All news sites are not created equally

China is never far from the news wherever we look, whether it.s the latest on the value of the Renminbi or another big trade deal. In fact, there is so much news .ying around its dif.cult to know where the best places to .nd quality information are. EuroBiz takes a look at the best on-line English-language sources for Chinese news.

China View (www.chinaview.cn) is run by state-owned Xinhua news agency, and as you might expect, presents matters from a distinctly pro-PRC perspec-tive. Despite the shortcomings of that position, China View is useful in that it clearly states the of.cial view on all the big issues of the day. Its reporting of foreign news tends to be more impartial, depending on who and what is being discussed. The site is also business-friendly, showing up-to-date market and currency information on the front page for quick viewing. It.s not all seri-ous stuff, however as a selection of glamor-ous fashion pictures can often be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page

The Standard (www.thestandard.com.hk) brands itself as .China.s Business Newspaper. and by and large lives up to its promise, with in-depth analysis of current busi-ness events. Being Hong Kong-based gives the publication a bit more indepen-dence than Mainland publications, and the site is always worth a look for an alternative view of domestic Chinese stories. Coverage is also given to non-business matters, includ-ing world news, sport, and lifestyle sections, in addition to an incisive opinion column.

Giving more news from the Chinese point of view is the only national English language news-paper in the coun-try, China Daily (www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/home/index.html). The publication is often cited by foreign news organizations and was the first Chinese paper to go online in 1995. Major news stories from around the world are the order of the day here, alongside accounts of big regional events. A useful feature for students of Chinese is the character translations of selected words under the .Bilingual News. section.

It describes itself as being .committed to helping the world know more about China and the country.s integration with the in-ternational community. and as a .quality broadsheet. so expect its online edition to re.ect its status as China.s most established English news provider.

The South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com/) is another internationally- recognized media outlet in the greater China area. A Hong Kong-based publication, the online edition has news on just about everything. Stories on the front page are focused on the Asia-Paci.c region, which is handy if you only need to know what.s going on in East Asia. An .editor.s picks. section draws the reader.s attention to interesting stories that might otherwise be lost amidst the crowd, and a .Top Ten. list has the most clicked stories of the past week so you can see what.s been tickling everyone else.s fancy. You.ll need to subscribe first though before you can get beyond the front page.

CCTV is China.s state-run television net-work (www.cctv.com/english/index.shtml) and has an attrac-tive and easy to read appearance which draws the reader in. It has an in-depth English news section that naturally re.ects areas of Chinese interest. A .culture and sport. homepage focuses mainly on the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, whilst a video section al-lows those with a fast enough net connection to download and watch Chinese newscasters read the headlines of the day.

Those seeking purely business news should direct their browsers towards ChinaBiz (www.cbiz.cn/). Run by Shanghai-based journalist Fons Tuinstra, the site gives comprehen-sive information on all matters of commercial news. Stories are divided into different channels, including marketing, .nance, construction and trade, to make .nding stories from any particular sphere of interest very straight-forward. Handy features on the front page include a live currency converter and world weather details.

Funny money

News from around China that the international business press may have missed

Doggy spray

A group of Chinese students won a coveted design award for their innovative solution for the rather pungent problem faced by dog owners. The D&AD Student of the Year Award 2005 was won by WeiWei He, Chuan Shi and Wen Ying Lu from Central Saint Mar-tins College of Art and Design in London, UK. The talented trio won their award in a Product Design & Innovation category for invent-ing a spray that freezes dog droppings, making their disposal a little less unpleasant. Garrick Hamm, D&AD education chairman said: "I always hope to come away from student judg-ing with the names of a couple of new, excit-ing creatives, or a killer idea to share with the rest of my studio - but nothing prepared me for dog dirt!

Measure by measure

In the latest move to quietly control the masses, the Luwan District government in Shanghai at-tempted to impose a .ne for uneaten restaurant food. Under the initiative, patrons who .nished less than 250 grams of their meal would have to pay a 30 percent surcharge. Most trouble-some is the matter of how restaurants would have gone about measuring diners' intakes - probably a question best left to the imagina-tion. The district said their goal was to avoid waste and promote ef.ciency, but customers complained vehemently that the measure was a violation of their rights, claiming that once a customer pays for something - be it a TV or a meal - they should be able to do with it what they like. Unsurprisingly, businesses have not caught on to the idea either, and the scheme has been - appropriately - dumped.

Magic pants

Thanks to new Chinese-made clothing there will be no more .going commando', for British soldiers serving in desert war zones. Regiments in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be kitted out with new gear, including anti-microbial underpants designed to reduce what could be euphemistically described as .cha.ng'. The underwear is already widely used by athletes and it is the first time the UK Army has issued underpants as part of its standard kit. The special pants so far only exist in unisex versions, and have small particles of silver woven into the material to prevent sweating and rashes down below. Seems that China scores again - this time below the belt.