"Bomber attacks patrol, kills 7 in China" by Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post | August 20, 2010
BEIJING — An attacker riding a three-wheeled vehicle attacked a contingent of security volunteers yesterday in Aksu city, in China’s restive western region of Xinjiang, killing seven people and wounding 14 others in the first such event since bloody ethnic rioting shook the area a year ago.
A statement posted late yesterday on the website of the autonomous Xinjiang regional government said the volunteers were on patrol and standing in line when the attacker struck. The statement said five security force members died at the scene, and two others died later in a hospital.
The attack occurred in Yoganqi township, on the outskirts of Aksu city, on the highway linking Urumqi, the Xinjiang capital, to Kashgar in the west, the statement said.
“At 10:30 a.m., the violent criminal rode a motor tricycle and rushed toward a patrolling group, throwing an explosive device and triggering an explosion,’’ the regional government said. It said the attack occurred when the 15-member patrol, led by an assistant police officer, reached a T-junction and lined up there. Several police motorcycles were damaged in the blast, it said.
After the attack, “one criminal suspect was caught at the scene,’’ which was quickly cordoned off, the statement said.
Earlier, Hou Hanmin, a spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government, described the suspect as a member of the country’s Muslim Uighur ethnic group. She said that most of the victims also were Uighur and that some of the injuries were serious.
In a telephone interview, Hou said it was too early to say whether the suspect was connected with one of the separatist organizations that Beijing has labeled terrorist groups.
“The explosion was not an accident,’’ Hou said. “It was an intentional, man-made explosion. Whether it’s a terrorist attack or not, I can’t draw that conclusion right now. We still need time to investigate.’’--more--"
"China’s big traffic jam could last for weeks" by Associated Press | August 25, 2010
BEIJING — A massive traffic jam in north China that stretches for dozens of miles and hit its 10-day mark yesterday stems from road construction in Beijing that won’t be finished until the middle of next month, an official said.
Are you kidding?
Talk about inducing road rage in Americans!
The gridlock, spanning 60 miles with vehicles moving little more than a half-mile a day at one point, has improved since this weekend, said Zhang Minghai, director of Zhangjiakou city’s Traffic Management Bureau.
Some drivers have been stuck in the jam for five days, China Central Television reported yesterday.....
Take the first exit you see and get off the main roads!
The traffic jam started Aug. 14 on a stretch of the highway that is frequently congested, especially after large coalfields were discovered in Inner Mongolia, Zhang said.
Drivers stranded in the gridlock in the Inner Mongolia region and Hebei Province, headed toward Beijing, passed the time sleeping, walking around, or playing cards and chess.If this had happened in Boston or New York there would be dead bodies between the creeping cars!
Local villagers were doing brisk business selling instant noodles, boxed lunches, and snacks, weaving between the trucks on bicycles. Though there were no reports of road rage, drivers complained about price-gouging by villagers.
No more death penalty, either.
Could it be the Chinese are better than you, Americans?
--more--"
And an Invisible Ink photograph:
"CHINA JET CRASH KILLS 43 -- A Chinese jet broke apart as it neared a fog-shrouded runway in a northeastern province and burst into flames as it hit the ground yesterday, killing 43 people and injuring 53 others. The Henan Airlines plane landed near the Lindu airport in Heilongjiang Province, where rescue workers recovered 43 bodies within hours of the crash. The Embraer E190 jet, with 91 passengers and five crew members, had taken off from the province's capital of Harbin shortly before 9 p.m. Three survivors reportedly were in critical condition (Boston Globe August 25, 2010)."
Now you have to decide where to go:
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