Fake drug firms buy top spots on Baidu

Baidu has been accused of letting unlicensed drug producers buy higher rankings on its results page. By paying Baidu a fee, counterfeit drug websites can ensure a prominent position in search rankings, CCTV reported last Sunday. Up to 75% of the producers' profits go to pay Baidu's fees. At peak times, Baidu makes around 30 million yuan a day through this service alone.

700 mln middle-class expected by 2020

The Chinese middle-class is expected to be 700 million strong by 2020, according to a survey by Euromonitor International, a leading independent provider of business intelligence. People who earn US$11,800-17,700(79,945-119,918 yuan) per year are categorized as middle-class in China. They currently make up 23% of the population. According to the national population development strategy research, when China's population hits 1.45 billion in 2020, the rising middle-class will account for 48%of the nation.

US report claims China shoots down satellite

For the second time in three years, China has shot down one of its failed satellites with a missile, China Daily reported, citing US-based Foreign Policy magazine as its source. The reported shooting down took place at almost the same time as a successful missile interception test that China conducted on Jan 11. The destruction of the satellite demonstrates China's defensive missile capability, the magazine said. Military scholars believe the missile interception test was directed against the Patriot missile defense system that Taiwan was in the process of buying from the US in January.

Brad Miller joins Houston

The Houston Rockets have signed free-agent center Brad Miller on a 3-year $15 million contract. Miller played last season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 8.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Miller should fit in nicely backing up center Yao Ming for Houston. 34-year-old Miller is also useful in limited minutes with his jump shots and above average passing.

GM of Shanghai VW killed in car crash

General Manager Liu Jian of Shanghai Volkswagen was killed in a car crash yesterday in Dunhuang, Gansu Province. The company said today that Liu's Tiguan car collided with a truck carrying construction materials as he was heading to a meeting. Three other officials from Shanghai VW were also killed in the accident.

Three Gorges faces 'biggest challenge'

The Three Gorges reservoir is facing its biggest challenge since it began operation with a major flood building up in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The peak flow of the coming flood is forecast to reach 70,000 cubic meters per second in the next 2-3 days, greater than the 50,000 cubic meters per second seen during the flood of 1998.

The Three Gorges reservoir is facing its biggest challenge since it began operation with a major flood building up in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The peak flow of the coming flood is forecast to reach 70,000 cubic meters per second in the next 2-3 days, greater than the 50,000 cubic meters per second seen during the flood of 1998.

Young migrant workers want to stay in cities

According to a recent survey of young migrant workers published by the Shenzhen Municipal Trade Union, only 1% of them want to return to the countryside. Young migrant workers face problems because they are officially rural residents and find it difficult to integrate into the cities where they work and live. It is estimated that Shenzhen has over 7 million migrant workers with medical insurance, 73.8% of whom are young migrant workers.

Indian students flock to plastic surgery

According to the Guardian, cosmetic surgery specialists in Delhi, India, report hundreds of inquiries from middle-class students who are prepared to do anything to make a good first impression in their first week in college, including going under the knife. "It's only really taken off recently. The rush starts in May because term starts in July," Dr. Amit Gupta, a cosmetic surgeon, said, "I get dozens of telephone calls and end up doing eight or nine operations a month. Multiplied across all the clinics in the city you are looking at a pretty major amount."

I fathered my baby 22 years ago

John, 37, from Burton, Derby, was just 14 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but made the decision to have his sperm frozen before undergoing chemotherapy. Four weeks ago, he and his wife Beckie gave birth to a healthy boy, named Joseph. Joe is even more special to John, as he now faces his fifth battle against cancer, the News of the World reported. Experts say the case set a UK medical record for the length of time sperm has been frozen before being used in a successful pregnancy. The world record, set in the US, is 28 years.

Hamas bans women from smoking water pipes

Hamas has banned women from smoking water pipes in cafes, saying it destroys marriages and sullies the image of the Palestinian people. "It is inappropriate for a woman to sit cross-legged and smoke in public," Ihab Ghussein, the interior ministry spokesman, said yesterday. Confused owners initially thought the ban applied to both men and women, killing most of their evening business. The Hamas government swiftly issued a statement reassuring residents the ban only applied to women.

(China.org.cn July 22, 2010)