A Russian oil tanker split in two during a fierce storm early yesterday, spilling at least 2,000 tons of fuel into a strait leading to the Black Sea.
Stormy conditions have prevented emergency workers from containing the spill, which happened in the Strait of Kerch, east of the Crimean coast.
Authorities say the incident is one of the region’s worst environmental disasters and could take several years to recover.
In the same storm, two freighters carrying sulfur also sank nearby.
Rescuers saved all crew members from one of the freighters but eight sailors from the other vessel are missing.
China: Toys contain toxic substance
China’s top control body confirmed the bead that were recalled in the United States and Australia did contain a toxic substance.
At least five children in America and Australia were reported to have fallen sick after swallowing the beads.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the toymaker had used the toxic chemical 1,4-Butylene glycol.
The end products contained 14.5 percent of the toxic substance.
The chemical can simulate the drug gamma hydroxyl butyrate, or GHB.
If swallowed, the effects can lead to breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma or death.
The AQSIQ has suspended the exports of the bead toys as well as the toymaker’s license.
US: Stagehands add to showbiz woe
Most of Broadway's theatres went dark on Saturday when stagehands went out on strike in a dispute with theatre owners and producers.
The strike, which comes as the crucial holiday season approaches, could last from days to several weeks.
Picket lines went up on Sunday outside the Hilton Theatre home of ‘Dr Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ musical,"
Twenty-five other Broadway shows were also canceled, including Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia and The Lion King.
The theatre league said the strike by the stagehands, who have been working without a contract since July, will cost about $17 million for every day it lasts.
China: Chinese author scoops inaugural prize
Chinese author Jiang Rong become the first winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize for his best-selling novel The Wolf Totem.
The newly established award recognizes the region's best literature that hasn’t been published in English.
The Wolf Totem is about life struggles during the "cultural revolution" and draws on Jiang's personal experience on the Mongolian grasslands.
The English edition of the book is due to come out in March.
Because of ill health, the Beijing-based writer was unable to accept the award in person at a ceremony in Hong Kong on Saturday night.
But in a statement, Jiang said he was thrilled and honored his story had caught the attention of the judges.
Your View: Age-old question
Growing up is something we all must face. From infancy to adulthood, we accumulate life’s experiences be it good, bad or indifferent. But does older necessarily make you wiser?
China Daily Video News sent Producer Annie Xu and Reporter Christy Lee out into the streets of Beijing and posed the question: What are your feelings about growing up?
（英语点津 Linda 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Marc Checkley is a freelance journalist and media producer from Auckland, New Zealand. Marc has an eclectic career in the media/arts, most recently working as a radio journalist for NewstalkZB, New Zealand’s leading news radio network, as a feature writer for Travel Inc, New Nutrition Business (UK) and contributor for Mana Magazine and the Sunday Star Times. Marc is also a passionate arts educator and is involved in various media/theatre projects in his native New Zealand and Singapore where he is currently based. Marc joins the China Daily with support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
