BEIJING, June 18: Beijing authorities are checking the earthquake resilience of China’s “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium and 57 other major structures in the wake of the Sichuan disaster, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese capital has been a virtual building site for the last five years with hundreds of new skyscrapers springing up all over the city.

All Beijing’s buildings have to be built to resist tremors of up to 8.0 magnitude, but 58 super-high structures will now be inspected again, after the 7.9 earthquake in Sichuan on May 12 which killed more than 70,000 people.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...