Verdicts in tainted milk case

Two were sentenced to death and one received life imprisonment for their roles in the melamine contaminated milk case. Zhang Yujun was handed the death penalty for producing 776 tonnes of melamine. The court also convicted Geng Jinping of adding melamine to milk and selling it to dairy companies. The former head of Sanlu, Tian Wenhua received a life sentence for failing to stop producing and selling milk products even after she was informed of the contamination.

Vouchers to lure tourists to Hangzhou

Coupons worth almost 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in discounts will be handed out to tourists in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, to boost visitor numbers during the financial crisis. The coupons can pay for entrance fees to the city’s tourist spots as well as buy tickets for entertainment events or food. The vouchers are targeted at people living in the Yangtze Delta region and Shanghai.

Russia and Ukraine reach deal on gas flow

Gas is flowing again after Russia and Ukraine signed a deal Monday to restore natural gas shipments to Ukraine. It finally ended the nearly two-week cutoff of most Russian gas to freezing Europe. This agreement is a 10-year deal. The exact price was not disclosed, but it will be more than Kiev paid last year but less than Russia's previous demand of $450 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Beijing to restore churches, mosques, temples

The Beijing government plans to rebuild or restore 12 churches, mosques and temples. The move is aimed to give Christians, both Catholics and Protestants, Muslims, Buddhists and Daoists better access to places of worship. The city will spend 12 million yuan ($1.75 million).

Obama becomes 44th US President

A day after being sworn in as the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama plunged into governing a country he has vowed to change. After attending 10 inaugural balls until 1am, Obama started work early the next morning, meeting with members of the National Security Council and the US military commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq. He and his wife Michelle also welcomed hundreds of people to the White House in a bid to make his administration more accessible to the public. Around noon eastern time January 20, Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the US. Some two million people gathered on National Mall from the Capitol to beyond the Washington Monument to watch the historic event.

Israel pulls out of the Gaza Strip

On Wednesday Israel said it completed its pull out of the Gaza Strip following its 22-day offensive. Israel had withdrawn most of its troops before Barack Obama was sworn into office Tuesday, a move analysts say is an attempt to avoid any early tensions with the new administration. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon toured Gaza’s rubble-strewn streets and described the destruction he saw as heartbreaking. He estimated some $330 million is needed for urgent aid in the coastal enclave. Palestinians claim over 1,200 Gazans were killed and over 4,300 wounded, mostly civilians. But Israel disputes the numbers, accusing Hamas of inflating the numbers.

Third person dies of bird flu

A 16-year-old student died of bird flu in Hunan province Tuesday, the third fatality in China this year. The boy, surnamed Wu developed a fever on January 8 and was admitted to hospital, but doctors were unable to save him. Four people have been confirmed as becoming infected with bird flu in the past two weeks, three of whom have died. Since the reemergence of the flu in China in 2003, 34 people have been infected and 23 have died. The two recent victims were a 19-year-old Beijing woman and a 27-year-old woman in Shandong province.

Pic Welcoming the Year of the Ox

This weekend China is gearing up for the biggest holiday of the year, chun jie or Spring Festival.

Millions of people are making their way back home to celebrate New Year’s Eve with their families on Sunday.

During the holiday many will be eating delicious dishes including jiaozi or dumplings, shopping for flowers and goods at temple fairs, and watching entertaining performances.