June 11, 2008
The top headline of today’s The Beijing News announces the opening session of the 16th National Congress of The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC). Nine top leaders of the Politburo were present at the first meeting. According to the article, there are currently 75.44 million CYLC members in China.
The next headline reports on the discovery of the rescue helicopter that went missing in the Sichuan earthquake zone. All five crew members and fourteen passengers aboard were confirmed dead.
Yesterday was the first weekday after the introduction of the Beijing Subway’s automatic ticketing system, and it seems that the new system needs improvement. The front page picture shows a crowd of people waiting outside the subway station at the Beijing Railway Station. Two of the exits from the station are currently under construction and the two remaining exits have proven insufficient to deal with all the station’s commuters. According to the article, many passengers still do not understand how to use the new automatic system. For safety reasons, the Beijing Subway Group has decided to close the whole station and has not announced when it will reopen. For more information, see The Beijinger.
One other headline reveals that the Beijing Labour and Social Securities Bureau has published this year’s salary suggestions, recommending that businesses in Beijing raise their salaries 11.5% to counter inflation.