All's not what it seems

If it's worth saying, it's worth saying twice

Or, in my wife's case, three or four times.

As Liu Zhijun, China's former railways minister, is sentenced for corruption, the BBC emphasises the importance of this case:

Liu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's leader earlier this year. … Liu is the most high-profile official to be tried and found guilty of corruption since Xi Jinping became China's president in March.

BBC News droid

The perils of copy/paste!


A gas explosion at a Chinese barbecue restaurant, in which thirty-one patrons got more of a barbecue experience than they'd anticipated, elicited an urgent response from the country's dogeater-in-chief:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for "all-out efforts" in the rescue operation and a probe into the blast.

Nicholas Yong, BBC News

Not only that, but five paragraphs later:

President Xi Jinping has called for maximum efforts in treating the wounded and boosting safety measures.

Nicholas Yong, BBC News

It seems that Mr Yong's memory of what he's written is even worse than the droid's. At least its copy/paste repetition was separated by fourteen paragraphs.