Pulse

Around Beijing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-02 08:04

Policy

Pinggu to develop into small aircraft hub

Pinggu district will develop an aviation industrial park to provide integrated services for manufacturing, flight training, maintenance and selling of small aircraft. The plan involves an early investment of

1 billion yuan ($154 million), Beijing Youth Daily reported.

With flying under 5,000 meters to be permitted soon, Pinggu is hoping to build itself into a base for the small airplane industry. Work on the draft plan for constructing the industrial park has begun. The core area of the park will Cover

5 square kilometers, while the overall area will extend to between 30 and 50 sq km.

Private small airplanes made in Pinggu will cost 1 to 2 million yuan each. They will mainly be a sports craft for two passengers, and an airbus for four to six passengers.

Crime

Police arrest suspect in palace relics theft

Shi Bokui, the suspect in the Palace Museum theft case, was arrested on Tuesday on a charge of larceny, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

On May 8, nine artifacts were stolen from the museum, also known as the Forbidden City. A hole was found in a decoration wall.

After an initial investigation, police quickly suspected Shi of Shandong province. Officers went to Shi's hometown and learned that he is addicted to the Internet.

On May 11, detectives got an important clue that Shi was surfing online at an Internet bar in Fengtai district. The police acted immediately and caught him.

Shi, who has been in detention since then, has not denied the charge.

Community

Modern makeover plan for historic street

Historic Huguosi Street in Xicheng district will be rebuilt into a fashionable block with restaurants, hotels and shopping malls by the end of the year, Beijing Times reported.

The street is about 600 meters long and famous for Beijing snacks.

Xicheng government plans to bring some international restaurants, hotels and theaters there, but some current shop owners are worried that they will have to move out of the street because of probable rises in rent.

The rebuilding will finish in October and the street will be open to tourists by the end of the year.

Traffic

Subway staff reunite lost boy with family

Subway station staff members helped a mentally disabled boy, who got lost in the station, to find his family, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Wednesday.

Zhu Bin, a staff member at Beiyuan subway station, noticed that a boy about 10 years old got off a train by himself on Tuesday.

The boy said his name was Lin Lin, but could not give any details about his family except some phone numbers.

Staff members in the station tried many of the phone numbers given by Lin Lin and finally reached his father.

Policy

Officials prepare for coming flood season

The capital's water authority has been preparing for the flood season that began on Wednesday, reconstructing 30 of 49 flooded areas and launching a new round of checks on illegal swimmers, fishermen and car washing.

According to information released by the municipal weather bureau, precipitation this summer will be between 400 to 450 millimeters, slightly less than the annual average but a lot more than last summer's 246 mm.

Twelve of the remaining flooded areas will be fixed before the end of July and contingency measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the last seven.

In the 120 days before Sept 30, the water authority will arrange hundreds of checks along the city's rivers and lakes for illegal water-related activities.

Education

Migrant workers' kids receive safety caps

Students at Xingzhi Experimental Primary School in Haidian district were given safety caps in a public welfare ceremony jointly held by the China National Committee for the Wellbeing of the Youth and the Ministry of Education on Wednesday.

The school provides education for the children of migrant workers. The donation aims to reduce traffic accidents among these children, as their parents are too busy working and are not able to take them to school every day.

Statistics show more than 20,000 primary and middle school students in China die or are seriously injured in traffic accidents every year.

The yellow cap is made of high-quality pure cotton and breathes well. It has a reflective stripe that can be easily seen from any angle in the dark.

(China Daily 06/02/2011)