In This Edition

 

China leads the medal tally with four golds and two bronzes in the first day of the London Olympics.

Chinese public congratulate the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, saying it effectively displayed the host country's rich culture.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes to see stronger economic ties between Russia and Japan.

And floods sweep through Yunan in China's southwest while disaster relief work gets underway in Beijing's Fangshan, the worst-hit area of the rainstorm and flood a week ago.

 

Hot Issue Reports

 

China's Yi Siling Wins London's First Gold

China's Yi Siling has become the first gold medalist of the London Olympic Games. She claimed the women's 10-meter air rifle title with a score of 502.9.

 

CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has more.

 

Yi Siling entered the final with 399 points from the qualification round, sharing the lead with Poland's Sylwia Bogacka.

 

But it was not until the eighth attempt of the 10-shot final that the 23-year-old Chinese overcame the Polish veteran to secure the first gold medal of the Games. It's also the 2010 World Champion's first Olympic gold.

 

"In the last Asian Games where I also won, I had thought it was the first gold and that added some unnecessary pressure on me. But that experience helped me a lot today. I felt it's a breakthrough."

 

Bogacka was 0.7 points behind with a silver.

 

"I don't feel like a loser because I'm second. It was very hard. But I know what I did wrong. So I tried to fix for the last shot. In my mind this shot I saw 10.8. When I saw the monitor, I was very happy."

 

China's Yu Dan won the bronze medal at 501.5.

 

Tu Yun, CRI news, London.

 

Audiences Wowed by London Olympic Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony marking the start of the London Olympics received a rousing reception from an enthusiastic live audience.

 

An audience of 60,000 in the Olympic Stadium and an estimated one billion television viewers around the globe watched a touching finale to a high-octane, musical celebration of British history and culture.

 

Directed by film director Danny Boyle, the ceremony was a dizzying event designed to highlight the grandeur and eccentricities of the nation.

 

Amy Webster, who was among the performers, said she could feel the audience was impressed.

 

"Everyone was cheering. We were singing along so that we could hear the whole thing going on in our ears. We were counting along with everyone, singing, dancing, it was amazing. They loved it, yeah, they did love it. You could hear they loved it."

 

Others said Queen Elizabeth's performance was the highlight of the show.

 

The monarch appeared in a short, tongue-in-cheek film starring Daniel Craig in his role as James Bond. Doubles of Bond and the queen then parachuted from a helicopter above the stadium.

 

International visitors were equally delighted; some were overcome with emotion.

 

"I loved it, fascinating, fantastic, logistically amazing and excellent." (in Spanish)

 

"Absolutely, I think they have done a really good job. I know they have been preparing for it. I am actually half British, half American, so I know they have been preparing for it for a long time, and I think they did a great job."

 

More than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries and regions will compete in 17 days of competition in the only city to have staged the modern Games three times.

 

London's Opening Praised in China

Chinese media and viewers praised the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, saying it effectively displayed the host country's rich culture.

 

State television CCTV said, "Director Danny Boyle presented the world with a stunning feast for the eyes."

 

The official Xinhua news agency called the opening a "glittering ceremony" that displayed Britain's history and sense of humor.

 

Newspaper headlines in Beijing also called the opening "spectacular" and "very English".

 

The London opening left a deep impression on 16-year-old Beijing resident Gao Meng.

 

"I think it was very creative to have the Queen parachuting in with '007' (James Bond). It was very innovative. I think the opening was great."

 

But for 20-year-old Chen Ye, the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony four years ago was hard to beat.

 

"The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games was grander, as it did not only demonstrate the Olympian spirit but also a Chinese history that dates back thousands of years. So, I think the Beijing opening was better."

 

The London Olympic opening ceremony cost an estimated 27 million pounds, or $42 million US dollars. Its design was inspired by William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", his late-life meditation on age and mortality.

 

The London organizers stressed that they would present a spectacular and humorous opening ceremony without trying to rival the Beijing extravaganza.

 

A Chinese Man has Travelled to Britain for the Olympic Games on a Rickshaw

A man from China has travelled all the way to Britain to show support for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, on a rickshaw.

 

57-year-old Chen Guangming, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, has been a long-time Olympics supporter and started making his journey to London in 2010 with the hope of witnessing the opening ceremony.

 

Chen arrived in London on July 9 in a colourful rickshaw covered with photos with Chinese and British flags proudly displayed on top. He said he was impressed by the beauty and friendliness of the British capital and planned to stay through the Olympics and Paralympic Games.

 

"My vehicle is a rickshaw. It's slow in speed but very convenient. I live and eat in this three-wheeled vehicle with two and a half square metre of space. I sleep in this vehicle too and put whatever food or drinks I purchased along the way in there."

 

His tenacity was rewarded with a ticket to the London Olympic opening ceremony, which he said was a "magnificent performance."

 

"I had this idea before. I'd always had this dream since childhood but never had the chance to realise it. Using the success of the Beijing Olympics as a platform, I get to showcase and challenge myself, overcome obstacles and test my limits."

 

Chen hopes to now garner enough support for his next rickshaw journey to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

 

Visitors Upset that Olympic Flame is Not Visible from Outside Stadium

It's a shame you can't see the Olympic flame.

 

That was the reaction from visitors to London's Olympic Park, as the intricate cauldron and its copper petals remained out of sight in the middle of the stadium.

 

All recent Olympics have featured a flaming cauldron, visible across the Olympic precinct.

 

But in London, only spectators lucky enough to have a ticket for events inside the main stadium will actually see the flame.

 

Cauldron creator Thomas Heatherwick defended the decision, saying organisers had tried to resist the temptation of creating a cauldron that was bigger, fatter or higher than at previous games.

 

"There was the complete precedent of the 1948 (London) Games of the cauldron set within the stadium... to one side with the spectators and with the technology we now have that didn't exist in 1948 it can be shared with everyone in the Park with screens."

 

The cauldron design was backed by the UK prime minister, but some members of the International Olympic Committee are said to be privately critical of the concept.

 

Some of the first visitors to Olympic Park expressed surprise that the cauldron was out of sight in the stadium.

 

Touring the site, London mayor Boris Johnson defended the concept.

 

It's not the first time a blocked view of an Olympic cauldron has caused controversy.

 

Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics cauldron was lit simultaneously at an indoor arena, and on the city's waterfront.

 

It will replace the massive opening ceremony bell at one end of the stadium on Sunday, still out of sight, unless you have a ticket.

 

Tokyo Bid for 2020 Olympic Games

Bid officials have said Olympic Games in Tokyo would generate 37 billion U.S. dollars and create 150,000 jobs, if the Japanese capital wins the nod next year to stage the 2020 summer Games.

 

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, is campaigning alongside Turkey's Istanbul and Spanish capital Madrid with the International Olympic Committee electing the host city in Sept. 2013 at their session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

Tsunekazu Takeda is the bid president.

 

"If we host the Olympics, 2.9 trillion yen and 150,000 jobs will be created. Japan needs more energy and good news, bright news, happy news, and therefore by hosting the Olympics in Tokyo the sufferers in Tohoku region will get hope for the future, it will give energy to these people, that's also the idea."

 

Tokyo is hoping to land the Games as it seeks to recover from last year's deadly earthquake and tsunami and the resulting nuclear crisis.

 

Public support, however, is well below the desired level with at least 20 percent against the bid and about 30 percent undecided.

 

An IOC survey earlier this year showed just 47 percent of Tokyo's citizens support the city's second successive bid for the Summer Games after failing to win the 2016 Olympics.

 

Light News

 

Insurgency Continues in DRC, Causing Thousands to Flee

Soldiers continued to battle with rebels on Saturday around a strategic army garrison near a mountain gorilla reserve in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

Thousands of people are forced to flee the 3-month-old rebellion allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda.

 

The UN estimates that more than 260,000 civilians have been forced from their homes, some across the borders to Uganda and Rwanda, others toward the southern provincial capital of Goma.

 

Aid agencies, such as the World Food Program, have tried to provide food and shelter for the displaced people.

 

Guy Aduya is head of the World Food Program in Goma.

 

"As you can see there are a lot of people moving to Goma because most of them are from where there is fighting on-going in that area, and they have come here, just as WFP, it is our responsibility just to take care of them. What we can do just to bring them food assistance."

 

Earlier this week, the rebels came within 25 kilometres of Goma, battling soldiers and forcing into flight thousands of people.

 

The rebels are accused of numerous human rights abuses including rape and forcefully recruiting children into their ranks.

 

Congolese soldiers also are accused of rape and widespread looting.

 

Putin Calls for Stronger Economic Ties with Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes to see stronger economic ties between Russia and Japan.

 

Putin made the remarks in a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

 

"We continue to keep contacts on the most sensitive issues, in the political sphere. We are also developing trade and economic relations. We have already reached the pre-crisis level, which is 30 billion (U.S.) dollar trade volume. Japanese companies have expressed more and more interest in working in the Russian market in recent years. I would like to assure you that we will do our best so that they will be happy with their work in Russia."

 

Earlier, Gemba met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Sochi. They discussed Russia and Japan's territorial dispute concerning the Kuril Islands in the Pacific, which both countries claim are their territory.

 

Gemba brought up a recent trip Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made to the disputed islands - known as the Southern Kurils in Russia but as the Northern Territories in Japan.

 

On July 3, Medvedev made a trip to a remote island chain seized from Japan by the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two, prompting protests from Tokyo.

Lavrov told Gemba that Russian officials would not to refrain from visiting the Kuril Islands.

 

The disputed islands lie off Russia's eastern coast, some 7,000 km from Moscow, and the island of Kunashir, where Medvedev landed, is a mere 15 km away from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

 

Moscow's plans to boost investment in the region's infrastructure and industry have also angered Tokyo.

 

Wildfires Continue to Rage in Siberia

Wildfires continue to rage in Russia's Siberia region, covering regional cities with a thick cloud of smoke, and forcing air traffic to re-route.

 

In western Siberia's Tomsk region 8,300 hectares of forest were on fire, causing such poor visibility that the Tomsk airport was shut down.

 

Local residents complained the smog caused throat and respiratory problems.

 

On Saturday, with a slight improvement in weather conditions, helicopters were sent in to fight the blazes.

 

The head of Russia's Emergencies Ministry, Vladimir Puchkov, traveled to Tomsk and surveyed the area.

 

"The weather is better - we're using the opportunity and the small aircraft have started working (to extinguish fires). As for the heavy aircraft they do not depend on the weather and can function at any time, day and night, extinguishing forest fires, protecting settlements and critically important industrial facilities."

 

Officials reported that forest fires had destroyed at least 15,000 hectares of Siberian forest, with the raging fires classified at the highest emergency level for the 70th day in a row.

 

In some areas of Siberia this summer is considered the hottest in 170 years of observations.

 

Disaster Relief Underway in Fangshan, Beijing

Rescue and disaster relief work is underway in Beijing's suburban district of Fangshan, the worst-hit area of the rainstorm and flood a week ago.

 

In Qinglonghu Town, flood relief materials including quilts, rice, flour, cooking oil and bottled drinking water were distributed to flood victims.

 

Local authorities have also set up temporary shelters, including one located in a primary school, where more than 200 local residents are living in 28 tents.

 

The flood victims say they have access to essential relief items.

 

"Yes, we got medicine, insecticides and mosquito coils from the relief center."

 

Beijing municipal authorities have promised that residents currently living in tents and shelters will be able to move into makeshift plank houses by August 5.

 

Also, nine bridges and five county roads damaged in the flooding have been reopened, and communication services resumed after days of emergency repair in Fangshan.

 

The heaviest rain in six decades lashed Beijing on July 21st, and a total of 77 people were killed by the floods.

 

Floods Sweep through Yunan

Flooding, triggered by days of heavy rain, swept through southwest China's Yunan Province, destroying roads, bridges and isolating villages.

 

The only bridge connecting the Abutuo and Zhalahe villages in Mengla County to the outside world was destroyed in the flood, leaving local villagers with no choice but to wade across the river.

 

Nearly 2,000 people were stranded in the villages, and some of them are short of food and daily necessities.

 

An unnamed local villager reveals his hardships.

 

"The power in my village has been cut off, and I could not even charge my phone."

 

Other areas in the province were also hit by the downpour that started early Wednesday morning.

 

Several towns in the picturesque Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture were all damaged in varying degrees.

 

Many roads leading to the towns are either submerged by water or blocked by mudslides.

 

Rescue and relief efforts are underway.

 

Olympic Games Inspirational: China Daily

 

Many traditions get lost in time, but the Olympic Games remain strong. The Olympics have the magic to unite people across the world due to the inspirational power of sports.

 

An editorial in China Daily points out that the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games in London offered the world an opportunity to contribute to its legacy. The London Games' theme, "Inspire a Generation", is aimed at providing another enduring sporting legacy.

 

The article adds that the challenges for sports today are complex. Not all young people are interested. Some lack facilities, coaches or role models.

 

As sports have become increasingly commercialized, the Games have gradually become a market for businesses, agents and television stations. Reaching out to young people and inspiring them to take up sports may be the most effective way of enriching the spirit of the Olympics.

 

The editorial goes on to thank the International Inspiration program at the London Games. Nearly 13 million children and young people have taken part in sports because of this program, many for the first time. About 113,000 teachers, coaches and young leaders were trained to maintain the program in schools and communities.

 

Just like the Beijing 2008 Olympics' emphasis on peace and harmony, the London Games' message will travel far beyond the city. It addresses challenges for future generations across the world.

 

The China Daily editorial concludes that the vitality and prosperity of the modern Olympic Games rests in the wisdom and inspiration provided by different host countries. London knows the recipe for invoking the magic of the Games, and they will hopefully make it a success.

 

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People's Daily Online: Show Restraint on the S. China Sea Issue

 

Earlier this week, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said that Manila had shown "restraint" during a recent stand-off between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

 

In his state of the union address, he also announced plans to buy aircraft, including attack helicopters, that could be used in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

 

A commentary by the "People's Daily Online" says it's ridiculous to say that Manila has shown "restraint".

 

The commentary recapped Manila's moves in the territorial disputes in the South China Sea in recent months.

 

In April, the Philippines sent warships to harass Chinese fishermen around China's Huangyan Island, triggering a bitter standoff between Chinese and Filipino vessels.

 

Later, the Philippines held joint military drills with the United States and threatened to invite US reconnaissance aircraft to patrol disputed areas in the South China Sea.

 

Earlier this month, Manila attempted to use the South China Sea issue to "kidnap" a foreign ministers' meeting at the ASEAN nations in Phnom Penh.

 

The "People's Daily Online" commentary says facts speak louder than words and that Manila was actually trying to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.

 

By comparison, the article notes that China has done what is necessary to ease maritime tensions and maintain regional peace and security.

 

The commentary concludes that the Philippines need to take more actions to help further defuse tensions and promote bilateral relations, which serves the fundamental interests of both countries and people.