Results tagged “hebeiprovince”

• Japanese investigators have found 'no abnormality' at the dumpling factory in Hebei Province at the centre of a food safety scare in Japan after hundreds of people suffered from pesticide poisoning from eating the dumplings. Traces of pesticide were found on the outside of the dumplings and not in the fillings, leading investigators to point to "deliberate poisoning, rather than accidental contamination". This idea, however, has been rejected by Chinese experts.
• The world's most powerful music labels — Universal Music, Sony BMG (HK) and Warner Music (HK) — have taken Baidu to court in Beijing for not removing links they say infringe on their copyrights. In a related ruling in December, the three firms lost their case against Sohu and Sogou. Meanwhile, Google is preparing to crack China open in the digital music arena. It is in talks with Universal to offer music downloads here. EMI and Sony BMG may join the deal.
• A statement from China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Information Industry has clarified that the controversial new rules requiring online-video companies to be state-controlled don't apply to already-established Web sites, offering hope to privately-owned video startups such as Youku and Tudou which have raised tens of millions of dollars from venture capitalists.

This is not news the government wants to hear in the run-up to the Olympics, but here's a statement that the Beijing-based Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC) just sent out (h/t to the Peking Duck):

Dear Members,

Continue reading "Foreign correspondents roughed up"

Even as UNAIDS is busy fighting allegations that it had inflated estimates for years in an alarmist effort to raise funds, Beijing has reported that HIV/AIDS cases are up more than 50% so far this year. Angela Sun of Current TV visits a village in Hebei Province (she did not say where exactly) where many of the residents contracted HIV through government-sponsored blood selling schemes. The plight of AIDS villages has been covered by many...

Photo of a Mummy 3 set in a Hebei Province desert from China.org.cn

We told you about reports of fake mineral water being sold in Beijing, but looks like the problem isn't just confined to the capital! A guy bought a bottle of mineral water in Hebei manufactured by the Hebei Province Yutian District Huibang Drink Factory (河北玉田县汇邦饮料厂) recently, and before he actually opened the bottle he found that there were tiny pieces of plastic as well as small organisms floating around in the water. This video is now registering over 32,000 views on Youku and hopefully this means the authorities will shut down the above plant soon. A commenter advises that if you're getting your mineral water for as low as RMB1 or RMB1.50 per bottle, it's highly likely to be a fake. So, more so than ever before now, cheap is not good, and always remember to look again before you take that swig!

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781359.html">71st on a list on a list of 163 countries, ranked in ascending order based upon their perceived levels of corruption. While the government is quite publicly addressing corruption and it ain't exactly Haiti (#163), China has unfortunately earned a reputation for corruption and other forms of skulduggery and created a stereotype that is not likely to fade anytime soon.

In yet another example of television wreaking havoc, HAVOC we say, on all of society, the China Daily reports that a boy of 13 has confessed to savagely murdering his cousin, aunt and grandmother in rural Hebei Province. (Why do these things always seem to happen in the countryside?)

The July 30 overnight party at the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall held earlier this year was the last of its kind. Due to severe public criticism of the event, the company that once held the lease and the rights to this section of the wall has had its lease revoked. Reader, please observe a moment of silence to yourself. Thank you.

Xinhua news reports that China has successfully used somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT, for those of you in the know) to clone a pig.

The residents of Shanghaiist's apartment building, especially those with hammers and drills, wake up at 5 a.m. on most Saturday mornings. But we're assuming this past weekend they all did so to stand in line to buy the English version of the new Harry Potter book -- everyone else in the friggin' world did.