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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
China rebuts the Philippines on Huangyan Islands.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warns the US against unilateral strikes on Syria
The G20 summit gathers pace in St Petersburg next week
In Business，Bank of America sells its remaining shares in China Construction Bank.
In sports，updates from the China National Games and from Flushing Meadows
In entertainment，James Cameron talks 'Gravity'
Weather
Beijing will have moderate rain tonight with a low of 17 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow light rain with a high temperature of 24.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 22, overcast tomorrow, with a high of 27.
Lhasa will have thundershowers tonight, 11 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 33.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 27.
Canberra, overcast, 23.
Brisbane, overcast, 24.
And finally, Perth will be overcast with a high of 21.
Top News
Putin warns U.S. against unilateral military action on Syria
Anchor
Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning the United States against taking unilateral action in Syria.
Su Yi has the updates about the Syrian situation.
Reporter
Putin says that any military action on Syria without UN approval is an aggression.
"In line with international law, only the UN Security Council could sanction the use of force against a sovereign state. Any other pretext or method, which might be used to justify the use of force against an independent sovereign state, is inadmissible and can only be interpreted as an aggression."
He made the remarks ahead of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg.
But Putin also said Russia would take decisive and serious action over Syria, if clear evidence of the use of mass destruction weapons exists.
The Obama administration says over 14-hundred people died in the attack in a Damascus suburb last month and blames President Bashar al-Assad for it.
Syria government denies its involvement and blames the attack on the rebels.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has repeated its call for a political solution.
The foreign ministry has issued a statement, saying the Chinese side is "seriously concerned" about possible military action against Syria.
The Chinese government is also on-record saying any action in Syria has to conform to United Nations principles.
All of these come after U.S. President Barack Obama secured support from key figures in U.S. Congress for limited strikes.
House speaker John Boehner, the leading Republican in the US House of Representatives, says he supports Obama's plan for military action.
"This is something the United States as a country needs to do. I am going to support the president's call for action. I believe my colleagues should support this call for action."
Meantime, the United Nations has issued another call for unity among the Security Council.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon says the Security Council has to show leadership on Syria.
"Bearing in mind the primary responsibility of the Security Council, I call for its members to unite and develop an appropriate response should the allegations of use prove to be true."
A UN inspection team is still awaiting results on tissue and soil samples it collected while in Syria.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
Interview with China's former ambassador to Iran Hua Liming on the situation in Syria
For more on the situation in Syria, CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Hua Liming, China's former ambassador to Iran.
…
That's CRI's Paul James speaking with Hua Liling, China's former ambassador to Iran.
G20 summit needs to move on to crisis-prevention mode: U.S. expert
Policymakers of the Group of Twenty nations are set to gather at the Russian city of St. Petersburg for the upcoming G20 summit.
The G20 members represent about 80 percent of the global economy, and the two-day summit is set to open on Wednesday.
Chinese president Xi Jinping will attend the event as part of his overseas tour of four central Asian countries.
Maintaining strong and sustainable growth is a main task for the summit this year though Syria is expected to dominate the talks on the fringes.
Russia, as host country, has outlined a strategic agenda for igniting a new cycle of economic growth through quality jobs and investment as well as effective regulation.
For more on the G20, CRI's special correspondent David Keyton earlier spoke to Dr. Susan Rimmer, Director of Studies for Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy in Australian National University.
…
Back anchor:
Susan Rimmer, Director of Studies for Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy in Australian National University.
China rebuts Philippine accusation over Huangyan Island
China has rejected the Philippines's accusations that IT has begun fortifying the Huangyan Island.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.
"what the Philippine side said is not true. Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory. China's public service vessels have conducted routine patrols in the waters of the island so as to safeguard both sovereignty and public order in the waters. This is China's justified right, and it is beyond reproach."
Philippine Department of National Defense said on Tuesday that at least 30 concrete blocks in the northern part of Huangyan Island were sighted, which can be used as foundation, quote, "to something".
Wu Shicun, Dean of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, says the Philippines is deliberately sensationalizing the issue.
"That is because the Philippines is recently planning to fortify an improved infrastructures on the nine islands it has taken from Nansha. So they are accusing China of doing this first, and then they can do whatever they want."
Wu also notes that China has always been advocating all sides involved to be restrained, calm, and constructive on the territorial dispute.
High ranking officials from countries surrounding the South China Sea are set to gather for talks Hangzhou later this month.
Ohio man who held 3 women captive for decade found dead in prison
An American man who held three women captive in his home in Ohio for nearly a decade until May this year, has been found hanged in jail.
Ariel Castro was found dead in his cell on Tuesday night local time at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio.
Castro had been in protective custody because of the notoriety of his case, meaning he was checked every 30 minutes, but officials added that he was not on suicide watch.
The 53-year-old was sentenced on August 1 to life in prison without parole, plus 1,000 years upon his guilty plea to 937 counts of kidnapping and rape.
Germany may charge 30 Auschwitz Nazi guards
Authorities in Germany are saying that perhaps as many as 30 former Nazi guards at Auschwitz concentration camp may yet face prosecution for facilitating mass murder.
Prosecutors say an investigation into nearly 50 guards at the prison camp has generated enough evidence to bring charges to 30 Auschwitz officials.
Here's federal prosecutor Kur Schrimm,
"We could investigate the names of 49 persons who are likely still alive. We have systematically checked these 49 persons during the last six months."
The announcement comes just a day after a 92-year old former SS officer went on trial for the murder of a Dutch resistance fighter 70-years ago.
The 2011 conviction of a former SS guard at Auschwitz on charges of accessory to murder has made it easier for prosecutors to bring former Nazi members and collaborators to justice.
An estimated 1.1-million people were killed at the concentration camp from 1940 to 1945 as part of Hitler's policy of creating a pure Aryan nation.
The victims included Jews, Poles, Romas, Soviet prisoners and homosexuals.
Power cut leaves almost half of Venezuela without electricity
Venezuela's main power distribution network failed on Tuesday at midday local time, depriving nearly half the country of electricity including the capital Caracas, which is normally immuned from blackouts.
The city's traffic lights and water services were knocked out, and some passengers were stranded in trains after the outage temporarily shut down the underground system.
Venezuela's Communication Minister, Delcy Rodriguez, appeared on state television to advise that the authorities were "working to restore service as quickly as possible."
"On this situation, the Ministry of Electrical Energy reported that they are working to restore service as quickly as possible. It's worth highlighting however that the full recovery of this important service will be in a progressive manner, conforming to the standards, procedures and protocols required for such instances."
Power was restored in Caracas by nightfall, but officials said blackouts could persist in other regions.
Ministry of Education issues academic burden relief draft guidelines
Anchor:
China's education authorities are soliciting opinions on its draft guidelines for reducing the burden on students in primary schools.
As CRI's Li Dong reports, some parents, teachers and education experts are expressing their worries about the draft policy.
Reporter: Under the new policy homework may become a thing of the past for younger pupils.
The Ministry of Education plans to lessen the heavy workload for students in its draft policy, which includes 10 regulations.
One of the regulations states that primary schools may no longer set any form of written homework for all students.
Instead, schools should cooperate with parents to organize extracurricular activities and after school assignments, including museum tours and library study sessions.
Gu Mingyuan, an education expert hails the draft guideline, saying it is a big step forward for China as it attempts to reform its education system.
"The 10 new regulations are very specific, making them easier to implement. For instance, students are assigned to schools close to where they live and the number of exams has been reduced. I think the burden on students can indeed be reduced if local governments carry out the plan accordingly."
The draft also calls on schools to reduce the number of mandatory exams, and no exams for pupils from grades one to three.
However, some teachers have expressed their worries that reducing homework as a whole may not be good for students with limited learning abilities. Cong Yuhong is a teacher in Tianjin, one of the four municipalities in China.
"Some kids can master the knowledge within the 40 minuite class, some can't. Making time to go over the part they didn't master is a problem."
Another teacher, Sun Dongmei, is from a primary school in Zhaoshe village, a remote town in Yunnan Province. She understands the purpose of the Ministry of Education's draft guideline, but worries that the policy may be unfair to students in rural areas.
"Parents in big cities can give their children some help with their studies. But parents in rural areas are not that well educated compared to those in big cities; basically, they can't give any help to their kids. Students totally rely on the teachers."
Parents in both big cities and rural areas share the same worry that the academic performance of their children may lag behind because of the new policy.
Kang Jian, professor at Institute of Education in Peking University says teacher' and parents are reasonable in their worries. He says that currently it's still hard to have a nationwide standard practice in reducing students academic burden due to the uneven distribution of educational resources in cities and rural areas.
"Rural parents view the college entrance examination as an important way to change their life, giving them the possibility of leaving their farm life and living a decent life in the city. They do not believe the new policy will offer fairness and quality education."
Reducing the school workload on young children can help to broaden their interests and encourage a more-rounded development and a better adult life. But how to achieve the goal needs thorough study.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Markets here in Asia saw mixed day of trading as concerns about Syria intensifies, putting an end to the four day surge seen this week.
The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.21%
The Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.28%
Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost -0.31%
Elsewhere here in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei gained 0.54%, edging up to a four week high, having surged 35 percent over the past 12 months.
South Korea's KOSPI fell 0.04%
Singapore's Straits Times Index closed with a -1.29% drop
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.67%, with growth data coming in at 2.6% for the second quarter, largely in line with expectations.
Technical Cooperations Highlights China-ASEAN Expo
Anchor:
A forum highlighting technical cooperation has been held at the China-ASEAN Expo currently underway in Guangxi's capital Nanning.
CRI's Marc Cavigli has more.
Reporter:
Over 20 technological cooperation deals, including the application of China's Beidou navigation satellite system, have been signed at the forum.
The signings follow the opening of a China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center.
The center has been set up to beef up technology exchanges between China and ASEAN member countries.
Wan Gang, China's Minister of Science and Technology, says the center will promote technological exchanges on a business-to-business level.
"The objective of the transfer center is to provide a network for technological integration between China and ASEAN. The center will facilitate technological cooperation between companies based on their individual needs. It will also work to promote the collaborative innovation between China and ASEAN members."
Ye Bo is the Deputy Executive Director of the technology transfer center.
"Based on the needs of ASEAN member states, we will help the ASEAN companies, research institutes and universities to locate their suitable technology partners here in China. And also arrange meetings for them to come to China for further talks. Meanwhile, we can also help Chinese organizations to visit their potential partners in ASEAN member states. "
Guangxi-based Jian Solar Energy is one of the companies that has signed a technology transfer deal with a Vietnamese company at the forum.
Jian Solar's Lu Junhang says the techology center should help his company identify more partners among ASEAN countries.
"We are transferring our technology to help the company to improve their capacity. We also have a technological cooperation deal with them. For example if their heat insulating material is not efficient enough, we can provide them with our material which is also more environmental friendly. Recently the prospect of solar energy companies is quite harsh. But in Vietnam, the government shows a strong support for the sector. And a technology transfer center like this can help us to gain more opportunities to exchange our technologies with other companies."
So far, over 400 companies have signed up for the technology pairing service.
Telecom giant Huawei and web portal Sohu are among them.
150 of them are from ASEAN countries.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
Eurozone composite PMI highest in 3 years
The Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to 51.5 in August from 50.5 in July.
This marks the highest PMI figure since June 2011.
The PMI of the dominant service sector rose above 50 for the first time since early 2012, coming in at 50.7, up from the negative reading of 49.8 for July.
Markit, a compilers of the index said this positive reading indicates moderate economic growth as sectors begin to recover from recession.
Analysts expect growth for the current quarter to come in at around 0.2% for the 17-nation bloc.
This comes on the back of the news a few weeks ago that the Eurozone finally emerged from an 18-month long recession in Q2 with growth coming in at 0.3%.
Meanwhile, manufacturing growth resumed in Spain after over two years of decline.
Factory based activity also gathered pace in Italy, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria.
Not all is rosy, however, as manufacturing in Greece contracted at the slowest rate in more than three years.
But overall, the latest PMI figures have propelled business optimism to a 17-month high, even though unemployment remains high with job cuts reported for the 20th month in a row.
OECD says global economy still sluggish
The Organziation for Economic Cooperation and Development has issued a new assessment of global growth, suggesting the world's economy still hasn't emerged from the 2008 downturn, even though advanced economies have been showing signs of recovery.
Still, the OECD does point to major advanced economies such as the US, Japan and the UK seeing stronger than expected growth in the second quarter of this year.
Jorgen Elmeskov is the agency's deputy chief economist.
"What we see is continued pretty mediocre growth for the world as a whole but within that, we do see somewhat more robust growth for the advanced economies. I think as regards policy, monetary policy needs to remain very, very accommodating in the advanced economies. And as regards fiscal policy, there have been real improvements in the situation, countries need to soldier on with necessary consolidation but they should not consolidate at a pace that will kill the economies."
However, the OECD is warning that emerging economies, such as China, will continue to face difficulties, which will drag down global growth.
But the OECD does say that China is recovering, and is forecast a full-year growth of 7.4-percent.
Rupee makes sharp recovery as RBI welcomes new governor
After hitting a record low of 68.85 rupees against the US dollar last week, India's national currency took an upward surge today due to an aggressive intervention.
The Reserve Bank of India is said to have intervened through state-run banks to prop up the stricken rupee.
This comes as the new governor Ra-ghu-ram Rajan, former chief economist at the IMF, takes over as the RBI's new governor.
His first priority is to drag the currency from a major slump just as India faces its worst economic outlook since the balance of payment crisis in 2011.
GDP figures last week showed that annual growth had dropped to the weakest pace in four years.
And since the start of the year, the rupee has depreciated by about 20%, not helped by record current account and budget deficits for the government, as well as rising prices of imports such as crude oil.
Goldman Sachs this week lowered its growth forecast for India, placing it at a decade low.
Headline News
Putin warns U.S. against unilateral military action on Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin is warning the United States against taking unilateral action in Syria.
Putin says that any military action on Syria without UN approval is an aggression.
He made the remarks ahead of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg.
But Putin also said Russia would take decisive and serious action over Syria, if clear evidence of the use of mass destruction weapons exists.
The Obama administration says over 14-hundred people died in the attack in a Damascus suburb last month and blames President Bashar al-Assad for it.
Syria government denies its involvement and blames the attack on the rebels.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has repeated its call for a political solution.
The foreign ministry has issued a statement, saying the Chinese side is "seriously concerned" about possible military action against Syria.
The Chinese government is also on-record saying any action in Syria has to conform to United Nations principles.
Bank of America exits China Construction Bank
The Bank of America has sold the last of its shares in China Construction Bank for $1.47 billion.
This comes eight years after the American bank invested $3 billion for a 10 % stake in CCB.
This was followed by another injection of $7billion in 2008, giving it 20% of the stake, a move that had been touted as a long term investment for the bank.
However, regulatory pressures caused the bank to purge its shares from 2009 onwards.
The investment nevertheless earnt the Bank of America $14 billion in profits due to a rise in the value of the shares.
The exit of BoA comes four moths after Goldman Sachs sold its stake in Industrial and Commerical Bank of China.
The volatile performance of ICBC shares caused Goldman to suffer its only annual net-loss in Asia since the financial crisis back in 2011.
Toyota recalls nearly 170,000 vehicles due to system fault
Toyota Motors are recalling 169,000 hybrid SUVs due to faulty inverters in the hybrid system.
Whilst no accident has been reported so far, a problem has been identified in the engine assembly process.
Toyota said in a statement that the transistor used in the hybrids is prone to overheating, and the models affected include the Lexus RX400h and Highlander SUVs.
The company has declined to comment on the projected cost of the recall.
Two more senior Chinese officials downed in latest anticorruption drive
Two more senior Chinese officials have been expelled from the Communist Party of China and have been removed from their posts on corruption charges.
These officials include Wang Suyi from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Li Daqiu from Guangxi.
The move comes just a day after the sacking of Jiang Jiemin, China's top official responsible for overseeing state-owned companies.
Jiang is the first full member of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC to be placed under graft investigation.
The CPC leadership considers corruption as one of the most pressing and grave problems it is facing at the moment.
Newspaper Picks
Xinhua
"Diabetes in China may reach alert level"
Chinese researchers are saying diabetes in China may have reached "an alert level," with one in 10 adults having the disease.
The researchers warned that China could face "a major epidemic of diabetes- related complications," including cardiovascular disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease in the near future without an effective national intervention.
According to the study, nearly 12 percent of Chinese adults have diabetes, while about 50 percent are at the risk of developing the disease.
Global Times
"Dad refuses to pay for daughter's dream"
A 19-year-old from Chengdu, Sichuan Province will see her dream of attending university come true after collecting enough donations to pay her 7,000 yuan -tuition fee this year.
The girl came to rely on the generosity of others after her father refused to pay for her post-secondary education.
The girl said her father can afford her tuition fees, but he didn't want her to go to university.
Her father told his daughter that studying at university is "useless."
The father said that while he wants his daughter to pursue the life that she wants, he can't agree to support her if he doesn't believe what she is doing is right.
It's been told the father is doing well for himself today, but he only completed primary school.
Australia News Network
"Be afraid: Study to teach fear to native animals"
Researchers will try to teach native animals to fear feral predators in the outback.
They plan to expose wildlife near Roxby Downs in South Australia to feral cats and foxes to see if they can help the native animals develop a tendency to avoid the predators.
One researcher said the native species evolved without the presence of cats or foxes so failed to recognise them as a threat, making them easy prey.
Researchers hope the project at the arid recovery nature reserve will find ways to reduce the impact of introduced predators on native wildlife.
Researchers hope they can train animals such as hopping mice by exposing them to predators for short periods.
It is hoped the field work can start next year.
BBC
"Sleep 'boosts brain cell numbers'"
Scientists believe they have discovered a new reason why we need to sleep - it replenishes a type of brain cell.
Sleep ramps up the production of cells that go on to make an insulating material known as myelin which protects our brain's circuitry.
The findings, so far in mice, could lead to insights about sleep's role in brain repair and growth as well as the disease MS.
Researchers found that the production rate of the myelin making cells, immature oligodendrocytes, doubled as mice slept.
The increase was most marked during the type of sleep that is associated with dreaming - rapid eye movement sleep - and was driven by genes.
In contrast, the genes involved in cell death and stress responses were turned on when the mice were forced to stay awake.
Special Reports
Jordan :Womens rugby in China
Anchor:
Both the men's and women's Rugby Sevens has wrapped up at the National Games, including a surprising conclusion on the women's side.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more from Shenyang.
Reporter:
The Shan Dong women crushed Beijing in the rugby sevens finals at the National Games last night.
Many people predicted a Shan Dong win, but no one expected them to win in the way they did.
After receiving two yellow cards in the second half, the Beijing team was playing two down.
Then in an abrupt show of discontent over a reffing decision, the Beijing squad decided to quit playing entirely.
Shan Dong had the remaining minutes to score try after uncontested try while the Beijing players stood in a tight huddle off to the side.
The final score was a humiliating 71 point loss for Beijing.
Womens rugby is an even newer concept in China than mens rugby. The players competing at the national or international level often have just a couple years experience playing the sport.
23-year-old Cong Yun, one of Liaoning's starting backs, was introduced to the sport her sophomore year of college.
"I joined a college team back then. And I have trained for 2 and half years since I joined the provincial team for this National Games."
One of the reasons women’s rugby has struggled to attract players is because there is a social stigma attached to a sport that requires one to tackle, pound, and pummel one's opponent.
That and the prospect of enduring some gruesome injuries.
But there are some Chinese women, who are going against the grain.
Another Liaoning player, Zhang Xue said she doesn't mind a hard hit.
"After all, rugby is not that popular in China and not a lot of people play it. I play it because it has a lot of fun. I began to love it because it is a team sport though the game itself is very fierce."
Some of the provincial teams have hired foreign coaches to bring their expertise to the programs.
Former rugby sevens great Thomasi Cama senior has been coaching the Anhui women for two years.
Thomasi's coaching experience includes time spent with the legendary Fiji men’s national 15's and 7's squads.
Thomasi said he's seen encouraging progress in women’s rugby in China.
"Look at the China rugby now. They are really developing now. They want to make it more up to their level. They want it in the future to become more favored in China.
Attracting future players is another critical component in program development.
But judging by the enthusiasm of some of the young girls who attended the rugby finals yesterday, that shouldn't be a problem.
13 year old, Fa Yu Xin came to watch the finals with her middle school class. She isn't scared of rugby at all. She said she'd even like to play it some day.
"This game is interesting to watch. I don't really understand it, but I really like to watch it."
Even though womens rugby is just getting started in China, the womens national team has already had some measure of international success.
They finished ninth out of 16 in the inaugural womens sevens World Cup in Dubai.
National head coach Zheng Hongjun said now that rugby is an Olympic sport, he has a much larger pool of athletes to choose from.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee
Sports
China National games
Here in China the 12 national games are in full swing in the north eastern Liaoning province.
The games see the different regions and municipalities all around the country go head-to-head in a series of events including all 28 OLYMPIC sports..
So for the atheles trying to make it onto the country's national team the heat is on.
…
Li Na first Chinese player through to US Open Semi final
In Tennis.... China's Li Na has blasted her way through to the next round of the US Open.
She defeated Ekaterina Mak-arova of Russia 4-6 , 7-6, 2-6 to become the first ever Chinese player to make it through to a semifinal at Flushing Meadows and she seems determined to go even further in the competition:
"You know, I always try to be the first one. Of course it was exciting, because first time in semi in US Open. So I was really proud for myself, because is the last Grand Slam for end of the year, but I still fighting a lot on the court to try the best."
But Li will have her work cut out for her in the next round as she is set for a showdown with defending champion Serena Williams.
The World number one showed no compassion to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro who was playing on her 25th birthday and took just 52 minutes to win the match 6-0 6-0.
Meanwhile Victoria Azarenka, who lost to Williams in last year's final has reached the last eight after beating Ana Ivanovic in their rain delayed match.
Andy Murray through to last eight at US Open
In the Men's event defending champion Andy Murray is through to the last eight after defeating Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.
He will next face Stanislas Wawrinka who knocked out fifth seed Tomas Berdych in their match.
Elsewhere Lleyton Hewitt let victory slip through his fingers in his five set battle against Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.
The former world number one, who's now ranked 66th, remained philosophical after missing out on the chance of entering his first Grand-Slam quarter final in four years.
""Oh, it's obviously great, you know, to come into the tournament and have tough draw in the second round playing a quality player. To get through that match and then to bounce back, and it was always going to be hard physically to keep coming out match after match, because in the second round that obviously took a lot out of me to get through Del Potro. And, then, yeah, every match was going to get tougher and tougher from there on is as well. Yeah, I fought my way through the third round, and obviously I could have gone either way today. It obviously gives me a lot of confidence. It would have been great to have won today. As I said earlier, I left it all out there this whole week, week and a half. Yeah, you don't have regrets."
Linsey Vonn returns to skiing
In Skiing Lindsey Vonn has made a return to the slopes competing in Chile.
It was a cautious return after seven months following that horrific crash in Austria last winter that ended her World Championship season.
But it sets the American athlete on the path to defending her Olympic title in Sochi in February.
Entertainment
Celine Dion premieres new single 'Loved me back to life' (with soundbite)
Celine Dion has premiered her new single 'Loved me back to life' on her official website.
The singer will release the song as the lead single from her upcoming album of the same name.
The track was co-written by Sia Furler, whose credits include Rihanna's 'Diamonds' and Flo Rida's 'Wild Ones'.
American pop singer Ne Yo recently said he has recorded a duet with Dion for the album, and described the experience as "surreal".
The new album will be released on November 5th, and will be Celine Dion's first English-language studio album since 2007's Taking Chances.
James Cameron: 'Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity is best space film ever made'
James Cameron has described Gravity as "the best space film ever made".
The Avatar director heaped praise upon Alfonso Cuarón's movie, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
Cameron said he was absolutely floored by the movie, saying how desperate he's been waiting to see the movie.
Cameron highly praised the human dimension of the film, and said its director has created an absolutely seamless portrayal of a woman fighting for her life in zero gravity.
Gravity is Cuarón's first feature film since 2006's Children of Men. It held its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this week.
It will be released on October 4 in the US.
The movie might arouse great interest among Chinese filmgoers as China's first space station Tiangong 1 is the last straw to clutch at for the main characters of the film.
Boardwalk stars walk HBO red carpet for season 4 premiere
The cast of the HBO drama 'Boardwalk Empire' walked the red carpet yesterday in New York for premiere of show's fourth season.
The drama stars Steve Buscemi as the powerfully corrupt Nucky Thompson, and Buscemi the his character never ceases to amaze him.
"He's always surprising to me. I never know what the writers have in store. I like that he's sort of - he's kind of still scrappy. And he always finds himself in trying to get out from something and up against gangsters. So he has to use his wits about him."
'Boardwalk Empire' is adapted from real-life events that occurred during the America's period of alcohol-prohibition in the 1920s. Many characters in the show are based on real people.
Buscemi says that although the story was well-adapted, he also has the chance to modify the role slightly.
Boardwalk Empire's fourth season also gets a new villain, played by Jeffrey Wright.
The Golden Globe and Tony-winning actor says he's thrilled to join the cast.
"There's not a more beautifully-rendered show anywhere. It's one of the most beautifully photographed pieces of work that you will see on TV, movies, anywhere. So the production values are compelling."
The fourth season of the show begins on September 19th on HBO.
US science fiction author Frederik Pohl dies aged 93
US science fiction writer Frederik Pohl has died in Chicago at the age of 93.
During his life, Pohl wrote more than 40 novels and hundreds of short stories but he was best known for The Space Merchants, written in the 1950s.
His novel Gateway also won the Hugo Award for science fiction writing.
Pohl was described by British author Neil Gaiman as "the first generation of Science Fiction Writers who created the genre".
In an obituary released by the family, Pohl's editor James Frankel highly praises the American's contribution to science fiction. He also said that Pohl was instrumental in the popularising the genre in the latter half of the last century.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Raindance jury
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is on the jury of this year's Raindance Film Festival.
Assange has been in Ecuador's embassy in London for more than a year. He will have DVDs of the films in competition delivered to him.
The Raindance Film Festival is Europe's largest independent film festival. It will take place in London from 25 September to 6 October.
Other judges include British actor Jason Flemyng, Portishead singer Beth Gibbons and author Robert Rankin.
Raindance founder Elliot Grove said they choose the jury who are consdiered interesting people.
Assange will of course be unable to attend the festival in person.
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