SHANGHAI
Shopper had bad case
A LOCAL court has rejected a request for compensation by a shopper who bought a second projector when he knew the first one he had purchased was defective. The consumer, surnamed Yan, bought a projector and found it did not have a quality certificate as required by law. He then bought a second projector from the same store and took the case to court. Shanghai High People's Court ruled that anyone who acted like Yan and intentionally bought defective products and later asked for compensation would not be successful. However, if the court found that a manufacturer or retailer was defrauding consumers and that the consumer had not intentionally bought a defective article in order to obtain compensation, the consumer would win.
Pearl Tower fatality
A VISITOR to Shanghai from Taiwan was killed in a fall from the Oriental Pearl Tower last Wednesday night. According to a police report, the victim was around 30 years old and had travelled to Shanghai with a tour group. The police have ruled out the possibility of foul play.
Getting set for Expo
SPONSORED by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the first forum to focus on the strategic development of China's Yangtze Delta ahead of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai was held over two days in the city this week. Representatives from 16 cities in the area gathered together to discuss business opportunities presented by the 2010 World Expo and to promote the development of more enterprises. It also provided a platform for entrepreneurs to communicate with government officials and scholars.
Vienna air link
THE Austrian Airlines Group is extending its network in China, further underscoring its commitment to the region by adding Shanghai to its flight programme. From April 29, non-stop flights to Vienna will take off from Pudong International Airport on Lauda Air Boeing B-767s on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Flights to the Gulf
EMIRATES Airlines, the Dubai-based international carrier, has announced a new thrice-weekly flight schedule between Shanghai and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates beginning on April 10. The services will be the first-ever direct air link between Dubai and the Chinese mainland. The three flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and daily flights will start from May 15. Emirates has been flying into Hong Kong since 1991.
English growth
EF (English First) Education has announced an expansion of its operations in China from the current 60 language training centres to 100 by the end of the year. China's growth has created an enormous market for English language training and EF is set to further co-operate with local governments, educational institutions and individual investors, said Zhao Lijing, general manager of EF China. EF has also launched its latest English teaching product in China which provides local learners with after-school online English courses. Founded in Sweden in 1965, EF now has more than 200 offices in 50 countries.
Big business in town
CNBC Asia Pacific, the foremost global provider of business news and information, will launch the 3rd Asia Business Leader Awards in the city on May 25. The two-day event includes a CEO Summit to discuss issues having a significant impact on the growth of the world economy. The function is the first event of its kind held by CNBC in the Chinese mainland in conjunction with TNT Asia, the world's leading business logistics solutions company, and China Business Network. The awards include the Asia Business Leader of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year and China CEO of the Year. Starting next year, CNBC will hold a similar event once a year in China.
McKids kicks off
MCDONALD'S Corp has named Shanghai Longtrust Trade Co Ltd, an affiliate of Jiangsu SOHO International Group Garment Co, as its exclusive licensee for McKids in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and South Korea. McKids is McDonald's new multi-national, multi-category retail licensing programme that will feature apparel, footwear, toys, videos, books and other fun products for children.
JIANGSU
Yangtze collision
MORE than 80 tons of poisonous chemicals flowed into Yangtze River in neighbouring Nanjing Province after a ship collision last Sunday. Witnesses said that the accident happened around 1:20pm when one ship, the Chicheng hit another, the Changrun. The collision tore a big hole on Changrun which was carrying 450 tons of liquid chemicals. Although emergency teams rushed to the spot, some 80 tons of pollutants escaped into the river. Local authorities said they would monitor the polluted water area but said it would not affect Shanghai's drinking water.
SICHUAN
Transsexual union
A TRANSSEXUAL woman named Zhang Lin will marry on May 1. Zhang Lin, the 39-year-old bride-to-be had longed to be a girl since her childhood. She had her first operations last August with the encouragement of her lover Yang Qicheng, who had been an apprentice in her barbershop. Now, they are worried they haven't enough money for more operations to remove Zhang's Adam's apple and beard.
GUANGDONG
Record DVD haul
A GANG of 16 smugglers arrested with more than 3.8 million pirated pornographic DVDs in their possession will appear in Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court in the near future. The seizure of the discs was the largest such haul ever uncovered in China. Together with other DVDs seized earlier, the total number found represented one-third of the all the smuggled discs intercepted between 1994 and 2002. The pirated discs were found in four secret warehouses in Guangzhou, in the course of a major campaign initiated earlier this month by local police to crack down on illegal publications.
