Plane-fire extinguishing drill held in airport in SW China

Carrying water pipes, firefighters run to a plane on the runway during a plane-fire extinguishing drill at the airport of Mianyang city in southwest China's Sichuan Province Sept.15,2004.

China Open 1st round: Moya defeated, Chinese women win

China's Yan Zi hits a return to her compatriot Liu Wanting during the women's 1/8 match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, September 15, 2004. Yan won the match 2-0.

China Construction Bank Corporation to be established

The photo taken on Sept.15, 2004 shows exterior appearance of the China Construction Bank. The Central Huijin Investment Co.Ltd, the Baosteel Iron and Steel Co Ltd, the Yangtze Power, the China Construction Bank Investment Co., Ltd and the State Grid Corp announce in Beijing that they will establish the China Construction Bank Corporation. The China Contruction Bank will turn from a state-owned commercial bank to a joint stock commercial bank accordingly.

Taiwan's attempt to split China foiled in UN 59th General Assembly session

The photo taken on Sept. 15, 2004 shows the general view of the 59th session of the General Committee of the United Nations General Assembly held at UN headquarters in New York. The committee decided Wednesday not to include into the draft agenda of the current session the so-called "question of the representation of 23 million people of Taiwan in the UN." The General Assembly has, for the 12th consecutive time, thwarted Taiwan's attempt to join the world inter-governmental body composed of sovereign states.

World Ozone Day

The photo from NASA shows a huge water drop shaped ozone hole over the South Pole. NASA scientiest announced on Sept 8 2000 that the area of this ozone hole had expanded to 28.3 million square kilometers, the biggest ozone hole discovered then. The UN Assembly set Sept. 16 as International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on Juanuary 23, 1995.

Three Americans sentenced in Kabul

US citizens Jonathan Idema (L) and Edward Carabello (R) talk each other as Brent Bennett listening at a district court in Afghan capital Kabul, Sept. 15, 2004. Jonathan Idema and Brent Bennett received 10-year terms in prison while Carabello was handed an eight-year term for illegally running a private jail and torturing suspects by Afgan court in Kabul.

China,Arab countries sign documents on cooperation

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (C) holds hands with Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa (R) and Mohamed Vall Ould Bellal, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mauritania, after signing a joint declaration and an action plan for the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum (SACF) at the AL premises in Cairo, Sep. 14, 2004. The first ministerial meeting of the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum opened here Tuesday.

Performance of Shaolin Kungfu stages in Zhengzhou

A Buddhist monk of Shaolin Temple performs martial arts in Songshan city of central China's Henan Province, Sept. 15, 2004.

President Hu calls for stronger role of people's congress

Nine senior members of the standing committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) present at the grand rally marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing Sept.15, 2004. President Hu Jintao called for the people's congress to play a stronger role in China at the grand rally.