Welcoming the New Year a tad prematurely, a fireworks stall on a busy Xi-an street ignited, setting off a chain of explosions that went on for about 20 minutes, burned up at least seven cars and reduced about 100 meters of similar fireworks stalls to ashes. more ›

Last week a 19 year old girl in Beijing died of bird flu (avian flu) in China's first reported case in about a year. Beijing Notebook wrote a list of tips for preventing infection by bird flu based on a distribution list from a doctor of the German Embassy in Beijing. Go to www.Beijing.diplo.de for a Chinese translation. more ›