May 12, 2008
- The total number of reported HFMD cases has risen to 27,500 and the death toll has edged up only slightly to 34. 22 of the deaths were reported took place in Anhui.
- The situation in Fuyang, Anhui Province, which was the first city to experience a major outbreak of HFMD, says the Ministry of Health. For the first time, patients discharged in Fuyang has outnumbered those checking in to hospitals.
- Meanwhile, the number of reported cases in Zhejiang Province has risen from nearly 4,000 to 5,132 in just five days. Local health officials say though that the rise in the number of cases reported indicate an enhanced reporting system and not an outbreak per se.
- Xinhua continues to cite international health organisations and regional health ministers to assure people there is no need for a panic over the HFMD outbreak.
- The United States is now offering to help China in its fight against HFMD, and the Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is now planning a trip to Beijing to discuss issues with Chinese health officials.
- As is now the standard practise everytime an epidemic happens, a doctor has been made the hero in the fight against HFMD. This time the honour falls on Dr Liu Xiaolin of Fuyang city. Meanwhile, one Beijing doctor that was previously held up as a SARS hero has now been accused of taking bribes.
Previously on Shanghaiist
HFMD infections balloon to 12,164 and now in Beijing
HFMD in at least six provinces and on the rise
Photo from Aileen Koh: Be on the lookout for these reddish spots on the hands and feet of your child.
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Photograph of the Reverend Al Sharpton by Armchair Messiah on Flickr
- Gothamist watched a series of civil disobedience events, protesting the Sean Bell shooting verdict, unfold across the city--over 200 people, including the Reverend Al Sharpton, were arrested. Somewhat related, on behalf of a black freelance reporter for the NY Post, the NYCLU sued the city and NYPD for racial profiling.
- Phillyist took a look at how city employees are bankrupting Philadelphia. Not that they need more cops on the streets there or anything.
- Seattlest wondered what it means when we see shoes flung over power lines.
- Shanghaiist spotted Superman on the Shanghai subway.
- LAist's blood boiled when they found out that California is busting forward thinking veggie oil fuel car users -- those caught include Gov. Schwarzenegger.
- SFist reported on Mayor Gavin Newsom's Make-Me-Governor tour, which included a trip to Israel and a proposed cigarette ban.
- Torontoist covered a precedent-setting media ethics ruling that will force a local news station to admit error for using a Flickr photographer's work without permission or credit.
- Bostonist's Dreamboat Baby apologized for allowing New Kids on the Block to assail our ears with a new single, which Bostonist didn't completely hate.
- The huge African community in Guangzhou is starting to feel the heat as many of them are being forced to leave the country because of new visa policies, reports Bloomberg citing the South China Morning Post:
Nearly half of the 10,000 Africans in the city have already been forced to leave because their visa-renewal applications have been denied and at least 100 people are stranded in Macau without enough money to return home, the newspaper reported.
African nationals in the city have been running small businesses on flexible, six-month ``F'' visas and are now being given only tourist visas of up to 15 days, the Morning Post said.
The General Committee of African People in Guangzhou has sent a letter to 10 African embassies in Beijing asking them to press the Chinese government on the issue, the newspaper added.
- Fons Tuinstra of China Herald cites a message from the Dutch embassy in Beijing found on the Dutch website De Gele Draak which he says confirms the rumour that students with expiring visas will only get their new visas after the Olympics:
Also the Dutch Embassy has found out that visa of foreign students who are already in China for study and whose visa will expire shortly, are not being extended over the summer period. People involved will basically have to leave the country and have to apply abroad to get a visa for the next semester.
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May 12, 2008
The worrisome rise of pro-China youth [LA Times] " As human rights protesters dogged the Beijing Olympics torch relay, as supporters of Tibet condemned the violent crackdown in Lhasa, and as Darfur activists demanded change in China's Sudan policy, Chinese young people worked themselves into a different form of righteous anger."China’s Religious Character May Be Deeper Than Thought [Reuters] "Now a window has been opened on faith and religion in a country where six decades...
Continue Reading "Today's Links: The rise of pro-China youth, China's religious character and China's first jumbo jet manufacturer"May 11, 2008
From Panthea Lee and Dan Shemie, two very tired organizers of Shanghai's Pangea Day movie marathon that wrapped up not too long ago: So after weeks of plotting, scheming and ceaseless fretting, our Friends of Pangea Day event in Shanghai has gone off without a hitch. For those unfamiliar with the situation, a brief explanation: the Chinese government has launched a serious crackdown on cultural events in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Case in...
Continue Reading "Pangea Day in Shanghai: The cultural event that could"May 10, 2008
... and so says the — surprise, surprise — China Daily! This most unlikely piece of news comes from the nation's favourite English paper shortly after we heard that China Philharmonic's been performing for the Pope:Evangelist Franklin Graham said in Beijing on Friday that he wants his organizations to become more involved in China. The CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, established by and named after his father, and the international Christian relief organization...
Continue Reading "Evangelist Franklin Graham "hopes to do more for China""
Several photos have been circulating around on the Internet like wild fire over the last two days. They are supposedly of a couple who committed suicide together at the Grand Gateway (港汇广场) at Xujiahui on Wednesday, 7 May some time around 2.30 pm in the afternoon. The incident has set online forums abuzz (WARNING: THESE LINKS CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES), but we haven't found any reports in the news yet (let us know if you find...
Continue Reading "Lovers commit suicide at Xujiahui's Grand Gateway"
In this weekend's edition of Opinionist, we present to you the China-relevant portions of Lee Kuan Yew's latest interview with Haslinda Amin of Bloomberg News. At 84 this year, Lee was Singapore's first Prime Minister and current Minister Mentor. In this excerpt, Lee gives his take on recent anti-Chinese sentiment, China's challenges going forward and what China can learn from Singapore in handling the Western media. The full transcript (PDF) of the interview can be...
Continue Reading "Opinionist: Lee Kuan Yew on China"
Photo of young mother with her children in Xi'an's Muslim quarter by elephantonabicycle Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos at shanghaiist.com....
Continue Reading "Photo of the Day: Slide"May 9, 2008
Photo from erussel1984Via email from Shanghaiist reader Ned: I just wanted to let you know there was a fire at approximately 3.45pm in the Shanghai Centre. I am not sure what floor it started on but was in the Portman Hotel. I work in the office tower and we had no warning until we saw smoke outside the windows. I got to the lobby with my camera but the staff made me delete the photos...
Continue Reading "Fire at Shanghai Center's Portman Ritz-Carlton?"
By Sue Ann Tay The two-day Lujiazui Forum kicked off in Pudong this morning. This is Shanghai’s first high-level international finance forum that brings together influential government officials, financial leaders and scholars to discuss how to further the financial reform and market opening of China. The gathering of Chinese and international financial glitterati is indeed impressive. People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan opens the forum, with the first panel discussion involving China’s insurance, banking...
Continue Reading "Lujiazui Forum opens today: Shanghai wants to grow as an international financial center, Beijing has other plans "We agree with PandaPassport that this has gotta be the worst case of child abuse. Ever. In case any of you were thinking of showing your support for the Olympics with a nice funky hairdo, take your pick of a crazy Olympic hairstyle here....
Continue Reading "Video: Kid sports Olympic hairstyle"