Brazil recovers three more bodies from Air France flight 447

¡¤Threemore bodies of the victims of Air France flight 447 recovered, bringing total to 44.
¡¤First 16 recovered bodies were taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine for identification.
¡¤Brazilian military will discuss whether the search should continue after June 19.

Brazilian Air Force's
Lieutenant-Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso speaks at a press conference in
Recife, northeastern Brazil, on June 11, 2009. There is only a "remote"
chance that searchers will find all of the victims from the Air France
flight that crashed last week above the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people
aboard, Cardoso said here on Thursday. So far 44 bodies have been
recovered from the Atlantic Ocean near the crash site. (Xinhua/Brazil News
Agency)
Photo
Gallery

BRASILIA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Three more bodies of
the victims of the Air France passenger plane that crashed in the Atlantic have
been recovered near Fernando de Noronha archipelago, bringing the total number
found to 44, Brazilian Air Force said on Thursday.

The bodies were located by a plane searching the open
seas for bodies or debris from the crashed airplane, and were recovered by the
Constitution, a Brazilian navy ship, which sailed to the site later, Brazilian
Air Force's Lieutenant-Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso said.

"It is expected that the bodies will arrive at the
archipelago early on Saturday," Cardoso said.

He added that there are possibilities of finding more
bodies in the area. "However, we did not collect any remains of the plane on
Thursday," he said.

Brazilian Air Force spokesman Lieutenant
Colonel Henry Munhoz shows a searching route map at a press conference in
Recife, northeastern Brazil, on June 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Brazil News
Agency)
Photo
Gallery

Cardoso said that the first 16 recovered bodies were
taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine to be identified, while 25 other bodies
were taken to the Fernando de Noronha archipelago for preliminary
identification.

He also said the military will discuss whether the
search should continue after June 19, which is set to be the last day of the
search.

Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, vanished over
the Atlantic on June 1 after leaving Rio de Janeiro for Paris, with 228 people
on board.

French military steps up search for
bodies, black boxes of crashed plane

PARIS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A French nuclear-powered
submarine joined the search on Wednesday for the flight data and cabin voice
recorders of the Air France passenger plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
last week, the military said.

The submarine, Emeraude, began searching for the
recorders, commonly known as black boxes, in an initial zone of about 36 sq km.
It will then move to other areas in the following days. No deadline has been set
for the search. Full story

First 16 bodies from Air France crash
flown to Brazil's Recife


BRASILIA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The first 16 bodies recovered from the Air France
crash have been flown to Brazil's northeastern city of Recife for
identification, the Brazilian Air Force said Wednesday.

Upon the arrival of the C-130 transport aircraft, the
bodies were taken to a local legal medical institute where forensic experts
would begin the identification process, Air Force spokesman Ramon Cardoso said.
Full story

Bad weather hampers body recovery at
Air France plane crash site

BRASILIA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Bad weather has prevented
search crews from recovering more bodies at the Atlantic Ocean crash site of Air
France Flight 447, which fell down on May 31, Brazil's Air Force said Wednesday.

Heavy rains in Fernando de Noronha islands near the
crash site have been making it difficult for aircraft to work, Lieutenant
Colonel Ramon Cardoso said. Full story

Special Report: Air France airliner
crashes

Beijing-Taiwan Entrepreneurs Summit Meeting opens

Photo taken on June 30, 2009 shows the Beijing-Taiwan Entrepreneurs Summit Meeting opening at the International Convention Center of the National Taiwan University, in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan. Some 100 leading enterprises, business associations or sectoral units from the Chinese mainland are invited to attend the meeting, seeking new golden opportunity for intensifying economic cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. (Xinhua/Wu Ching-teng)
Photo Gallery

Distinguished guests are present at the Beijing-Taiwan Entrepreneurs Summit Meeting, which opens at the International Convention Center of the National Taiwan University, in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, June 30, 2009. Some 100 leading enterprises, business associations or sectoral units from the Chinese mainland are invited to attend the meeting, seeking new golden opportunity for intensifying economic cooperation across the Taiwan Straits. (Xinhua/Wu Ching-teng)
Photo Gallery

Brake failure caused fatal train collision in central China: company

Working staff clean the site of a train collision at the Chenzhou railway station in Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province, June 30, 2009. The collision that left three people dead early Monday was caused by brake failure, said an official of operator of the trains involved on Tuesday. The rails in both directions are in use now.(Xinhua/Li Ga)
Photo Gallery

CHENZHOU, Hunan Province, June 30 (Xinhua) -- A train collision in central China that left three people dead early Monday was caused by brake failure, said an official of operator of the trains involved on Tuesday.

The failure caused train K9017 from the provincial capital Changsha to Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to collide with another train at Chenzhou station, Hunan Province.

A train passes by the site of a train collision at the Chenzhou railway station in Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province, June 30, 2009. The collision that left three people dead early Monday was caused by brake failure, said an official of operator of the trains involved on Tuesday. The rails in both directions are in use now. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao)
Photo Gallery

It sped into a turning point and broke the rails, said Sun Jing, general manager of the Gaungzhou Railway Group, which operates the station and the two trains involved in the crash.

The train went through a red light at a speed of 55 kilometers per hour and collided with train K9063 traveling from Tongren, Guizhou Province, to Shenzhen, said Sun.

The impact drove both engines and a total of six carriages off the tracks, leaving three dead and 63 injured, including six seriously hurt, Sun said.

The Ministry of Railways had launched an investigation, but details would not be disclosed until it was complete, said Chen Hualan, director of the ministry's department of work safety.

Liang Jiakun, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety, arrived at site on late Monday and called for a thorough investigation in order to prevent such disasters recurring.

Liang called for all-out efforts to save the injured.

Working staff clean the site of a train collision at the Chenzhou railway station in Chenzhou, central China's Hunan Province, June 30, 2009. The collision that left three people dead early Monday was caused by brake failure, said an official of operator of the trains involved on Tuesday. The rails in both directions are in use now.(Xinhua/Li Ga)
Photo Gallery

Chinese State Councilor meets former U.S. Secretary of State

Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong (R) meets with Henry Kissinger, former U.S. secretary of state, in Beijing, June 29, 2009. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)Photo Gallery

BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor
Liu Yandong met here Monday with Henry Kissinger, the former U.S. secretary of
state.

Liu highlighted the robust growth of the China-U.S.
ties since the two forged diplomatic relations 30 years ago, noting that the
bilateral relations scored a good beginning and maintains positive momentum
since the Obama administration took office.

China is committed to work with the United States to
further promote the bilateral dialogue and cooperation at various levels and in
national development, education, science and technology and culture, Liu said.

Echoing on Liu's views, Kissinger defined relations
between the United States and China as one of the most important bilateral
relations in the world, saying that the two nations play vital roles in
promoting world prosperity and safeguarding the international peace and
stability.

Kissinger was here at the invitation of the Chinese
People's Institute of Foreign Affairs.

NE China's bridge collapse leaves one dead

Cranes work at Xida Bridge in Tieli, a city of notheast China's Heilongjiang Province, June 29, 2009. Part of Xida Bridge, a parallel road bridge spanning Hulan River of Tieli, collapsed early Monday, causing at least one dead, and 8 vehicles plunged into the water below. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
Photo Gallery

Rescuers work at Xida Bridge in Tieli, a city of notheast China's Heilongjiang Province, June 29, 2009. Part of Xida Bridge, a parallel road bridge spanning Hulan River of Tieli, collapsed early Monday, causing at least one dead, and 8 vehicles plunged into the water below. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
Photo Gallery