Headlines:

Govt delays order on Green Dam

In a last-minute move, the government said Tuesday, it will delay the mandatory installation of the controversial "Green Dam-Youth Escort" filtering software on new computers that was scheduled to start on July 1.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which oversees the software installation, told Xinhua News Agency that the delay came after "some computer producers said such a massive installation demanded extra time".

Gas, diesel prices up

China raised gasoline and diesel prices by 10 and 11 percent from Tuesday. It is the fourth price revision this year.

The adjustment was in response to "recent international oil price fluctuation" under the country's new fuel pricing mechanism, as international crude prices kept rising, said the National Development and Reform Commission’s statement.

88th birthday of CPC

July 1 was the 88th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

On Monday, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, who presided over a meeting of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, said mechanisms ensuring the inner-party democracy - such as the CPC congresses at all levels - must be improved, as well as the system to elect, supervise, evaluate and promote government officials.

Flu hits schools in Guangdong

Flu outbreaks at three schools in Guangdong province struck 22 students, prompting calls for tighter prevention and control measures at the community level.

Of the 30 new cases confirmed in Guangdong, nine were from Xi'nan Central Primary School in Foshan, six were from Trade Vocational School in Guangzhou and seven were from Shipai County Central Primary School in Dongguan.

Beijing has asked the city's over one million primary and secondary school students to return to the city seven days before the next semester starts.

News in depth:

Thousands left homeless in quake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 damaged thousands of houses in Sichuan province on Tuesday.

The earthquake occurred just after 2 am in Mianzhu and destroyed 8,600 houses, 60 bridges and about 30 km of fiber-optic cables, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Experts say this quake was an aftershock of last year's catastrophe - an 8.0 magnitude quake which happened in May 2008 leaving nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and 5 million homeless.

Another aftershock, measuring about 5.0 magnitude, occurred at 3:24 pm Tuesday, the provincial earthquake administration reported. Eight quake-related injuries were officially announced, while an anonymous social worker in Mianzhu told China Daily the local civil affairs bureau "confirmed three deaths".

Teen survives as plane crashes into sea

A bruised teenage girl, who clung to wreckage for more than 13 hours before rescuers found her floating in the Indian Ocean, was the only known survivor of the Yemeni jet crash.

According to France's minister for international cooperation, 14-year-old Bahia Bakari is physically out of danger, but very traumatized. There was no word on any other survivors. French officials said one of the plane's black boxes had been found. It could provide clues into the cause of the crash.

Early on Tuesday, the Yemenia Airbus 310 jet was carrying 153 people to island nation of Comoros when it crashed into the sea as it attempted to land in the dark amid strong winds.

The good and bad of US pullout

American troops began withdrawing from Iraq's urban areas Tuesday, six years after the invasion.

The decision to pull out American troops from Iraqi cities and towns is President Barack Obama's defining step toward ending the US' combat role in Iraq and complete withdrawal of its forces by December 31, 2011.

According to the plan reached with the Iraqi administration, the US will first withdraw its combat troops, while a certain number of its security forces will remain in Iraq. It could make the remaining US troops vulnerable.

To celebrate the US troops’ withdrawal, the Iraqi government declared June 30 a "public holiday".

Other news:

Song, Domingo join hands at Bird's Nest

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo presented a flower to Song Zuying, a famous Chinese singer, during Song's long-awaited summer concert series at the National Stadium, or the "Bird's Nest", Tuesday in Beijing.

Chinese pop singer Jay Chou and pianist Lang Lang also joined glamorously-dressed Song for her personal concert entitled "Charm of China".

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Siberian-born Kristina Koveshnikova is a freelance journalist from New Zealand who has worked in print, television and film. After completing a BCS degree majoring in journalism, she won an Asia NZ Foundation/Pacific Media Centre award to work for China Daily website. Kristina previously did internships at ABC 7 News in Washington DC and TVNZ in New Zealand and has written for a number of publications, including The New Zealand Herald and East & Bays Courier.