Yikes! And in other disaster news, the European Space Agency revealed that a catastrophe of Hollywood summer blockbuster proportions was averted in October, when the German satellite ROSAT could have potentially landed in Beijing on its re-entry. more ›

Japan's Atomic Energy Agency (AEA) has reported that the China Experimental Fast Reactor (CEFR) stopped generating electricity in October, following an accident. After suffering the consequences of it's own nuclear disaster at Fukushima last year, the report has raised Japanese concerns over the prospect of radiation leaking from the CEFR, located at the China Institute of Atomic Energy near Beijing. The incident has been denied by Chinese sources. more ›

So do we have to worry about Chinese driving etiquette infecting airplanes too?! A pilot with Juneyao Airlines (吉祥航空) almost caused a movie-scenario air disaster when he refused to yield the runway at Hongqiao Airport to a Qatar Airways plane on August 13th. The Qatar Airways pilot claimed that he had 'five minutes worth of fuel left.' The plane, traveling from to Shanghai from Doha, requested to land immediately during unfavorable thunderstorm conditions. However, the Chinese pilot refused to yield to orders from air traffic controllers, claiming that he had been waiting a 'long time' and needed to land 'right now'. The Qatar Airways plane eventually landed without incident, only after coming close enough to the Juneyao aircraft to be within collision-range. Meanwhile, spokesmen for Juneyao Airlines aren't buying the whole 'five minutes of fuel left' story. Right, because if anyone's the crazy pilot in the story, it's the nutso who can't even read his fuel gauge. more ›

An earthquake that struck Yingjiang, a county of Yunnan province near the Myanmar border, at 1pm yesterday has killed at least 25 people and injured 250, according to official reports. More than 127,000 people have been evacuated after over 1,000 homes were toppled and another 17,000 damaged. Seven aftershocks so far have followed the quake, and experts still have not determined whether another more serious earthquake could follow. The county has seen repeated tremors over the past few months. The provincial government has sent 9,700 tents, 15,000 quilts, clothes and other relief materials to the victims and evacuees. Many were, and mostly likely still remain, trapped in the rubble, and over 1,000 soldiers have been deployed in a joint rescue operation. more ›

Earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.8 and 5.5 hit Sichuan yesterday afternoon after an early morning tremor struck the region. The first counts report the quakes left at least one dead, 17 injured and 360 homes flattened. The tremors are just the latest in the string of over 12,000 aftershocks the region has suffered following the May 12 disaster, 25 of which have measured greater than 5.0 on the Richter scale, classifying them as moderate quakes capable of major damage in discrete regions. more ›

An earthquake measuring a moderate 5.5 on the Richter scale struck southwest China just before four a.m. this morning, hitting the area 48 kilometers northwest of Guangyuan that was devastated by May's massive quake. Unlike this spring's 8.0-magnitude disaster, there are no reports yet of major damage or casualties. [Source] more ›

UPDATE, 18:09 The first Japanese relief workers are expected to leave tonight. A group of 60 earthquake specialists together with sniffer dogs will head to Sichuan over the next few days. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has appealed for earth-moving equipment to aid rescue efforts in the region. Many relief workers are currently sifting through the rubble with their hands according to ABC News. The latest official death toll stands at 19,500 but is expected to rise sharply over the coming days. more ›

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Though reports are varied, it now appears that the current death from the Wenchuan earthquakes is somewhere between 17,000 and 20,000 (latter figure from the Time China Blog, although most of the media is still reporting the official count at a more conservative 15,000. It's still to0 early to say just how high that figure will climb once everything is said and done, but an earlier Time's estimate put that number at around 100,000 (their man Austin Ramzy is there right now). While we hope that this isn't the case, we can see why they would say that, because other sources put the amount of buried or missing at between 27,000 and a staggering 60,000, and time is running out to get these people out. more ›

Treehugger: China earthquake threatens nearby dams, environment more ›

Film star Jackie Chan has donated RMB10million to help those in need following the earthquake in Sichuan province. Other celebrities have also dipped into their wallets. From CriEnglish:

"Jackie Chan also sent his consolation to the quake victims and encouraged them to hold on as "people all over the country are with you," the star said. more ›

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As reported earlier, the epicenter of the Sichuan earthquake was not only near the city of Wenchuan, but it was also very close to the Wolong Panda Reserve. Xinhua informed us that some pandas at other facilities were safe, but the status of the Wolong pandas was still known. more ›

* Over 10,000 feared dead in biggest earthquake in China for 30 years more ›

By Sue Anne Tay more ›

By Kenneth Tan, Dan Washburn, Pete Chorba, and Derek Sandhaus more ›