China earthquake

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Quake-Bereft Chinese Sow New Baby Boom

Parents who lost state-mandated only child rush to conceive again

(Newser) - Some parents who lost their state-mandated only child in China’s May earthquake—which crushed at least 19,000 students under shoddy school buildings—are rushing to conceive again, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Chinese government announced an exemption from its one-child policy for such victims, and more than...

2,000 Chinese Rioters Mob Gov't Building in Quake Dispute

Violence erupts over unresponsive officials

(Newser) - An angry mob of some 2,000 people stormed Communist Party headquarters in a city in China's Gansu province last night to protest a decision to move the town's quake-damaged administrative center. The protest turned violent when officials refused to listen to complaints that families would have to move to...

China Admits Quake-Hit Schools Were Poorly Built

But government warns parents to silence criticism

(Newser) - A Chinese official admitted today that shoddy construction led to the collapse of some schools during last May’s earthquake, which killed thousands of children. “The structures were not necessarily reasonable and the materials were not necessarily strong enough,” the chairman of the government’s quake probe conceded,...

Deadly Quake Hits Southwest China
Deadly Quake Hits
Southwest China
Aug 31, 2008 6:51 AM CDT

Deadly Quake Hits Southwest China

22 killed in Sichuan, Yunnan Province

(Newser) - A 5.7 earthquake struck an area near Panzhihua City in southwest China yesterday, killing at least 22 people and destroying 1,000 homes in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, reports the Los Angeles Times. Rescue teams were racing to the area to help at least 126 injured. Heavy rains and...

6.0 Quake Shakes China's Sichuan

Olympic torch had just completed tour of temblor-ravaged area

(Newser) - A 6.0 earthquake today rattled China's Sichuan province, which was devastated by a more powerful quake in May, the US Geological Survey said. One person was killed, reports CNN, and five seriously injured. The tremblor is the latest of numerous aftershocks from the 7.9 quake that struck Sichuan...

Chinese Teacher Sent to Labor Camp Over Quake Dissent

Man posted photos of collapsed schools

(Newser) - A Chinese teacher has been sent to a labor camp for a year of "re-education" after he posted online photos of school buildings that collapsed during the Sichuan earthquake, the Guardian reports. The man, who was neither formally charged with a crime nor given a trial, is one of...

China Pushes 'Hush Money' on Grieving Quake Parents

Pressured to stop questioning school toll

(Newser) - Officials in China's Sichuan province are buying the silence of parents who lost children in May's devastating earthquake, the New York Times reports. Grieving parents are being pressured to sign agreements accepting $9,000 in compensation if they stop asking questions about why so many schools collapsed. They are told...

Chinese School-Collapse Critic Busted as Spy

Activist detained after trying to help bereaved parents

(Newser) - An activist who tried to help bereaved Sichuan parents get answers about why so many schools collapsed in May's earthquake has been arrested, the New York Times reports. Huang Qi was taken away by plainclothes police after posting information about the parents on his website. He has been accused of...

Mother Nature's Wrath Creates Prosperity

Disasters spur economic growth, but at what cost?

(Newser) - Casualties aside, natural disasters may not be so devastating after all. Catastrophes like the recent earthquake in China destroy old buildings and roads, making way for new and improved infrastructure that may not have been created otherwise and pumping cash into the economy. In the long term, updated technology and...

China Quake Beat the Odds
 China Quake Beat the Odds 
Jun 30, 2008 4:06 PM CDT

China Quake Beat the Odds

Unusual seismic conditions led to disaster, scientists say

(Newser) - The earthquake that leveled parts of China’s Sichuan province last month was a geological oddity arising from usually inactive faults, LiveScience reports. The bizarre seismological coincidences behind the quake explain why no one was able to predict the event, which claimed 69,000 lives.

Breastfeeding Officer Sparks Debate in China

'Police mum' promoted for helping orphaned babies in quake

(Newser) - A policewoman has sparked debate in Beijing after breastfeeding nine orphaned babies during last month's earthquake, Reuters reports. Officials have promoted Jiang Xiaojuan, 30, calling her "hero and model police officer," but others argue that merit, not deeds, should lead to promotion. Xiaojuan left her baby at home...

Blogger Keeps Quake in Focus
 Blogger Keeps Quake in Focus 
Jun 21, 2008 8:30 PM CDT

Blogger Keeps Quake in Focus

Chinese graphic novelist tells stories from the disaster zone

(Newser) - A Chinese graphic novelist determined to keep the aftermath of last month's earthquake on the front burner is using her new blog to get the message out, and fellow citizen journalists on the other side of the world are catching on. "We love you, Coco Wang," a blogger...

Draining Quake Lake Floods China Town

Soldiers blast holes in dam; 'Now we can never go back,' says survivor

(Newser) - A town devastated by the Sichuan earthquake was flooded today as soldiers worked to drain a dangerous quake lake, reports Reuters. Water whooshed into Beichuan after explosives and missiles were used to blast holes in the dam created by the earthquake. Some 250,000 people downstream had already been evacuated.

China to Reverse Sterilization for Quake Parents

Couples who abided by one-child policy can get free surgery

(Newser) - China will send medical teams to areas hit by last month’s earthquake to reverse sterilization procedures for couples who want to have another child, Xinhua reports. The Sichuan family planning agency is providing free surgery and counseling to couples who were once sterilized in accordance with the nation's one-child...

Quake Pandas Delight Beijing
 Quake Pandas Delight Beijing 
Jun 6, 2008 3:51 PM CDT

Quake Pandas Delight Beijing

Olympic bears take up residence in city's zoo

(Newser) - Eight giant pandas shaken by last month's earthquake made their first appearance at the Beijing Zoo yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reports. Huge crowds visited the pandas, who seemed none the worse for wear from the move, planned before the quake to coincide with the Olympics. The zoo expects daily...

5.3 Aftershock Shakes Sichuan

Survivors rattled again as quake lakes threaten to burst

(Newser) - Another strong aftershock has rattled China's quake-devastated Sichuan province amid increased concerns about lake floodwaters, reports AP. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries from the 5.3 tremblor, which came as authorities began evacuating people downstream from a lake formed by last month's quake. The water level...

Karma? Stone Banned From Shanghai Fest

Organizers still fuming over star's quake gaffe

(Newser) - Sharon Stone has been declared persona non grata at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, reports the AP. Organizers said they will not be inviting the star, who attended last year, because of outrage over her recent comments suggesting the Sichuan earthquake was caused by bad "karma" linked to...

Quake-Rattled Pandas Get Hugs, Bamboo

Bears recovering with help from keepers

(Newser) - Zookeepers are helping pandas traumatized by the Sichuan earthquake get back to normal with hugs and games, the Guardian reports. Eight young pandas have been sent to Beijing Zoo and 47 more remain at the Wolong reserve, where the deputy chief said the animals' appetites are back to normal, but...

Chinese Rush to Adopt Quake Orphans

Baby-starved adoptive couples get break on one-child rule

(Newser) - With at least 5,500 children orphaned by China's massive earthquake and aftershocks, tens of thousands of Chinese couples are calling government offices to register to adopt them, the Daily Telegraph reports. The Chinese government is expected to ease its one-child restriction for adoptive parents.  A rule already in...

Stone 'So Sorry' About Quake Karma Crack

Star apologizes for infuriating Chinese after Dior cuts ads

(Newser) - Sharon Stone has apologized for remarks suggesting bad "karma" for China's treatment of Tibet could have caused the Sichuan earthquake, AP reports. The apology came in a statement released through fashion company Christian Dior, which has dropped Stone from its Chinese ads. Stone's remarks caused widespread fury in China,...

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