Kids compete in cross-Straits drawing
SIX-year-old Wu Ye, who has a pencil behind her right ear, is attentively drawing the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong's riverside park along the east bank of Huangpu River.
Diamond plan
DIAMONDS, which have graced the necklaces of the late Princess Diana, US First Lady Hillary Clinton and Kate Winslet in blockbuster film "Titanic," are proving increasingly popular with China's consumers as earnings rise, especially in Shanghai.
Shipping soup in Shanghai
LAST week was a tough week to get through any year. You must, like Caesar, beware the Ides of March (15) and either proclaim your ethnic origins or become honourary Irish for a day on St Patrick's Day (17). In Shanghai, you also have to cope with the fickle March weather.
Chess master makes first move on-line
JOINTLY sponsored by Shanghai Chess Association and Shanghai Lotof Network Information Technology Co Ltd, a long-running chess match at www.lotof.com on the web was kicked off on Saturday.
Tourism development at top of agenda
SHANGHAI plans to transform itself into an international tourist metropolis by 2015, according to Zhou Muyao, vice-mayor of Shanghai. Zhou was speaking at the city's first tourism working conference which closed on Sunday.
Campaign to prevent polio comeback
AN incidence of polio (also known as infantile paralysis) in October in Northwest China's Qinghai Province has prompted a warning from experts that children from abroad must be vaccinated against the disease either before or soon after they come to Shanghai.
Controversy over keeping city wall
SHANGHAI city wall was built in a matter of months in 1553 to repel Japanese pirates, but it took more than 10 years to demolish it.
Students broaden horizons overseas
PHOTOGRAPHS of Chinese high-fliers who studied in Britain adorned the entrance to the British Education Exhibition 2000, held two weeks ago in Shanghai.
Rush to wed breeds crime
THE proverb "marry in haste repent at leisure" took on a whole new meaning for two Shanghai residents recently.
Robbers ring up call-girls
A BOOK described as a "goldmine" by a debtor, because it listed the telephone numbers of call-girls, brought two men suspected of robbing four prostitutes before the Yangpu District Procuratorate recently.
Court fines nose biter $348
HONGKOU District Court has ordered a 38-year-old man named Liu who bit a bus driver's nose with such force that it required seven stitches to close the wound to pay 2,884 yuan ($348) in medical expenses and damages.
Women seek access to legal consultation
By Zhang Kun
A 50-YEAR-OLD woman says tearfully she has sued for divorce four times over the past nine years, but she has been denied each time over property disputes. The woman explains her husband refused to care for her when she got cancer. After she recovered and sued for divorce, however, he wouldn't agree and refused to leave the house. She was one of hundreds of locals who took their legal queries to a free legal consultation held at the weekend. Lawyer Yin Wanqiu advised the woman to go to a notary and have the house evaluated. With the value of the house agreed upon, she should be able to divide properties with her husband and get a divorce. There has been an increase in local marriage disputes as evidenced by the legal consultation. One third of those who came seeking advice from legal experts asked for help to obtain a divorce. Conflicts over property and custody of children are the main bars to dissenting couples reaching a settlement. Twenty-seven per cent of issues brought up during the consultation involved labour disputes. Many women had been fired by their employers, for example, who broke contracts and replaced them while they were on maternity leave. Consultations on women's rights were held at 18 different spots around the city on Saturday under the joint organization of the Shanghai Women's Federation and Shanghai Judicial Bureau. Women gathered in crowds for advice in spite of the rainy weather. In some places, free consultations which had been scheduled to last two hours continued for more than six hours. Experts on women issues, including lawyers and notaries, were invited to give legal assistance. A telephone hotline 1684-5838 has been set up through which women can access information on regulations and laws related to women's rights.
Copyright 2000 by Shanghai Star. All rights reserved.