Today's Shanghai | News(2000)

March

Rewards ranging from US$120 to US$240 are available for information leading to the freeing of women or children abducted from other provinces and brought to work in Shanghai.

The per capita annual milk consumption in Shanghai reached 26KGs last year. It is four times the average milk consumption in China.

Police have got tough on traffic offenses in key areas. During the three months from January 1 to March 26, 1.418 million people and 54,702 motor vehicles were punished for violating traffic rules.

Mayor Xu Kuangdi expressed his interest in entering into broad co-operation with Milan on meeting a delegation from the Italian city, headed by Massimo De Carolis, president of the Milan city council.

Virgin Atlantic Airways will increase its flights from Shanghai to London in June as part of its expansion in the Chinese market.

A 13-year-old school boy is recovering from surgery in No. 1 Hospital after suffering head injuries as a victim of school bullying.

Sunkist oranges arrived in Shanghai recently marking a dramatic comeback for US fruits after America citrus products were banned due to Mediterranean fruit fly infestation in 1980.

Couples engaged to be married can access comprehensive information concerning marriage at www.fmw.com.cn which was launched recently.

Regular hearing checks are necessary to prevent avoidable deafness in children, Doctor Lu Pei from Shanghai Children's Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Medical University said recently.

Police are warning residents to use gas heaters with caution after a significant rise in the number of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home.

Poor management by many local producers of milk and box-lunches is still threatening the health of primary and middle school students in Shanghai, according to a report by the Institute of Public Health Supervision attached to Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau.

American United Airlines announced recently in Shanghai it will offer a non-stop air route linking the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai with its sister-city San Francisco as of April 3.

A life science park project to be developed in Shanghai's downtown area aiming to upgrade the city's agriculture, was announced on March 27.

Mayor Xu Kuangdi met with visiting Congolese President Denis Sassau-nguesso and his entourage on March 27.

With the advent of the so-called WAP (wireless application protocol) technology, Shanghai subscribers can log on to the Internet with their mobile phones starting from March 25.

More events and activities than last year are promised for this year's Shanghai International Festival of Arts which is an annual event co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Hundreds of university students from low income families in Shanghai now benefit from unsecured loans offered by local banks.

Shanghai plans to transform itself into an international tourist metropolis by 2015, according to Zhou Muyao, vice-mayor of Shanghai. Zhou was speaking at the city's first tourism working conference which closed on March 19.

Jointly sponsored by Shanghai Chess Association and Shanghai Lotof Network Information Technology Co., Ltd., a long-running chess match at www.lotof.com on the Web was started on March 18.

Industry experts say diamond sales in Shanghai should reach US$400 to 600 million in the next one to two years and the local industry should employ 20,000.

Etang, a website set up by several overseas Chinese MBA students, is lauching a US Silicon-Valley touring program for university students from all over the country.

A large exhibition of arts and crats is to be held in Shanghai International Convention Center from may 12 to 15, as part of the Shanghai International Fashion Show which runs for the whole month.

Baosteel, the largest steel-maker in China, is working to fulfil export targets for this year despite a 10-day shutdown of its 300-metric-ton capacity steel converter, the result of a fire on February 28.

About 200 French-speaking Shanghai residents and French-speaking foreigners are expected to attend a series of events marking "international day of francophonie" on March 18.

The city will host a high-profile forum on June 5 with many Asia-Pacific city mayors attending to discuss informatization.

The foul smell of Suzhou Creek is expected to disappear by the end of this year thanks to a comprehensive treatment project that is being implemented with loans from the Asian Development Bank.

Shanghai's information-port backbone project, a major move toward the Internet-based and knowledge-based economy, was officially kicked off on March 15.

China's top lawmakers endorsed China's milestone Legislation Law which regulates legislative power and procedures on March 15.

Dozens of mayors, chief executive officers, researchers from the Asia-Pacific region and representatives from international organizations are scheduled to gather at a forum in Shanghai to discuss the information revolution's impact on cities.

CHinese consumers will receive more legal and financial help from government departments and consumer associations to safeguard their rights, it was announced on March 15, the 18th World Consumer Rights Day.

Shanghai finished the cyberportal backbone project on March 15, a move to push itself further into the Internet-based economy.

Lego manufacturers are hoping that one day Lego building bricks may be used in college matriculation tests in China, just as in the United States.

The city has spent US$1.35 billion building a floor-control system over the past 50 years to contribute to people's living safety. But it hasn't stopped sewage from flowing into rivers.

Shanghai may be the city most affected by China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the next few years.

On March 13, the city held an investment symposium for APEC which will convene in Shanghai next year with leaders from 21 countries and regions attending.

By the year 2003 the city will have 8,000 more lawyers and 10 new law offices will be set up this year, to meet the challenges that entry to the World Trade Organization will pose.

The knowledge-based new economy and China's expected WTO entry will be highlighted at the Asia Society's international corporate conference in May, a press conference was told on March 13.

Initial investigations suggest a chemical substance used in manufacturing processes at a health food factory caused the fatal explosion that ripped the place part on March 8.

China's largest industrial and commercial center Shanghai is building itself into an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center, Mayor Xu Kuangdi said on March 8.

As cases of the common cold soar in Shanghai, experts are warning parents of the possible danger of ear problems in children who are unwell.

A group of 1,091 laid-off workers completed a training program on March 9 in Shanghai. The program was supported by Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation Educational Fund.

Women made up 21 percent of China's total netizens, according to the latest statistics from CNNIC. IT experts estimate the number of female Internet users will hit 6 million.

More than 5,526 business visitors from 109 countries and regions worldwide have thronged to the ongoing 10th East China Fair to learn about the latest developments in China's light industry and turn deals into big bucks.

Israel is to enter into cooperation with Shanghai in a wide range of fields, particularly in IT, chemicals, and environmental protection.

Overseas visitors can now read ancient Chinese books stored in Shanghai Library on the Internet at http://www.libnet.sh.cn.

Shanghai customs last year seized a total of 21 shipments of foreign waste found in 250 containers and weighing 2,495.9 tons. Most of the toxic substance comprised of waste paper, used batteries and plastic rubbish.

Construction of the Shanghai World Financial Center in Pudong is likely to restart. It will be the world's tallest building on completion.

Sales of mobile phones in the last half of February in the city soared following the annual Spring Festival peak.

Multi-million dollar investment by China Telecom this year to further improve its infrastructure facilities for Internet-related business will make it faster and easier for Internet surfers and e-business transactions here.

From March 1, residents who have complaints to lodge against police can air their discontent by dialing 110, according to police.

People living in Shanghai will see a brighter city this year. The city government has listed 24-hour illuminated shop-windows as an important business project this year.

In the past two months over 100 foreigners have benefited from a new policy which enables overseas tourists traveling via Shanghai's two airports to stay visa-free in China for 24 to 48 hours, according to a municipal spokesman at a news briefing.

The East China Fair which is held annually in Shanghai will open its doors to trade visitors for the 10th consecutive years on March 5.

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