China mourns Zhouqu mudslide victims

Thousands of people gathered at the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing early Sunday morning to watch a national flag hoisted to full height and then lowered to half-mast, mourning victims of a massive mudslide in northwest China's Zhouqu County one week ago, Xinhua reported.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, former President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang on Sunday paid a silent tribute to the mudslide victims in Beijing.

At 10 a.m., thousands of rescuers and villagers stood still on the debris of mudslide at the Dongjie Village in Zhouqu, bowing their heads in commemoration of the dead. Ceremonies were also held Sunday in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu. The death toll in the mudslide has risen to 1,239 as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with 505 still missing.

Modified liberation shoes get int'l market

Original liberation shoes for PLA, now get popular in international fashion market, the Legal Evening News reported. Modified liberation shoes are sold at 441 yuan (US$65) in the US market, even the shoes of original style worth 70 yuan in Japanese market. Manager of a Henan shoes factory told the newspaper that 60 percent of its modified liberation shoes have been exported to the overseas market, with the European and American markets taking the majority.

Airport offers free Wi-Fi

Passengers can use second-generation ID card or passport to apply for free real-name Wi-Fi account as Beijing Capital International Airport has finished upgrading of Wi-Fi network at its three terminals, the Beijing Daily reported. Each valid credential is allowed to apply for three accounts a day, 5 hours free use of Wi-Fi for each account, and only valid on the day of application.

Jupiter swallowed smaller planet

Scientists have discovered that Jupiter swallowed up a planet 10 times the size of the Earth in a massive collision, on the way to becoming the largest planet in the solar system, the Daily Mail reports. The study gives an intriguing new insight into the violent early life of our solar system, in which collisions of small planets formed larger planets. The Earth and Moon are the result of a gigantic collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus.

Niger famine worst in history

Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN's World Food Programme says.

Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN's World Food Programme says, with almost half the population - or 7.3 million people - in desperate need of food, BBC reported. After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have now hit parts of the country, killing at least six people. The WFP says 17 percent of children, or one in five, are acutely malnourished. The figure is well above the normal 15 percent threshold for declaring an emergency. WFP is appealing for US$213m (￡136m) in aid, but is still 40% short of its target.

Philanthropy the new status symbol

As dozens of U.S. billionaires pledge their fortunes to charity while the country struggles to shake off recession, philanthropy is becoming a status symbol among the rich, Reuters reports. Being truly wealthy may no longer be about how many properties or fast cars a billionaire owns - it could be about how much money they give away. Investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are urging America's billionaires to sign a pledge to give away at least half their wealth during their lifetime or upon their death. While experts say recognition is not a key motivation for people to give, some say it would not be a bad thing if philanthropy became more of a badge of honor among the rich.

Venice gets 1st female gondolier

Venice has finally gotten its first ever female gondolier, the Telegraph reported. Giorgia Boscolo, a 24-year-old mother of two, passed her final exams on Friday and her name has now been added to the official list of those allowed to practice the age-old profession in the lagoon city. She is so remarkable because since gondoliers took to the waterways of Venice in 1094, there had never been a woman among them. The gondolier course lasts six months and includes 400 hours of instruction in using the single oar that is used to propel a gondola through the water.

Childhood stress leads to adult ill health

A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease and speed up cell ageing. The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences "cast a long shadow" on health, BBC reported. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the relationship between living in poverty and early signs of heart disease in 200 healthy teenagers. They found that those from the worst-off families had stiffer arteries and higher blood pressure. Another study presented by Researchers at Ohio State University at the conference showed that childhood events such as the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects of stress in later life and even shorten lifespan.

Shopping is big try-on for women

Women will try on more than 21,000 items of clothing in a lifetime but will only buy half of them, the Daily Mail reported. On average, women go shopping four times a month and try on pairs of jeans, dresses or shoes on each trip. The average woman will try on 40 different items of clothing each month or 480 a year. That's more than 21,000 items of clothing over a typical 45-year shopping lifespan. The research shows that for many women, trying on different clothes is often the best part of a shopping trip. It's also an excuse to try on clothes that are too expensive.

(China.org.cn August 16, 2010)