Bombings stopped in Xinjiang

Police shot and killed six suspected terrorists, including one who threatened them with an ax while trying unsuccessfully to detonate bombs in a commercial area of Shule county in the southern part of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region at about 10 am on Monday.

No civilians or police officers were injured in the incident.

The police prevented the bombings after responding to reports from residents about suspicious individuals. It was not clear how many bombs were involved, or whether the attackers were male or female.

Residents reported that one of the suspects carried the explosives to the commercial area, the statement said.

Shule, in southwest Xinjiang, is about 7 kilometers from Kashgar, capital of the Kashgar prefecture, which saw a bloody attack in its Shache county on July 28, when a gang armed with knives and axes attacked a township's police station and government offices. Officers shot 59 attackers and arrested 215 other people.

On Nov 28, the officers responded to another case in the same county. A group of knife-wielding terrorists set off explosives on a main street, killing four and injuring 14. Eleven terrorists in that incident were shot dead by police.

Hit by frequent terrorist attacks in the past year, the regional authorities are carrying out a campaign to eliminate religious extremism, which is regarded as the source of the violence.

A regulation banning full-face veils, called niqab, and full-body coverings in public in Urumqi was approved by the legislature on Saturday. Xinjiang officials said such clothing is associated with religious extremism.

Outward appearances, such as the niqab and distinctive male beards, are not small matters, said Nurmemet Turson, deputy director of the religious research institute of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, "They are favored by ultraconservative Muslims and can be symbols of religious extremism."

Several prefectures, including Aksu, Turpan and Ili, have made efforts to mitigate the influence of religious extremism by introducing various constructive activities for the public.

Wang Yiwen, Party chief of Qapqal Xibe autonomous county, said: "If the farmers, especially the youth, are interested in sports, cultural activities and even the films we play every week in the village, they might stay away from the extremism."

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

Intercity train connects Beijing and 'city of beds'

Commuters living in Yanjiao, a town about 35 km east to Beijing, now have more options to go to work in Beijing after an intercity bullet train started operating on Monday.

Train D9022 left Yanjiao at 6:46 am and arrived at Beijing Station at 7:17 am on Monday. All the 706 tickets of the train were sold out, a railway official said.

Zhou Hongyu, one of the first passengers on the maiden trip of Yanjiao-Beijing bullet train, said that the new train almost halved the daily two-hour-long journey to her office.

"I used to take bus before transferring to subway to my office. The bus is extremely crowded and it's always a struggle to get on it."

For some others, punctuality is the top concern.

Peng, 37 year old, said ideally it takes an hour to reach his office. But that is not often the case on the congested roads of Beijing.

"Sometimes the commuting time can stretch to two hours or more. Now the bullet train can take me to Beijing in half an hour," said Peng.

But the timing and cost of the train deter some commuters.

"A second-class seat on the bullet train sells at 10 yuan ($1.6), which will nearly double the cost of bus journey," veteran commuter Wu Zejian told reporter ahead of the operation of Yanjiao-Beijing bullet train. "Besides, my home is quite a distance away from the railway station, so it is not a bargain for me to take the train," added Wu.

"Although the train is punctual and fast, but I can only take the morning train because the evening train leaves Beijing at 5:50 pm and I will not be able to catch it. I hope more shuttle services will be added between Beijing and Yanjiao in the future," said Zhou Hongyu.

Whether Zhou's wish will be fulfilled is in doubt because of limited transport capacity on the line, according to the head of Yanjiao railway station.

Yanjiao, which literally means the suburb of Beijing, is home to over half a million residents, many of them moved to the small town in recent years after the house prices in Beijing skyrocketed.

Despite the low house price and rents, commuters have to take the cost of excruciating journey to their work place in Beijing. After a long day on the road, they have no extra energy to do anything other than go to bed, thus earning the town the name "city of beds".

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

Asthma on the rise over past decade

A specially designed truck sprays mist to reduce dust in the air in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Tuesday. The vehicle is said to be able to alleviate smog effectively.

Asthma cases have risen dramatically in China over the past decade along with ever deteriorating air pollution, according to leading respiratory specialists.

Nationwide, the prevalence of asthma stands at 1 to 2 percent, while in some cities it can reach more than 10 percent, a leading pulmonary physician said.

Lin Jiangtao, director of the China Asthma Alliance and a physician at China-Japan Friendship Hospital, was citing results from the first nationwide epidemiology survey on asthma, which he led.

The potentially fatal disease has risen quickly across the nation, with Shanghai recording the fastest increase in prevalence of 190 percent over the past decade.

"Given that air pollution is a major risk factor in asthma, the disease is still rising constantly," Lin warned.

In a widely reported case, Chinese mother Shang Yujun moved her son to three different Chinese cites to escape air pollution before finally settling in London to control his asthma.

Lin suggested that patients with the disease limit outdoor activities and heavy exercise on days with high concentrations of pollutants, as such conditions can prompt asthma attacks.

Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization among children in China and imposes a significant burden on their families. Patients with the condition have increased rates of work absenteeism.

The Asia Asthma Development Board said China has the world’s highest mortality rate from asthma, with 36.7 out of 100,000 patients failing to survive.

Wang Chen, a leading respiratory disease expert and an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said, "Various respiratory diseases have become a public health challenge in China."

But he said public awareness remains poor in a country where only 34 percent of the cases are under control.

Of the more than 30 million patients in China, about 80 percent fail to effectively control the disease and less than 5 percent have received standard treatment, Lin said.

A 36-year-old patient surnamed Wang, from Hebei province, said he used to be hospitalized three times a year in Beijing for serious asthma attacks. He was diagnosed with the disease after having it for more than a year.

"I frequently felt out of breath and had to take a rest when climbing up several steps," he said.

Drug therapy and a surgical procedure called bronchial thermoplasty helped put him back on his feet after he had to use a wheelchair.

Wang Chen called for standardized treatment and improved access to drug treatment for asthma patients.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/