One dead, three injured in airport brawl
An argument at a ticketing counter at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport late Monday night ended in bloodshed when a man who was pushed to the ground got up and stabbed four people before being arrested. 41-year-old Wang Wenyan died on Tuesday morning from injuries sustained in her fight with Liu Yong, who has reportedly confessed to stabbing Wang and three others. Both Wang and Liu had allegedly been drinking Monday night.

City address parking problems with new garages
The Kunming municipal government is seeking investors to help build 26 multi-story parking garages throughout the city to alleviate traffic problems related to insufficient parking spaces. The garages will be spread out over the city's four main urban districts: Guandu (two garages), Panlong (nine), Wuhua (seven) and Xishan (eight).

Contracts for five garages have already been signed, with an investment of 100 million yuan. These first garages will add 1,000 new parking spaces to the city and will be located at or near First People's Hospital of Yunnan, Green Lake View Hotel, the Ark Building, Kunming Zoo and Luosiwan wholesale market.

Kunming has one of the highest car ownership rates in China – in 2008 the number of registered automobiles in the city surpassed the one million mark. It took 43 years for the city to register its first 100,000 cars – now it takes around half a year.

Kunming drivers offered subsidies for fuel-efficient cars
Kunming residents shopping for new automobiles are being offered a government subsidy of 50,000 yuan (US$7,300) to purchase fuel-efficient cars including hybrids, electric cars and cars powered by fuel cells under a new Finance Ministry scheme.

The program is also being implemented in 12 other cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Changchun, Dalian, Hangzhou, Jinan, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Hefei, Changsha and Nanchang. Such energy-efficient cars are performing poorly in the Chinese market due to high price tags.

Under the scheme, Chinese city governments are also being encouraged to switch to fuel-efficient buses, taxis and postal and urban sanitation vehicles. Details of how cities will be encouraged to do so have not been released.

Yu'an Mountain fire
Just before noon on Wednesday, a portion of Yu'an Mountain (玉案山) caught fire, threatening to spread quickly across the mountains in Kunming's western suburbs with the aid of dry conditions and strong winds. More than 300 firefighters were dispatched to put out the blaze, which was extinguished early afternoon, saving the mountain's forests and the Bamboo Temple. Officials reportedly suspect the fire was started by two children.

One week to the day after two bus bombs killed two and injured 14 on two number 54 buses on Renmin Xi Lu in Kunming, the city was on edge once more as rumors of another explosion Monday night – this time a K2 bus – spread like wildfire via text messages and phone calls.

Local media is reporting that "another abnormal incident occurred" Monday night at 8:40 – once again on Renmin Xi Lu – near the intersection of Haiyuan Lu. At a press conference this morning, Kunming police spokesman Liu Zheng said the incident was a tire blowout.

According to local reports, the bus in question was driven away shortly after police and ambulances arrived at 8:50. Some people at the scene said they thought there was an explosion on the bus, while others said a tire had exploded.

Unlike last week's explosions, which shattered all the windows on the two buses that were attacked, last night's bus in question reportedly had no broken windows, with only an oil stain on the road left behind after it left the scene.

Last Wednesday, a video purportedly released by the Turkestan Islamic Party claimed responsibility for the July 21 bus attacks in Kunming, saying further attacks would take place throughout China, aimed at stopping the Olympics. A spokesman for the Yunnan Public Security Bureau said no connection had been found between the bus attacks and terrorist organizations.

Despite any evidence that last night's incident was a deliberate man-made explosion, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues were on high alert and searching customer bags thoroughly.

In what may or may not be a related event, three China Southern flights – two to Guiyang and one to Changsha – were delayed at 9:40 Monday night at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport for "weather reasons".

The passengers, numbering more than 170, were not provided with food or lodging by China Southern, and slept in the departure hall or elsewhere at the airport after some took taxis to a hotel China Southern told them they had prepared for them, only to be turned away by the hotel at 2 am Tuesday morning.

This morning, several of the passengers clashed with airport police, smashing computers, desks and other items.

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Kunming bus attacks: Police triple reward as new clue emerges

Official: Uighur group not responsible for Kunming bus attacks

An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 with its epicenter in northeast Sichuan province's Wenchuan County took place today just 90 km (55 miles) west-northwest of the provincial capital Chengdu, population 11 million. Tremors from the quake were felt throughout China.

Reports of damage or casualties have yet to emerge, but Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is now headed to Sichuan to survey the damage and the People's Liberation Army has been mobilized to assist in any aid and rescue efforts.

The earthquake took place at 2:28 pm Beijing time, with tremors being felt in Kunming around 2:35. Tremors were also felt in Beijing, 1,545 km (960 miles) northeast of Wenchuan, but their origin is still unclear. Xinhua is reporting that a second earthquake took place in Tongzhou, part of Beijing Municipality, at 2:35 pm today.

Chengdu's airport has been closed, with some flights being diverted to Kunming Wujiaba International Airport.

GoKunming has contacted friends in Chengdu who are reporting widespread building evacuations but no major damage due to the Wenchuan quake. Utilities and public transportation are also reportedly unaffected.

Update: At least 10,000 are dead, with that number expected to rise. The Chinese military is sending 27,000 troops - including 3,000 special forces - to assist affected areas.

Chengdu image: Xinhua

Related article: Pu'er hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake

With much of the city's traffic in disarray, travelers leaving Kunming via Kunming Wujiaba International Airport have needed to allow some extra time for their journey to the airport. Now that the airport has tightened security – especially with regards to liquids – it is advisable to give yourself even more time.

According to Kunming media reports more than 60 percent of passengers going through the airport's security check have had their bags searched recently. The increase in security at the airport – which previously had been quite lax – has reportedly led to many travelers missing their flights.

The recent tightening of security comes after Chinese media reported a foiled hijacking of an Urumqi-Beijing flight last week, which quickly and mysteriously disappeared from Chinese media.

On an unrelated note, Indian media is reporting that a China Eastern flight from Kolkata to Kunming this weekend had to dump its fuel and make an emergency landing when the plane's landing gear failed to retract after takeoff.