Rainfall at this plum rain season normal
CONTINUOUS showers during the week ushered in the first installment of the plum rain season this year, according to Shanghai Central Meteorological Station.
AIDS boy Peng Peng passes away
PENG Peng, the 14-year-old haemophiliac who was infected with the AIDS virus through a blood transfusion, died on Tuesday. (See Peng Peng's stories on front page of Shanghai Star on May 30 and June 2).
Huating moves
IN just a few months, Shanghai will say goodbye to Huating Road Clothes Market where over 15,000 foreign visitors and countless domestic people go shopping every year.
Timeshare hotel concept checks in
TIMESHARE hotel room booking concept and service is now making inroads in China.
ROK delegation here for talks
AN eight-member delegation from Cholla-Namdo in the Republic of Korea, led by Governor Huh Kyung Man, will arrive in Shanghai today for a one-day visit. Huh is expected to meet Mayor Xu Kuangdi this evening.
China, Iran look forward to increased trade in future
IRANIAN and Chinese business people explored potential for further exchanges and co-operation at a seminar titled "Sino-Iranian Trade and Investment Opportunities Seminar" yesterday afternoon.
Survey sparks controversy
SENIOR researchers have called into question the authenticity of a recent report which claimed the divorce rate among laid-off women workers in the city is rising.
Entrepreneurs warned not to neglect their studies
WHILE experts agree university students who go into business can reap enormous benefit from the practical experience, they warn these students against neglecting their studies.
Cheat in the name of 'helping the poor'
POLICE are investigating a case of fraud involving 1 million yuan ($120,000) in which a man exploited China's drive to develop the poverty stricken areas.
She escapes from warring island
ZHANG Meifang, the only Shanghainese in the 117 Chinese stranded in the Solomon Islands following the breaking out of the conflict on the islands, told her tale of woe recently to local reporters.
Study abroad tempts local teenagers
AS living standards improve and China's opening-up progresses, local students are choosing to study in foreign schools and universities in increasing number.
A passion for study overseas
KE Qing's parents struggle to survive on meagre pensions, but they have done everything they can to support their daughter who is passionate about studying abroad.
Bookshops turn over new leaf on piracy
By Liang Yu
THE city's 151 State-owned book stores have made a public pledge to fight against pirated books, audio-video and electronic publications. Under the newly founded Shanghai Xinhua Distribution Group (SXDG), the stores vowed to keep their territories clean by refusing to stock and sell illegal publications, including books, audio-video products and e-publications. Customers can be assured that what they will buy are all copyrighted products if they see a green sign of trustworthiness outside the stores. "With such a pledge, we intended to make known our determination to leave no living space for pirated publications," said Xu Xinhai, a senior official with SXPG. It is in accordance with the government's efforts to fight against piracy, Xu added. China has decided to focus on countering piracy during May, June and July as a crucial part in its campaign this year to crack down on pornographic and illegal publications. According to the copyright department of the Municipal Press and Publications Bureau, the book stores, made the pledge on their own initiative. "It is a significant move in our anti-piracy campaign," said Yu Guoguang, vice-director with the department. "It is not enough to merely count on governmental bodies to eradicate piracy," he said. "A multi-level anti-piracy network should be set up, including the sales departments." The stores will offer anyone who gives information about the selling of pirated publications in the stores a reward of 10 times the original price of the publication. They also pledged to raise their staff's awareness of countering piracy with education, hopefully to help them form an idea of "piracy equals stealing; selling pirate publications equals disposing of stolen goods." Statistics from the Books and Periodicals Distribution Association of Shanghai (BPDAS) indicate the city's turnover of books and periodicals hits some 1.2 billion yuan ($145 million) a year, in which the volume of State-owned book stores' retail sales occupy about 60 per cent.
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