Death Toll Rises to 791
A total of 791 people were confirmed dead and 294 others were still missing in the lates figures following the devastating earthquake that shook northwest China's Qinghai Province Wednesday morning. The emergency rescue headquarters said today that as of 8 a.m., the quake had left 11,486 people injured, including 1,176 serious cases. To help direct relief efforts, President Hu Jintao decided to cut short his South America visit and headed home after attending the BRIC summit in Brazil.

Wen Pledges Saving Lives is Top Priority
Premier Wen Jiabao continued his inspection in the quake-hit region and pledged not to give up the search for survivors while there is still hope. After landing in Yushu in northwestern Qinghai Province yesterday, with an average altitude of 3,700 meters, Wen rushed to a village near Jiegu Township, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where most of the houses in the village have collapsed. He scrambled over cement rubble to check on the rescue work and expressed his appreciation to the rescuers working hard in search for survivors.

Wen said:
"The top priority is saving lives. The government has dispatched large number of rescuers with more to come. We will try our utmost and won't give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope."

Rules Tightened for House Buying
The central government has raised the required down payment for a family purchasing a second home from the existing 40 percent to 50 percent, the latest measure to curb soaring property prices and prevent growing financial risks. According to the State Council's decision, the down payment for a family's first home with an area bigger than 90 square meters should be at least 30 percent. For a second apartment it should be at least 50 percent, with a mortgage rate 1.1 times than the benchmark interest rate.

Moreover, a much higher down payment and mortgage rate will be adopted for any additional house purchases.

Metro line 5 speeds up
Guangzhou Metro Line 5 has cut the break between each train by nearly one minute beginning yesterday (April 15). After the adjustment, trains depart every four and a half minutes. The metro company said the faster train will increase the line's transportation capacity by 12 per cent and reach 570,000 passengers every day.