Beijing Daily Messenger
February 20, 2008

The front page photo on today's Beijing Daily Messenger is of popular Hong Kong actress Lydia Shum Din-Ha. Shum, also known as Fei-fei, died of liver cancer yesterday morning. She was well-known for her comic roles in film and on TV. See the Variety Asia obituary for more information.

The bold headline at the top of the page proclaims that Beijing has nearly 30,000 unfilled positions. That number was revealed in an employment report published by the city's Bureau of Labour and Social Security. The report notes that more than half those positions are in the service industry, with machine operation in second place.

Other headlines:

• The Beijing City Government will issue a new regulation mandating that restrooms in shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels must be accessible to the public.

• The BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) construction proposal on Anli Road was approved yesterday. After the project is complete, it will greatly reduce traffic pressures in the two northern communities of Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan. See this Sexy Beijing video for detail on Beijing's current BRT system.

• As yesterday's front page predicted, January's CPI set an eleven-year high of 7.1%.

• A small photo at the bottom of the page concerns the popular FOX TV series Prison Break. Chinese media has been paying close attention to developments in the series because of its strong online following, despite the fact that it is not likely to ever be shown in the country legally. The paper reports that the third season was finished in a rush.