Work Starts on World's Largest Shipbuilding Base...Fifth Ring Road to Stop Charging Toll...67 Poisoned Students Recovering from Food Poisoning...  
 
Construction has begun on what is being billed as the world's biggest shipyard, with operations expected to commence four years later.

The shipyard, covering eight kilometres of coast along Shanghai's Changxign Island, will be fully operational by 2015 with annual capacity of eight million tons.

The 3.6 billion dollar project aims to make China the world's leading shipbuilding nation by transforming the country's state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation into the world's largest shipmaker.

An official from the company says the yard will be capable of churning out high-tech liquefied natural gas carriers, supertankers and luxury liners.

It will also help boost relevant industries such as steel and engine manufacturing, and create job opportunities for more than 80,000 people.
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Beijing's fifth ring road will stop charging tolls in the coming year as it takes on the role of urban expressway.

A number of entrances, exits and auxiliary roads will be anewed or reconstructed.

The fifth ring road, located on the outskirts of Beijing, is nearly 100km long. It connects several large residential areas, Olympic venues, science parks and the economic development zone.

However, since it is a charged road, few cars would take the way after it opened earlier this year.

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A total of 67 students suffering from food poisoning are recovering from what police considered by inference was a deliberate food poisoning in Hengyang city in central China's Henan Province.

The poisoning took place Saturday at a privately owned college that enrolls students from across the country.

About half an hour after breakfast, a number of students began vomiting and suffered bouts of diarrhea, stomachache and convulsions.

They were all in stable condition on Sunday afternoon, and doctors believed they were poisoned with amine-phosphate, a product used in fertilizer.