Air quality improves
SHANGHAI'S air quality took a turn for the better last week thanks to speedier winds and less frequent inversion (cooler air trapped near the earth's surface by warm air), according to the latest report from the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Centre.
Baby sun bear born on New Year
A "SUN bear" cub born on New Year's Day in Shanghai Zoo is now in good health and under the special watch of zoo keepers.
21st Century English contest
FORGET millennium celebrations. Forget Y2K bug. "Prospects for the 21st Century" is the new topic for a new era.
Nike jerseys safe, TBT levels miniscule
NIKE (Suzhou) Co, wholly-owned subsidiary of Nike Co - a global giant in the manufacture of sports products - admitted yesterday 251 of its Borussia Dortmund soccer jerseys from Europe had been made with raw materials containing TBT, but emphasized all of its other products in China are made from safe substances.
Ex-couple in court over fraud
HEARINGS began yesterday morning at Municipal No 1 Intermediate People's Court regarding Cai Linfen and Qiu Laifa who were suspected of being involved in a 62.96-million-yuan ($7.6 million) fraud.
Man stabs girlfriend to death
A MAN who confessed to hacking his girlfriend to death when she tried to leave him is now in police custody.
Socks appeal, or does size matter?
AN Acadian American I know has trouble with his socks. The size that is. He has a good grip on the ground, which was the polite way your maiden aunt had of saying you have very big feet. Plus he likes to walk - one of the world's best forms of exercise.
Jaywalkers arrested for violence
A TOTAL of eight jaywalkers who used violence against traffic police have been detained recently.
Man jailed for killing baby girl
A 21-YEAR-OLD man was recently arrested for strangling his infant daughter just after his girlfriend gave birth to the infant, according to Yangpu District Procuratorate.
Experts evaluate China's WTO entry
LOCAL experts seem to be pretty confident China's entry to World Trade Organization (WTO) will not have any immediate disastrous effects for Chinese banks.
From race course to People's Square
SHANGHAI was once known as a "Paradise for Adventurers." Few places could conjure up a more graphic picture of old Shanghai's decadence than the former horse race track on what is now People's Square.
Teachers wanted
LOCAL universities are going outside city limits in the search of the teaching talent needed to fuel Shanghai's economic takeoff in the new century.
Swedes who work hard, play hard
By Lu Chang
THE Swedish Society held its first get-together in the new year on Friday evening at O'Malley's pub on Taojiang Road. This society was set up three years ago and members meet on the first Friday evening of every month. "But actually we're pretty flexible with the schedule," said Anders Thoren, a member of the society. Altogether about 40 Swedes, nearly 20 per cent of the total number of Swedish people in Shanghai, have joined this society. Not every member takes part in every meeting, however. "Sometimes we have 20 to 30 people and sometimes we no more than 10," said Thoren. Last Friday there were only eight members. "Most of us haven't come back to Shanghai after the Christmas holiday," said Jan Erik Sandgren, who was in attendance together with his wife. According to Inger Johannesson, who is working in the Swedish Consulate and founded this society, Swedish people in Shanghai are spread all over the city but united in that they are always hard workers who are very busy. They don't have much spare time to relax, but the society offers them a little respite from the fast pace of working life here. "We aren't usually able to keep in touch on other days of the months, therefore every meeting is precious," said Johannesson. To the accompaniment of merry music from the band, they had their dinner and talked with each other in Swedish about their lives in Shanghai, their businesses and recent developments. Stefan Jeppsson has just come to Shanghai for three weeks and he was a newcomer to the society. "I heard about the society from one of my friends," he said. Word-of-mouth or advertisements in Shanghai Talk and That's Shanghai are how most members found out about the society. There are few young people among the members. "The young people are doing their own thing and don't seem drawn to this kind of group," said another member, Sandgren. Amanda, 16, daughter of Johannesson, told Shanghai Star she was not interested in such kind of meetings but she had come several times to accompany her mother.
Copyright 1999 by Shanghai Star. All rights reserved.