Friday, October 10, 2008

World's tallest man becomes a dad

The world's tallest person, Bao Xishun, a 2.36-meter man in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, became a father last week after his wife gave birth to a boy.

Bao's wife, 29-year-old Xia Shujuan, produced the child via Caesarean section early last Thursday at Zunhua Hospital in Hebei Province, which neighbors Inner Mongolia.

The baby weighed 4.2 kg and was 56 cm long. Doctors said he was slightly taller than most newborns, who are usually 47 cm to 52 cmat birth.

On Thursday, Xia was discharged from hospital after a week's recovery. They moved to their residence in Zunhua City.

The 57-year-old Bao told Xinhua on the phone he was very happy that both his wife and son were well. The former herder said he named the boy "Tian You" and hoped he could grow up with a sound body and happy life.

The couple were married in July last year.

Source: Xinhua

Four killed in southwest China mine cave-in

Four people died and one other was injured after a coal mine shaft collapsed on Thursday afternoon in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The cave-in occurred at around 2:30 p.m. in the licensed Zhenxing mine in Laibing Town, Xuanwei City. Eight people were in the shaft at the time of the accident, according to the city government.

Rescuers pulled out the victims at 4 p.m.. Those that were seriously injured died in hospital despite doctors' efforts. A slightly-injured worker was continuing to receive medical treatment. The others were unharmed.

The cause of the cave-in was being investigated.

Source: Xinhua

Canada to show products, services in Macao

A catalogue show featuring Canadian products and services will be held in Macao from Oct. 13 to 24, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute announced on Thursday.

Jointly organized by the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and the IPIM, the Catalogue Show will include food and beverage, medical and health, environmental industry, construction and building products, education, information and communication technology, etc. There are over 50 types of catalogues, according to the IPIM.

Canada has frequent trade cooperation with Macao, with its investment scope in the Special Administration Region covering educational, traveling and trading service industries.

In 2007, the SAR's imports from Canada reached 90.8 million patacas , mainly including machinery and equipment, wood, medicine, skincare and food. For the first seven months of this year, Macao's total import value from Canada reached 68.9 million patacas , a 41.7 percent increase over the same period of 2007.

Source:Xinhua

China securities regulator raises refinancing threshold

China's securities regulator on Thursday said publicly-traded companies must pay dividends in cash rather than stock over three years before submitting their refinancing applications.

The move could help to encourage long-term investment and reduce market volatility, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has plunged 66 percent from its record high last October.

In a new regulation stipulating cash dividend payment by listed companies, the CSRC said: "The listed firms, if applying for refinancing, must pay dividends in cash totaling no less than 30 percent of its distributed profits over the past three years."

The regulation went into effect on Thursday.

In the draft version released in August, companies were allowed to pay dividends either in cash or stock.

The listed firms were also ordered to reveal their cash dividend policies and previous cash dividend data to investors in their annual reports to improve transparency.

"The listed company should give reasons why it failed to pay a cash dividend if it is able to and where the money goes," according to the rule.

Cash dividends could offer stable investment returns and prompt large institutional investors to reduce speculation on the secondary market, the regulator said.

A couple of huge refinancing plans earlier this year triggered a market plunge on concerns over stake dilution and liquidity stress.

In a separate regulation on share buy-back, also effective on Thursday, the CSRC said it allowed a cash dividend payment when the controlling shareholders bought stocks on the secondary market.

Such action was banned in the draft version released in late September to solicit public opinion.

Share buy-back through bidding at stock exchanges also no longer needs regulatory approval.

The CSRC added it would continue to revise the rules on stock buy-back and also give consideration to repurchase through agreement or tender offer.

Source:Xinhua

Vice premier:China confident, capable of overcoming economic challenges

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said on Thursday the country is fully confident and capable of overcoming the current economic difficulties, vowing to work closely with other countries to safeguard stability of the global financial market.

Wang, in his meeting with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said China has already taken relevant measures to face up to the turbulences of the international financial market.

As the largest developing country and a rising market, China's priority is to well handle its own problems, he said.

He believes China has great potential in domestic market and economic growth, adding the country would continue to take measures to maintain the stable and relatively fast economic development.

"The Chinese government is to strengthen coordination with other countries to face up to the global crisis and promote the stability of the global economic and financial market," Wang told Schroeder.

He appreciated the former German Chancellor's contribution to cementing bilateral ties. Regarding both countries as important trade, investment and technical cooperation partners, Wang said to further facilitate bilateral trade cooperation complies with the fundamental interests of both sides.

Schroeder extended congratulations to China's full success in holding the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. He hopes the two countries to step up cooperation in various areas to push forward bilateral ties.

Source:Xinhua

Ministry of Commerce: China's Iron ore, steel prices may fall further

China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said the prices of iron ore and steel products have further room for slide following recent retreat.

Prices of domestic iron ore were at 1,200 yuan per ton at the end of September, 12.4 percent lower than a month ago on slumping shipping rate, the ministry said.

Prices of steel on average last month slid 5.9 percent month-on-month to 5,670 yuan per ton. The slide was because of falling production costs and weaken demand in economic slowdown.

Domestic iron ore supply is sufficient as the closures and production cuts in some steel mills have reduced demand for iron ore, it added.

Four leading steel makers, including Shougang Group, Hebei Iron and Steel Group, Shandong Iron and Steel Group and Anyang Iron and Steel Group. will slash 20 percent of their production this month amid slack domestic demand and dropping steel prices, Monday's China Securities Journal reported.

Source:Xinhua

Party meet focuses on rural reforms

The Communist Party of China Central Committee began a key four-day meeting in Beijing yesterday to discuss rural reforms in a bid to spur growth amid a global economic slowdown.

On top of the agenda for the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee is promoting reform and development in rural areas.

The meeting is the most important political event of the year, with 204 members of the Party's central committee to chart the nation's economic direction after 30 years of reform and blistering growth.

The meeting's emphasis on rural issues highlights the top leadership's efforts to reduce the widening urban-rural wealth gap and tap the vast rural market.

Despite fast economic development over the past three decades, a yawning wealth gap has opened up between urban and rural residents, hindering the country's bid to build social harmony.

Senior analysts said the meeting is expected to make it easier for farmers to lease or transfer the management rights of their land, measures that have become necessary as many farmers move to the cities as migrant workers.

In 1978, China adopted collective land ownership for the 750 million rural dwellers, according to which villages or townships assume land ownership. Households manage land, usually on a small scale, for 30-year periods through contractual agreements with village or township communities.

The system has liberated rural households from the highly concentrated land ownership system, but it fails to meet residents' income and productivity aspirations, said Dang Guoying, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Experts hope the reform will lead to larger, more efficient farms that can meet the demands of the evolving economy.

The Party has solicited opinions from both within and outside on a draft of the CPC Central Committee decision on major issues concerning rural reform and development, which will be presented to the plenum for deliberation.

According to earlier reports, the State will beef up support to, and protection of, agriculture; accelerate agricultural modernization; protect farmers' rights and interests; and promote innovation.

Source: China Daily

Melamine-hit babies slowly on the mend

The anesthesia began to wear off, the pain started kicking in, and 15-month-old Zang Xiaoning started to cry.

The little girl underwent surgery on Tuesday to have a kidney stone removed at Hebei Children's Hospital; and a day later, her mother was still anxious.

"The anaesthetic is losing effect. The pain will grow," Ma Huifang said.

Xiaoning, born two months premature, had been fed Sanlu infant formula, which was later found to have been tainted with melamine, a toxic industrial chemical.

The baby ended up with a big kidney stone and doctors had to conduct an operation to save her life. She is still in "quite serious condition", doctors said.

Xiaoning is 34-year-old Ma's only child. "I never expected such a thing could befall her," she said, using her sleeve to dab tears.

The family is from a poor village in Daming county of Handan, Hebei province, and survives by farming on only 4 mu of land. Xiaoning's father Zang Chaosheng said his wife was short of breast milk and "we had no choice but to feed the baby powder milk".

"Sanlu is the only brand we could afford. One 400g pack costs only 18 yuan ."

At least Zang doesn't have to worry about hospital bills because the government has ordered free treatment to all affected children. A type-B ultrasonic test costs at least 120 yuan, and Xiaoning has one to two such checks every day.

Xiaoning was among 10,666 infants and children still in hospital after being fed contaminated infant formula.

The Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that eight of the children were still in serious condition, and 36,144 had been discharged from hospital.

While the number of children in hospital is declining, new cases are still cropping up.

The ministry said that on Wednesday alone, 539 children were admitted after drinking melamine-laced milk, while 2,067 were discharged.

It did not give an overall figure for the number of children affected so far but earlier figures from the ministry suggested more than 54,000 children had been sickened by toxic milk.

No more infants had succumbed to illness, the ministry said on its website, which means the death toll stands at four.

Apart from Xiaoning, 40 children up to 3 years old are being treated at Hebei Children's Hospital, all suffering from kidney stones after being fed Sanlu formula - but things are looking up for some.

Ma Zhi'en, a young father, said the stone in his 18-month-old son was getting smaller.

In the same ward, Zhou Boyu, her sweater dotted with pink Mickey Mouse figures, fixed her eyes on the toys of one of her roommates.

After nearly a week at the hospital, the 11-month-old can now eat pig liver porridge, said Zhou Weidong, the 38-year-old father.

"We just hope she gets well tomorrow. No parent can sleep easy in this room until the babies are healthy again," said Zhou.

Zhang Tingji, deputy chief of the hospital, said the number of children seeking checks and treatment was dropping. "We received 1,500 children on Sept 18; yesterday, we had about 100. We expect the number to further decrease in the coming days," he said.

Zhang added that in the past five days, only 2 out of 500 babies were found to have kidney stones. "The ratio is much lower than in last month."

But as the health crisis recedes, many parents now worry whether they will get any compensation from Sanlu, or even the government.

"We haven't heard anything about it. We don't know what to do and where to ask," Xiaoning's farther Zang said, adding that his family is still in debt.

"But there must be some explanation to us," said another parent, Li Aiming, whose son still has three stones in his kidneys.

"Everyone here is from the countryside. Our babies cannot have good milk food because we're poor."

Source: China Daily

Summit to address pressing global issues

Asian and European leaders from more than 40 countries are expected to arrive in Beijing on Oct 24 for a two-day summit to address a series of pressing global issues, particularly the current financial crisis.

The seventh Asia-Europe Meeting , themed Action and Vision: Towards a Win-Win Solution, is being viewed as a timely platform for the exchange of constructive ideas and proposals to contain what is perhaps the worst global financial meltdown since the Great Depression, analysts have said.

"The financial issue is clearly going to be on top of the summit's agenda because the US-born crisis has already become a global problem and is substantially impacting both the European and Asian markets," said Pan Guang, professor at the Institute of European and Asian Studies with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

One of the best results from the summit is a possible joint trust fund between Asia and Europe, similar to the one established during the second ASEM summit in London in 1998 to combat the Asian Financial Crisis, analysts said.

Still, given the nature of the ASEM as an informal and open forum, it is unlikely that the Beijing summit will produce an immediate and concrete response plan, Pan added.

"For real action to take place, we will probably have to wait until after the holding of the next ASEM Finance Ministers' Meeting in Tianjin," he said.

Apart from the financial turmoil, the summit is also scheduled to address urgent global issues such as the food crisis, climate change and energy cooperation.

Thorny regional issues like the Russia-Georgia conflict and the nuclear issue in Iran and the Korean Peninsula are likely to be touched upon as well.

For China, the summit can be seen as "an opportunity for Beijing to deepen bilateral relations under a multilateral framework," said Feng Zhongping, director of European studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Source: China Daily

'Real economy' of country at risk

While the worsening US credit crisis is not directly hitting China's financial sector and capital market as in other countries, analysts said it is indirectly impacting the country's real economy.

The Chinese stock market is considered to have slumped in tandem with other major bourses, but the slide in Chinese stocks in the past few weeks has been seen as mild compared with those in other markets such as Japan.

As such, the cut in bank interest rates on Wednesday was seen by economists and stock analysts as a move to help sustain economic growth. Such a move would also help "lift" some of the market gloom.

The recent global coordinated rates cut "opens up the gateway to possibilities of further timely global coordination if needed, which is crucial to confidence recovery", said Jerry Lou, an analyst from Morgan Stanley Research Asia/Pacific.

But the move has yet to quell the credit crisis in the West, with London's FTSE 100 closing down over 5 percent on Wednesday, to hit a four-year low of 4366.69 points.

Following the synchronized rate cut, China lowered its benchmark interest rates by a 0.27 percentage point and the reserve requirement ratio by a half percentage point late on Wednesday.

China's rate action should help stabilize market sentiment temporarily, but this will probably neither mark the end of the global financial crisis nor significantly boost domestic asset markets, said Huang Yiping, an economist with Citigroup.

JPMorgan expected two more 0.27 percentage point cuts in benchmark interest rates during the first and second quarters in 2009, and further reserve requirement ratio cuts by 0.25 percent.

Zhong Hua, an analyst from Changjiang Securities, said property developers with intense capital chains may be stimulated from the moves.

The lowered RRR will help mitigate the tight liquidity situation faced by smaller banks, which can correspondingly strengthen credit support to small and medium-sized enterprises, according to Morgan Stanley's chief China economist Wang Qing.

However, economy and finance experts said that although China is inevitably caught up in the global credit turmoil in general, the country's financial market has not been overwhelmed.

There is no huge impact on the Chinese financial market from the credit crisis, given its financial institutions' limited exposure to the US financial products, Zhong said.

Banks which hold Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debts and credit default swaps would be severely hurt, but the reported amount of US mortgage debt assets possessed by China's banks and insurers were "quite limited" given their proportions in banks' total net assets, said Liu Jun, an analyst at Changjiang Securities.

However, China's real economy may be swept by the financial woes while further government stimulus packages are expected to help allay gloomy investor sentiment.

The unfolding financial crisis may worsen into a global economic recession, which will harm China's economic fundamentals due to the heavy dependence of the country's export-oriented economy on the overseas market, said Liu Zhibiao, a professor from Nanjing University's department of international economics and trade.

The slowdown of the real economy in turn will eat into the profits of export enterprises, which are mainly labor-intensive manufacturers, Liu said.

Shrinking export demand and the decreasing growth of companies' earnings indicate that one-fold currency policies are not sufficient, prompting the need for the government to devise more fiscal policies to anchor the weak market, Zhong said.

Source:Xinhua

Cigarette packets should have picture warnings: Experts

China must use graphic picture warnings and expand health messages on cigarette packs to alert more people to the dangers of smoking, according to health experts.

The country is scheduled to introduce new cigarette pack designs next year with "bigger, clearer warnings", according to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

A recent State Tobacco Monopoly Administration regulation requires written warnings to cover 30 percent of the pack.

"Compared with the previous packages, the warnings were printed in smaller characters, and the use of colors made the warnings less distinguished," Yang Jie, deputy director of the tobacco-control office under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a recent seminar.

But all designs comply with the minimum requirement of the Convention, he said.

"The written messages are vague and inexplicit about the harm of smoking, and it is time to introduce hard-hitting images on cigarette packets," Professor Wu Yiqun, director of the Beijing-based thinktank Research Center for Health Development, said.

The regulation also requires tobacco producers to print warnings in English on the back of cigarette packs sold domestically.

"It is ridiculous, because many Chinese cannot read English, and such warnings are useless," Professor Wu said.

Health lobbies are now trying to urge the tobacco administration to put picture warnings on cigarette packs.

Evidence from Canada, Brazil and elsewhere shows the images have a greater impact than written health warnings, they said.

At least 23 countries now use picture warnings, including images of diseased lungs, a dying smoker and a fetus.

A dozen countries require the picture warnings to cover half the pack.

"But the point is the country's health administration now has no say on the matter of cigarette package design and implementations," Wu said.

The good news is a majority of people support large picture warnings.

A website survey that began on Wednesday shows 67 percent of the 2,700 people who had voted by yesterday evening agreed "large picture warnings were helpful to motivate smokers to quit".

Only one-fifth of those surveyed said the images' impact was limited, while another 12 percent said they were useless.

"The image warnings look really scary. It might have less impact on long-time smokers, but it can certainly scare off those who have just begun to smoke," Wang Zhiping, an IT engineer in Shanghai who quit smoking three years ago, said.

China has the largest number of smokers in the world.

Official statistics showed China had 300 million smokers in 2007, with an additional 540 million people forced to inhale passively.

Each year, about 1 million Chinese die from smoking-related illnesses.

Source: China Daily

Public weighs in on environmental success

Residents of Shanxi province's Datong and of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's Hezhou are least satisfied with local environmental protection efforts, a report from the country's environmental watchdog said yesterday.

More than 90 percent of residents in Shandong province's cities of Linyi, Dongyin, Rizhao and Yantai, and Heilongjiang province's Daqing and Heihe cities believed local governments are doing a good job of improving the environment.

It was the first time for the public satisfaction survey to be included in the Ministry of Environment Protection's 's annual report assessing Chinese cities' environmental management.

"After all, improving people's life quality is the ultimate goal of environmental protection," a senior MEP official told China Daily yesterday.

The 2007 report assessed a total of 617 cities - more than 90 percent of the country's total - up from 585 cities the previous year.

The report said increased investments in environmentally friendly facilities have reaped results.

It found that 51.9 percent of urban sewage was handled properly in the surveyed cities, compared to 42.5 percent in 2006.

In addition, 67.6 percent of household garbage was treated, up 8.1 percent from the previous year.

The medical waste treatment ratio also increased by 4.31 percent.

Treatment ratios in the 113 cities identified as key environmental protection cities in the country's 11th Five-Year Plan for urban sewage, household garbage and medical waste reached 64 percent, 82 percent and 84 percent, respectively.

However, these results still fell short of goals included in the plan, which dictated that at least 70 percent of sewage and 60 percent household garbage should be effectively treated in the cities by 2010.

Six cities, most of which are in the country's western region, were criticized for poor air quality. Another six were blacklisted for substandard water quality.

The report also listed 32 cities that failed to complete a public satisfaction survey.

It called on cities to further improve their sewage-handling and recycling capabilities, and develop effective ways to treat sludge and hazardous liquids produced by sewage and garbage disposal plants.

Source: China Daily

Furry friends aid kids' development

Six-year-old Zhan Bohui does not think of himself as an only child.

He thinks of 11-year-old Bei Bei as his older brother and 2-year-old Gao Gao as his younger sister. To him, the two pups are much more than pets.

"My son never calls them dogs," 35-year-old Zhao Xue, a senior manager at a property development company in Beijing, said.

"He treats them as part of the family and as his playmates."

As the number of pet owners in China grows, experts are finding animal companionship offers the only-child generation some of the experiences in nurturing, compassion, respect, teamwork and generosity that would otherwise come from siblings, she said.

The first study of pet ownership's impact on children's socio-emotional development was published yesterday. The survey of 402 students from 11 primary schools in Beijing conducted from 2003 to 2006 found animal companions positively impacted children's upbringings.

"Children who have animal companions feel less lonely than those who don't," research leader Zheng Richang, professor at the Beijing Normal University school of psychology, said.

China had more than 90 million only children by 2006, National Population and Family Planning Commission figures show.

Much-needed companions

A consequence of the family planning policy adopted in 1973 has been the advent of a generation of "little emperors" - that is, children who are spoiled by parents and lack playmates, which has often proven detrimental to their character development.

"Growing up in a family of three, most children lack the opportunity to learn how to love, care for, be responsible toward, and develop close links to, society," surveyor Zhou Xia said.

Guo Jia, a senior program officer at an international organization based in Beijing and mother of a 3-year-old boy, said: "Children are naturally self-centered. They don't develop compassion and empathy for others before age 3.

"So having a pet is good for developing children's personalities and characters, because it helps them develop feelings for other people and animals."

Guo planned to get a dog soon.

Pet ownership has grown rapidly in China. By 2007, more than 700,000 dogs were registered in Beijing, up 17.3 percent from 2006.

Zheng's survey found 98.5 percent of surveyed children with pets loved the animals, and more than 85 percent believed the animals requited their love. It also found 94.1 percent of children without pets wanted them.

Benefits of companion animals included encouraging children to share and care for younger children.

"My son will share food with Bei Bei and Gao Gao during meal times," Zhao said.

"He will help Gao Gao, who has a leg problem, up on the sofa so they can watch TV together."

Developing social skills

Zheng said such animal companionship can profoundly impact the way children interact with other people, too.

For example, Zhan was selected as team leader during games at the kindergarten.

"He knows how to ease conflicts and protect girls from being bullied by boys," his mother said.

"The lessons children learn about how they should treat a companion animal will shape the way they respect people when they are growing."

In addition, children with pets are better communicators, she added.

However, Beijing city officials urged parents to offer guidance to children with dogs or cats.

Beijing Dog Management Office Director Deng Xiangyang advised parents to get their children vaccinated before getting pets.

Zhao also said children learn how they should treat both animals and other people by watching how their parents treat family pets.

"Tell them how to behave properly around dogs and cats, and how to ensure hygiene by washing their hands after cuddling dogs."

Source: China Daily

Beijing moves to curb car growth

Two million more cars are expected to take to Beijing's roads by 2012, bringing the number to 5.4 million.

This daunting figure has prompted authorities to find better solutions to ease traffic congestion and pollution.

Beijing is seeing an increase of about 20 percent, or 300,000 new cars a year, Guo Jifu, director of the Beijing municipal transportation development research center, told a conference on Wednesday.

"The new cars will need another 60 sq km of parking space, which equals the total area within the Second Ring Road," Guo said.

In addition, the new vehicles will also burn at least 1.3 billion liters of gas each year.

Beijing is plagued by traffic jams and poor air quality, caused by emissions from the growing number of cars.

"We need to come up with new administrative and legislative measures to restrict new car growth," Guo said.

He said Beijing must introduce more bus-only lanes to encourage more people to use public transport during rush hours.

"Bus-only lanes should also be introduced in areas where there is a heavy flow of commuters to improve the efficiency of public transport," Guo said.

He said more subway lines should also be built until demand is met.

The even/odd license plate number policy adopted during the Beijing Olympics to ease road traffic and pollution, should be reintroduced in central Beijing, Guo said.

"The introduction of fees for the use of certain roads during peak hours must be looked at too," he said.

Data shows that the capital's particulate concentration level declined by a half during the Games due to the suspension of work at construction sites and vehicle restrictions.

Li Xin, another official with the center, said to Beijing plans to ban a total of 357,000 "yellow plate" vehicles from entering the Fifth Ring Road starting from Jan 1 next year to improve the city's air quality.

By October next year, all yellow license plate vehicles, mostly tippers and heavy-duty trucks, will be banned in Beijing, he said.

Trucks in Beijing are issued with green or yellow plates according to their emission levels. Those with yellow plates are banned from entering the city center during the day.

Li said tax exemption policies will be introduced next year to encourage the development of electric vehicles, those using mixed energy and those with lower emissions.

The conference was held by the Beijing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Source: China Daily

Even-odd rule to be used in case of heavy pollution

Beijing's environmental protection bureau's deputy director Du Shaozhong said the city will adopt stricter vehicular restrictions during periods of heavy air pollution.

While all cars will be restricted from driving at least one weekday depending on the last digit of their license plate numbers, during periods of heavier pollution, an even-odd license plate number rule would ban half the capital's 3.4 million cars from the roads.

"To protect public health over the long term, we must use both methods that increase the number of good air quality days and more stringent measures for when conditions are extremely unfavorable," Du said.

Unfavorable air quality is exacerbated by low air pressure, heavy fog and thick haze.

In addition, work will be suspended at construction sites and plants that produce high levels of pollution.

When these conditions threaten air quality, causing the air pollution index to reach at least 300, the government will notify the public of a ban two days in advance.

Bureau sources said the measures were similar to emergency plans drawn up for, but not used during the Games.

The city will develop further measures after the car ban takes effect on a trial basis tomorrow - to run for the next six months until April.

"The new plan will produce results at the current stage," Zhu Tong, a Peking University professor advising the local government on Beijing's pollution control, said.

"But Beijing is a drastically changing metropolis. It's not easy to draw up a long-term plan at any time," he said, adding the environmental bureau listened to experts' opinions after drafting the plan.

Source: China Daily

Family to sue railway for death

The family of a migrant worker who died after being tied down by train crew for 10 hours plans to sue railway authorities for between 400,000 and 500,000 yuan.

Cao Dahe, a migrant worker from Guizhou province, died on a train from Guangzhou to Zunyi on Sept 25, after he was tied down for nearly 10 hours following allegations he had gone insane.

Cao's family received 120,000 yuan, including 20,000 yuan in train insurance, from the train company on Sept 30, but his elder brother said the sum was insufficient.

"My brother has died. It is pointless to fight for other things; he left two small kids, and we are poor all we want is more money," Cao Dachun told China Daily.

Zhang Kai, a lawyer from Beijing's Yijia Law Firm, confirmed the family had engaged his services.

Cao Dajun, the younger brother of Cao Dahe, said the 30-year-old was returning for a mental health examination from Foshan, Guangdong province, where he began behaving erratically.

The family has since received calls from his co-workers saying Cao had recently appeared agitated at work.

Cheng Zhunqiang, who claimed to be a passenger on the train, posted what he saw online at Tianya.cn.

A few hours after the train set off around 8:30 pm, Cheng claimed, Cao began to shout and even attempted to jump through the window.

The chief of the train's crew, surnamed Huang, then tied Cao up with plastic tape at the suggestion of passengers.

"During the whole night, Cao kept yelling and begging people to untie him," Cheng said in his posting.

Around 7 am, Cheng asked the crew chief to release him, but he refused.

"About 9 am, the crew chief found the plastic tape was loose and then tied Cao with more tape," Cheng said.

"At that time, Cao's body, except his head, was covered by tape."

Cheng tried to stop the crew, but the chief said he was forced to keep Cao bound in order to prevent him from hurting himself and others.

Just 10 minutes later, Cheng discovered Cao's legs had become stiff and his face was pale.

Cheng again requested the crew chief untie Cao, but he again refused.

When Cheng decided to untie Cao himself, it was too late.

China News Service quoted Mu Zejun, deputy head of Guiyang railway section, as saying the Web postings of the incident were inaccurate.

"If you read the postings carefully, you will come up with a fundamental question: How can a train crew chief kill a passenger in the face of more than 100 passengers? So that is unfair to the chief," he said.

The crew chief was suspended and his actions are currently being investigated, he said.

Source: China Daily

Chinese shares open 3.8% lower amid global nosedive

Chinese share prices tumbled 3.8 percent at opening on Friday to break the 2000-point mark amid global market slump.

The Shanghai Composite Index opened at 1985.96 points, down 78.62 points or 3.8 percent from the previous closing. The smaller Shenzhen Component Index opened 6482.19 points, down 276.03 points or 4 percent from Thursday's closing 6758.22 points.

On Thursday, Chinese shares closed 0.84 percent lower, falling for the fourth consecutive day since Monday when the Chinese stock market resumed trading after the weeklong National Day holiday.

Source:Xinhua

HP Care Pack causes doubts among users

HP Care Pack, a service pack HP is proud of, has caused widspread doubts among internet users as a group of HP laptop users complained against HP's "snowy screen".

"HP's service is simply money swindle. I spent 100 yuan for HP Care Pack when I bought the computer. But the service staff did nothing but talking when something went wrong with the computer. They even said this is my problem," one user wrote online.

"The quality of HP computer is too bad. Its after sales service is choatic. There should be supervison of such a company. My mainboard broke down after I bought the computer just one year, and it's still not fixed now. Their after sales people had a bad attitude and said it is not their responsibiliy,"another wrote.

"I called HP's Beijing company. The one ansered the phone asked me not to make things difficult for her. It's really funny. She said HP will call me back. But I haven't received the call yet," the third said.  

Aside from complaints againt problemetic screens, internet users' complaints extended to other HP products.

"I am a big client of HP. My all-in-one laser printerand color printer are all HPs. When there are prolbems with the machines, I find it's more convient to get an freelance repairman than a HP staff. Fianlly I was compelled to be an repariing expert," one wrote.

"It's cheap to buy a HP printer; troublesome to use it; and painstaking to repair it. The expendables are very expensive, the after sales staff have a bad temper," another said.

According to a analysis of computer quality for the first half year of 2008 relased by 315 cosumer's complaoint website, LCD screen has become the most complained computer part. HP's prolbemetic screen, in particular, was the one having received most complaits. It even casued a group complaint in the first half of the year.

"Lenovo, Toshiba, Asus, Samsung did a relatively good job in after sales; HP, Founder, Acer, LG and Dell sitll needs more work in this regard," the report said.

By People's Daily Online