China issues apology to Russia for toxic benzene spill in river

• Premier Wen Jiabao visited this city in China's northeast Saturday and expressed concern for the 3.8 million residents enduring a fourth day without running water while they wait for a spill of toxic benzene in a nearby river to pass.
• The government warned residents that water supplies, suspended to protect the city after a chemical plant explosion, would not resume until 11 p.m.
• China has been criticized by environmentalists for its slow response to the disaster and is under pressure from neighboring Russia and the United Nations to release more information about the spill.
• On Saturday, China made a rare public apology to Moscow for any harm that may be caused as the poisonous benzene headed downstream toward a far eastern Russian city.
• Chinese Central Television's nightly news broadcast showed Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergei Razov and paraphrased his apology.
• ``Li Zhaoxing expressed his sincere apology on behalf of the Chinese government for the possible harm that this major environmental pollution incident could bring to the Russian people downstream,'' the news report said.
• Wen's unannounced visit to Harbin appeared to be meant both as a morale boost to government workers who have been struggling to supply residents with water by truck in subfreezing weather and a warning to local authorities to do all they can to help the public.
• The premier visited the Harbin No. 3 Water Filtration Plant, where 300 paramilitary police were delivering tons of carbon to filter water from the Songhua River once it is declared safe to use.
• ``Your work now is work to protect the safety of the masses' drinking water.
• Government newspapers Friday accused local officials of reacting too slowly to the Nov. 13 chemical plant explosion and criticized them for failing to tell the public the truth until this week.