1. Vice premier: Death toll of SW China earthquake to exceed 80,000 
2. Chinese vice premier outlines eight-year plan for quake zone 
3. Beijing strives to improve air quality as Games draw near 
4. Long and winding road to improve taxis before Beijing Olympics

1. Vice premier: Death toll of SW China earthquake to exceed 80,000

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu said on Tuesday the death toll of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the southwestern Sichuan Province is estimated to exceed 80,000.

The death toll of the earthquake stood at 69,181 as of Monday noon, with 374,171 people injured and 18,498 people reported missing, Hui said.

Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)

2. Chinese vice premier outlines eight-year plan for quake zone

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Tuesday outlined an eight-year plan for reconstruction and development for areas devastated by the May 12 earthquake.

Delivering a report to the country's top legislature, Hui said, "Our priorities are resettling the affected people, repairing infrastructure and preventing disease outbreaks and earthquake-related disasters.

"The earthquake caused huge losses, and reconstruction is a pressing and long-term task," said Hui who is also deputy head of the State Council's earthquake relief headquarters at the opening of the third session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress.

The focus of the operation had shifted from rescue to relief and reconstruction.

"We plan to spend three years to complete preliminary reconstruction and further develop the quake-hit regions in the following five years," he said.

To fund relief and reconstruction, the State Council tabled a plan on adjustment of central budget to establish a reconstruction fund at the Tuesday's NPC session.

Hui said 40 billion yuan from the reconstruction fund would be dedicated to subsidize the rebuilding and repair of farmers' homes.

Minister of Finance Xie Xuren said the central government would allocate 70 billion yuan (10.14 billion U.S. dollars) this year to establish a reconstruction fund for the quake-hit regions, which will be included in this year's budget.

Sixty billion yuan would come from the stability and regulation fund of the central budget, 5 billion from vehicle purchase tax revenue, 1 billion from the welfare lottery fund, and 4 billion from the state-owned assets operations budget.

To date, 54.31 billion yuan from both central and local governments had been allocated to relief and reconstruction.

Xie said the government will strengthen administration and supervision of the fund, and prevent embezzlement of the fund.

"Reports on fund use will be made to the NPC and its Standing Committee," he added.

After the earthquake, more than 7.78 million homes collapsed and 24.5 million were damaged, latest figures showed.

The earthquake had claimed 69,181 lives and left 374,171 injured and 18,498 missing as of noon on Monday.

"The quake in Sichuan was the most destructive one ever occurred in China which affects almost all parts of the country and presents the greatest difficulty in disaster rescue and relief," Hui said after summarizing the rescue and relief operation at the meeting chaired by Wu Bangguo, the NPC Standing Committee chairman.

Since the earthquake centered on Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, 84,017 survivors had been rescued from the debris, more than 2.04 million injured hospitalized and 15.1 million people relocated to safe areas.

Last month, the Cabinet had ordered central government departments to cut budgets by 5 percent this year to help the disaster relief operation. The government also called on the public to live more frugally and vowed to freeze the approval of any new office buildings for government bodies.

The government also promised further funds would be allocated for the reconstruction of quake-hit areas in the following years.

Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)

3. Beijing strives to improve air quality as Games draw near

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- When Li Jingmin drove to work on Monday, the Beijing resident found he had arrived at his destination 10 minutes earlier than usual.

His early arrival was due to it being the first day when half of the government's motor vehicles were kept off the roads, in line with a traffic ban issued by the Beijing Municipal Government.

"Between June 23 and July 19, only half of the 22,800 vehicles used by all-level party organs, governments and public institutions under the Beijing administration will be allowed to use the road," it stated.

The ban was among the latest pre-Olympic drives to ease the capital's traffic congestion, and more importantly, to improve air quality.

Other traffic bans include an even-odd system based on license plate numbers that will keep vehicles off the road on alternate days between July 20 and September 20 and a suspension of 70 percent of government motor vehicles during that period of time.

"This will definitely bring inconvenience when my wife and I have to turn to the subway or a car pool when my car is banned," Li said. "But it is totally understandable because air quality will become better when cars become less."

In a city where one-third of the air pollution is from vehicle exhaust, the bans are of critical importance in hosting a "Green Olympics."

"Thanks to the bans, vehicle emissions during the Olympic Games are expected to drop by 63 percent," said Du Shaozhong, Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau deputy chief.

In addition to curbing the pollution of the city's 3.3 million vehicles, Beijing has taken other measures. These include relocating the city's major steel makers and prohibiting neighboring provinces from burning straw.

"We have the confidence and capacity to provide good air quality for the Beijing Olympics," Du said.

His confidence does not seem out of nowhere.

Statistics showed air quality in Beijing had improved for nine straight years since its Olympic bid in 1998. Major air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, have decreased by 10 to 60 percent.

"China has made achievements in the past five years what it took the Europe 20 to 25 years to achieve in terms of the air quality improvement," said Ivo Allegrini, head of the Institute for Atmospheric Pollution of the Research National Council in Italy.

The Beijing Olympic Games take place on August 8-24, followed by the Paralympics September 6-17. About 500,000 foreigners are expected to attend.

A couple of days ago, China's Vice President Xi Jinping ordered strengthening efforts in improving the environment and air quality and living up to the promise of sound air quality during the Olympics.

The government has officially included foreigners in a 12 member expert panel on air quality during the Games. Such a make up would ensure the authority and transparency in air quality monitoring and forecasting during the Games.

Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)

4. Long and winding road to improve taxis before Beijing Olympics

BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Traffic authorities here are stepping up scrutiny of sub-standard taxi services and vowing severe penalties for cab drivers who refuse passengers, take indirect routes to drive up the meter (or refuse to use the meter at all), or keep dirty cabs on the road.

The complex road system of the Chinese capital city has, many visitors to the city contend, provided an excuse for drivers to take circuitous and expensive routes on the pretense of avoiding traffic jams.

But according to the Beijing Municipal Transportation Law Enforcement General Team, such drivers will be fined 1,000 to 2,000 yuan (about 143 to 286 U.S. dollars) from now on. Drivers will also be fined 200 yuan if their vehicle is dirty, especially the seats.

More than 200 traffic supervisors will carry out surprise checks once a week to stamp out such practices, and other inspectors will monitor taxis at intersections.

The effort will focus on areas surrounding dozens of Olympic-appointed hotels including the Peninsula Palace Hotel and Sunworld Dynasty Hotel in Wangfujing Street, a shopping and hotel area in downtown Beijing.

Stepped-up supervision is already in progress at several Beijing transportation hubs, including the Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 and Sihui Long Distance Bus Station.

In addition, rent-a-car companies in the city will adopt a new rate schedule from July 20 to Sept. 20, reported the Beijing Times. Rates for all kinds of cars will be two to five times current levels.

The policy is said to be a result of the city's even-odd system based on license plate numbers that will keep about 50 percent of vehicles off the road on alternate days from July 20 to Sept. 20 to ease congestion and improve air quality.

The Ministry of Public Security also recently announced that large trucks would be barred from certain traffic routes in the central city. From July 1 to Sept. 20, out-of-town trucks will have to detour along National highway 112, which circles Beijing, to enter the capital, according to the decision.

Some trucks will be exempt, such as those carrying fresh farm products like vegetables and live pigs, but even these must have official certificates.

On Monday, half of the 22,800 vehicles used by all-level Party organs, governments and public institutions in Beijing were kept off the road in line with a one-month traffic restriction on government motor vehicles issued by the Beijing Municipal Government.

Source: Xinhua (www.chinaview.cn)