The new terminal at the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, Terminal 3 (T3) will be put into operation in May 3, according to Sanqin Daily on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the check-in and check-out counters at Terminal 1 will be closed during this time, which means all flights will be operated out of terminals T2 and T3.

@小小白鼓晶：I hope the new terminal puts customers' demands in first and also opens more fast food restaurants so that the customers don't get ripped off.

@数码-兔子：As a local resident, I'm very proud of the project. I hope T3 is equipped with more self-service check-in machines.

13 dead bodies found in Xianyang died from drowning

Officials from the Xianyang Public Security Bureau, Xi'an Water Resources Bureau and Information Office of Xi'an confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday that 13 dead bodies found at the Baoji Gorge irrigation area in Shaanxi Province all drowned to death, xytoday.cn reported on Thursday.

According to the report, a total of 16 dead bodies have been discovered in the irrigation canal since last month.

Zhang Xinkuan, deputy director of Xianyang Public Security Bureau said that they have identified five of the 13 bodies and the identifications of the remaining bodies are still under investigation.

Ban on bird trading market stirs controversy

A microblog that claims a bird trading market at Xicang, Xi'an will be shut down has sparked debate among Xi'an residents and Internet users, according to cnwest.com on Thursday.

Some of the local residents support the ban as the environment will get better while others believe it is important to protect their cultural heritage.

According to Dai Honggang, director of the administration and law enforcement department on Qingnian Road said their real intention is to crack down on peddlers rather than ban the bird trading market.