Morning Edition

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Hume with you on this Tuesday, August 27th, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

China’s economy showing signs of stabilization

UN inspectors complete first day of probe in Syria despite sniper attack

Palestinians call off round of talks after three killed in clashes

Business

China set to raise fines for trademark infringement

Sports

Li Na through to second round at the US Open

Entertainments

Transformers 4 –casts four Chinese actors also winners of a reality TV show.

Plus

Special reports takes a look at the highlights of this years Shanghai International Model Exhibition.

First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will see slight rain today, with a high of 30 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see moderate rain tonight with a low of 22.

In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 32 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 27 degrees Celsius.

Lhasa will have showers in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have showers with a low of 12 degree Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, 34.

Kabul, sunny, with a high of 33.

And in North America

New York, thundershowers, with a high of 27 degrees.

Washington, overcast, highs of 30

Houston, moderate rain, 29.

Honolulu, sunny, 31.

Toronto, thundershowers, 28

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires, overcast, 11.

And Rio de Janeiro will be overcast with highs of 27 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China economy showing clear signs of stabilization: statistics bureau

 

Anchor

The National Bureau of Statistics has issued a new statement, saying it believes this country's economy is on-course to meet the government's target of 7.5-percent growth.

CRI's Hu Jia has more.

Report

One of the areas of leading concern for economic health here in China has been local government debt.

National Bureau of Statistics spokesperson Sheng Laiyun contends local government is under control.

"The issue has been well acknowledged by the central government, it exits but the size of the debt is within safe limits. And some positive data approved that the previous regulatory measures have shown effects, say, the recent auditing survey of all 36 local governments have shown the debt monitoring system is well implemented. One third of them saw debt decrease over the first half."

Banks here in China have been reluctant to lend to local governments, as they're considered 'at-risk' and potentially non-profitable.

As such, the China Banking Regulatory Commission is working with the country's securities regulator to promote credit asset securitization.

The plan involves pooling together risky assets and making them tradeable in securities.

This follows a move last year to let provincial governments set up their own debt-purchasing arms.

Double digit growth here in China was driven by government investment.

Infrastructure investment accounted for 46 percent of GDP during the years of heady growth.

Sheng Laiyun points out it is unrealistic for China to maintain double-digit growth, particularly when the economy is undergoing structural adjustments.

But he points out the fundamentals of China's economy remain intact.

"We see the current development of industrialization and urbanization still brings benefits to various sectors, customers are shifting their consumption models from survival goods to recreational spending, here also bears great room for growth. Meanwhile, the vast central and western areas'catch-up growth potential shouldn't be ignored."

The latest economic data is suggesting China's economic slowdown may have bottomed out through the 2nd quarter.

In an attempt to support more steady growth, the Chinese government has recently scrapped taxes for small firms and accelerated investment in urban infrastructure and railways.

Sheng Laiyun is also cautioning the government is not going to prop-up outdated companies.

"we've noted that the economy relies on development of science and technology innovation. In addition, the central government need to prioritize reform, and deepen the efforts in carrying out those conducts."

GDP growth came in at 7.5 percent in the second quarter, down from 7.7 percent in the first 3-months of the year.

For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.

 

 

UN inspectors complete first day of probe in Syria despite sniper attack

 

Anchor

A team of UN chemical weapons inspectors in Syria have finished their first day of investigations on the suspected chemical attack last week near the Syrian capital Damascus.

In the last 24 hours ,the convoy has been deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers.

CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.

Reporter

Snipers opened fire on Monday striking a vehicle in a UN convoy carrying a team investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons outside of Damascus.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq says the attack forced investigators back to their base.

"I don't have any details about the direction from which the shooting came. The shooters have not been identified as of yet, although we certainly hope that the parties will help bring this issue to a close and prevent any further recurrence."

Both the Syrian government and the rebels accuse each other of carrying out the attack.

One the first day of investigations UN experts visited two hospitals, interviewing witnesses, survivors and also collecting samples.

Both the US and the UK say they have information suggesting Syrian government forces have deployed chemical weapons.

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry has called the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria "inexcusable" and "undeniable."

"the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity.　By any standard it is inexcusable and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable."

The US is accusing the Bashar al-Assad regime of destroying evidence.

Meanwhile unusual activity has been monitored at a British military base in Cyprus, causing speculation of possible preparation for military action against government targets in Syria.

However, the Syrian president has dismissed the chemical weapons charges.

Assad says Western claims that the Syrian government used chemical weapons were "an insult to common sense."

Meanwhile, Russia is blaming the Syrian opposition for manipulating reports of a sniper attack on UN experts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says there is no evidence supporting the accusations.

"They have announced it officially in Washington, London and Paris that they have inconvertible information, inconvertible evidence, regarding the guilt of the Syrian authorities. They cannot produce evidence, but keep on saying that the 'red line' has been crossed and they cannot wait any longer."

The EU has said it is important UN inspectors in Syria are able to examine evidence as quickly as possible and reach clear conclusions.

Chinese government says it is firmly opposed to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria.

For CRI, this is Cao Yuwei.

 

 

Palestinians call off round of talks after three killed in clashes with troops

 

A Palestinian official is claiming planned peace talks with Israel have now been called off following deadly clashes with troops in the West Bank.

Israeli troops shot dead three Palestinians during the clashes Monday.

More than a dozen others have been wounded.

The clashes broke out when Israeli forces entered the Qalandiya refugee camp.

Hanan Ashraw, executive committee member of Palestine Liberation Organization condemns the incident.

"This is clearly the use of live ammunition again densely populated areas and the storming of refugee camps using tremendous violence and live fire has led to this tragic murder of Palestinians and the wounding of 15 others, six of them critically. This betrays a mentality of violence, of militarism and total disregard for human lives - and of course a total disregard for the most basic tenets of civilised and ethical behaviour."

An Israeli border police spokesman say hundreds of Palestinians poured into the streets and hurled firebombs, concrete blocks and rocks at the officers.

Israeli military says they opened fire after feeling they were in imminent danger.

However, an official in Washington is suggesting the meeting between the two sides went ahead as planned.

 

 

Karzai urges Sharif to organise peace talks with Taliban

 

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has urged neighbouring Pakistan to facilitate peace talks with the Taliban during a visit to Islamabad on Monday.

Karzai said he hoped progress could be made "in bringing stability and peace to both countries."

"With the expectation that the government of Pakistan will facilitate and help in manners it can to the peace process in Afghanistan and in providing opportunities or a platform for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council and the Taliban movement."

Karzai was visiting Pakistan for the first time since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office in June.

For his part Sharif said he would try to aid efforts to help reach a peace deal.

"I assured President Karzai that Pakistan will continue to extend all possible facilitation (regarding Taliban peace talks) to the international community's efforts for the realisation of this noble goal. Pakistan would also help reinforce the regional efforts in support of stabilisation of Afghanistan."

Pakistan is seen as being key to the process because of its strong historical ties with the Taliban.

However, Kabul has repeatedly accused Islamabad of providing sanctuary for insurgents.

 

 

Police newser on Indian gang rape

 

Indian police say they will pursue the harshest punishment for five men arrested in connection with the gang-rape of a photo journalist in Mumbai last week.

Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh says three of the five suspects already had criminal records and all were above the age of 18.

Singh says the case will be dealt with quickly.

"We have already started the process to ensure that the case is tried at a fast track court. We will apply our full strength to ensure that the accused get the maximum punishment for the crime."

The gang rape of the 22-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai last Thursday has revived a national debate over women's safety in a society undergoing rapid social change.

The crime has parallels with the gang-rape of a trainee-physiotherapist on a moving bus in Delhi in December.

Both crimes were against young professionals in a society, where many men believe women should remain in the home.

The attack in Mumbai has raised concerns that harsher penalties alone are not deterring sexual offenders, although India introduced tougher rape laws back in March.

 

 

Japan Fishermen- Fishermen face uncertain future after new leaks from Fukushima nuclear plant

 

Fishermen in Japan are expressing their frustration after being banned from waters around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

"Clearly the nuclear power plant needs to be fixed since it exploded. But in any case, the operators are reacting too late every time in whatever they do. We say, 'don't spill contaminated water', and they spilled contaminated water. People in the fishing business have no choice but to give up. There are many fishermen who have mostly given up already."

Fishing off the coast of Fukushima has been suspended indefinitely after plant operator TEPCO revealed that some 300-tonnes of radioactive water has leaked from the plant into the ocean.

Sampling results show 40-percent of the 170-types of fish in the region are testing positive to radioactive contamination.

It remains unclear what the long-term environmental impact will be on the local sea life.

 

 

Minister inspects Fukushima plant with TEPCO official

 

Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry has visited the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Toshi/mitsu Mo/tegi said lax maintenance by the plant's operator was largely to blame for the recent leaks of water from storage tanks surrounding the plant.

Last week a 300-ton leak, the fifth and worst to date, came from a tank at the plant.

The contaminated water has been confirmed to be making its way to the Pacific ocean.

Motegi says the Japanese government will step in to assist curbing the leaking.

"Concerning how to handle the contaminated water issue, we had been leaving everything to TEPCO and the way they have been handling the matter was on a piecemeal basis, by taking care of each problem as it emerged. But from here on the government will take charge."

TEPCO President Naomi Hi/rose, has apologised for the leaks and said it will launch a new task force to deal with the massive leakage of radioactive water.

 

 

African Tourism has bright future: UNWTO

 

Anchor

This year's UN World Tourism Organization General Assembly is now underway, with a focus on Africa.

CRI's Lucy Du has more.

Report

The 6-day general assembly has been formally opened by the hosts of this year's conference, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Michael Sata of Zambia.

The 155-nation tourism organization's summit is held every two years.

This time it's being held at a resort on Victoria Falls, which both countries border.

Recently re-elected Robert Mugabe says both his country and Zambia can play an important role in promoting tourism in Africa.

"We recognized the important political and economic role that tourism can play in our two countries and on our continent. We are committed to leveraging this sector as a key driver of our economic growth."

Despite the downturn in the world economy over the last few years, tourism is still growing in the African continent.

The UN World Tourism Organization is reporting a 5-percent increase in African countries this year.

This is ahead of earlier estimates of 3 to 4-percent growth through the first half.

Tourism growth in Africa is helping lead the unexpected charge.

Taleb Rifai is the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

"Int'l tourist grew from a near 15m in 1990 to 52m in 2012. By 2013, our forecasts studies indicate that 134m people will be visiting Africa in one single year. The future of tourism in Africa is bright. "

Still, African tourism only accounts for only 4-percent of the world's tourism market.

A lot of this is due to a lack of infrastructure and promotion.

Edem Duke is Nigeria's Minister of Tourism.

"One, there is need for better human capital and professionalism in the sector; secondly, government in Africa must find the budget to help in the communication, so that we can do a lot of marketing of Africa; it is also important to work with our partners around world with countries like China."

A series of tourism promotion activities are set to be held during the event, which wraps up on Wednesday in Livingstone, Zambia.

For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Anchor

First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.

Join me on the desk, CRI's Cao Yuwei.

Reporter

Wall Street lost ground on Monday.

The drop came after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's comments on the Syria issues.

His remarks sparked market concerns over the political turmoil in the Middle East.

Prospect of the U.S. Federal Reserve's possible tapering later this year has caused market volatility in the States as well as turmoil in emerging markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 percent.

The S&P 500 decreased 0.4 percent.

The Nasdaq Composite Index closed almost flat.

Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX was almost flat.

In Europe, Italian shares led euro zone stocks lower on Monday, hit by renewed political tensions.

While, the overall trading volumes in the region were thin because UK markets were closed for a holiday.

Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent.

France's CAC 40 was down 0.1 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 up 0.7 percent.

 

 

Goldman losses from options glitch in tens of millions: source

 

Goldman Sachs Group Inc has reportedly lost tens of millions of dollars after a computer glitch led to a flood of erroneous options trading last week.

On Tuesday, an upgrade of Goldman's internal system affected options trading and led to trades vastly out of line with market prices.

Roughly 80-percent of the erroneous option-market contracts were reportedly cancelled.

The Nasdaq Stock Market was shut down for three hours due to connectivity issues following that.

It is being reported Goldman Sachs put four senior technology specialists on administrative leave as a result of the trading mishap.

Goldman Sachs said in a statement that it did not face material loss or risk from the problem.

The Group declined to comment further.

 

 

China to raise fines for trademark infringement

 

Lawmakers say China is expected to raise the compensation ceiling for trademark infringement to 3-million yuan, six times the current limit.

The draft amendment will require the compensation be paid to the trademark holders in cases of infringement.

The draft has been tabled for a third reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The current compensation ceiling is 500 thousand yuan.

The number has now been raised twice for the previous two readings.

The NPC's law committee says the move aims to protect exclusive trademark rights and crack down on infringement.

 

 

China's domestically-made smartphones take 60 pct market share

 

New stats show China's domestically-produced smartphones have boomed in sales with a 60-percent market share recorded at the end of June.

Around 130-million domestically-produced smartphones were sold in the first half of this year.

An increase of 115-percent from the same period last year.

Leading brands include Lenovo, Coolpad, Huawei and ZTE.

Analysts estimate China's smartphones will see a peak in sales between 2013 to 2015 - with around 2-trillion yuan in sales volume.

Analysts are also suggesting domestic brands should further improve innovation to combat relatively low profit margins.

 

 

Daimler's Mercedes-Benz to outline strategic plan for China

 

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz is reportedly set to launch around 20 new or upgraded car models in China over the next two years.

It is reportedly all part of a broader turnaround effort aimed at reversing the brand's recent struggles in China.

Sources say the German luxury carmaker plans to boost sales of Mercedes-Benz cars in China by a third to more than 300-thousand a year by 2015.

Details of the plan are expected to include expanding manufacturing capacity and the sales network in Beijing and Chengdu this week.

If their sales target can be achieved, it would make China the brand's biggest global market.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz sold slightly more than 200-thousand cars in China.

China is currently Mercedes' No. 3 market behind Germany and the United States.

 

 

U.S. durable goods orders down 7.3 percent in July

 

New data is showing new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods decreased 7.3 percent in July from the previous month.

Orders had been on the rise for three consecutive months.

U.S Commerce Department is reporting orders for durable goods declined by 17.8 billion U.S. dollars in July.

A sharp decline of transportation equipment orders is being cited as the reason.

The durable items are expected to last at least three years.

Durable goods orders once plunged by 20.2 percent in 2009, the largest drop in records since 1992.

 

 

Mobile Internet Industry Sees more Opportunities for Youth

 

Anchor

Smartphones and tablet computers are continuing to rise in popularity. People working in the mobile internet industry are optimistic about the future of China's mobile internet market, and increasing numbers of young Chinese people are seeking to enter the sector.

CRI's Shen Ting has more.

Reporter

The rapid development of China's mobile internet industry in the past two years has produced numerous business opportunities.

Qiao Liang is a product manager working at an app-making company in Beijing. Like other IT professionals, Qiao believes the future of the mobile internet industry is bright.

"I joined the mobile internet industry two years ago; before that, I worked for an ordinary internet company. As a product manager, if I hadn't become involved in the mobile internet industry as soon as possible, it would not have been good for my future career, because I think the popularity of mobile applications will exceed that of the internet."

According to an annual statistical report on the Chinese mobile phone market, 450 million Chinese people accessed the internet with mobile phones by the end of 2012, which accounts for almost 88 percent of China's overall internet users.

Qiao believes the mobile internet era is approaching.

"I could feel the move towards mobile internet when the iPhone 4 was released two years ago. Now, the price of smartphones with Android systems has dropped significantly to become affordable for the general public."

Qiao adds that the convenience of mobile phones and tablet computers has surpassed computers; and computers will probably become office tools in some professional industries, whereas the word input on mobile phones is not that convenient.

However, having worked in the mobile internet industry for over 2 years, Qiao still has his concerns.

"Currently there are many companies making games or apps for mobile phones. At the initial stage of development of the mobile market, everybody had opportunities to produce products for users to download, but now the competition is tough for many small companies who are struggling to survive in the market."

Where there is competition, however, there is also a market. Due to the growing numbers of smartphone and tablet computer users, mobile industries are booming. Qiao says he made the right choice in entering the mobile internet industry.

"In the past, I could never imagine that there were so many functions the mobile phone platform could provide. Now the smart equipment of mobile phone has many sensors like the gravity sensor, and it contains GPS capabilities and cameras. There is a large space for people to consider developing the mobile internet industry."

Su Huazheng is a market manager with China Mobile's Guangxi Branch.

"Mobile phones and computers have almost the same functions. But with the improving technologies, mobile phone companies will provide people with more creative and higher quality products. It is a good supplement to people's demand."

For CRI, I am ST.

 

 

Major Telecoms Operators May Cut Charges amid Anti-Monopoly Probe

 

Media reports are suggesting the anti-monopoly investigation here in China will expand once again to telecommunications, oil, banking and other industries.

The National Development and Reform Commission, NDRC are set to work with Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to push forward with the probes.

On the telecom front, it will press ahead with a further reduction in service charges, reportedly to be carried out in the next four months.

China's three major telecoms operators are reportedly considering lowering their fees on mobile communication and broadband access.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China expects more exchanges and cooperation with Singapore

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says China and Singapore should strengthen exchanges and cooperation for steady development of bilateral ties.

Both sides says they should bolster communication and coordination on international and regional issues.

It follows Li Keqiang's meeting with his Singaporean counterpart.

For his part Lee Hsien Loong says he is also committed to strengthening exchanges and expanding cooperation.

The Singapore premier is paying an official visit to China.

Yesterday he also met with Chinese president Xi Jinping.

 

 

Bo Xilai trail concludes

 

The trial of the former leading party official Bo Xilai concluded yesterday.

The court is reserving a verdict for a later date.

The trial began on Thursday, and has run through this weekend.

Bo Xilai is also accused of obstructing a criminal investigation into the murder charges his wife faced, on top of bribery and embezzlement.

Bo Xilai has admitted to making mistakes in his various political roles.

However, he insists his actions don't constitute abuse of power.

 

 

Kerry says Syria chemical weapons use "undeniable"

 

U.S Secretary of State John Kerry says the chemical weapons use against civilians in Syria is inexcusable and "undeniable".

He is describing the use of chemical weapons for what he describes as the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, killing of women and children and innocent bystanders, a moral obscenity.

Kerry said President Obama will be making his response later.

It comes just hours after UN chemical weapons inspectors were fired on near the Syrian capital, Damascus.

 

 

China will hit economic growth target, NBS spokesman

 

China's National Bureau of Statistics says this country's economy is poised to hit its annual growth target of 7.5 percent.

The government has unveiled a number of policies to cope with downward pressure in a bid to create room for further economic rebalancing.

Growth rate of industrial added value was up 0.8 percentage points from June, indicating confidence in Chinese enterprises.

The bureau is also claiming local government debt is under control.

 

 

China to raise fines for trademark infringement

 

Lawmakers say China is expected to raise the compensation ceiling for trademark infringement to 3-million yuan, six times the current limit.

The draft amendment will require the compensation be paid to the trademark holders in cases of infringement.

The draft has been tabled for a third reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The current compensation ceiling is 500 thousand yuan.

The number has now been raised twice for the previous two readings.

The NPC's law committee says the move aims to protect exclusive trademark rights and crack down on infringement.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Beijing Times

Headline: Draft to raise compensation ceiling for substandard products

Summary:

A draft amendment will further raise compensation ceiling for substandard products.

The stipulation suggests punishing illicit business owners up to three times the damage their products caused consumers.

The proposal also stipulates that celebrities, as well as other individuals, should be held liable for endorsing misleading advertising.

South China Metropolitan Daily

Headline:

Deputy Manager with the CNPC investigated

Summary:

A high-ranking executive with the State-owned China National Petroleum Corporation is under investigation for suspected "severe disciplinary violations".

Wang Yongchun, 53, served as a deputy manager with the CNPC and general manager of its subsidiary Daqing Oilfield Co Ltd in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The Party's disciplinary watchdog hasn't provided further details.

Yanzhao Metropolitan Daily

Headline: Train tickets could be returned at any railway station

Summary:

A new tiered system for refunding train tickets will be implemented from September.

The new policy allows passengers to return and change their tickets at any train station nationwide.

Passengers who refund their ticket more than 48 hours before the train departs will only pay 5 percent of the ticket price as commission. The commission rises to 10 percent if the cancellation is between 24 and 48 hours of the departure, and 20 percent within 24 hours of the train's departure.

Shanghai Daily

Headline:

Foreigners detained for buying, selling data

Summary:

A foreign couple have been detained in Shanghai for taking the personal information of local residents and selling them for profit.

The 57-year-old Englishman and his 60-year-old American wife bought personal information such as address, family members, exit and entry records, property and car possessions and then compiled them in reports and sold them to clients for higher prices.

They made a profit of several million yuan every year from the transactions.

Since August 7th, 40 cases of illegal sales of personal information were handled and 126 suspects captured.

China Daily

Headline: Beijing International Book Fair

Summary:

The 20th Beijing International Book Fair will kick off at the new China International Exhibition Center in Beijing's Shunyi district tomorrow.

It has attracted 2,267 book organizations from 76 countries and regions This year, Saudi Arabia is the country of honor. Copyright trade will continue to play a key role in the event.

Children's reading events will also be a focus.

 

 

Special Reports

  

 

Shanghai International Model Exhibition 2013

 

Anchor

This year's Shanghai International Model Exhibition has come to an end.

As CRI's Liu Min tells us, this year's show has drawn an increasing number of foreign exhibitioners.

Reporter

It's a sea of all sorts of models.

Fancy fixed win planes, traditional exquisite ship and train models, high-power 4-by-4 race cars, speed boat with roaring engines. Radio controlled model toys are the stars of the show.

Wang Yong is a model enthusiast.

He says he thinks domestic manufacturers have made remarkable progress in recent years.

"Take multi-rotor aerocraft as an example, the products of many domestic manufacturers are way better than the overseas manufacturers. The foreign brands are more expensive and it's hard to find matching accessories. The domestic brands give you a variety of choice. Plus some of the control systems made by Chinese enterprises are also better."

Despite the rise of Chinese manufacturers, foreign brands are still showing their mark.

Dan Rodawig is the director of international business development with Horizon Hobby, a US radio control model manufacturer.

"The Chinese market is really important for us because the Asian market in general is under served by our products right now. We believe it's an opportunity for Asia in general. But the China market has this incredibly large potential just the economics behind the size the magnitude of the market is huge, so we choose to first start in China. And then from China we will develop the Asian market in general."

Gu Chen is the deputy director of Chinese Airplane Model Association.

He says playing with model aerocraft used to be unthinkable in China.

"Nowadays, many parents hope their children can be capable. They cultivate their children's DIY ability by introducing them models. But buying them toys is just playing. Only when they are interested in basic knowledge like aerodynamics, mechanics, classification of materials and radio communication can the children really be self-motivated to learn sciences."

Here in China, model aircraft aren't only for the young.

They're also for the young-at-heart.

66-year old Yang Bugen travelled to Shanghai from Changzhou to take part in the show.

"We senior people like to buy different parts, accessories and DIY our own models. We even make our own control systems. This hobby makes us think and practices the collaboration of brain and hands. It's a good hobby to prevent dementia, which is a typical disease for the senior."

This year's exhibition has attracted more than 200 model manufacturers from over 30 countries and regions.

For CRI, I am Liu Min.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Li Na through to second round at the US Open

 

China's Li Na is through to the second round at the US Open.

Fifth-seeded Li easily dismantled Olga Govortsova of Belarus in two sets. Li kept Govortsova at love until the fifth set, when the Belarussian finally kept her serve.

The Chinese star said she's learning little by little how to handle the pressure of a Grand Slam.

"I think before two or three years ago I cannot hung in there because I was feeling maybe I was crash because of the pressure.　But now if you student of life, I have to learn every day.　So this couple years I think I was stronger a little bit.　Not too much.　But still learn every day to, how do you say, like the pressure, like the way.　I was feeling pressure can push me go forward."

Another Chinese star, Zheng Jie, is also through after defeating Kiki Bertens in straight sets.

Two-time champion Venus Williams and third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska also advanced after day one.

For the men,

Great Britain's qualifier Dan Evans stunned 11th seed Kei Nishikori, after he upset the Japanese player 6-4,6-4, 6-2.

"Yeah, I mean, I knew I was a good player, but I just hadn't put it all together.　I was pretty calm today. It wasn't like -- wasn't that much of a big deal what was happening on the court.　I wasn't nervous serving it out. Just played -- I played another good match."

Evans is ranked 179th and is playing in his first Grand Slam main draw apart from Wimbledon.

 

 

Chelsea vs Man u ends goalless

 

In football, the much hyped English Premiere League match between Man U and Chelsea has ended with a goalless draw.

Both managers had something to prove - this was David Moyes first home game as United boss and Jose Mourinho's first away match since returning.

Wayne Rooney has of course been the big talking point after Chelsea's very public bid for the striker.

Moyes made a point of playing Rooney for the entire match, while Mourinho chose not to name an out-and-out striker at all, perhaps making his own statement that the position is open for the Man U number two.

Rooney played like a man with something to prove, but for all his hard work it seemed that both sides simply wanted to avoid an early season loss in such a critical match.

In the Spanish top division, Real Madrid secured a one-nil victory with an early goal by Karim Benzema.

They now have two wins from two matches along with four other teams, with Barcelona topping that group on goal difference.

Guangzhou Evergrande have a clear lead in the Chinese Super League.

The reigning champion's one – nil victory in the derby against Guangzhou R&F sees them 14 points clear of their nearest contenders Shandong Luneng.

Meanwhile Beijing Guoan's 4-0 win over Dalian Aerbin meanwhile puts them three points clear in third.

 

 

Arsenal looks ahead to play-off against Fenerbahce

 

Arsenal is looking ahead to their Champions League play-off second leg against Fenerbahce.

Arsene Wenger's side is looking to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League for the 16th successive year.

The last time the two teams met was in Istanbul last week, with Arsenal winning 3-0.

Arsenal fans have been venting some frustration over the team's inability to snag transfers like Gonzalo Higuain, who moved from Real Madrid to Napoli.

Wenger has responded by saying that he only wants to recruit players who will fit into the vision he has for his team.

"I believe that the most important thing, is to focus on the quality of the squad I have and to play the football we want to play. I am guided by my conscious do to as well as I can for this club and by the vision of the game I want to play. I feel with the players we have we can play the football we want to play and I am a great admirer of the spirit, the attitude of the players. They are special and If I want to add something, it has to be special."

Jack Wilshere will return to the starting line-up when Arsenal takes on Fenerbahce later today.

 

 

Australia looks ahead to November's series

 

In cricket,

The Ashes have officially wrapped up in England, with the Brits retaining the urn. But Australia is already looking ahead to the upcoming winter series

Captain Michael Clarke is aware of how his team needs to improve before November.

(bjh/soundbite 0827 Clarke, in English)

"Score more runs...take more wickets for less runs...don't drop a catch (laughs). Look, at the end of the day if you look through our series our batting is probably the area that has let us down. Most probably from our first innings. In these conditions when the wicket deteriorates the ball spins more and it is going to be difficult. But, I think our first innings batting needs to continue to improve and I think our boys showed that this Test match."

Head coach Darren Lehmann said he learned a lot about his team during the Ashes and realizes that he still has a lot to learn in way of coaching style.

Last week, Lehmann was fined by the ICC for calling Stuart Broad a cheater during a controversial radio interview.

Broad tweeted yesterday that Lehmann had personally apologized to him.

 

 

Jeremy Lin and Dwight Howard are in Beijing

 

NBA star Jeremy Lin is in Beijing. He's running the second edition of the Jeremy Lin Basketball Camp, which puts 60 of China's young players through a three-day skills clinic.

Lin's visit overlaps with that of Houston Rockets teammate Dwight Howard, who is also in Beijing for an Adidas promotional event.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Transformers 4 Casts Four Chinese Actors from Competition

 

Filmmaker Michael Bay's next entry into the Transformers franchise has casted 4-more Chinese actors to star in the production.

(transformers trailer)

The new cast members were selected following a 4-month long televised contest which aired on the China Movie Channel.

Actors Byron Li, Austin Lin, Candice Zhao, and Teresa Daley won the parts from the show called Transformers 4 Chinese Actors Talent Search Reality Show.

The contest, launched by Paramount Pictures, Jiaflix, and the China Movie Channel was opened to both professional and amateur actors.

Overall it attracted more that 70-thousand hopeful contestants.

Transformers series producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says this selection process has been a great way to learn about different cultures and see people's passion and excitement.

 

 

New Documentary About Author Reclusive JD Salinger Reveals Secrets

 

A new documentary chronicling the reclusive and secret life of famous author JD Salinger has begun making waves in Hollywood.

The film promises to reveal tons of secrets and unknown facts about the private author, including never-before-seen footage, photographs, and biographical information.

Salinger is most famous for his novel The Catcher in the Rye about all-around alienated misfit Holden Caulfield.

A major secret from the upcoming documentary has already slipped though.

Apparently Salinger, who died in 2010 at the age of 91, instructed his estate to publish at least 5-more new books as early as 2015.

Some are completely new stories, while others follow characters he has created in previous novels.

Catcher in the Rye fans have a reason to celebrate this news, as an updated version of the unreleased The Last and Best of the Peter Pans is about the Caulfield family.

It reportedly will feature brand new material never seen by the public.

The documentary titled Salinger hits theaters on September 6th.

 

 

Actress Anna Gunn Writes A Letter Addressing Views of Women

 

Breaking Bad actress Anna Gunn has written an op-ed letter to the New York Times regarding her character, Skyler White, from the hit series.

(breaking bad clip)

The letter, titled I Have A Character Problem, addresses the overwhelmingly intense criticism and dislike Gunn has received for the character.

Gunn claims fans' hate for her character is like a Rorschach test for people's views on genders.

Though Gunn writes she knew Skyler White would be an unpopular character, but she did not expect the extent of the vitriolic response she inspired.

Several facebook groups with titles such as I Hate Skyler White have garnered thousands of likes.

Gunn believes the negative response comes down to individuals' perceptions of wives and women.

She points out White doesn't fit into any specific archetype and therefore challenges both men and women's expectations.

Breaking Bad is in its final season with only a few episodes remaining before a promised violent ending.