Hundreds of people in a central province have been expelled from the communist party or fired from their government posts for violating the nation’s “one-child” policy.

As reported, authorities have forced a leading Chinese chorus to cancel a concert of Christian-themed music in Beijing recently. The Ministry of Culture ordered the chorus of the China National Orchestra to withdraw from a Saturday night concert.

Taiwan pop diva Chang Hui-mei was forced to cancel a concert recently after mainland media and fans boycotted the singer for her alleged pro-independence stance.

Up to 200 babies who were fed the formula developed what doctors called “big head disease,” causing the infants’heads to grow abnormally large while their bodies wasted away. Some babies died within three days of being fed the formula, while others were hospitalized after parents discovered their children were sick.

Pope John Paul recently welcomed the 10 new nations of the European Union but said the bloc could only face the challenges of the 21st century if it defended its Christian roots.He said “only a Europe that dose not remove, but rediscovers its Christian roots will reach the stature needed for the great challenges of the third millennium: peace, dialogue between cultures and religions, the safeguarding of creation.”

English is one of Singapore’s four official languages. Most Singaporeans speak British accented English inherited from colonial times, but people here also speak a so called Singlish. Fearful that foreigners wouldn’t understand locals, the government first launched its Speak Good English campaign in 2000 to combat Singlish, this year’s campaign is aimed at the service industry as Singapore tries to woo more tourist.

Researchers found the number of the cancer cases clearly followed the rise intake of carbonated soft drinks. That could be coincidence, but they also found research that showed a possible biological basis for the effect. Carbonated soft drinks cause the stomach to distend, which in turn causes the gastric reflux associated with esophageal cancer.

Survey said the Singapore government has gone out of its way to create a comfortable living environment for expatriates. These expatriates are frequently well paid, and Singapore is “doing a good job” in making sure they live in a more comfortable environment than alterative locations like San Francisco and Sydney.

Pope John Paul marked his 84th birthday recently with the launch of a book sure to become a bestseller. In it he takes perhaps his last trip down memory lane, recalling carrying a sleeping bag in a grubby Polish train to his twilight years as pontiff. The book is a stream of consciousness from youth to old age, from vigor to fatigue, that covers mostly the years since 1958,when he was appointed Poland’s youngest bishop at age 38.

The customs officials said that passengers, particularly inbound passengers, presumably most of them Taiwan citizens returning from trips to China, are now allowed to carry Renminbi with them as part of the authority's efforts to increase convenience for people amid the rapid rise in cross-strait exchanges.