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State Council Takes Over the Investigation Into the Qingdao Shipyard Fire That Killed 25

Four days after a fire aboard a foreign cargo ship under repair at a Qingdao shipyard killed 25 people, China's State Council has formed a national investigation team led by the Ministry of Emergency Management. The 'upgraded' probe is a signal that the search for responsibility will reach well beyond the workshop floor.

A front-row proposal at Zhao Lei's Bird's Nest concert in Beijing — complete with candy thrown to strangers — met a chant of 'sit down' from the rows behind, and security. The clip has opened a wider argument about etiquette in China's booming live-music market: whose evening is a ticketed show for?

Sports

A Private Youth Academy, Not the State System, Just Won a Spanish Youth Cup

The 'Chinese Football Youngsters' project run by commentator Dong Lu — built outside China's state sports system — won its age group at the Brava Cup in Barcelona, then celebrated with trophy, medals and a Chinese flag on the podium. For Chinese fans weaned on national-team disappointment, the sight of a private program winning abroad carried more meaning than a trophy usually should.