Headlines

Earthquake hits Sichuan and Yunnan provinces

Thirty-eight people are dead and over 980 injured after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan and Yunnan provinces on Saturday afternoon.

The epicenter of the quake was near Panzhihua city, about 550km south of the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake’s epicenter.

Over 530,000 houses were destroyed or damaged and 1.2 million people are in urgent need of shelter.

Pakistani PM escapes assassination attempt

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday.

Shots were fired at Gilani’s motorcade near Islamabad airport, but some officials said he was not in it at the time.

A Pakistan-based Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, saying Gilani was responsible for offensives against militants in the northwest.

Japan PM Fukuda resigns

On Monday Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced his resignation, the second leader to do so in less than a year.

He has been struggling with a divided parliament in which opposition parties control the upper house and can delay legislation, as the world’s second-largest economy slides towards recession.

Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party Taro Aso will assume lthe eadership of the party.

Thai PM declares state of emergency

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after a man was killed and 45 injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government protestors.

Opposition protestors have been camped out in Samak’s office compound for more than a week, demanding he resign.

Yesterday Thailand’s foreign minister quit, causing another blow to Samak’s leadership.

In-Depth

Premier Wen Jiabao visits quake-hit schools

Three thousand teachers  nd students got a big surprise on the first day of the new semester when premier Wen Jiabao visited their temporary middle school in Beichuan, in Sichuan.

Beichuan Middle School was among the schools hardest hit in the devastating 8.0-magnitude May 12 earthquake which killed more that 69,000 people.

During the four-day trip, Wen also visited an urban community in Qiaozhuang Town, in Qingchuan.

Permanent home rebuilding has not started in the urban area yet as the government is still working on a subsidy policy for urban survivors.

 Hurricane Gustav throws a weak punch

Hurricane Gustav made landfall in the United States on Monday, but did not bring the expected devastation.

The hurricane hit almost three years to the day after Katrina devastated New Orleans, but this time around, the recently repaired levees held, although there were reports of power outages.

Despite being lowered to a category 2 hurricane, Gustav still packed a punch and caused serious flooding in neighboring Cajun, Louisiana.

Residents are now trying to return as quickly as possible as impatience grows at overcrowded shelters around the US Gulf Coast.

Palin shines in Republican convention

Hurricane Gustav also forced the Republicans to change  plans for their national convention in St Paul-Minneapolis.

Presidential nominee John McCain and his vice-presidential running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin try to use the hurricane to their advantage with the motto, ‘Country First’.

President George Bush gave his support in a televised address from the White House.

On Wednesday Palin gave her long-awaited speech to an energetic crowd in which she played up her experience and small town family values, as well as criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Picture stories

Gearing up for the Paralympics

The Chinese capital is preparing to host the 2008 Paralympics that start on Saturday.

Paralympic athletes and officials are arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport, recently modified for people with disabilities.

Forty-four thousand volunteers from 27 countries and regions will help out during the Games.

And so far more than 70 percent of the 1.19 million tickets for the Paralympics have been sold.

Powell and Bolt still on top

Former world record holder Asafa Powell equaled the second fastest time ever in the men’s 100m at 9.72 seconds at the Lausanne grand prix on Tuesday.

The Jamaican, who finished fifth in the Beijing Olympics, was this time able to equal the mark set by his fellow compatriot Usain Bolt in New York this year.

Meanwhile, Bolt won the men’s 200m in 19.63 seconds.

Vladimir Putin saves the day

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was declared a hero for saving a television crew from an attack from a Siberian tiger earlier this week.

Just as he was arriving with a group of wildlife specialists to see a trapped tiger, it escaped and ran towards the nearby TV crew.

Putin quickly shot the beast with a tranquillizer gun, and later put a satellite transmitter around its neck.

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

" style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 120px" title="">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.

 

 

" style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 80px" title="">Dylan Quinnell is a freelance journalist and photographer from New Zealand who has worked in TV, print, film and online. With a strong interest in international affairs, he has worked in Denmark, Indonesia and Australia, covering issues like the EU, indigenous people and deforestation. Dylan is in Beijing on an Asia New Zealand grant working as a copy editor for the English news department.