Urban encroachment has been halted, bringing new vitality to a natural habitat in Hong Kong's New Territories, as Honey Tsang reports. The valley is home to many Yellow-breasted buntings. [Roy Liu/China Daily] Concerns about landslides and flash floods have prompted ongoing efforts to tame Hong Kong's wild rivers and streams that have resulted in many riverbeds and their banks being encased in concrete that rises far above flood levels. While the result has been a sharp reduction in the city's wetland and natural habitats, the restoration of Long Valley in the New Territories represents a new approach to saving the city's wetlands. The Beas River, the lifeline of Long Valley, winds through the fertile land of the northern New Territories. The creep of urban sprawl, the demand for housing, the building of high-rises and the preservation of agricultural land have gradually eroded Long Valley's freshwater wetland. lost child wristbandslap wristbandscustom rubber bandscustom rubber band bracelets
China might soon have its third aircraft carrier, said military expert Song Zhongping, after a picture showing three aircraft carriers was made public in a news piece by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) on Wednesday. Song told Global Times that the three aircraft carriers shown could be China's original aircraft carrier Liaoning, with the first domestically-developed aircraft carrier alongside a new one with electromagnetic aircraft launch systems. The picture shows that one of the carriers is equipped with three electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, which suggests high speed launch capabilities, high frequency take-offs and quick responses. A giant island, or command center on the deck explains that the warship is a conventionally-powered carrier rather than a nuclear-powered one. However, Song added that according to the unwritten rules of the People's Liberation Army, a nuclear-powered carrier is probably already under development since the warship with electromagnetic launch catapults has now been exposed.
