Audi donates to education of Chinese athletes

Representative of the foundation for the education of Chinese athletes (R2), Olympic gold medallists Teng Haibin (R1) and Xing Huina (R3), accept at a ceremony the donation from Erich Schmitt (L1), board member of Audi, Oct. 17. Mr. Schmitt ran at 2004 Beijing international marathon tournament in 4:23:42 and donated the collected 1.1 million yuan to the foundation.

Offensives in Gaza not yet ended: Israeli defense official

Palestinian woman looks on as a relative shows her a piece of clothing retrieved from the rubble of her destroyed house in the Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2004. Israel withdrew tanks and ground forces from populated areas in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, leaving behind areas of wide destruction and wrapping up its bloodiest offensive in the area in more than four years of fighting. The operation was an effort to prevent Palestinian militants from firing rockets into Israel, the Israeli army said. (AP Photo)

China awards poverty-relief heroes

Hui Liangyu (R2), China's Vice-Premier and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Cheng Siwei (R1), vice-chairman of China's NPC Standing Committee, meet the winners of Poverty-Relief Award. The awarding ceremony for China's first Poverty-Relief Award was held at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on October 17. Hui Liangyu attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.

Pakistan to provide high-level security for Chinese people: PM

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz (R) listens to Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce Chen Jian (L) during a meeting in Islamabad, Oct. 16 2004. Aziz said that Chinese people working on various projects in Pakistan would be provided high level of security so that they could carry out their work in a safe and peaceful environment.

Huge fire sweeps Venezuela's highest tower

Huge plumes of thick smoke and flames engulf the upper half of the 56-floor East Tower of the Parque Central block, in Caracas, October 17, 2004. A huge fire on Sunday ripped through at more than sixteen floors of Venezuela's highest tower in a Caracas complex housing dozens of government ministries and state agencies, but there were no casualties, officials said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

China Game ends with NBA fever

Houston Rockets' Tracy Lue (L2) goes for a shot during the second pre-season match with SacramentoKings in Beijing, capital city of China, Oct. 17, 2004. Kings defeated Rockets 91-89.

Highest-grade tombs found at the site of Zhougong Temple

Archaeologists work at the large tomb No. 18 of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC) at the site of the Zhougong Temple in Qishan County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Oct. 17, 2004. An excavation ceremony was held on Sunday at the site, which has tombs of the highest rank dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty. Archaeologists have so far found 22 tombs of the highest rank, 10 of which have four tomb passages, four have three, four have two and the other four have one.

Patrouille de France in Hong Kong

Pilots of French aerobatics display team Patrouille de France pose for a photo shortly after arrival at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, south China,, Oct. 17, 2004. The team will perform in Hong Kong on Oct. 20 as part of the Year of France in China.

Chinese riot police force heading for Haiti

Chinese riot policemen and policewomen board a United Nations special plane at Capital International Airport in Beijing early Oct. 17, 2004. At the request of the United Nations, China has formed a 125-member riot police force for a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. A 30-member advance contingent arrived in Haiti last September. It was the first time China sent riot police abroad to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission.