Beijing Blood Bank Strained in Bleak Flu Season

Beijing Blood Bank Strained in Bleak Flu Season

Beijing's blood bank has seen dramatic decline in storage as fewer people visit the street blood donation buses due to the cold weather and A(H1N1) flu epidemic.

The storage has dropped to 41 percent of the normal level, according to the Beijing Red Cross Blood Center.

Deng Yaping, four-time Olympic table tennis champions and an official blood-donation promoter, urged voluntary blood donation among the public by donating her own blood at a center on Tuesday.

Beijing municipal government has adopted a new regulation on blood donation as of Monday, which bans compulsory donation and encourages voluntary donation by citizens aged 18 to 55.

Citizens are entitled to unlimited free blood for life after donating 1,000 milliliters of blood.


Snow Forecast as City Prepares for New Cold Snap

As Beijing residents prepare for more snow this weekend, the local heating office say all boilers should be in operation from today.

The China Meteorological Administration forecasted the new cold front will last from Saturday until Nov 10. And Beijing will see more snow and drizzle this weekend.

The latest data from the municipal heating service hotline showed that up to last weekend, complaint calls about heating numbered 587, up 69 percent from last week.

Despite the heating supply being provided half a month earlier than usual, the community don't need to worry about additional fees which will be subsidized by the government.


Shanghai Wins State Nod to Build Disneyland

Shanghai has won approval from China's central government to build a Disney park in the city's Pudong New Area.

The local government has drawn-up preliminary plans for the long-awaited Disney theme park in the city.

Speculation about a Disney theme park in Shanghai has been circulating for years. Earlier media reports said the $3.5 billion theme park will cover an area of 10 sq km, to be located at the east bank of Huangpu River, bordering Pudong district's Chuansha town.

The first phase of the project will be located south of Huanglou region, a 10-minute drive from Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The second and third phases will expand towards the southwest, according to Shanghai Securities News, citing an unidentified expert in urban development research in Shanghai.


Hotels Accept Bookings for Next Year's Expo

If you have plans for next year's World Expo in Shanghai, maybe you should start booking your hotel now.

More than 200 hotels in the city have started accepting bookings for the World Expo next May.

Travel agents say that although room prices are expected to rise during the event, prices would not be as high as hotels in Beijing during the Olympic Games last year.

According to travel website Ctrip.com, the average price of five-star hotels next year may be around 1,600 yuan, or US$140, while that of two and three-star hotels will be between 200 and 300 yuan. Hotels in surrounding cities, such as Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing, will also cost more.


Scared of Flying? Press the Fear iButton

People scared of flying can now press a button on their iPhone to help them deal with their panic.

Long-haul airline Virgin Atlantic Airways has launched an application, or app, for its Flying Without Fear course which boasts a success rate of over 98 percent. Apps are a source of information, games and other novelty ideas for users of Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

The airline says that this app was designed to help people overcome fear, be it of the unfamiliar aircraft, the strange noises a plane makes, or of losing control.

The airline developed the app with Mental Workout, a company developing software to help people resolve issues and increase mental performance. A spokesman from Mental Workout said an estimated one in every three adults were scared of flying.


Local Activities for Foreigners in Beijing

Just 20 years ago, a foreign person walking the streets of Beijing will get glanced from locals all around. But now, with its newly international status, Beijing's acceptance to its ex-pact population has changed.