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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Friday, August 23, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
The US government says its still not taking sides in the Diaoyu Islands dispute, despite recent comments by a veteran US Senator.
North and South Korean officials are meeting to discuss the possibility of renewing family reunions.
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon is calling on Syria to allow UN inspectors access to the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack.
In Business, new reports are suggesting 4G licences may start being issued in October.
In sports, there is just one Chinese qualifying hope left for the US Open.
In entertainment, CRI sits down with the Pet Shop Boys ahead of their concert here in Beijing.
Weather
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 22 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow cloudy with a high temperature of 34. Sunny sky on Sunday with a high temperature of 34.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 28, thundershowers tomorrow, with a high of 36.
Lhasa will have light rain tonight, 10 degrees the low, showers tomorrow with a high of 20.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 33.
Kabul, sunny, 31.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 22.
Canberra, overcast, 17.
Brisbane, sunny, 24.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 23.
Top News
US says stance unchanged on Diaoyu Islands
The U.S. State Department says the U.S. stance on the Diaoyu Islands has not changed.
State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki says U.S. maintains it is "not taking sides" on the sovereignty dispute.
"The United States does not take a position on the underlying question of the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. And that remains the U.S. government position."
Psaki's response comes after earlier comments made by U.S. Senator John McCain.
The veteran congressman has described the Diaoyu Islands as "Japanese territory" while speaking to reporter in Tokyo.
John McCain is also on record as calling on those countries feeling increasingly threatened by China's maritime presence to act in closer coordination with each other.
The Chinese government has since responded.
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi is calling on the United States to correctly understand the situation with the Diaoyu Islands.
He also says the US needs to be cautious with its words and deeds.
Yang Jiechi has made the comments while meeting with visiting U.S. senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse.
For his part, John McCain has told Yang Jiechi the United States does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands.
South and NKorean Red Cross officials hold talks over possible family reunions
A delegation from the South Korean Red Cross has been meeting with their North Korean counterpart this Friday to discuss family reunions.
The talks are designed to try to reach an agreement on a date, venue, and the number of families which will be allowed to meet.
Park Yong-Il is the chief delegate for the North Korean Red Cross.
"The South and North Korea delegations have met several times in the past, and fortunately the delegations met here today for the sake of the families who have been separated during the past century. I believe the meeting will yield a good result if we work together."
The last time families were reunited was in October of 2010.
The meetings have been suspended since then because of strained ties between South and North Koreas.
UN chief calls on Syrian government to extend investigation access to latest chemical weapon attack site
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on the Syrian government to grant a team of UN experts access to the site of an alleged chemical-weapons attack in a Damascus suburb.
Rebel activists claim over 11-hundred people have been killed in a chemical weapons attack on Wednesday.
"Once again I call for an immediate investigation of this latest incident. We have an investigation team on the ground in Damascus led by Dr. Sellstrom. Having gone to investigate earlier allegations, I have called on the Syrian government to extend its full cooperation so that the mission can swiftly investigate this most recent incident."
Syrian opposition figures and activists since claimed the attack was launched by government security forces.
The Syrian government denies the allegations, saying the scene has been fabricated by the rebels.
A number of countries including the US, Britain and France and Australia are demanding the UN experts already in Syria be granted immediate access to the site.
The French government has gone as far as to say it may be preparing to react with force if it's proven chemical attacks have been carried out by the Syrian government.
The inspection team currently only has a mandate to visit three different sites where chemical weapons were reportedly used.
Meanwhile, two UN agencies are reporting the number of children forced to flee Syria has reached over one million.
The UN's refugee agency and UNICEF say a further two million children remain displaced within the country itself.
The UN says children now make up half of all refugees fleeing Syria.
About three-quarters of those children are under 11 years old.
Egypt's ex-president Mubarak leaves prison to Maadi military hospital
Egypt's ex-president Hosni Mubarak has been transferred to a Military Hospital in Cairo after being helicoptered from Tora prison.
This, after Egyptian prosecutors ordered his release after being cleared of corruption charges.
It has stirred up both pro and Anti-Mubarak demonstrations.
''This is a symbolic stand against the release of Mubarak, and we demand justice, and revolutionary trials for the killers of the protesters, including Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Mursi, and Muslim Brotherhood leaders. And we stress the need for a fair transition in Egypt and the implementation of the roadmap."
"We are very happy that the president has been released, this man has never harmed us and we were living in security (under Mubarak), we left our doors open, honestly, we know now what he is worth."
Mubarak is still banned from travelling abroad, as he still faces a retrial on charges of being involved in the killing of protesters during the 2011 unrest that eventually led to his ouster.
The next hearing in that case is slated for this weekend.
Iran foreign minister says sanctions will not make them change their nuclear policy
Iran's foreign minister has issued a new statement, saying sanctions will not force Tehran to change its nuclear policies.
Mohammad Javad Zarif says the new government of President Hassan Rouhani is not ready to give up its right to nuclear energy.
"The sanctions have put pressure on our people, and we are obliged to ease the pressure. But this pressure hasn't resulted in policy change nor will it lead to policy change."
Zarif also says the world powers need to change their attitude toward Iran.
He says otherwise it will prove "a big mistake."
"The Islamic Republic would take appropriate measures in response. They should know that the Islamic Republic insists on the rights of the people and will not back down from defending the rights of the people."
Zarif is set to lead Iran's nuclear talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.
Photo journalist raped in the Indian city of Mumbai
A photo journalist in her early 20s has been gang-raped in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Local police in India's financial hub say they are close to finding out who is responsible.
Satyapal Singh is the Mumbai's Police Commissioner.
"We have detained around 10-12 people who used to be spotted around the place moving suspiciously. Our crime branch team is involved in the case and I think that till morning we will nab the culprits."
The victim was reportedly attacked in an abandoned textile mill in one of the city's fastest-growing neighbourhoods of luxury apartments, malls and bars.
The woman was out on assignment with a male colleague when she was attacked.
Women's safety in India has been in the spotlight following the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in December.
That woman later died of her injuries.
The attack drew a spotlight on rape in India, which is said to be an endemic problem.
Pakistan release over 300 Indian fishermen
Pakistani authorities have released 337 Indian fishermen from jail in Karachi.
Mohammad Rafique says he was picked up by Pakistani authorities 6-months ago while fishing near Pakistani waters.
"There are no lines, signs or signals for borders which cross the water. As a result we drift from one side to the other. Indian Coast Guards and Pakistan Navy should question us on the spot and should pardon and release us after issuing a warning."
Indian and Pakistani fishermen are routinely arrested by both sides.
The detained fishermen are often used as political leverage in other disputes between the two countries.
Greater Mekong Sub-region cooperation got progress
New analysis is suggesting the Greater Mekong Sub-region has become a successful example of regional cooperation in Asia.
"The Blue Book of The Greater Mekong Sub-region 2013" report contends the regional economic cooperation within the GMS has played a very important role in promoting economic and social development of the member states.
Liu Zhi is the chief-editor for the Blue Book,
"China's investment in Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodian grows rapidly. And China now is the important trade and investment partner for these countries. The bilateral trade volume has reached 131.8 billion US dollars last year, which was a historic high."
The Blue Book also suggests countries outside the region, including the U.S., Japan and India, are paying closer attention to the region because of the development of the area.
Skewed gender ratio raises the alarm in China
New stats now show China still maintains the most skewed gender ratio in the world.
Figures from the National Population and Family Planning Commission show 117 boys are born for every 100 girls in China.
The Chinese government has been moving to try to reduce that gap.
However, Chen Zhu, vice chair of the National People's Congress Standing Committee says much more needs to be done.
"Although the constant ascending of the sex ratio at birth has been controlled tentatively, the situation is still rigorous. China hasn't seen an apparent decline of the ratio since the implementation of the 12th five-year plan. It still remains 117 in 2012. So it's quite a tough task to realize our goal."
Chen Zhu is suggesting the government needs to get tougher on pre-natal exams.
"China should take practical and effective measures, and establish a long-term mechanism to cope with the skewed gender ratio. We should work earnestly and devotedly to make policies that are favorable to girls and their families. They should indeed enjoy fruits of China's reform and development. Meanwhile, laws should be made to achieve the gender balance by cracking down the two illegal cases -fetal gender exams and abortion beyond medical necessity."
The gender disparity ratio hit a record high of 120.56 boys for every 100 girls in 2008.
The international standard is between 103 and 107 boys for every 100 girls.
Chinese tourists in Southeast Asia: Visitors should respect local customs and religious faith
Anchor:
The growing number of recent media reports of inappropriate behavior by Chinese tourists abroad has been sparking widespread discussion about how Chinese tourists carry themselves overseas.
As such, we're bringing you a series of reports on how foreign tour guides view Chinese tourists.
Today, we check in with how guides in Thailand view Chinese visitors.
CRI's Marc Cavigli has more.
Reporter:
The movie Lost in Thailand has trigged many Chinese people's interest in traveling to Thailand.
As more and more Chinese tourists choose to travel to Thailand, local tour guides are becoming increasingly busy.
"Some Chinese tourists do not seem to know that in places like temples, people are not allowed to speak in loud voices. They speak loudly despite the warning notices. Perhaps they (Chinese tourists) don't understand that."
Besides religious traditions, another highlight of Thai culture which attracts tourists is the transvestite show.
Zhang Xin, a tourist from Tianjin, China, recalls watching shows at a local bar in Thailand.
"I traveled to Thailand with a tour group. Watching the show was optional. Thailand shemales are well-known, so I chose to watch the show. The guide had told us before we arrived at the bar that we were not allowed to take pictures. We respected the rule and no incidents occurred."
Xu liping is a researcher with the China Academy of Social Sciences.
"There is a Chinese proverb: 'Do in Rome as the Romans do'. Chinese tourists abroad should respect local customs. This, on the one hand demonstrates our respect for other cultures; on the other hand, it allows us to win us respect from others in return. I believe that this lays a foundation for mutual exchange and communication."
Xu adds that if Chinese tourists abroad could respect local customs and culture, this would help to project a good image for China and boost the country's soft power.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
China Beer Festival- Millions cheer China's largest beer festival
Anchor:
This year's Qingdao beer festival is drawing in beer enthusiasts from across China, and around the world.
We get more from CRI's Hu Jia.
Reporter:
The froth, the fizz, the clink of glasses and the unmistakable aroma of beer.
Words seem weak in terms of describing the party the coastal city throws every year.
It's little wonder why the event draws some 2 million people to the city every year.
"To me beer is something like a friend or lover. It's something I cannot miss in life. In China you can't make friends without alcohol because it is the best medium for friendship."
This year is said to be the busiest yet in the Qingdao Beer Festivall's 20-year history.
An estimated 600 tons of beer is expected to be downed this year.
International brews including Paulaner, Carlsberg, Kronbacher and Heineken, among others, are all represented, trying to attract Chinese consumers attention.
More than 300 beers from 27 brewers representing 18 countries are available as part of the 16-day event, which ends this Sunday.
Revelers to the event can choose from sampling a small glass, to buying a full keg for those looking to share with friends.
And while the international brands do have their charms, the most popular beer on-tap is the locally-produced Tsingtao.
"It feels great and unique. Usually we drink with a small circle of friends, but today we are here to drink with people from all over the country and even other parts of the world. This is great toast between Qingdao and the world."
A wide array of events are also being staged, including a drinking contest.
When people aren't drinking, they can take in shows which often include bikini contests, acrobatic displays, and -- of course -- beer!
For CRI, Gan Bei!... I'm Hu Jia.
Biz Reports
Asian Stock
Chinese stocks retreated today amid concerns about liquidity conditions.
The Shanghai Composite was down 0.5 percent.
The Shenzhen Component declined 1 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.2%
Elsewhere,
Gains in Tokyo were wide-spread today.
Toshiba advanced 4.2% while Nissan finished 3.4% higher
As a result, Japan's Nikkei closed the week up 2.2 percent.
In South Korea, most large-cap shares ended in positive territory.
Market bellwether Samsung Electronics climbed 3.2 percent.
The nation's biggest auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 2.3 percent.
South Korea's Kospi added 1.1%
In Singapore, the Strait Times ended the trading week flat.
Australia's ASX 200 gained 0.9 percent.
Nasdaq suspends trading because of technical problems
The Nasdaq had to suspended trading of all its stocks for about three hours Thursday because of technical problems.
The abrupt halt shortly after noon caused trading in the shares of Apple, Google, Microsoft and more than 3-thousand other U.S. companies to stop.
Full trading on the Nasdaq resumed around 3:30pm.
Trading was also halted on all Nasdaq options markets.
Shares of the Nasdaq OMX Group, the operator of Nasdaq closed down.
No details have been given about the trading outage.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission responded to the trading glitch, saying that it is monitoring the Nasdaq situation and in close contact with exchanges.
Regulator wraps up Everbright Securities review
China's securities watchdog has decided to suspend Everbright Securities' own investment accounts and require it to take rectification measures.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission says a number of problems exist in the proprietary systems Everbright uses.
The CSRC also says the firm has failed to meet the requirement for risk control.
The company triggered erroneous trading last Friday caused a nearly 6-percent gain in the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index in three minutes.
Design flaws in the firm's proprietary "strategy trading system" are being blamed for the problem.
A detailed report and penalties are expected to be announced at a later date.
China's FDI inflow rises 24.13 pct in July
New data shows Foreign Direct Investment here in China surged 24 percent year on year in July.
The rise is being attribute to investors becoming more confident about a stabilizing Chinese economy.
China attracted 9.4 billion U.S. dollars in FDI last month.
Through the first seven months, FDI volume has hit 71 billion U.S. dollars.
That's up 7 percent from the same period last year.
China Said to Issue 4G License in Early October
Chinese government appears poised to begin handing out 4G business licenses as early as in this October.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is on record saying the country's three major telecom operators have been given priority in getting the licenses.
China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom are the dominant players here in China.
It's being reported China Mobile has already prepared 207-thousand base stations across the country for the 4G network.
Meanwhile, South Korea is also setting up its 4G data services.
Kim Ga-hye is with SK Telecom.
"In the near future, our company will develop carrier aggregation technology that can merge more communication channels and achieve a transmission rate of over 150 Mbps."
Customers in South Korea, the world's most wired country per-capita, appear to be embracing the upgrade.
"I have used the 3G network for two years and I have just changed to the LTE-A network recently. It usually takes almost 20 seconds to open a web page with 3G network, but LTE-A has shortened the time to merely one or two seconds."
4G technology enables smooth access to videos, as the technology is 10-times faster than the current 3G services.
It's said the network can even handle four-person video conference calls.
Beijing Mulls Measures to Boost Cross-Border E-Commerce
The Ministry of Commerce here in China is reportedly working on a new set of policies to increase cross-border e-commerce.
The ministry says the main focus will be on streamlining the nation's trading system.
It is also working on formulating trade standards, enforcing online payments and improving cross-border logistics.
The Ministry of Commerce is also looking at expanding export tariff rebates.
MoC mulls tightening anti-trust supervision of imported cars
China's ministry of commerce says it is moving toward revising its regulations on imported cars sales in China.
It's being reported imported cars are selling at hugely inflated prices.
This has led to allegations foreign car makers have formed a monopoly to munipulate the market.
Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shen Danyang says they're working to try to ensure Chinese car buyers don't fall victim to monopoly practices.
"Though our anti-trust law considers it legal for businesses to dominate a market through proper competition, but it prohibits businesses to push out competition using their dominant positions. It is also illegal for them to form alliances for price-rigging purposes. So those car makers will be duely punished if we find they have broken these rules."
No specific date has been given as to when the new regulations will be released.
Wenzhou government loosens restrictions on property market
New concerns are rising here in China about the status of the property market in this country's 2nd and 3rd tier cities amid the government's economic restructuring.
The latest official data shows average new home prices in China's top 70 cities gained 7.5 percent in July on an annualized basis.
However, situation is much more fluid in the second and third tired cities.
House prices have fallen for nearly two years in the city of Wenzhou, which was once among the hottest property markets before the government introduced its property controls.
Huang Qi, Director of the Wenzhou Housing Registration Center, says local government is going to loosen restrictions on the property market.
"Now we have made a slight adjustment of the property purchase ban in accordance with the policy of the State Council. According to the new adjustment, the household with only one house is allowed to purchase the second one, but the authority will not give its permission to those with two or more houses."
Ye Weijian, the chair of the Lang Zhao Real Estate Organization in Wenzhou, welcomes the move.
"The purchasing power of the real estate market will rise to some extent, especially the trading volume of resale houses will increase largely."
Wenzhou housing prices dropped 2.4-percent last month.
Hong Kong shop rent still world's highest
New analysis is suggesting Hong Kong has been maintaining the world's most expensive retail rental rates so far this year.
The global property adviser CBRE Group is reporting monthly rents close to 28-thousand Hong Kong dollars per square meter.
This would put prices around 42-percent higher than New York, which has the 2nd highest retail rents.
Observers in Hong Kong say the retail rental prices are being pushed up because owners are trying to capitalize on money flowing in from the mainland.
However,Caroline Mak,Chair of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, says a shift undergoing is worth noticing and may not bode well to the region's surging rent market.
"The proportion of tourists from non-first-tier cities to Hong Kong has increased from 43 percent to 65 percent. Tourists from these developing cities generally have smaller spending power, which will affect their purchase decisions in Hong Kong. "
Hong Kong didn't see a rise in retail rental rates through the 2nd quarter.
Observers attribute this to a slowdown in spending by mainland tourists.
OECD GDP rises 0.5 pct in Q2
New stats show the real gross domestic product in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD areas increased by 0.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013.
That is up from 0.3 percent last quarter.
The Paris-based organization attributed the increase to an acceleration of growth in most major Seven economies, including the U.S. and Britain.
Data by the OECD show the GDP growth accelerated to 0.6 percent and 0.4 percent respectively in Britain and the United States in the April-to-June period.
In Germany, GDP increased by 0.7 percent from the previous quarter.
GDP growth rebounded in the European Union from minus 0.1 to 0.3 percent, and in the eurozone from minus 0.3 to 0.3 percent.
Britain's GDP growth for Q2 revised up to 0.7 pct
Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter of this year has been upgraded to 0.7 percent.
In its second estimate of growth from April to June, the ONS said GDP grew 0.1 percentage points higher than the previously estimated 0.6 percent growth.
Morgan Stanley fined $1 million over bond pricing violations
Morgan Stanley is set to pay a 1-million-US-dollar fine and compensate harmed investors as part of a settlement over bond pricing violations.
The charges were brought by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority FINRA, which self-polices the brokerage industry in the U.S.
FINRA says Morgan Stanley failed to give customers the best market prices for some corporate and municipal bonds.
Headline News
Chinese official urges caution to U.S. on Diaoyu Islands issue
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi is calling on the United States to correctly understand the situation with the Diaoyu Islands.
He also says the US needs to be cautious with its words and deeds.
Yang Jiechi has made the comments while meeting with visiting U.S. senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse.
For his part, John McCain has told Yang Jiechi the United States does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands.
However, McCain is on-record in Japan as describing the islands as "Japanese territory."
McCain also told reporters in Toyko that China is violating Japan's fundamental right to the islands.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has warned "relevant U.S. lawmakers" to stop making irresponsible remarks about the islands.
China, Canada vow to strengthen military cooperation
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan has held talks with his Canadian counterpart Robert Nicolson in Ottawa.
Both sides have made a pledge to deepen their military cooperation.
The two sides have also agreed to promote high-level military exchanges.
Chang Wanquan is in Canada following a visit to the United States where he met with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Trial for Bo's bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power case continues
A second day of hearings has concluded in the trial of former senior party official Bo Xilai.
A 3rd session at the court in Jinan in Shandong is set for tomorrow.
As part of the hearings, prosecutors accused Bo Xilai of accepting bribes worth around some 22 million yuan from a pair of businessmen.
He is also accused of embezzling 5-million yuan worth of public funds from the Dalian government while he was the mayor.
Bo Xilai is also accused of abusing power in trying to abstruct the investigation into murder charges against his wife.
Bo Xilai has denied the charges of bribe-taking.
6 missing after sand dredge sinks in S China
The search for 6 people missing following the capsizing of a sand-dredge off the coast of Fujian is being hampered by heavy waves.
The dredge capsized Thursday near Quanzhou as then-Typhoon Trami was making landfall.
Searchers are now trying to reach the sunken ship.
However, the tides and high waves are holding up the recovery effort.
Japan accuse Russian bombers of breaching airspace
Japan is accusing Russian bombers of breaching its airspace.
Japanese authorities contend two Russian TU-95 bombers briefly entered Japanese airspace near the southern island of Kyushu on Thursday.
As a result, Japan scrambled two of its fighter jets to intercept the bombers.
Following radio warnings from the Japanese pilots, the Russian bombers left Japanese airspace after less than two minutes.
The Russian side is denying it breached Japan's airspace.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
"Draft moots cut in homework"
A draft guidelines document released by the Ministry of Education suggests homework may become a thing of the past for younger students.
According to the document, which was posted online on Thursday for public comment, primary schools in China are required to not give any form of written homework to students from grade one to six.
Instead, schools should work with parents to organize extracurricular activities, including museum tours and library study, as after-school assignments.
Another part of the draft called on schools to reduce the number of mandatory exams, saying teachers shouldn't conduct any kind of unified tests for students from first to third grades.
China Daily
"Chinese scientists asked to improve toilet"
Bill Gates is asking Chinese researchers to explore "poop power" in a project worth 5 million US dollars.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on Thursday in Beijing it will allocate grants to select applicants to re-engineer the common toilet to be more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Zero water and electricity consumption, a daily cost below 5 cents per person, no smell, and comfort are favored in the toilet innovation.
Besides, designs are expected to be functional and reasonably priced, even without a local sewage system.
Previously, the foundation launched a global campaign in July 2011 to prompt innovation of a more sustainable toilet.
According to the World Health Organization, 2.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to toilets, resulting in 1.5 million deaths among children under the age of 5 each year due to sanitation problems.
Meanwhile, in industrial countries, toilets use 20 to 40 percent of total water consumption.
The Telegraph
"Volunteering could lengthen life"
Volunteering may improve your health, according to a new study which found that those who do it live longer and are more satisfied with their lives.
Researchers found that volunteers are a fifth less likely to die within the next four to seven years than average.
Across the studies volunteers had lower self-rated levels of depression and higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction, although this has not been confirmed in trials.
It is thought that volunteering can be good for the physical health of older people in particular, by encouraging them to stay active and spend more time out of the house.
Volunteers often explain their motives in terms of wanting to "give something back" to their community, but without receiving anything in return.
An estimated 22.5 per cent of people in Europe devote part of their spare time to volunteering, compared with 27 per cent in America and 36 per cent in Australia.
Nature World News
"New Type of Camera Takes Sharpest Pictures of Night Sky Ever"
An international team of researchers have developed a new type of camera capable of taking images so sharp it could detect a baseball diamond on the Moon.
The new technology includes a telescope mirror that vibrates 1,000 times each second in order to counteract atmospheric flickering, thus yielding the sharpest images of the night sky in visible light ever taken.
Led by researchers from the University of Arizona, the Arcetri Observatory in Italy and the Carnegie Observatory, the device has been some 20 years in the
Special Reports
Remote Control Aerial Shooting Becomes A New Business in China
Anchor:
A growing number of companies are emerging here in China offering remote-control aerial video shooting.
CRI's Liu Min has more.
Reporter:
Aerial images are often used in video advertisements, films and TV news reports. An increasing number of small companies in China are emerging to provide aerial image shooting services. Feng Chang is cameraman from Flycam Aerial Shooting Company based in Beijing. He says his team recently helped Beijing Television Channel to capture the aerial images above the illegal mountaintop villa built on top of a Beijing residential building.
"At first, I only watched the news on TV, and didn't know that our shooting would inspire such huge reactions from the audience. The whole shooting procedure only took us half an hour, and it is not that difficult for us professionals."
It usually costs more than 100 thousand yuan per day to rent a helicopter for aerial shooting, but it only costs several thousand to 10 thousand yuan per day to hire people like Feng Chang to shoot with a remote controlled multi-copter, a special helicopter with at least six aircrews. In contrast to simple aviation models that people enjoy playing with, Feng Chang says remote control aerial shooting is a challenging job.
"It is not easy for us to control the angle of the images. And that's why this job needs more professional and trained personnel. The moving pictures of a video need to be set at a steady pace so that the video can be connected with film clips. And at the same time, we need to pay special attention not to break the machine, since it is quite expensive."
Feng Chang admits that his company's business is growing very fast. They are usually asked to shoot pictures for films, advertisement, documentaries, weddings, and news reports, and the price ranges from three thousand yuan per order to more than ten thousand yuan based on the difficulty of the job at hand.
But so far, there is no related law or regulation overlooking this market. Director Ji Bowen is from the Beijing Modelling Association. He says the remote control aerial shooting in China only started in recent years.
"So far we don't have a clear regulation for this part of the market. We are only supervising these businesses based on the aviation regulations and law. The suggestion is that they carry out this activity outside of the fifth ring road in Beijing and report to the supervisory department before they shoot anything."
The remote control aerial shooting business is growing rapidly, but still relies on demand from a small section of the market. Some suggest that the local government clarify the regulations to help those starting businesses in this field.
For CRI, I'm Liu Min.
Sports
US Open roundup
At the qualifying tournament at the US Open...
There is only one Chinese hope left in the ranks to make it through to Monday's tournament.
Duan Yingying is into the 3rd round of the Women's Qualifying tournament after downing Belgium's An-Sophie Mestach 6-4, 6-2.
The 24-year old, who is currently ranked 135th in the world, is set to take on American
Madison Brengle in the 3rd round.
A win over the American will get Duan Yingying into next week's US Open.
All other Chinese hopes were dashed in the 2nd round.
Tianjin's Zhang Shuai went down to American Coco Vendewegh in 3-sets.
Chan Yung-Jan from Taiwan fell to Colubian Catalina Castano 6-4, 6-3.
And on the men's side, it was Wu Di from Wuhan following to Slovak Andrej Martin 6-3, 7-6.
Jimmy Wang from Taiwan was bounced by Victor Estrella Burgos from the Dominican Republic 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, the draw has been set for the start of the tournament on Monday.
Chinese ace and tournament 5th seed Li Na will get her US open underway against world number 75 Olga Govortsova from Belarus.
Women's top seed Serena Williams isn't going to have an easy start to her tournament.
She is set to battle 2010 French Open champ Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
Still, Williams says she's confident heading into the last major of the season.
"I take every match really seriously. I don't look too far in the draw. I just look at each match. Every match is going to be a very, very tough competition for me and I will just stay focused on one at a time."
Meanwhile, Chengdu native Zheng Jie is set to take on Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands in the single's competition.
The 30-year old will also be taking part in the doubles competition, though the draw for that hasn't been set yet.
And Peng Shuai, who's currently ranked 36th in the world, is set to take on 29-year old Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in the first round of the singles competition.
On the Men's side, defending champion and 3rd seeded Andy Murray will be starting his tournament out against France's Michael Llodra.
Murray says he's confident, despite having a "bullseye" on his back as the defending champion.
"I've enjoyed my tennis the last few weeks, but now it's time for business. This is a huge tournament for me. I came here for the first time when I was 15. I got to my first grand slam final here, my first grand slam win here and I won the juniors here when I was 17 so I love coming back."
Top seeded Novak Djokovic starts his tournament off against Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.
2nd seed Rafael Nadal gets his tournament underway on Monday against American Ryan Harrison.
Kevin Stadler leads in the first round of The Barclays
The rest of the first round and start of the 2nd round of The Barclays, the opening event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Play-offs, is set to get underway later on this evening from Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey.
It was a stuttered, soggy start on Thursday as two rain delays backed things up for some 6-hours.
The rains broke up the day's play and allowed only the top half of the draw to finish their rounds.
The later starters will resume their opening rounds tonight and then go straight into the second round.
American Kevin Stadler fired a blistering 7-under 64 to take the clubhouse lead following the first day.
American Ryan Palmer and Sweden's Henrik Stenson sit alone in 2nd at minus-6.
Other notables who managed to finish included Tiger Woods, who is currently sitting at 4-under.
Rory McIlroy hit three double bogeys, but still managed to finish his round at even par.
Open champion Phil Mickelson was among those who did not finish. Despite bogeying his opening hole, Mickleson currently sits at 1-under after just 6-holes.
At the LPGA tournament in Canada...
Defending champion Lydia Ko has a share of the lead after the first round of the Canadian Women's Open in the northern Canadian city of Edmonton.
Ko, along with American Angela Stanford and Christel Boeljon of Holland each fired a 5-under-65 on Thursday.
Lydia Ko won the tournament last year as a 15-year old.
Other notables in the hunt after round one include South Korean Inbee Park who sits at minus-3.
Rising Chinese star Feng Shanshan is also well in the hunt.
The Guangzhou native fired a 2-under-68 to sit tied for 10th.
Amy Hung and Candie Kung from Taiwan both turned in even-par 71's.
Tseng Yani will need a good round later on this Friday to stay in the tournament after firing a 2-over 73 on Thursday.
The projected cut line is plus-1.
Practice sessions underway at Belgium GP
The first practice sessions are getting underway today in Spa, Belgium for the re-start of the Formula-1 series, following the 4-week summer break.
Today will include a pair of practice sessions for the drivers.
Saturday will see them have one more practice session in the morning before the qualifying begins.
Jenson Button is the defending champion at the race.
However, the odds-on favorite has to be Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
He currently leads the drivers standings with 4-victories so far this year, and 9 top-5 finishes in the 10-races so far.
"I think we've had a great first part of the season. Very good results. Unfortunately one DNF (did not finish), but all in all I think we can be very happy with the first half. Entering the second half and looking at the calendar, I think it will be busy for all of us, but I think we have have the same reason to be confident as we had starting the season. I think we have a great car, a great team, a strong package, which hopefully is good enough to fight for victory in the next couple of races."
Meanwhile, questions about Kimi Raikkonen's fitness for this race remain a concern.
Lotus says Raikkonen was forced to skip the media day on Thursday because of illness.
Raikkonen currently sits 2nd in the drivers standings, just one-point ahead of Fernando Alonzo.
The Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled to run on Sunday.
Entertainment
Pet Shop Boys interview
Pet Shop Boys shook Beijing's Mastercard Center last night.
The UK's most successful electronic duo impressed the audience with old hits as well as new material from their twelfth studio album "Electric".
We caught up with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe before the show
"We wondered whether people would know the music, would want to come and see us and what the reaction would be like. We were delighted we got an amazing reaction in Shanghai. The audience was really up for it and very excited and vocal. It was a fantastic audience and great concert. And that's what we're here for."
Despite a career spanning over 3 decades, the Electric tour marks the duo's first ever performances in some countries.
"It's an interesting tour this because we're doing some countries for the first time China, the Phillippines, Indonesia. I mean an amazing thing about the world from a musician's perspective it's got bigger. In South America we played Paraguay. In 10 day's time we're in Poland."
The Pet Shop Boy's head to Thailand next for a show in Bangkok tonight.
Pitbull comes to Beijing
International hit maker Pitbull is coming to China for the first time ever.
The rapper and producer will be touching down at the Worker's Stadium here in the capital next Wednesday.
Having collaborated with everyone from Lil Wayne to Shakira, Pitbull boasts a string of club and chart hits, including the now iconic Get on the Floor with Jlo.
Pitbull will also be bringing us fresh material from his latest studio effort, "Global Warming".
Remaining tickets for the show start at 380 yuan.
Reading and Leeds Festival preview
Over in the UK, tens of thousands of music fans are getting geared up for this weekend's Reading and Leeds Festival.
More than 200 acts will be taking to the stage, including some of the industry's biggest names.
The event will play host to Eminem's only UK festival appearance this year.
Eminem first headlined Reading and Leeds over a decade ago with his group D12.
Fans can expect to be treated to new material from his yet unreleased 8th studio album.
US rock bands Green Day and Biffy Clyro will also be taking to the headline stage.
Meanwhile the NME stage will be welcoming Pheonix, Alt-J and Skrillex.
Elsewhere Devlin and Wiley will be present to represent the UK grime scene.
The Reading and Leeds festival are expecting over 150,000 revellers split over two sites over this coming bank holiday weekend.
Returned bronze heads go on permanent display
Two bronze sculptures stolen by French and British forces during the Qing Dynasty has gone on display at the National Musuem of China.
The works, which depict the heads of a rabit and rat, were originally part of the 12 Chinese zodiac figures in Yuanmingyuan.
The sculptures were taken in 1860 by the European troops during the Opium Wars.
The heads went to auction at Chrsties in 2009 despite intense criticism from China.
The Chinese buyer who won the auction refused to pay, after which the heads were acquired by Francoise- Henri Pinault, who owns Christies.
Pinault returned the works to China earlier this year.
The heads are now part of "The Road of Rejuvenation", a permanent exhibit at the National Museum.
Zhang Ziyi on the Grandmaster
Wong Kar Wai's hotly anticipated Ip Man biopic "The Grandmaster" held a special screening in LA overnight.
The film stars Tony Leung as the Wing Chun master and Zhang Ziyi as Gong Er, the daughter of Ip Man's rival martial artist.
Zhang opened up to the press about Wong's innovative style of film making.
"You know he has no script. And everything is just about when we develop the characters together, you find out more about the character. I think I like the way he does it, because you're always curious about what's going to happen tomorrow, and what's the character like. A lot of questions to yourself and to him. So it's a very interesting way to shoot a movie."
The film has been making waves in Hollywood, with critics praising it as an "ethereal realisation" of "authentic martial artis" that merges "physicality and philosophy"
"The Grandmaster" opens in limited release in the US today.
Ben Affleck to play Batman in "Man of Steel 2"
Warner Brother Studios has announced that Ben Affleck will be playing Batman in the Man of Steel sequel.
The 41-year-old will join Henry Cavill, who will return as Superman in the upcoming Zack Snyder film.
Snyder told the press that he believes that Affleck will provide an "interesting counter-balance" to Cavill's Man of Steel.
In their statement, Warner Bros praised Affleck as an "extraordinary actor" of the calibre required to take on the giant role of Bruce Wayne.
Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane will all be reprising their roles for the project.
Man of Steel 2 is slated for international release in 2015.
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