Hu returns to direct rescue work

President, premier tear up schedules to be with own people in tough times

BRASILIA, Brazil - What's behind the decision of President Hu Jintao to cut short his South American visit after being informed of the Qinghai earthquake?

The President had just completed two days of high-level talks at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC and was facing a nine-hour flight to Brasilia for the BRIC summit when he received the first reports of the 7.1 magnitude quake in Yushu county, Qinghai province.