Midweek Round-Up July 30

 

International News

Bomb blasts in Turkey

Seventeen people are dead and more than 150 injured, after two explosions ripped through a busy square in Turkey on Sunday night.

The bombs went off in Gungoren, Istanbul an area popular with families. Two of those killed in Sunday’s blasts were children.

The attack came on the eve of deliberations by Turkey's top court on whether to ban the ruling party for allegedly trying to steer the country toward Islamic rule.

Turkish authorities say the blast could be the work of Kurdish rebel group PKK.

Flight’s near-miss

A Qantas flight from Hong Kong had to make a dramatic emergency landing on Friday with a car-sized hole in its fuselage.

The Boeing 747-400 reported an explosive bang an hour into its flight to Sydney. After descending rapidly it landed safely at Manila International Airport.

There were no injuries among the passengers and crew, but some passengers suffered nausea.

Early investigations have found no indication of explosives in the cargo area.

Local News

Typhoon Fung Wong

A strong typhoon lashed China’s south-eastern coastline earlier this week.

Fung Wong, the eighth typhoon to hit the mainland this year, ripped through Fujian province on Monday evening, bringing heavy rain and winds up to 119 kilometres per hour.

Taiwan was the first to experience the storm’s fury on Sunday, dumping up to 700 mm of rain, killing one person, injuring five, and causing widespread flooding.

Fung Wong, Chinese for phoenix, is expected to weaken into a tropical storm by today.

Migrant aid

An ambitious project was launched on Monday to help prevent the spread of HIV among China’s migrant workers.

The three-year project developed by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the International Labor Organization will target key migrant areas, such as Guangdong, Yunnan and Anhui provinces.

The programme will provide free education training on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment to as many migrant workers as possible.

China has an estimated migrant population of 150 million.

Olympic News

Village welcomes the world

Beijing’s Olympic Village officially opened on Sunday morning to much fanfare.

Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Olympic organizing committee handed over the key to village mayor Chen Zhili, before its red doors were opened and a group of children ran out to welcome the guests.

The village, near the National Stadium, comprises of 42 apartment buildings and can house up to 16,000 athletes and officials.

The Polish Olympic team was first foreign contingent to settle into the village arriving on Sunday afternoon.

From HQ to co-host city

Tuesday marked the 10-day countdown to the Beijing Olympics as the torch completed its journey in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

The relay started in Xibaipo, a small village 95 km northwest of Shijiangzhuang.

Xibaipo was the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese People's Liberation Army from 1948 to 1949.

The Olympic torch makes its way to the co-host city of Qinhuangdao today.

Other News

Gastronomic champion

A skinny man from Japan ate himself into the history books at the weekend.

30-year-old Takeru Kobayashi was declared world eating champion at the Major League Eating contest in Singapore on Sunday.

Kobayashi chomped through 5 kg of the local favourite chicken satay.

After his gastronomic feat Kobayashi signed autographs and took pictures with his Singapore fans.

About the broadcaster:

" style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 120px" title=""/>

Marc Checkley is a freelance journalist and media producer from New Zealand. Marc has had an eclectic career in the media/arts working on various projects in theatre, television, online, radio, print and film. Marc spent three months with the China Daily last year leading the online video news initiative. He returns to chinadaily.com.cn as Senior Editor and Producer for the website’s Olympic media news coverage.

 

" style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 80px" title=""/>

Christie Lee joined the Chinadaily Website in October 2007 after being an editor at www.youth.cn. A key member of the multimedia team, Christie works on a variety of projects including filming, post-production and script writing. She also hosts segments of In Conversation, a studio-based chat show. Christie graduated from the Communication University of China in 2006 and first worked as an account manager in China's tourism industry giving her many opportunities to travel around the country.