China opens Horgos railway port in Xinjiang

The railway port of Horgos in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which borders Kazakhstan, was officially opened on June 14, local authorities said on June 15. With financial backing of 1.9 billion yuan ($289 million), the first stage of construction of the 90,000-square-meter port station has been completed, said Bai Yongfeng, its director. Horgos railway port began a restricted operating period in 2012 and now that it is fully open, a surge in cargo flow is expected. From December 2012, when a cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan via Horgos opened, until April, the import and export trade volume via the railway port of Horgos totaled $4 billion. A passenger train route from Horgos to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, had transported 200,000 passengers as of May, since opening at the end of 2013.

Online food ordering a hit in Urumqi during Ramadan

Online food ordering services in the northwestern city of Urumqi have reported a surge in orders as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan. "Ordering food for 'iftar' (the breaking of the fast) is an attractive option after a day of fasting," said Aliyar as he ordered food from a halal OFO service on the instant messenger service WeChat. According to its founder Shewkret, his service has received up to 70 orders every day since Ramadan began. "I've built a kitchen exclusively for the OFO service so that I can have more control over food quality and work flexible business hours," he said. Ma Hongguang, an ethnic Hui Muslim who owns a restaurant that specializes in mutton pilaf, has over 100 online orders every day from his "invisible customers". The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is home to more than 13 million Muslims who fast between dawn and dusk during Ramadan, which ends on July 6 this year.

China invests heavily to clean Xinjiang lake

China will spend 350 million yuan ($53 million) this year to clean up the largest salt lake in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The money will be used to set up wastewater treatment plants in Ebinur Lake basin to reduce the density of pollutants in the water flowing into the lake and its tributaries, according to the regional development and reform commission. Located in the southwestern part of Junggar Basin, the lake used to boast a surface area of 1,250 square kms in the 1950s, but it has shrunk to around 400 square kms due to increasing demand for water for irrigation and industry near the lake since the 1970s. The vast barren lake bed has resulted in regular sandstorms. Home to a variety of endangered species, the lake was listed as a national nature reserve in 2007.

- Xinhua

(China Daily 06/24/2016 page6)