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.
Bookshops turn over new leaf on piracy
THE city's 151 State-owned book stores have made a public pledge to fight against pirated books, audio-video and electronic publications.
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.
Survey sparks controversy
By Wan Lixin
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. The report, carried in the June 13 issue of Labour Daily, is allegedly based on a survey conducted by "an institute specializing in women's research," and involved 42,000 laid-off women workers in Shanghai. But the author refused to reveal the name of the institute. The survey found 1,367 women out of 42,000 questioned were divorced. The report claimed that some of the women workers became depressed, suspicious, and developed a sense of inferiority under the dual pressure of unemployment and divorce. "The survey is diametrically contrary to an investigation we conducted a couple of years ago," said Zhang Liqun, director of the Research Department of Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions. Their survey covered 500 families with members who had been laid-off. "In our survey we used interviews and chats, instead of simply sending them questionnaires," he said. He cautioned that although you can easily survey a large population by sending questionnaires, probing into the inner feelings of the people is not simply a matter of statistics. Their survey found the impact of lay-offs on the stability of the family was insignificant. "Our conclusions were verified by a follow-up investigation conducted recently involving the same groups of people," he said. "We did encounter some split-ups, but on close observation, the divorces can be attributed to other reasons than lay-offs," Zhang said.
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