8 Jul 2015 timeoutshanghai.com
Winter in Shanghai was challenging – now Summer is coming !
Probably the event of most immediate concern for all of us is the predicted arrival of Typhoon Chan-Hom – part of a cluster of three typhoons that have developed in the north west pacific ocean in the past couple of days. Two of these typhoons, Chan-hom and Linfa, will hit Mainland China. Chan-Hom is forecast to reach the coast of Zhejiang on the night of Friday 10 July. Chan-Hom shouldn’t strike Shanghai directly, although the city will be affected. Fortunately for us it’s only going to be a super typhoon. Shit, actually that doesn’t sound so good does it? Indeed, super typhoons are storms that can reach maximum wind speeds of 150mph.
Monday having been the coldest July day on record in 112 years (with the mercury barely reaching 21 degrees in Xujiahui and a mere 18 degrees in Pudong), once Plum Rain season finishes (and presumably it will at some point), we’re going to be in store for another absolute scorcher of a summer, with temperatures forecast to top out at 39 degrees.
Jul 3, 2015 straitstimes.com
University ‘sells’ top students on Taobao
A Chinese university has launched a website featuring profiles of its students and invited potential employers to bid for them, as some 7.5 million Chinese graduates prepare to hit the stagnant job market this year. The “Talent Shop”, hosted by eBay equivalent Taobao, was announced by Kunming University on Thursday at its graduation ceremony for 4,650 students whose prospects are dimmed by the country’s plateauing economy, Xinhua news agency reported. Each graduate is pictured on the site along with their information. Companies that show interest can pay a 1,000-yuan deposit, and the university will help set up interviews between them.
June 25, 2015 usa.chinadaily.com.cn
Take care of what you eat in China!
Fourteen gangs involved in the smuggling of frozen meat products that pose huge health risks have been hunted down and the products seized in a recent crackdown, the General Administration of Customs said. Customs officials sealed more than 100,000 metric tons of smuggled frozen meat worth up to 3 billion yuan ($483 million), including frozen chicken wings, beef and pork, the administration said. The crackdown took place in June in 14 provinces and regions.
In China hat es zuletzt immer wieder Skandale um verdorbene oder verunreinigte Lebensmittel gegeben. McDonald’s strich wegen Problemen mit Gammelfleisch 2014 Bic Macs von chinesischen Speisekarten der Fast-Food-Kette. 2008 starben in dem Land mindestens sechs Kleinkinder, nachdem sie mit Melamin belastete Milch getrunken hatten. Im April traten laut Nachrichtenagentur AFP strengere Regeln für den Umgang mit Lebensmitteln in Kraft.
More to read: China’s tainted meat scandal explained – edition.cnn.com
June 10, 2015 usatoday.com / wsj.com
Ship sinks in China’s Yangtze River
So far, only 97 bodies have been found. More than 450 people were aboard the Eastern Star when it capsized on a trip from Nanjing to Chongqing. There were only 14 survivors, including three pulled by divers from air pockets in the overturned boat on Tuesday after rescuers tapped the hull and heard responding yells from inside.
June, 2015 londoncabs.co.uk
Shanghai taxi drivers among ‘worst in the world’
Shanghai’s taxi drivers are among the ten worst in the world, at least according to a list published by British website Londoncabs.co.uk. A look at some of ‘the worst drivers imaginable’ around the world from the point of view of tourists, the list places drivers in Kuala Lumpur at number one, followed by the cabbies of Rome and Bangkok. Shanghai’s drivers have the dubious honour of being named ninth in the list, behind Cairo but just ahead of Moscow.