Aftershock hits the screen today

Aftershock, China's first non-English Imax film directed by Feng Xiaogang, is due to shake more movie theaters across China than any film in history, opening Thursday on more than 3,500 screens, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Aftershock follows a mother widowed by the Tangshan quake to the place where her two children are buried alive. She can only save one and chooses her son, but her daughter overhears her decision through the rubble.

Review: Aftershock is ultimately a small family melodrama revolving around perennial themes of love, forgiveness and coming-of-age. Feng ditches his usual sharp-tongued humor and feisty characters to concentrate on stimulating the tear ducts through traditional but polished storytelling technique.

Airport shuttle bus catches fire

Chinanews.com.cn reported today that an airport shuttle bus fully loaded with passengers caught fire at about 4 p.m. Wednesday in Hunan's Changsha, killing at least two and injuring 10 other passengers. The accident happened at an expressway linking Changsha's Huanghua International Airport to the city. Suspected arsonist Chen Haitao, 36, had been detained by the local police eight hours later. Police said, Chen, sitting in the rear of the vehicle, set fire to a canvas bag filled with explosives and caused the explosion.

Obama signs sweeping Wall Street overhaul into law

Vowing to stop the risky behavior on Wall Street that imperiled the U.S. economy, President Obama signed into law on Wednesday the most comprehensive financial regulatory overhaul since the Great Depression, Reuters reports.

The new law targets the kind of Wall Street risk-taking that helped trigger a global financial meltdown in 2007-2009 and also aims to strengthen consumer protections. "Because of this law, the American people will never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street's mistakes," Obama said. Influential business groups lined up to criticize the new law, however, some on Wall Street welcomed the clarity offered by the law. The financial regulatory reforms are a major achievement for Obama.

Astronomers detect 'monster star'

A star known simply as R136a1 is the most massive ever found. The star is seen to have a mass of about 265 times that of the sun, but the latest research of Sheffield University suggests at birth it could have been bigger, perhaps as much as 320 times that of the sun, and its radius is also found to be 30 times that of the sun. In the region where R136 sits, huge stars ignite and burn brief but brilliant lives before exploding as supernovas to seed the universe with heavy elements.

Womb cancer rises as women have fewer children

Rates of womb cancer have risen by almost 50 percent in the past 30 years, according to the Daily Mail. Doctors say women choosing to have fewer children or having none, is one of the main causes. The effect of this on their hormones puts them at greater risk. Experts say women are more at risk from developing it when there are higher amounts of estrogen in their blood. Levels of the hormone are lower during pregnancy, so women who have fewer children are exposed to the chemical for a longer period of time. Doctors also attribute the rise to increasing rates of obesity. Those who are overweight or obese also have much higher levels of developing womb cancer because fatty tissue converts other hormones into estrogen.

Typhoon Chanthu lands on south China

Chanthu, the third typhoon of the season, has made a landfall at the coastal area of Wuchuan City, southern China's Guangdong Province, at around 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Xinhua reported today.

The singer "Happy boy" Amguulan was sentenced to prison for three and a half years on July 21 by a Hangzhou court for speeding and drunk driving that caused the death of a pedestrian. On March 3, Amguulan drove a BMW after drinking and struck Li Rongzhen, who was riding an electric bicycle. Amguulan fled the scene, and Li died on March 24.

'Happy Boy' jailed

The singer "Happy boy" Amguulan was sentenced to prison for three and a half years on July 21 by a Hangzhou court for speeding and drunk driving that caused the death of a pedestrian, the Beijing Times reported. On March 3, Amguulan drove a BMW after drinking and struck Li Rongzhen, who was riding an electric bicycle. Amguulan fled the scene, and Li died on March 24.

U.S. widens N. Korea sanctions

The U.S. announced yesterday it would widen sanctions on North Korea in its latest gesture of solidarity with South Korea over the sinking of the Cheonan in March. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Seoul that Washington had done "intensive research" on the new targets for sanctions and warned of serious consequences if there were any new attacks by Pyongyang.

iPad hits HK market iPad

Apple's hottest iPad will hit stores in Hong Kong on July 23. The 16 GB Wi-Fi version will sell at HK$3888, while the 32 GB Wi-Fi and 64 GB Wi-Fi models cost HK$4,688 and HK$5,488 respectively, according to Apple's website. This will bring down the iPad price sold on the mainland's black market, where it usually goes for 4,000 to 6,000 yuan.

'Naked Cowboy' sues 'Naked Cowgirl'

Guitars set at 20 paces as New York street musician "The Naked Cowboy" lassoed his Times Square rival "The Naked Cowgirl" with a lawsuit. Reuters reports that Robert Burck, who earns money playing his guitar and posing for photos in midtown Manhattan wearing just white briefs, a cowboy hat and cowboy boots, sued Sandy Kane in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday for trademark violation. Burck says Kane has copied his look, which is trademarked, and has cut his profits. Kane's lawyer questioned the validity of the "Naked Cowboy" trademark said Kane never committed any infringement.

Poisonous romantic movies

According to the Daily Mail, research concludes that romantic comedies cause couples to wonder why their relationships don't match the light-hearted fun and happiness they see on screen. Of 1,000 polled, almost half said rom-coms have ruined their view of an ideal relationship. Counselor Gabrielle Morrissey, who conducted the study, said that 90 minutes of fun in the cinema can ruin life for weeks, months or even years afterward.

(China.org.cn)