20080213 Desert expansion threatening Mogao Grottoes

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ezine/2007-10/12/content_6168602.htm Kumtag, China's sixth largest desert, is expanding by 1 to 4 meters eastward annually, posing a threat to the Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟), also known as the Caves of 1,000 Buddhas (千佛洞), in northwestern Gansu (甘肅) Province. Dunhuang (敦煌), of which 90 percent has surrendered to desertification. The Mogao Grottoes, one of China's most popular tourist destinations, were listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO (聯合國教育科學暨文化組織) in 1987. Altogether 735 caves have been found and frescos on the inside walls cover an area of 45,000 square meters. The caves also hold 2,400 colored Buddha statues. Funds have been appropriated by the central and local governments for the reforestation and desert control to guard the ancient heritage site. The effort, though, is weak, compared with the austere ecological degradation. The full-scale scientific research has been seen as an important part of the integrated efforts to curb the desertification.

20080213 Brilliant future seen for nuclear power

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-02/13/content_6450374.htm As one of the world's fastest growing economies and the second largest consumer of energy, China is looking more to nuclear power to better distribute its energy sources. Currently 11 nuclear reactors in operation, with a total capacity of around 8,000 mW. Authorities plan to increase the country's nuclear power capacity to 40,000 mW by 2020. "China's nuclear power industry has experienced a transition from appropriate development to accelerated development," Shandong will become an important nuclear power base for the country. All of China's existing nuclear power plants are located in coastal areas, such as Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong have all said they are preparing sites to host new nuclear stations. Several inland regions have also taken part in the development of nuclear power. Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing have all said they are planning to build China's first inland nuclear power plant. Nuclear power has become the third most important power source in China.

20080212 WMO: La Nina may be partial cause of S China's freeze-up

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn GENEVA -- The current La Nina weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of South China's freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Agency (WMO) Monday. The latest La Nina pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WMO. However, he said China's freeze-up was a result of several causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west. La Nina is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe. rescuer carries an 80-year-old woman out of Jinlian village in Longnan county