Listen to more on Beyond Beijing

[Metro & Sports]

• At least 11 million people are short of drinking water because of a drought that has hit 15 provinces and autonomous regions, with the weather not expected to improve anytime soon, officials and meteorologists have said.
• It is becoming increasingly difficult for American couples to adopt a Chinese baby because the number of available children is diminishing despite soaring interest, a senior US official told China Daily on yesterday.
• The number of young Internet addicts has grown to more than 460,000 in Guangdong province, fueling concerns over the negative impact of the habit, a recent survey has shown.
• Changes in the pipeline are aimed at putting a shine on the city's housekeeping industry - bringing job security and health insurance to Beijing's 400,000 maids.
• Sachin Tendulkar confirmed his status as one of cricket's all-time great batsmen, adding the highest individual one-day international score to his list of world records.
• Despite the lack of snow in their homeland, Australians have punched above their weight in Vancouver to win three medals, two golds and a silver, and continue their emergence as a force in winter sports.

[Cultural News Roundup]

• Chinese film director Wang Xiaoshuai has been named a Chevalier in the French Order of Arts and Letters, a top honor given by France's Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding contributors to the fields of arts and literature.
• The Francophonie Film Festival will take place in Beijing from March 4th to the 30th. Christine Pernin, a spokesperson with the organizing committee, describes the event.
• A concert featuring the Grammy-winning cello master Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble will be staged at the Macao Cultural Center in April this year.

[Cultural Voyage] Old Beijing Toys Alive Again

An exhibition focusing on old Beijing toys, most of which were handcrafted by Beijing artisans whose skills have been passed down over the generations, is currently ongoing here in the nations capital.

• Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway joined British royalty on Thursday for the London world premiere of Tim Burton's 3D fantasy adventure movie "Alice in Wonderland".
• The Black Eyed Peas on Thursday became the first group in 19 years to send three singles from one album to the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
• Paris Hilton is giving blondes a bad name. So says Brazil's Secretariat for Women's Affairs, which wants a sultry beer commercial starring the model and actor off the air.
• Beijing's Bookworm bookshop is creating opportunities for literature lovers to communicate face-to-face with 70 established writers from both China and abroad.

[Strange News]

• The English owner of a massive rabbit is hoping he can hop his way right into the record books.
  Ralph. The Continental Giant bunny weighs 19 kilograms, is 1.22 meters long and he's still growing at a year old.
• Ten golden-colored camels adorned with sparkling ornaments line up for the finale of a beauty contest in one of the UAE's northern emirates, awaiting the selection of two proud winners.
• "Please, don't leave me! If you do, I will die!" was the plea of a 25-year-old love-struck Romeo surnamed Li seconds before he almost died after falling from the outside of a third floor balcony, in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.
• New Zealanders who for decades have endured jokes about being outnumbered 20-to-1 by sheep have a new farm animal majority to worry about: cows.

[Real China] Oil Braised Beef

Oil braised beef is a typically spicy Sichuan dish. What's not typical is that you cook the spices into the beef by pouring hot oil over the beef after it has already been placed in a serving dish. Thomas Rippe joins Candice Lee and Chef Zhang in the kitchen to see how it's done.