[+/-] : Suppliers expect higher antimony prices

As the European spot market continues to strengthen and raw material supply keeps tightening in China, suppliers expect higher prices of antimony ingot in the short term.

A Hunan-based producer who just sold some antimony ingot at RMB42,000/t (USD6,000/t) ex works holds a positive attitude towards the market. The source revealed that as the government is enhancing the control of dynamite used in mining, raw material supply goes tighter. Therefore, the antimony ingot price will not move down in a short time. Additionally, psychological factors are also help market sentiments keep high. "As long as the market runs high in Europe, Chinese suppliers will not allow the price to decrease easily," said the source.

The smelter is running with an output of around 300tpm and holds a small quantity of stocks on hand. The source revealed that the prevailing price was at around RMB41,500/t (USD5,929/t) ex works last week.

A Shanghai-based trader also predicts that the antimony ingot price may move up further in the near future, though demand in domestic market is not very strong.

"The antimony price in Europe continues to rise, which stimulates producers to quote higher prices," said the source, adding that the offer received yesterday was as high as RMB42,300/t (USD6,043/t) ex works, RMB500/t (USD71/t) higher that at the beginning of this week.

"Our suppliers told us that as the raw material supply keeps tight, they may raise offers again in the near future," said the source, worrying that the antimony ingot market will keep at a upward trend before Olympics.
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[+/-] : Premier Wen calls for nationwide efforts in rescue, relief after "most destructive" quake since 1949

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China  

·Rescue operation and disaster relief are of top priority of the nation, Premier Wen said.
·"Saving lives is still our top priority, as long as hope of survival still exists."
·He said supplies of food, medicines, and tents must be ensured.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao greets local people during an inspection in Muyu Township of Qingchuan County, one of the worst-hit area of Guangyuan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 15, 2008. Wen is here to oversee rescue work and visit survivors.(Xinhua/Tao Ming) Photo Gallery>>>

    CHENGDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Rescue operation and disaster relief for victims in the worst earthquake over decades are of top priority of the nation, and thus require concerted efforts from the whole country, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday night.

    Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake that ravaged southwestern Sichuan Province and was felt in most parts of the country was the "most destructive" tremor and had the "most wide-spreading impact" since New China was founded in 1949, Wen said on a meeting of the rescue headquarters under the State Council headed by himself.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) comforts local people in Muyu Township, Qingchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province May 15, 2008. Qingchuan County is one of the worst-hit areas in Sichuan Province. Premier Wen is here to oversee rescue work and visit survivors. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Photo Gallery>>>

    It was even more powerful than the Tangshan earthquake in 1976,Wen said. The catastrophe in northern Hebei Province claimed about240,000 lives three decades ago.

    He hailed the efficiency and order the country has maintained for the past 80 hours as the country focused its resources on saving lives and disaster relief work for quake victims.

    He said the government will stick to its "people-first" policy in its future rescue operations and reconstruction works.

A mother deadly cries after knowing her child lost life in the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province May 15, 2008. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Photo Gallery>>>

    "Saving lives is still our top priority, as long as hope of survival still exists," Wen said, urging that social stability to be maintained.

    He warned relevant authorities to pay special attention to the prevention of plagues.

    He said supplies of food, medicines, and tents must be ensured.

    More than 50,000 people are feared dead in Sichuan alone after Monday's earthquake, with confirmed death toll in the province hitting 19,509 by Thursday afternoon.

Emotional premier moves Chinese amid quake effort

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Few things other than stories of victims rescued following China's most deadly earthquake in 32 years would touch the Chinese heart now. But the emotional Premier Wen Jiabao did. Full Story

Premier continues inspection in quake-hit Guangyuan

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived at Guangyuan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province here Thursday morning. Wen spent three hours by ship to go to Muyu Township, Qingchuan County, one of the worst-hit area of Guangyuan City to oversee rescue work and visit survivors. Full Story

Premier orders deployment of 90 more helicopters for quake relief

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered the armed forces and civil aviation department to deploy 90 more helicopters for rescue missions in quake-hit Sichuan province. Full Story

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[+/-] : British seismologist explains cause of earthquake in Sichuan

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China 

    LONDON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 7.8 earthquake which occurred on Monday in China's Sichuan province appears to have been due to thrusting on a NE-SW fault, a seismoligist here said.

    "Today's earthquake appears to have been due to thrusting on a NE-SW fault," Dr Brian Baptie at British Geological Survey (BGS) told Xinhua in an telephone interview.

    The epicenter was in the mountains of the Eastern Margin of Qing-Tibet Plateau and the tectonics are related to the India-Tibet collision and subsequent extrusion, the BGS Seismic Monitoring and Information Service Project leader explained.

    The seismologist held the view that earthquakes of this size have the potential to cause extensive damage and loss of life many tens of kilometers from the epicenter, though damage in Chengdu was slight.

    China frequently suffers large and deadly earthquakes, he noted, citing for example that the 1933 August 25 Diexi earthquake, occurred about 90 kilometers NNE of today's earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, destroying the town of Diexi and surrounding villages, and causing many landslides, some of which dammed the rivers.

    Baptie warned that landslides may likely for today's earthquake.

    According to latest reports, over 7,651 people have been killed by the earthquake in Sichuan province, which occurred 92 kilometers northwest of the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province and over 1,500 kilometers from Beijing where it was strongly felt.   

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[+/-] : Expert: Wenchuan earthquake as huge as Tangshan earthquake in 1976

BEIJING, May 13 -- The strength of this earthquake is being compared to the destructive force of the Tangshan earthquake in 1976 which killed tens of thousands. Seismologists are urging calm and telling the public not to believe rumors about more earthquakes.

    Jiang Haikun says the energy from the Wenchuan earthquake was as huge as the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which killed 240,000 people.

    Jiang Haikun, China Seismological Network Center, said, "The strength of the earthquake is big and it has released a huge amount of energy so that many parts of the country felt the quake."

    He emphasized that Beijing did not experience a separate earthquake.

    Jiang Haiku said, "The quake we felt in Beijing today was not a separate earthquake. It was just the aftershocks from the Wenchuan earthquake in the afternoon."

    Jiang Haikun also says his center's research shows China and its neighbors are currently in a relatively-active period for earthquakes.

    Jiang Haiku said, "For example, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan recently. On the Chinese mainland, a 6.9 magnitude quake took place in Tibet in January, while March saw a 7.3 magnitude quake in Yutian in Xinjiang and now we have a 7.8 magnitude quake in Wenchuan. So at the moment there is a trend of earthquakes in China's mainland and its neighboring countries."

    He also urged residents not to trust rumors they heard. He stressed no destructive earthquake near Beijing is likely to occur in the near future.

    (Source: CCTV.com)

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[+/-] : Contribute to Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts

Wednesday, 14th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Editor's note: We have received many queries from readers about how they can contribute to the earthquake relief efforts in Wenchuan and elsewhere in Sichuan, here is information on how to help, courtesy of Shanghaiist:

For those who are looking to contribute to current aid efforts underway, you can now donate money to the Red Cross Society of China which has formed a disaster relief working group to be dispatched to the earthquake-stricken Wenchuan County in Sichuan.

They have also published an emergency relief hotline, along with bank account information to receive donations to assist their cause:

Account name: Red Cross Society of China
开户单位：中国红十字会总会

For those who want to donate in RMB: you can send money to the RMB account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branch below:
人民币开户行: 中国工商银行 北京分行东四南支行
人民币账号: 0200001009014413252

For those who want to donate in foreign currency, you can send money to the foreign currency account at the CITIC Bank branch below:
外币开户行：中信银行酒仙桥支行
外币账号: 7112111482600000209

Hotline: (8610) 65139999
Online donations: Red Cross Society of China website: www.redcross.org.cn
Click the tab for online donations

Tags: donations, earthquake, Red Cross, Shanghaiist, Sichuan, Wenchuan


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[+/-] : Sichuan Wenchuan Earthquake

 

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is visiting the area

Like many people in the UK, the team at BBC Learning English have been shocked and saddened by news of the earthquake in Sichuan province. We would like to extend our condolences to those affected by this terrible natural disaster. Below is a special report on the earthquake and the rescue operations taking place.

和在英国的很多人一样，BBC 英语教学组的全体成员对五月十二号发生在四川省的地震消息感到震惊和悲痛。在这里我们对受害者表示最深切的哀悼，向那些受地震影响的人们深表同情。下面是对这次地震和地震营救行动的一篇特别报道。

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Rescue efforts are underway in China's Sichuan province following Monday's devastating earthquake 灾难性的地震, which measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale 里氏震级.

According to Xinhua news agency, nearly 15,000 people have died in the disaster, with as many as 24,000 more trapped under rubble 碎石，碎砖 from collapsing buildings and another 14,000 declared missing 申报失踪.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has visited the area to personally oversee relief work （抗震）救灾工作, and is flying to the epicentre 震中 of the earthquake today.

Chinese troops have been mobilised 调动 to carry out rescue operations and emergency aid 紧急救护 has been air-dropped 空降 into areas that have been cut off by the disaster.

Bad weather has hampered 阻碍 relief efforts and in some cases rescuers have had to trek into the disaster area 受灾地区 by foot and search for trapped survivors 生还者 by hand as roads have been blocked by debris 瓦砾碎片.

Some residents of the provincial capital 首府 Chengdu have chosen to sleep in tents and government shelters for fear of aftershocks 余震 causing more damage.

One witness in Chengdu told the BBC the city's population is helping the relief work by donating 捐献 food and water for those affected in the surrounding countryside.

Financial aid 经济救助 has been pouring in 大量涌进 from all over China, with the Chinese government pledging hundreds of millions of dollars. Substantial donations from other countries and humanitarian organisations have also been pledged 承诺，给予（援助）.

Although full casualty figures 伤亡数字 are not yet certain, it is clear that Monday's earthquake is the worst to strike China since the Tangshan earthquake of 1976. ...
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