?

Ping-pong players replay history

A ping-pong friendship match was played in Beijing this week to mark the 30th anniversary of China-US diplomatic relations. Judy Bochenski-Hoarfrost, a former member of the United States' table tennis team, played against China's former world champion Liang Geliang. Both played a role in the "ping-pong diplomacy" of 1971, which thawed Cold War tensions between Washington and Beijing, helping to establish diplomatic ties.

Quake roads now reopened

Construction workers in Sichuan's quake-hit regions were able to rest and rejoice after nearly eight months of hard work came to an end Tuesday. The provincial government announced that all roads destroyed by the May 12 earthquake have reopened, including the 12 km-long road that links the village of Zhitai, located near the epicenter, to the No 317 national highway.

Bush, Obama and 3 ex-presidents gethered

Picking up on an idea from Obama, President George W. Bush hosted a lunch this week for the incoming president and three living former presidents: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. George W. Bush and Obama also met privately for roughly 30 minutes in the Oval Office before the lunch, just thirteen days before Obama's inauguration.

Russia shuts down gas to Ukraine

Russian gas flows to Europe through Ukraine shut down completely this week, reducing power to industries and homes in south-east Europe, and disrupting supplies to major economies. The shutdown, triggered by a price dispute between Moscow and Kiev, hit gas supplies as far west as France and Germany as Europe faced freezing mid-winter temperatures.

Israel continues to pound Gaza, considers truce

Israel Wednesday deferred a decision on whether to order its armed forces to storm the Gaza Strip's urban centers. The decision was put on hold due to joint Egypt-France efforts to secure a truce with Hamas, an Israeli official said. But violence resumed in the area soon after the 1-4 pm truce expired. Israel said it would cease attacks in the Gaza Strip during those hours daily to ease the flow of aid to residents. Israeli attacks have killed more than 640 Palestinians, medics say, while Hamas rockets have claimed four Israeli lives. And yesterday, in an attack seen as linked to Israel’s war on Hamas Islamists, several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel, slightly wounding two people.

Beijing bans entry of live poultry

Beijing authorities have banned all live poultry from other parts of the country from entering the capital, after a woman died from the H5N1 bird flu virus earlier this week. Only poultry certified safe by the city's animal disease control authorities will be allowed in. The Beijing municipal bureau of agriculture issued an alert to intensify the monitoring of trade in live poultry. Meanwhile, animal disease control personnel launched inspections of city slaughterhouses and poultry farms. Huang Yanqing, 19, a native of Fujian province, bought nine ducks from a market in Hebei on December 19. She became ill on December 24 and was hospitalized before dying in Beijing.

Millions are homeward bound early

Railway stations across the country have been encountering an early travel rush as thousands of migrant workers return home for the Spring Festival holiday. The Ministry of Railways estimates that railways will carry a record 188 million passengers across the country this year during the Spring Festival season; that’s eight percent more than last year. Although the official holiday is three weeks away, millions are heading home early because many have lost their jobs as a result of the financial crisis. During the three-day New Year holiday alone, more than 520,000 people boarded trains at the Beijing Railway Station.

Ice and snow festival starts in Harbin

Giant ice sculptures are now on display in Harbin as the 25th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival began Monday. Over 50 million yuan and 100,000 cubic meters of ice were used for the sculptures. Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, is one of the country's coldest places, where winter temperatures can drop to below -35 C.

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.