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2008-05-24 CRI Roundup

发布: 2008-5-24 14:21    作者: CRI  来源: CRI    查看: 40次

 Hello and welcome to this edition of CRI Round upon Saturday, May 24th. I'm Zheng Chenguang inBeijing.

Let's take a look at some of the major events that have taken place inChinaand around the world during the past week.

Chinaobserved three days of national mourning this week for those who died in the country's deadly earthquake.

Chinacontinues to make every effort in the ongoing disaster relief work while ensuring transparency in the distribution of relief aid.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has made a second trip to the quake-hitSichuanprovince to supervise relief efforts there.

And UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is deeply disturbed by the destruction of the cyclone-hit Irrawaddy(伊洛瓦底江[缅甸]) Delta while on a tour inMyanmar.

Stay tuned!

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Air raid sirens, car horns and fog horns wailed in grief all acrossChina, as the nation held a three-minute mourning for those who died in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

 

Millions stopped working and stood in silence for three minutes starting at 2:28pm on Monday, the exact time when the devastating earthquake took place a week earlier.

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other senior leaders also stood in silence in the central government compound of Zhongnanhai inBeijing.

 

Chinese stock exchanges also suspended trading for three minutes in remembrance of the earthquake victims.

 

The three-minute remembrance was part of the three-day national mourning for those who died in the earthquake. As of Friday this week, about 56,000 people have been confirmed dead and the estimated death toll continues to rise.

 

National flags were lowered to half-mast, public entertainment was cancelled and the Olympic torch relay was suspended during the three-day mourning period.

 

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Chinahas been making every effort in its disaster relief work since the May 12 earthquake. Officials with the Ministry of Civil Affairs say relevant departments are now endeavoring to guarantee basic living standards to the victims by providing food, shelter, drinking water and help in reestablishing their livelihoods.

 

Supervision and distribution of relief funds have been stepped up and strengthened to ensure the timely delivery of aid to the people most affected in quake-hit areas.

 

Pang Chenmin is a senior official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

 

"All the funds are requested to be used in the worst-hit areas. At this stage, the funds are mainly being used to deploy relief workers, cure the injured and address victims' living conditions. Our next step is to focus on reconstruction work."

 

The ministry also said the government would make accountability of the distribution of relief funds transparent. The National Audit Office is already involved in the auditing process.

 

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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has made his second trip to quake-batteredSichuanThursday.

 

On board a plane on the way toSichuan, the Premier began work on relief arrangements with other department leaders.

 

"The focus of relief work has shifted from rescuing people to rehabilitating quake victims and restoring local society. It will be a difficult and long-term task. I believe that we can achieve our goals in this second phase of the relief operation."

 

Upon arrival, the Premier visited a "quake lake" in Beichuan county, the epicenter of the quake. There are 33 quake lakes inSichuan, formed by landslides that blocked rivers. The one in Tangjiashan is one of the three largest.

 

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is deeply disturbed by the destruction he has seen on a tour ofMyanmar's cyclone-hit Irrawaddy Delta.

 

Ban was taken on a four-hour helicopter trip that touched down at several makeshift settlements for homeless survivors of the cyclone.

 

The UN head visited a village called Kyondah, where 500 people huddled in just over 100 blue tents. He was shown around the camp by high-rankingMyanmarofficials and he spoke to a number of residents.

 

"The whole world is trying to helpMyanmarpeople. It will be very difficult for you, but please have strong courage and do not lose your hope, and please take good care of your children."

 

The camp's medical tent contained a number of supplies, including some materials from UNICEF andTurkey.

 

However, foreign relief agencies say many parts of the delta have not yet received sufficient relief supplies. The UN says up to 2.5 million cyclone survivors face hunger, homelessness and potential outbreaks of deadly diseases, especially in the low-lying delta.

 

Earlier in the day, Ban met with Prime Minister Lieutenant General Thein Sein as well as with international aid agencies in Yangoon. In his meeting with Thein Sein, Ban stressed international aid experts should be rushed to cyclone-hit areas because the crisis was too much forMyanmarto handle alone.


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