RESCUE MISSION: A baby is saved from debris following the Qinghai quake (XINHUA)

QUAKE VICTIMS MOURNED

China

China held official mourning ceremonies countrywide on April 21 for at least 2,046 victims killed in a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that jolted northwest China's Qinghai Province on April 14.

National flags flew at half-mast across the country and at Chinese embassies and consulates around the world, and local people paid a three-minute silent tribute starting at about 10 a.m.

Public entertainment was also suspended. It is the second time the country has organized nationwide mourning since the devastating Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

The quake has also left 12,135 injured, of whom 1,434 are in serious conditions, according to the data released April 20.

With the benefit of experience in disaster relief from two years ago, the Chinese people launched major rescue programs. Chinese President Hu Jintao cut short his state visit to Latin America to deal with the tragedy.

CRASH INVESTIGATION

Poland 

A black box voice recorder has shed new light on the April 10 plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and another 95 top Polish officials. Polish chief prosecutor Andrzej Seremet said it was clear from the recordings found in the black box, retrieved from the crash site in Russia, that the pilots knew they were about to crash once the plane's wings clipped treetops. A Russian source reportedly said the recordings show the pilots had not been pressured into making a risky landing by those onboard, quelling speculation that Kaczynski or other important figures had played a role in the crash. 

BAKIYEV FLEES

Kyrgyzstan 

Ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev fled Kyrgyzstan after gunfire broke out at a rally where he was addressing his supporters in the south of the country. His slide from power began early April when a protest in the capital descended into violence. At least 83 people were killed. Bakiyev fled to his native south but was urged to leave the country for the sake of stability.