, August 3 – The 4th China-Yale Summer Seminar for College Officials was kicked off on August 1, 2007 in Xi’an Jiaotong University, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Yale University of the US.

Fifty-six officials from 32 colleges and universities in China gather here to discuss the development and reform strategy of higher education in China and international cooperation in this field with the officials of Yale University.

The program was launched in New Haven on March 22, 2004, and the first seminar was held the same year in the Yale University. The second was also held there. The third was held in Xiamen, Fujian Province.

“Modern universities should appreciate traditional culture in an international vision, and Yale’s experience has inspired many Chinese university presidents. I believe that the seminar this year will bring more knowledge and improvement to China’s higher education,” said Wu Qidi, Vice Minister of Education.

Wu suggested that China should learn more from the famous universities in the world, and more cooperative projects like the seminar should be held.

Young people in Shanghai love musicals

Young people in Shanghai love musicals
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:27:49







Chinanews, Shanghai, Aug 3 – From Lés Miserable to Mamma Mia, from musical comedy I LOVE YOU… to authentic French musical Le Petit Prince…it seems that watching musicals has become a trendy thing to do for young people in Shanghai.

If you walk on the street and happen to ask several fashionably dressed young people what is the hottest word in Shanghai now, they will give you the same answer: "That's Mamma Mia!"

On July 6, Mamma Mia, the hottest play that now sweeps the global musical world, made its debut in Shanghai. The play soon aroused Shanghai people's enthusiasm for musicals. The organizer of the event told this reporter that on Aug 2 Mamma Mia would be staged in the city for the last day. From the very first day when the play was staged in Shanghai, the phone for booking the tickets had kept ringing. Last week, all the tickets for the show were sold out. It can be told for sure now that the one-month performance will be profitable, he said.

This year, many musicals were staged in Shanghai. Many were considered as famous in musical circle. The box offices for these musical shows were extremely good.

“We are surprised to see that there are so many musical talents in China,” said Zha Wei, organizer of the event.

China has a burgeoning market for musicals and there are many people who show a talent for musicals. The Broadway (Asian) Entertainment Company will surely find many musical talents in China and give them a chance to perform in world musical stage in future, she said.

Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Park to be built in Yunnan

Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Park to be built in Yunnan
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 13:40:22







Chinanews, Kunming, Aug. 3 – Our reporter has learned from Sino-US WWⅡ Friendship Foundation that the Foundation will build a park to commemorate Sino-US friendship in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

Construction of the project will be started in 2008, and finished in 2010. The 5,000-mu park is covered by forests. All major battles in the China-Myanmar-India Theater will be featured in models, including the “Flying Tiger” pilot club and International Women Soldiers club.

According to the Foundation, the local governments, foreign investors and ordinary citizens all support this project. Some 30 U.S. WWⅡ veterans inspected the project site on Jul. 31, and read historical materials about Sino-US friendship during the World War Ⅱ.

Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins

Shooting of film about Nanjing massacre begins
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:35:57







Chinanews, Nanjing, Aug. 4 – A documentary film “Nanjing” marking the 70th anniversary of Nanjing Massacre made by American filmmakers is currently popular in China, and at the same time, the production of a film called “Purple Mountain” was also started in Pukou Railway Station of Nanjing on Tuesday. The film is to be produced jointly by Hollywood Entertainment Company Viridian and Jiangsu Cultural Industry Group.

The film is directed by Simon West, who said during a news conference that he hoped the film could surpass the epic “Schindler's List”. The film will be finished by the end of this year, and will be shown to the public in 2008.

Chang Zhiqiang, an old man who survived the massacre, was invited to attend the ceremony marking the kickoff of the film shooting. Prevue of the film was shot on that day, demonstrating the dreadful scene in the cold winter of Nanjing after the Japanese troops occupied the city 70 years ago: Chinese refugees and western foreigners rush to the railway station, hoping to get a chance to leave the city, where Japanese soldiers could be seen everywhere.

Mr. West said that people in the West knew very little about the massacre, and the “Purple Mountain” was based on true stories. Before shooting the movie, he had read plenty of historical books about the massacre and interviewed some of the survivors. He said it was incumbent upon him to make the massacre into a movie.

Enterprise retirees to enjoy pension hike

Enterprise retirees to enjoy pension hike
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 14:33:43







Chinanews, Beijing, August 4 – The State Council of China has decided to continually raise the pension of enterprise retirees in the next three years, to ease social polarization.

Currently, there are 40 million enterprise retirees in China, who have contributed their youth to the construction of the country. So it is the responsibility of the government to guarantee their old age life. Thus China has started the pension hike in 2005, and the policy has been widely acclaimed. Now the State Council requires related government departments and enterprises to carry out the policy before the end of August.

Pension hike this time will mainly cover high technicians and those who retired early and receive relatively lower pensions.

Forest fires break out in north China

Forest fires break out in north China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:02:15
(Source: Xinhua)






HOHHOT, Aug. 4 -- Hundreds of armed policemen and firefighters are struggling to control fires in virgin forests in north China's Inner Mongolia, said local forestry authorities on Friday.

Three fires had been detected by satellite data in the virgin forests north of the Greater Hinggan Mountain in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the region's meteorological administration said.

Two fires, one covering 2.87 square kilometers and the other 0.66 sq km, were near Ergune City, the administration said.

Another fire was in a virgin forest north of Genhe City.

Local forestry departments have confirmed that hundreds of people have been mobilized to fight the fires.

The cause of the fires remains unclear.

12 killed in tidal current in Zhejiang

12 killed in tidal current in Zhejiang
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:19:00
(Source: Life)






HANGZHOU, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers salvaged four more corpses from the Qiantang River in east China's Zhejiang Province early on Saturday, bringing the death toll in the rising tide on the same river on Thursday to 12.

The newly found remains were salvaged from the water area one to five km downstream the place where the tidal current first rose and swept away more than 30 people who were either swimming in the river or strolling around on the embankment, said Qi Yong, a leading maritime squad officer with Hangzhou City Public Security Department.

The drowned consisted of six males and six females. It will take some time to ascertain whether the newly found four remains were counted as missing, said Qi.

Xie Liewei, deputy magistrate of Jianggan District in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, said the number of the drowned might keep going up as the rescue operation continued.

Xie said the public security units were checking the figures as many people at the site had come alone or without telling others of their whereabouts. All the dead and the missing were believed to be Chinese.

An office has been set up to register more reports from family members.

Twenty-two people were rescued after the tidal bore swept away dozens of 30 people who were either swimming in the river or walking along a T-shaped levee near the mouth of the Qiantang River on the outskirts of Hangzhou.

The tides on the Qiantang are a peculiar phenomenon and always attract spectators. Scientists say that the trumpet-shaped mouth of the Qiantang River helps form the tidal change, which can be as high as 3.5 meters.

The tragedy occurred on Thursday afternoon when the tide was moving at a normal speed of 15 km per hour, which appeared "mild" from a distance, said Zhou Guangming, a tide expert.

However, its power reached up to four to seven tons per cubic meter when it rushed into the trumpet-shaped levee.

Most of the victims and the missing were from other parts of China as local residents were usually aware of the danger and never risked their lives in the river, said Zhou.

Experts attribute the formation of powerful tidal currents in the river in recent years to the accumulation of silt washed down in the Yangtze River, the change of the water course, the strong wind that always accompanies the tide and floods upstream.

The worst tidal accident occurred on Oct. 3, 1993, when the tidewater swept 86 people from the levee, leaving 19 dead, 40 missing and 27 injured.

The local government has hired a group of local people to patrol the river and warn people of the danger of incoming tides.

Ren Baojin, an elderly man who worked for about ten years as a "tide shouter", said he and his colleagues shouted out when the tide was approaching, but many people, especially those from other regions, often ignored the warning.

The local government has ordered round-the-clock patrols along the river and reinforcement of supervision at dangerous sites. Warning signs will be erected to keep people away. It was also suggested that all the levees along the river should be closed, said public security bureau officials.

Urban railway transportation to boom in China

Urban railway transportation to boom in China
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 16:26:59







Chinanews, Beijing, August 4 – “The total scale of urban railway transportation in China is no bigger than that of London, ” said Qiu Baoxing, Vice Minister of Construction on August 2, at China Urbanization and Transportation Development Conference in Beijing.

In fact, urban railway transportation is witnessing a rapid development in China at present. By 2010, the total length of urban railways operating in China will break 1,500 km, with a total investment of 500 billion yuan.

Now, 10 big cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Nanjing and Wuhan, are blessed with the convenience of urban railways such as subway and light rail with a total length of 621 km. Another 12 cities are building urban railways of their own. Statistics show that some 837 km of urban railways are under construction in China.

By 2010,urban railway transportation will be available in 15 cities

Visiting the drill ground for "Peace Mission 2007"

Visiting the drill ground for "Peace Mission 2007"
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 09:20:46







Chinanews, Chelyabinsk, Aug 3 – Anyone who visits Chelyabinsk now might feel puzzled when they see that a village has appeared overnight on an empty land that stretches to the end of the horizon. Actually, this is not a village but the drill ground for the "Peace Mission 2007" military drill to be jointly conducted by Chinese and Russian soldiers. It had taken two months to build the drill ground.

In a few days, the joint military drill will be conducted here. In the military drill, 250 Russian soldiers will act as terrorists who will kidnap 200 civilians, acted also by Russian soldiers, as hostages. Chinese soldiers and soldiers from the other five member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will launch attacks to rescue the hostages.

Accompanied by a Russian military spokesman, this reporter traveled a dozen miles to arrive at the drill ground on Wednesday.

This reporter saw that a two-tier reviewing stand had been built on the ground. Workers were giving finishing touches to the stand. Some tents, of different sizes, were placed in a line behind the reviewing stand at the left side, where messages about the drill would be announced. When the drill takes place, about fifty computers and Internet access service will be provided at the reviewing stand and reporters can send the manuscripts to keep people back home posted on the latest developments of the drill, said the Russian military spokesman.

He pointed at an unfinished tent and told this reporter that it would be used for holding a press briefing when the drill ended. By then, defense ministers from the six member countries of the SCO would answer questions raised by reporters.

Before the drill formally begins, soldiers from the six countries will conduct joint exercises three times. When the drill is wrapped up, the drill ground will be used as the training ground for Russian soldiers to practice anti-terrorist exercises.

This reporter also visited the camping sites and accommodation places for the soldiers of the six countries. At the camping site for Chinese soldiers, this reporter saw that every tent was labeled with Chinese characters telling people what the tent was used for. This reporter noticed there were some field hospitals set up on the drilling ground, whose doctors, when necessary, could do minor surgeries in the tents. In the dining tent, this reporter saw that bread and juice were already placed on the table.

Over 2,000 delegates elected to 17th National Congress

Over 2,000 delegates elected to 17th National Congress
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-03 10:12:27
(Source: Xinhua)






Aug. 2 - A total of 2,217 delegates have been elected to the upcoming 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), including President Hu Jintao and other seven incumbent members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The delegates were elected by more than 70 million CPC members nationwide, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee said here Thursday.

The Party's 17th National Congress will be held in the second half of 2007 in Beijing. The delegates were elected by local electoral units across the country from April to June.

The number of delegates to the 17th CPC National Congress is about 100 more than the 16th congress.

The delegates include not only Party leaders at various levels, but also grass-roots members from all walks of life, according to the department.

"Each delegate came through strict electoral procedures," said the department in a news release.

However, the department said that the delegates still have to pass a following qualification check to get final approval to attend the congress.

8 new Chinese strike fighter to participate in Peace Mission 2007

8 new Chinese strike fighter to participate in Peace Mission 2007
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 11:45:19







Chinanews, Chelyabinsk, Aug 2 – Eight Chinese new strike fighters were transported to the Shager Airport in Russia on Thursday noon to participate in the 2007 Peace Mission anti-terrorist military drill. This will be the first time for Chinese fighter jets to participate in an international military drill held in foreign land.

Zhang Jianping, head of the Chinese soldiers’ team and chief director of the military drill from the Chinese side, welcomed the arrival of Chinese fighter jets. He praised the fighter jets’ formation, saying that they had landed smoothly and pilots had demonstrated their “outstanding flying skills”.

Chief of the Russian Air Force Security Bureau also greeted the arrival of Chinese air force in Ural. He believed that Chinese and Russian air forces, through close cooperation, would complete their tasks successfully in the joint military drill.

On Friday, the six Yier-76 transportation jets of the Chinese side will be shipped to the drill ground. Previously, 32 Chinese helicopters had already reached Russia as scheduled. So far, all the Chinese jets that will participate in the military drill have arrived in Russia. Before the military drill takes place, Chinese pilots will take some flying exercises to try to familiarize themselves with the features of the land over which they are going to fly during the drill.

Last batch of Chinese troops arrive in Russia for drills

Last batch of Chinese troops arrive in Russia for drills
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 14:57:47
(Source: Xinhua)






CHELYABINSK, Russia, Aug. 4 -- A planeload of Chinese troops for the anti-terrorism drills of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) arrived near the drill site on Friday, completing the transfer of Chinese troops and armaments for the exercise.

The last trainload of Chinese servicemen arrived earlier in the day at the Misyash railway station near the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk and will soon head to the Chebarkul drill site 75 km away, where Chinese and Russian air squadrons will conduct a joint exercise on Monday.

Setting out on July 20 from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, over 300 Chinese servicemen traveled over 10,000 kilometers in 15 days and transported more than 500 tons of military hardware.

The exercises, dubbed "Peace Mission 2007" and scheduled to run on Aug. 9-17, will be carried out first in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang region, and later move to Chelyabinsk.

The six member countries of the SCO -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- will all send troops for the drills.

About 6,500 troops and 80 aircraft are expected to take part in the drills, including 2,000 troops and 36 aircraft from Russia, 1,600 troops and 46 aircraft from China.

The exercise will help strengthen relations between the militaries of SCO members and enhance cooperation in defense and security, said Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission.

The six SCO member countries held their first joint anti-terrorism military drills in 2003. China and Russia conducted a joint military exercise in 2005.

70% of personal stock investors hold very small amount of capital

70% of personal stock investors hold very small amount of capital
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 14:30:05







Chinanews, Beijing, August 4 – According to a report by the China Securities Journal, 70% of personal stock investors hold a total capital of no more than 500 thousand yuan each, and nearly the same percentage of them have invested 1/3 or more of their family assets in the stock market.

A recent survey, jointly conducted by Securities Associations of China and the Securities Investors Protecting Fund, shows that most Chinese investors are optimistic about the situation in the stock market, and the bull market is expected to last up to the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

In the survey, 54% of the respondents tend to keep their current investment, while another 17% wish to increase their investment. Most of them have expected a low revenue from their investment. 60% think their investment will generate a 10%-50% of revenue.

About 50% of personal stock investors are aged between 33 and 54. The survey also finds that laid-off workers, retirees and freelancers are the most active in the stock market, taking up 35.5% of the respondents. Technicians are also very interested in investing on stocks, for they take up 31.1% of the respondents. Though 60%-plus personal investors are college graduates, most of them earn a monthly income of less than 5,000 yuan. By the way, 52% of the respondents have entered the market since 2000 or earlier, and only 23% of them are newcomers to the market.

The survey was kicked off on last June 11, and the answers were collected on last July 5, covering 2,880 respondents in 17 cities.

China to import more trailers from Airbus

China to import more trailers from Airbus
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:07:06
(Source: Xinhua)






SHANGHAI, Aug. 4 -- Shanghai subsidiary of China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) has announced it would import 12 to 16 butterfly wing-box trailers from Airbus in the coming years.

The imported trailers will be used to transport homemade ARJ short-haul plane series and jumbo jets such as A320, according to the CATIC Shanghai subsidiary.

The trailers will be used first at the Airbus 320 assembly line based in Binhai New Area of Tianjin and the market prices of the trailers are at about 100 million yuan (about 12.5 million US dollars), the company said.

The company has already imported one such trailer which was used to transport the first Airbus A319 wing box made in China. And the wing box was placed for delivery late last month to Airbus by Xi'an Aircraft Company (XAC), a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I).

The wing box, which will be dispatched to the Airbus site at Broughton in Britain for system equipping, is the largest Airbus aircraft component ever produced by a Chinese aviation manufacturer.

The wing box has been brought to Shanghai from Yanliang, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and will be loaded onto a ship from Shanghai for Britain next Monday.

China bans Indonesian aquatic imports

China bans Indonesian aquatic imports
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 15:35:19
(Source: Xinhua)






BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- China's top quality control agency on Friday banned imports of aquatic products from Indonesia, claiming many were found containing toxic substances and disease causing pathogens.

Quarantine officials had found Indonesian aquatic products tainted with mercury, chromium, the antibacterial drug nitrofural, and pathogens, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) said.

The agency stated in a circular the tainted aquatic products have been returned or destroyed.

In the first six months, Chinese officials seized 121 batches of Indonesian foods ranging from aquatic products, palm oil, canned food to biscuits that contain excessive drug residues and food additives and harmful organisms, according to the AQSIO.

It cited examples, saying quarantine officials in the southern province of Guangdong had detected salmonella in frozen sea eels and listeria monocytogenes in frozen fish offal, while officials in the eastern city of Ningbo found forbidden citrine pigment in canned pineapples.

The GAQSIQ said local quarantine officials had returned or destroyed all the tainted products, without providing details of the brands and quantities of the goods and their producers.

It urged local authorities to step up quality inspections of Indonesian food imports and urged domestic importers to specify clearly food safety requirements with Indonesian exporters to reduce trade risks.

Ship exports record high in first half year

Ship exports record high in first half year
www.chinanews.cn 2007-08-04 16:16:12
(Source: Xinhua)






Beijing, Aug.4 - China's export volume of ships hit a record high of 5.49 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of the year, up 61 percent over the same period last year, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs.

For the first time China overtook Japan to rank the second in terms of vessel order book tonnages, a major shipbuilding index, and took up 28 percent share of the world market, according to the London-based Clarkson, a firm specializing in the global shipbuilding market analysis.

China's shipbuilding industry scored an output value of 101.7 billion yuan (13.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six months, a rise of 48 percent over the same period last year, according to statistics issued by the management office for shipbuilding industry under the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense (CSTIND).

The aggregate profits reaped by shipbuilding manufactures more than doubled to reach 6.4 billion yuan (842.1 million U.S. dollars).

Ship production has been increasing by more than 40 percent annually in recent years, as its low labor cost kept attracting more orders, analysts said.

The exported ships take up 83 percent of the ship output in China, and China is exporting to 128 countries and regions, with Singapore, Germany and Hong Kong as its major importers, the CSTIND said.

However, China is far behind the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan in terms of contract value, because China lacks advanced equipment and lags behind the two countries in research and development capability.

The ROK, the world's top shipbuilder, exported 22.1 billion U.S. dollars worth of ships last year.

Chinese sport official low key in Olympic porspect

Chinese sport official low key in Olympic porspect



www.chinaview.cn 2007-08-02 09:13:14

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BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- It is hard to predict Chinese athletes' performance at next year's Beijing Olympic Games as there are many challenges ahead during its preparation, said a Chinese sport official here on Wednesday.

Cui Dalin, vice president of the State General Administration of Sports, said the public may overestimate Chinese athletes' ability to win gold medals because they consider host athletes should have an edge over others on home soil. He refused to make any prediction for China's gold medal count.

"The general public have very high expectations on us but actually our athletes will be faced with extremely fierce competition and the situation is pretty severe," said Cui.

"We think the United States and Russia can be called the 'first group' and China will try to keep its leading position in the 'second group'," he said.

He first gave reporters a batch of statistics comparing gold medals and medals won by the United States, Russia and China at Athens Olympics four years ago and major world championships in recent years.

"Although we had 32 gold in Athens Olympics but in terms of the total of medals, we were 40 fewer than the United States, 29 fewer than Russia," he said. "That means those two countries are better than China in overall strength."

The United States pulled off 35 gold, 39 silver and 29 bronzes to total 103 medals in Athens while second-placed China had 32, 17 and 14 respectively. Russia followed behind with 27, 27 and 38.

"Another problem is that we have already bought out full potential in such advantageous events as diving, table tennis, badminton, gymnastics, shooting and weightlifting in Athens. There is little room to improve on the results in Beijing," he said. China clinched six out of eight diving titles while table tennis had three of four. Other events also saw Chinese athletes make gold medal haul in Athens.

"Everyone thinks that host athletes enjoy huge support but it can be a pressure too, especially when our advantageous events are those which need steadiness and delicate techniques," he said.

China has booked about 450 qualifications in Beijing Olympics which kicks off on Aug. 8 next year. There are 1,500 athletes in 55 national teams training for the Games, Cui said.

Editor: An Lu