Rainstorm causes extensive damage, more to come | GD News Now

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Rainstorm causes extensive damage

The rainstorm that hit Guangzhou yesterday (May 7) caused extensive damage across the city. Nearly 7,000 people had to be relocated and a total of 172 houses collapsed. The heavy rain also caused landslides in mountainous areas and flooded three districts of the southern metropolis, according to the Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau. Luckily, no casualties were reported. The region is once again expecting heavy rain on Monday (May 8) and Tuesday (May 9).

Motorists were caught by surprise due to flash floods (photo: VCG)

Above: Entire districts were inundated with water (photo: thepaper.cn)

7,000 residents were relocated due to the floods (photo: thepaper.cn)

Thalassemia charity event held in GZ

To coincide with World Thalassemia Day, which falls today(May 8), Sunday (May 7) saw over 100 families brave the wild rainy weather to attend a charity event held by the Hua Foundation in conjunction with the Thalassemia Foundation of Guangdong at Nanfang Hospital, that gave 100 families with children suffering from Thalassemia the chance to gain free medical consultations with top experts and doctors from the hospital.

(Above: families receive free medical consultations from experts)
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterized by abnormal haemoglobin production, usually diagnosed 3 to 6 months after birth. Young patients may suffer severe anemia, bone problems, an enlarged spleen, yellowish skin, dark urine, and slow growth.

The Hua foundation was inaugurated in 2017, and since then has conducted free HLA testing for 548 children, saving the families of these children a total of 2.4 million RMB. One in six Guangdong residents are Thalassemia gene carriers. 

Competition takes a bite out of Apple's second-quarter revenue

Apple Inc reported a drop in revenue in China for its fiscal second quarter ending April 1, the fifth consecutive quarter of decline in the region, caused by ever-growing competition from local rivals.

Apple's revenue from China fell 14 percent to $10.73 billion in the quarter, compared with $16.49 billion in the same period last year, despite growth in all other regions.

Its market share dropped to 9.6 percent, while Chinese Smartphone makers saw rises. Oppo sold 78.4 million smartphones, with a market share of 16.8 percent, ranking first, followed by Huawei and vivo.

Justice for landslide victims 

A total of 45 people were sentenced for their parts in the horrific landslide that occurred in Shenzhen back in December 2015 that left 73 dead and four others missing.

The group of suspects were tried at Shenzhen's intermediate people's court, the Nanshan District People's Court and the Bao'an District People's court late last month. The boss of Yixianglong, the company that manages the dump site, Mr Long Renfu, was fined 10 million yuan and sentenced to 20 years in prison for negligence and bribery which ultimately led to the accident.

Wechat expands to US

WeChat, one of China's most popular mobile payment platforms is ready to break into the American market. Owned by the Internet giant Tencent, WeChat is teaming up with the American-based Citcoin to take its services to the US.

Last year over 100 million Chinese people traveled internationally, accounting for 13% of total global tourism revenue. The move will allow Chinese travelers to pay for items through the service using Chinese currency without the need for cash.

Currently, WeChat Pay is available in 15 countries and regions for payments in 12 foreign currencies.

News written and edited by Hazza and Michelle