Protests continue

DEMONSTRATIONS against "Tibet independence"continued in the northwestern city of Xi抋n, eastern Jinan, the central city Wuhan, and the northeastern cities of Harbin and Dalian on Sunday.

The rallies followed Saturday's demonstrations in Beijing, Xi'an, the eastern cities of Hefei and Qingdao, Wuhan, and the southwestern city of Kunming.

    'Regret' voiced

THE French ambassador to China, Herve Ladsous, said he felt "regretful" for the disruptions to the Olympic torch relay in Paris and hoped to meet Chinese torch bearer Jin Jing, who was attacked during the relay, while meeting Chinese media in the embassy Friday.

Rainstorm in Hubei

CONTINUOUS rain has been slamming a prefecture in the central Hubei province since Friday and affected more than 200,000 people. No casualties have been reported so far, a local civil affairs department spokesman said Saturday.