The Beijing News
December 25, 2008

A shopping mall called Lecheng International (乐城国际) under construction in Chaoyang District in Beijing caught fire yesterday afternoon (see the front page image).

It is believed that some workmen were using welding equipment and the sparks ignited chemicals which caused the blast. Hundreds of people in the building were evacuated before the fired was finally put out. No casualties have been reported.

Yesterday in Haidian District, an explosion, which was apparently caused by a gas leak, left an 11-year-old girl dead and her mother in critical condition. The explosion blew a hole through the floor. A firefighter fell into the hole and had one leg broken.

Also on the front page

● The Shijiazhuang Intermediate Court approved milk manufacturer Sanlu's bankruptcy. A former subsidiary company will assume responsibility for the sale of the company's assets and payment of creditors.

● A wolf was sighted around Beijing's Badaling Great Wall scenic region recently. The animal was later sedated and caught by the personal from the nearby wild park. According to the park, once the wolf is confirmed to be wild, it will be released into the wild.

Inside the newspaper

● Today's entertainment section announced the death of a former Japanese AV (adult video or soft porn) actress Ai Iijima, who apparently was very popular among the Chinese audiences. She was found dead yesterday in her apartment in Tokyo, Japan and the police are still investigating the cause of her death.