Offices to open across the Straits

A proposal to set up offices on the mainland and in Taiwan for organizations involved in cross-Straits talks is gaining support.The idea to have the mainland's Association for Relations cross the Taiwan Straits, and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation exchange offices was proposed by the island's "president" Ma Ying-jeou last Friday. Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Officesaid the mainland considers it "very necessary".

Obama seeks to block release of abuse photos

US President Barack Obama declared Wednesday he would try to block the court-ordered release of photos showing US troops abusing prisoners.Obama abruptly reversed his position out of concern the pictures would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and endanger US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch called the decision a blow to transparency and accountability.

Chen sex scandal: Techie gets 8 months

The computer technician convicted of stealing sexually explicit photos of Canto pop star Edison Chen Koon-hei was sentenced to eight and a half months in jail Wednesday. Dicky Sze Ho-chun, 24, was found guilty of dishonestly obtaining access to the intimate photos of Chen engaged in sex acts with female celebrities, including Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung and Bobo Chan. His defense counsel declared he would file an appeal.

'Dashan' now has new role

Mark Rowswell, perhaps the most famous foreigner in China and also known as "Dashan", was appointed Canada's Commissioner General for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo earlier this week.Rowswell, 44, expressed his gratitude and accepted the offer in Chinese, English and French. Dashan is well-known in China as a TV comedian and anchor, as well as a language educator.

Nation marks first quake anniversary

Chinese President Hu Jintao spoke at a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the May 12 earthquake. The ceremony took place in Yingxiu Township of Wenchuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, on Tuesday. The nation held a commemorative service at the epicenter of last year's massive earthquake that left more than 87,000 people dead or missing. Also showing his respects was star hurdler Liu Xiang, who visited students at Ping'an Hope School in Beichuan, one of the hardest hit areas in Sichuan. Meanwhile, reconstruction of Beichuan Middle School kicked off at 2:28 pm Tuesday, exactly one year after the quake demolished the original school. Liu Yachun, headmaster of Beichuan Middle School, hopes to make it one of the nation's best.

Quake babies celebrate 1st birthday in ‘temple of birth’

One hundred and eight babies born in the two months after the May 12 earthquake gathered in Shifang, Sichuan province, on Wednesday to celebrate their communal birthdays. The babies were born in the Arhat Temple, which served as a shelter after hospital buildings became unstable after the quake struck. As hospital buildings began to collapse, Su Quan, a monk in charge of the temple's daily operations, urged everyone from the hospital to take refuge there.Many parents of infants born in the temple named them Zhensheng, meaning "born in the quake," as a tribute to the kindness and devotion of both monks and medics.

Mainland/HK confirms second case of AH1N1 flu

The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Wednesday confirmed their second cases of AH1N1 flu.The Ministry of Health said a 19-year-old student surnamed Lu, confirmed to have the virus, was "recovering and his temperature is back to normal."He had arrived in Beijing from Canada last Friday.The development came two days after a 30-year-old man surnamed Bao was found to have contracted the virus after returning from the United States. He was also said to be recovering well in Chengdu, Sichuan province. In Hong Kong, a 24-year-old resident was confirmed Wednesday to have contracted the virus, and was said to be in stable condition.The World Health Organization said Wednesday that nearly 6,000 people in 33 countries have been infected by the H1N1 virus. In its latest tally, the WHO said the virus has killed at least 60 people in Mexico, three people in the United States, and one each in Canada and Costa Rica.

CannesFilm Festival opens

The 62nd Cannes film festival opened on Wednesday in the French Riviera. Twenty films will compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or, which will be awarded on May 24.Jury members, including Taiwan actress Shu Qi, walked the red carpet on opening night for the screening of the animated film "Up" by director Pete Docter.