Snow Takes its Toll

Heavy snow has killed 24 people in China since January 10 and direct economic losses are estimated at 22.09 billion yuan ($3.1 billion), the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on January 28.

More than 77.86 million people had been affected by the snow in 14 provinces, including Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan by 2 p.m. of that day, according to the ministry.

Among the deaths, 10 were killed in collapses of homes weighed down by the snow and another 10 died after falling on slippery roads. Two people drowned and two were hit by falling trees laden with heavy snow.

The snow has affected more than 4.2 million hectares of farmland, led to the collapse of about 107,000 houses and damaged 399,000 other homes.

Lottery Money to the Needy

China spent a record 106 billion yuan ($14.7 billion) on welfare programs in 2007, with almost a fifth of the funding coming from record lottery revenues.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said that welfare expenditure increased by 34.6 percent over the previous year. A major source of funding for social welfare programs, the Welfare Lottery, which contributed more than 21 billion yuan ($2.9 billion), saw a 25.1 percent rise in sales to 63 billion yuan ($8.75 billion) last year.

The government spent more than 27 billion yuan ($3.75 billion) on guaranteed subsistence allowances for needy urban people, up 23.7 percent from 2006, and allocated 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) to needy rural households, 150 percent more than the 2006 figure, according to the ministry.

Medical Expenses Under Control

The Chinese Government has issued a circular intended to tighten control of costs for medical services and drugs.

According to the circular, jointly issued by the Ministry of Health and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, public health and traditional Chinese medicine administrations should set up control indices for medical care organizations of all kinds and prohibit them from raising fees or charges without government approval, charging extra fees for unregistered services or repeatedly charging fees for the same service.

Wedding On Olympic Opening Day

Chinese couples that wish to get hitched on the opening day of the Beijing Olympic Games may be able to, if they apply in advance. Couples wishing to wed on that day were worried that wedding service workers in the capital, including government employees, would enjoy some days off work during the Olympics to watch the games and to ease the burden on Beijing's congested roads.

Guo Xusheng, Spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, refuted rumors that marriage registration offices of the bureau would close on August 8.

The Chinese traditionally consider "eight" a lucky number because it sounds like fa, the word for wealth and fortune. Many young couples choose August 8 to tie the knot, hoping some of the auspicious "eighth of the eighth" luck will rub off on them. Last August 8 saw 3,390 couples get married in Beijing.

Online Heaven for Tibet Lovers

TibetCulture.net, the official website of the China Association for the Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture (CAPDTC) launched its English and Tibetan versions and upgraded its Chinese version on January 25. The English version has sections on history, culture, religion, Tibetology, customs, Tibetan medicine, education, art and travel in Tibet.

All three language versions of TibetCulture.net have launched selected columns to provide a new platform for surfers from home and abroad to understand the real Tibet.

CAPDTC is a non-governmental organization consisting of volunteers from home and abroad who love Tibetan culture and care for its preservation and development. On July 20, 2007, CAPDTC was officially granted UN Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council.