Evening Edition

 

 

Monday, September 2nd, 2013.

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

Coming up on our program this evening.

The Chinese government is expressing concern about any unilateral plans the US may have in launching attacks in Syria.

China's leading envoy to the Korean Peninsula has wrapped up a 5-day visit to North Korea.

Authorities in Beijing are bringing in new rules to try to limit and reduce PM 2.5.

In Business, the National Bureau of Statistics has downgraded the full-year growth forecast for China.

In sports, we'll update you on all the action taking place today at the National Games in Liaoning.

In entertainment, Chinese director Zhang Yimou is working on new period-piece connected to the Tang Dynasty.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Heavy rain to hit South China

 

Forcasters are warning of torrential rains in south and southwest China over the next three days.

Heavy rains are set to sweep across Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan as well as parts of Tibet.

At the same time, a cold snap, combined with rains, is forecast to hit the northeast.

Some parts of Liaoning and Heilongjiang have been enduring their worst flooding in decades.

 

 

Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 17 degrees Celsius.　Tomorrow cloudy with a high temperature of 27. Cloudy on Sunday, the high stays at 30.

Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 21,　cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 30.

Lhasa will have showers tonight, 11 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 21.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 33.

Kabul, sunny, 31.

Over in Australia

Sydney, sunny, highs of 23.

Canberra, sunny, 24.

Brisbane, overcast, 24.

And finally, Perth will have rain with a high of 20.

 

 

Top News

 

 

China "seriously concerned" about unilateral military action: foreign ministry

 

Anchor

Chinese government has issued a new statement, saying it is "seriously concerned" about any unilateral military action in Syria.

CRI's Lucy Du has more.

Reporter

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei says any action should avoid further complicating the situation in Syria.

"China is greatly concerned about the relevant country's plan on taking unilateral military action. Any action taken by the international community should abide by the principles of the United Nations, as well as the basic norms governing international relations, so as to avoid complicating the Syrian issue and dragging the Middle East down into further disaster."

The Chinese foreign ministry has also confirmed the United States has offered the Chinese side its evidence about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The Chinese government does say it is "firmly opposed" to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is dismissing the evidence being put forth by the United States.

"It contains too many inconsistencies and oddities to talk about the use of chemical weapons and the state of health of victims. Too many doubts."

Meantime, it appears the US Congress is split on whether or not to support a resolution for limited strikes on Syria.

The Obama administration is facing opposition by anti-war democrats and a number of tea-party members.

Despite this, US Secretary of State John Kerry says he's certain the House and Senate will pass the resolution.

The resolution itself calls for limited strikes on targets in Syria to "deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade the potential for the future use of chemical weapons.

However, US action won't be imminent, as US lawmakers don't return from their summer recess until September 9th.

US intelligence claims 14-hundred-29 people were killed in a chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus this past month, which the US government is blaming on the Syrian government.

The Syrian government has denied its involvement.

For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.

 

 

China confirms special envoy's DPRK visit

 

The Chinese government has just revealed its lead envoy for the Korean Peninsula has met with officials in North Korea for 5-days last week.

The Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed Wu Dawei has returned from Pyongyang after arriving there last Monday.

Wu Dawei and North Korea's vice-foreign minister have reportedly discussed the possiblity of resuming the long-stalled 6-party nuclear talks.

It's unclear if any headway has been made.

The Chinese foreign ministry has also not elaborated on why Wu Dawei's trip to North Korea was kept secret until after-the-fact.

The six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, have been on-hold since 2009.

 

 

S. Korea, DPRK begin first meeting for Kaesong joint committee

 

North and South Korea have held their first joint management meeting for the Kaesong industrial complex.

Kim Hyung-suk is a spokesperson for South Korea's unification ministry.

"Basically, we talked about the basic duties of the joint committee and how we will operate the subcommittee, including discussing the agenda and a period of holding meetings. And North Korea mentioned (the possibility of) reopening the factory, so we exchanged opinions about that."

The meeting comes after the two Koreas signed off on an official agreement last week to form the joint committee to run the industrial park.

The Kaesong industrial zone remains closed.

It's been shut down for the last 5-months after North Korea withdrew its 54-thousand workers from the facility.

The two sides have yet to agree on how to run the zone once it reopens.

 

 

Egypt refers Morsi to criminal court over violence

 

Egyptian prosecutors have filed cases in the courts against ousted president Mohamed Morsi and 14 others in connection with the killing of a journalist and the violence that erupted over his controversial presidential declaration last year.

Morsi is accused of ordering the crackdown on protesters outside the Presidental Palace following his declaration late last year which gave him percieved absolute power.

Morsi became Egypt's first democratically-elected president in mid-2012.

However, he was ousted by the military on July 3rd after millions of Egyptians took to the street, accusing him of grabbing power and mismanaging the economy.

 

 

Well-wishers happy with Mandela discharged from hospital

 

South African's have been rejoicing amid word Nelson Mandela has been allowed to return to his home.

Well-wishers have been gathering outside the former leader's home to pay their respect to Mandela.

"We were worried at the time he was at the hospital. Because he is the man who offered himself for us."

"If he's back at home I'm feeling free. Everything is ok to me, I'm feeling free."

The office of South African President Jacob Zuma says Mandela will receive the same level of care at home that he had been recieving in hospital.

 

 

Germany Merkel faces poll rival Steinbrueck in TV debate

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and centre-left rival Peer Steinbrueck have taken part in their only televised debate ahead of this month's federal election.

Merkel says she remains confident of the future of the German economy.

"We can simply tell the people in this country that we can achieve further progress. The work is of course not over yet, of course there are many worries, many woes but we have shown that we can do it, and that in a difficult time, in a time during which we had the worst European crisis, that Germany is strong, Germany is a growth motor, Germany is an anchor for stability and I want to continue on this path and I think that what we have show really convinces people."

The German economy has performed better than its European peers amid the downturn in Europe.

Unemployment in Germany is hovering near its lowest levels since 1990.

Recent opinion polling shows Merkel's conservative bloc with 41-percent support.

Steinbrueck's Social Democrats have 26-percent.

If Steinbrueck manages to narrow the gap, Merkel is likely to remain chancellor.

However, the two parties could be forced to consider rebuilding a coalition.

 

 

Senegalese president appoints new PM

 

Senegal has its 2nd-ever female Prime Minister.

Senegalese President Macky Sall has appointed Aminita Toure as the new prime minister after sacking a previous government.

It's unclear why Sall has sacked Abdoul Mbaye as the PM.

Toure had been the West African country's Justice Minister.

A member of Sall's APR Party, the 51-year old Toure has been leading the charge against corruption within Senegal.

She has also been leading the prosecution of former Chadian leader Hissene Habre, who is accused of crimes against humanity.

 

 

Beijing tightens vehicle emission controls against air pollution

 

Authorities here in Beijing have unveiled a package of measures to try to curb vehicle emissions over the next five years.

The new plans are part of the drive to try to improve air quality in the Capital.

The municipal government is hoping to reduce PM 2.5 density by 25 percent or more by 2017 by restricting the number of new vehicles which can hit the road next year.

Under the new restriction plans, by 2017, the number of vehicles in the city is expected to be no more than 6-million.

There are an estimated 5.35 million vehicles on the road right now here in Beijing.

 

 

Crowd-Sourcing Clean Air

 

ANCHOR

The pollution in Beijing last winter, while depressing to some, has also inspired one group of creative people to find new ways to improve the environment.

CRI's Dominic Swire explains.

REPORT

The problem of air pollution is so big most people may feel powerless to do anything about it.

But this hasn't stopped a couple of Beijing residents setting up a competition they hope will inspire some grassroots solutions to this pressing issue. Fei Jun is founder of the organisation Interactive Beijing.

"We involve designers, engineers, entrepreneurs and investors to work together on specific topics to help incubate crazy ideas. That's our mission." 2.43

Some of the crazy ideas proposed so far have involved buildings that reduce pollution, and bicycles that produce clean air.

The ideas are developed during short workshops where this wide range of skilled people are encouraged to focus their creative energies on solving some of today's most pressing problems.

Xin Lulu is Creative Director at Interactive Beijing.

"In our campaign we want to call for this new collectivism to rescue our last public asset, which is the air. As we all know, you can't meter it, you can't measure how much you breath. It can't be privatised. And you see how people react to this by putting masks on. I don't think that's a solution. This totally reflects the fact the public's run out of ideas. It's a serious crisis."

Eight of the best ideas will be given an expert to help further development, with the chance of receiving money to go into production.

Interactive Beijing is itself a new organisation having only started a few years ago. They try to connect talented creative people skilled at problem solving with some of society's biggest problems.

"We take on the most urgent social problems... This year we couldn't ignore the air problem any more. So we were thinking, yes, this is an urgent issue. We design for change and we want to design for air quality change and leverage our platform to make this happen. It doesn't mean we are going to provide solutions, we want to crowd source solutions to spread awareness of this urgent issue."

Interactive Beijing is itself a start up. This is the first time they're focusing on one specific issue. To what extent they succeed is still up in the air. But at the very least they hope to raise awareness of the problem of pollution.

For CRI, I'm Dominic Swire.

 

 

Beijing's first customized bus to be launched next week

 

A new customized bus is set to be launched here in Beijing next week.

The new service is already available to be booked and paid for online.

As part of the new service, passengers will be able to get to their destination without transferring buses.

31 routes are being launched at several locations on the outskirts of the capital.

Hong Chongyue with Beijing Public Transport Holdings says a route will be established if 50-percent of the seats on the bus are booked.

"Once it meets the minimum demand of the route, we will inform customers with departure time and place with text messages one or two days in advance. Passengers can get their commute cards when they get on the planned bus for the first time."

Just under 200 people have already registered for the new service.

Passengers will recieve a refund if route isn't opened in 30 days.

A 20-kilometer ride will cost you 15-yuan.

A similar ride would cost you around 100-yuan via a taxi.

 

 

The 3rd China-Eurasia Expo oepns in Xinjiang

 

The 3rd China-Eurasia Expo has opened in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi.

Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao has delivered the keynote speech to the openning ceremony.

"Asian and European countries have a close relationship, so becoming increasingly open and cooperative is the only path to development and prosperity. For the Asian and European countries to convert their advantages in population, resources, the market, and technical advantages into development advantages, it is necessary to further expand opening-up and cooperation all-round. "

The China-Eurasia Expo is the expansion of the original Urumqi Fair.

The Expo is due to last for 6-days.

 

 

10th China-ASEAN Expo to open in Nanjing

 

The 10th China-ASEAN Expo is set to open this Tuesday in Guangxi's capital Nanning.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership.

Yao Jian is a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

"... which facilitates deeper cooperation. "

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Vichit Sindavong with the Laotian Planning and Investment Ministry.

"During the upcoming stage, I hope China can expand investment to southeast Asian countries, especially the infrastructure resource sharing in. Hope that we can enhance mutual-trust when encountering obstacles. I also hope the collaboration would be based on respects on cultural diversity of ASEAN countries, including religious believes. Lastly, stick to the principle of mutual benefit."

An ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit will also be held during the Expo.

The Expo is scheduled to last for 4-days.

 

 

Philippines animal welfare groups protest Japan's dolphin hunting

 

Animal welfare groups in the Philippines have been protesting outside the Japanese embassy, demanding an end of dolphin hunting in Japan.

Protesters have scribed messages on dolphin-shaped papers and have tied them onto bamboo poles to try to draw attention to the thousands of dolphins killed each year in Japan.

Trixie Concepcion is the regional director of the Earth Island Institute.

"For us, this particular event is to pray for forgiveness, actually, for all the dolphins that have been cruelly slaughtered and inhumanely killed in Japan all these years."

The Earth Island Institute contends eating dolphin meat poses health risks because of high mercury content.

The dolphin-hunt in a small fishing village in Japan gained world-wide recognition through the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove" in 2009.

Killing dolphins for food is not banned under any international treaty.

Dolphins are not considered endangered species.

Fishermen in Japan contend the dolphins need to be culled and harvested to protect dwindling fish stocks.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Asian stocks

 

The Asian markets generally closed generally higher today on the back of better-than-expected manufacturing data here in China.

Despite the better-than-expected results, the Shanghai Composite Index ended virtually flat.

The Shenzhen Component Index rose 0.5 percent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng had a solid session, gaining over 2-percent.

Elsewhere here in Asia,

Japan's Nikkei gained nearly 1.4-percent as fears of U.S. unilateral military action against Syria abated slighty.

South Korea's KOSPI closed down less than 0.1-percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index closed nearly 0.9-percent higher.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained just over 1-percent.

 

 

China 2012 GDP growth revised down to 7.7 pct

 

The National Bureau of Statistics has revised its growth estimates for the Chinese economy this year.

The NBS is now predicting China's economy is due to grow at 7.7-percent for the full year.

This is down from the 7.8-percent growth predicted after the first quarter.

The 7.7-percent estimate is still ahead of the Chinese government's full-year target of 7.5-percent GDP growth.

The downward revision comes as the Chinese government attempts to re-align the economy to a more consumer-based model.

The revision also comes amid the impending end to the US Federal Reserve's bond-buying program.

The end of that program is expected to see significant capital outflows from emerging economies, such as China.

 

 

China's Manufacturing Sector rebounds in August

 

China's manufacturing sector has posted a stronger-than-expected recovery in August.

The Purchasing Managers' Index for the manufacturing sector has come in at 51.0 in August.

This is up from 50.3 in July.

The figure marks the second monthly expansion in a row.

It is also the highest reading this year.

Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Monthly rise in the PMI is biggest increase since January, and is raising hopes the Chinese economy may be starting to recover it momentum.

China's economy has been stuck in a consistent slowdown, easing to 7.5-percent growth in the second quarter from 7.7 percent through the first three months.

 

 

BAC report says Chinese market likely to weather tapering US stimulus

 

A new report from Bank of America is predicting the Chinese market will stand strong in the face of a thinning US stimulus program.

Chinese stock markets have been the best-performing in Asia through August.

The BoA report is likely to help allay fears the Chinese market will suffer from the predicted cut to the US Federal Reserves stimulus program.

It's widely expected the end of that program will have repercussions on other emerging markets here in Asia.

Indonesian, Thai and Phillipine bench mark indexes all suffered losses of between 8.5 to 9.1 percent last month.

Investors dumped some 2.2-billion US dollars worth of shares in those economies in August.

Conversely, the Shanghai Composite Index gained 5.3 percent in August, responding to indications that economic growth here in China is stabilising.

China's low foreign debt, large foreign exchange reserves and sustained current account surplus, on top of the high savings rate, is being cited by Bank of America as the main reason it feels China should be able to weather potential capital outflows.

 

 

South Korean exports in August significantly outperform market expectations

 

New stats show South Korean exports have well-exceeded market expectations this past month.

South Korean authorities are reporting exports have come in at $46.4 billion US dollars through August.

This represents a 7.7-percent increase year on year.

Most economists had only been anticipating a 4-percent jump.

The rise has reportedly been propelled by a strong increase in sales to China, Southeast Asia and the US.

This has pulled the South Korean export performance up, despite the continued depressed demand from the EU, where South Korean exports only rose only 0.9-percent.

The country's shipbuilding sector has increased 26-percent on an annualized basis on the back of sales of high-value vessels.

Meanwhile, the export of mobile electronic devices are also up 26-percent year on year.

This has been largely driven by the success of new smartphone models from Samsung and LG.

The two companies have been enjoying rampantly increasing market share in the US.

South Korean mobile electronic exports are up by 83.5-percent compared to the same period last year.

Automotive exports are up 44-percent year on year.

I

 

 

South Korea sees emerging economies and U.S. QE as systemic risks: poll

 

A new central bank survey in South Korea is suggesting most financial experts in that country see slower growth in emerging economies and the United States' bond-purchase program as systemic risks to the South Korean economy.

The BOK surveyed over 90 financial analysts from 77 financial institutions in the country.

The majority of them are suggesting the slowdown of growth in China, along with the US reduction of its bond purchases as major systemic risks.

The pessimism among the experts is up significantly from a similar survey conducted in January.

 

 

Indian manufacturing sector contracts for the first time in 4.5 years

 

India's manufactoring sector has contracted for the first time in 4.5-years this past month.

India's manufacturing PMI has come in at 48.5 in August.

This is down from 50.1 in July.

The figures reflect the rapid decline in both output and new orders in India.

New foreign orders have also declined for the first time in 11 months.

This follows figures released last Friday which shows India's economic growth for the second quarter dropped to 4.4-percent.

 

 

Indonesia inflation in August rises to 8.79 pct

 

The struggle against inflation in Indonesia is getting even worse.

Consumer prices in Indonesia have increased nearly 8.8-percent in August.

This, after an 8.6-percent rise in prices in July.

Authorities in Indonesia say they're concerned the high and rising inflation is going to put even more pressure on them in their attempt to guard the country's currency, the rupiah.

High import prices for fuel and food are the main factors driving up prices.

Last week Indonesia's central bank increased its main interest rate to try to prop-up the value of the rupiah, which is at its lowest level against the US dollar in some 4-years.

 

 

Indonesia's PMI falls for the fourth consecutive month to 48.5

 

Indonesia’s PMI has reached a 15 month low.

The Producer Price Index has dipped into contraction, coming in at 48.5 in August.

This down from 50.7 in July.

A figure below 50 indicates contraction.

This is the fourth month of consecutive declines in Indonesia's PMI.

Indonesian producers have been struggling with decreasing domestic demand and worsening market conditions.

Growth in Indonesia came in at 5.8-percent through the 2nd quarter.

 

 

HTC employees probed amid trade-secret investigation

 

Five people have been questioned by authorities on Taiwan amid an investigation into the leaking of trade-secrets at HTC.

The five questioned included four employees in the research and development department of the company.

Two of those questioned are still being detained.

The others have been released on bail.

This follows a complaint filed by HTC last month, alleging a leak of secret commercial information, as well as fradulent cost reporting by those being investigated.

The market has immediately, with HTC shares dropping 6.7 percent on the Taiwan Stock Exchange today.

Analysts are suggesting the investigation is likely to damage the prospects of the launch of HTC's upcoming smartphone model, which is due to be released in the next 6 months.

The company's shares have plunged by 88-percent since peaking in 2011.

 

 

China Reveals top 500 companies

 

A new list of the Top 500 companies in China has been put together.

The list has been compiled based on the 2012 revenues of Chinese companies.

Sinopec is at the top of the list for the 9th year in a row, with total revenues of 2.8 trillion yuan last year.

China National Petroleum Corporation, the parent company of PetroChina, follows closely in second place.

The two were joined by eight other state-owned companies in rounding-out the top 10.

The eight SOEs include State Grid, China Mobile, China State Construction and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, on top of the four main state-run banks.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

China "seriously concerned" about unilateral military action: foreign ministry

 

Chinese government has issued a new statement, saying it is "seriously concerned" about any unilateral military action in Syria.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei says any action should avoid further complicating the situation in Syria.

The Chinese foreign ministry has also confirmed the United States has offered the Chinese side its evidence about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The Chinese government does say it is "firmly opposed" to the use of chemical weapons by any party in Syria.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is dismissing the evidence being put forth by the United States.

Meantime, it appears the US Congress is split on whether or not to support a resolution for limited strikes on Syria.

The Obama administration is facing opposition by anti-war democrats and a number of tea-party members.

Despite this, US Secretary of State John Kerry says he's certain the House and Senate will pass the resolution.

US intelligence claims 14-hundred-29 people were killed in a chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus this past month, which the US government is blaming on the Syrian government.

The Syrian government has denied its involvement.

 

 

China confirms special envoy's DPRK visit

 

The Chinese government has just revealed its lead envoy for the Korean Peninsula has met with officials in North Korea for 5-days last week.

The Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed Wu Dawei has returned from Pyongyang after arriving there last Monday.

Wu Dawei and North Korea's vice-foreign minister have reportedly discussed the possibility of resuming the long-stalled 6-party nuclear talks.

It's unclear if any headway has been made.

The Chinese foreign ministry has also not elaborated on why Wu Dawei's trip to North Korea was kept secret until after-the-fact.

The six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, have been on-hold since 2009.

 

 

S. Korea, DPRK begin first meeting for Kaesong joint committee

 

North and South Korea have held their first joint management meeting for the Kaesong industrial complex.

The meeting comes after the two Koreas signed off on an official agreement last week to form the joint committee to run the industrial park.

The Kaesong industrial zone remains closed.

It's been shut down for the last 5-months after North Korea withdrew its 54-thousand workers from the facility.

The two sides have yet to agree on how to run the zone once it reopens.

 

 

Beijing tightens vehicle emission controls against air pollution

 

Authorities here in Beijing have unveiled a package of measures to try to curb vehicle emissions over the next five years.

The new plans are part of the drive to try to improve air quality in the Capital.

The municipal government is hoping to reduce PM 2.5 density by 25 percent or more by 2017 by restricting the number of new vehicles which can hit the road next year.

Under the new restriction plans, by 2017, the number of vehicles in the city is expected to be no more than 6-million.

There are an estimated 5.35 million vehicles on the road right now here in Beijing.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Global Times

"Non-polluting ink for textbooks"

Textbooks for primary school and middle school students will soon be printed with pollution-free ink.

It's reported a new type of printing ink will be put into production in Beijing at the end of this year. Manufactured without heavy metals and organic pollutants, the ink is eco-friendly and non-toxic.

Since June 1, over one hundred types of children's books with labels of "green print" have been produced. The ink can also be used for on the packaging of food, toys, drugs, and cosmetic products.

China Daily

"Guangdong residents support extending compulsory education"

About 84 percent of respondents to a recent survey in Guangdong province consider it necessary to extend compulsory education.

The survey was conducted by Guangzhou-based Canton Public Opinion Research Center, which interviewed 2,000 urban residents across the province in August.

Seventy-two percent of those polled believed the local authorities were financially equipped for such a move.

About 53 percent said if compulsory education is extended, it should include both pre-school and senior middle school, 29 percent supported an extension to senior middle school only and 14 percent an extension only to pre-school.

Compulsory education in China covers primary school and junior middle school, totaling nine years.

The Telegraph

"Our fear of illness is their business"

There is a lot of money to be made from telling healthy people they are sick. In fact, there are whole legions of people working hard to try to convince us that our lives are being blighted by unknown conditions and we are in desperate need of the latest wonder drug.

This phenomenon is known as "disease-mongering" and is a multi-million pound business. It relies on the ability to change a frustrating or embarrassing aspect of our lives into a medical condition with a marketable, profitable treatment attached.

What is defined as a disease or syndrome recently has been subject to pressure from the pharmaceutical industry.

By setting up pressure groups, funding research and using indirect marketing, drug companies try to generate anxiety in the public. People, in turn, go and see their doctor, who will have already received leaflets from the drug company, and therefore prescribe the medication. Hey presto, you've created a disease and can laugh all the way to the bank.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Taiwan Robotic Show

 

Anchor

An international robotics show taking place in Taipei has been demonstrating how robots can be used for anything from decorating a cake to helping those with disabilities walk again.

CRI's Li Dong has the details.

Reporter:

Scientists at the exhibition have emphasized that whilst a person's disability may be incurable, these robotic legs mean there is no reason to be confined to a stationary life.

Exoskeletons which sit outside of our bodies are constantly being improved.

These robotic aides were developed by the government funded research group, Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan, or ITRT.

They've been especially designed for people with disabilities and can support walking, standing and sitting movements. Wu Cheng-hua is the spokesman for ITRT.

"These robot legs are designed for people who are paralyzed from the waist down, so these legs will help enable people to get up and walk. These supportive legs will also help prevent any further injuries from taking place when the disabled person uses other methods of moving around. Our robotic legs have four motors, two at the hips and two at the knees. The imitation of the motion of human legs by these robotic ones enables the disabled to move around."

Each movement is controlled through a keypad underneath the handle of the crutch. These legs weigh 23 kilograms, plus there's also the batteries which have to be carried on the user's back.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute claims these robotic legs are cheaper than many of the others being produced. The Institution is working on the second generation of legs that will be even lighter and cheaper.

There's a good reason these robots are in a boxing ring. They're the Sha Yang Ye Company's fighting robots. The operators move in front of motion sensors connected to computers.

The computers then read the movements and send signals to the two robots; in this case, to throw punches, move forward or stand up after a fall.

Shayne Lo of Sha Yang Ye Company says robotic science is not just for fun - it can be usefully deployed in battle fields, or other hostile settings to ensure the controller stays in a safe environment.

Wu Chin-chia of the Industrial Technology Research Institute helped design a robotic arm that can pick up objects from random positions:

"We are using a 3D visual sensor to calculate the position of objects.We will then put the information through CAD software, so the computer can estimate the position of items that are randomly placed so the robotic arm can pick them up and place them in the desired place."

The computer linked to the robot arm can quickly calculate the position of objects through a camera, and then send information to the arm.

This allows the robotic arm to pick objects of different sizes at random locations.

Wu says the technology can be used in airports to load luggage, or in a factory to move things around.

Chinese Taiwan is well-known for its manufacturing capacity for computers and chips, but now it is looking towards the robot market with a worldwide market value that is estimated to reach over 38 billion USD a year by 2015.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Li Na through to US Open quarter finals

 

China's Li Na took just 57-minutes to beat Jelena Jankovic in straight sets.

The world number six said that her memory of losing the last time she played Jankovic helped spur her on to the victory:

"It's very tough to play Jankovic you know because she is former world number one and she has very good defence. Because I still remember the last time I played her in Rome.. I was feeling I played pretty good but still lose the match you know so I was so sad after the match"

So before this match Carlos didn't tell me anything just said, remember how was the feeling after the match and I was like, 'OK, yeah.'"

The Chinese World number six will take on Russia's Ekaterina Makarova in the quarter finals.

Meanwhile on home turf Serena Williams knocked out compatriot Sloane Stevens to make it through to the next round.

In the men's event World number one Novak Jokavic breezed past Joao Sousa 6-0, 6-2 6-2

While Andy Murray is also through to the last 16:

The defending champion here says his recent success comes from years of blood sweat and tears:

"I know the real reason why I've done well and win is because I work hard and I train hard. You know, all those other things are just extra bits and pieces. But the reason why guys do well is not when they go to the toilet or whether there's a bit of rain or feathers or whatever. It's down to hard work and having good people around you."

 

 

Jordan Lee at the China national games

 

Here in China, the national games are in full swing.

The competition sees athletes from each Chinese province or major municipality go head-to-head in 31 different sports including all 28 Olympic sports.

For the athletes their performance in this competition goes a long way to deciding the country's Olympic selections, so the heat is on.

Well CRI's own Jordan Lee is currently at the event in Shengyang.

…

 

 

Gareth Bale moves to Real Madrid in 86m pound deal

 

In football the transfer window closes at midnight tonight Central European Time, that's 6am Tuesday here in Beijing:

The biggest story is of course Gareth Bale who moves from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid in a record breaking 86 million pound deal.

The transfer of the 24-year-old Welshman has been long drawn out, but the deal with now done and dusted there are big questions over how Spurs will now fill the massive void Bale leaves behind.

Elsewhere Manchester City have signed Atletico Madrid defender Martin Demichelis for a reported ?4.2m

The Argentinian international is needed to patch the defensive hole left by Vincent Kompany who will be out for several weeks with a groin injury.

Atletico were willing to let the 32-year-old go after signing Ajax defender Toby Alderweireld.

Meanwhile Liverpool have signed central defenders Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori for a combined 25 million pounds.

With the clock ticking down the last minute transfer scramble is in full swing, there are rumours surrounding all the big clubs with particular eyes on Arsen Wenger who has promised to surprise Arsenal fans with some last minute purchases before the time runs out.

 

 

Suzann Petterson wins safeway classic

 

And in Golf

In the LPGA Suzann Petterson of Norway shook off an early double bogey to post a final round 65 winning the safeway classic by two strokes.

Second place went to Stacy Lewis of the USA who shot a four under par 68 to finish on 18 under.

But it was a seriously bad day at the office for Taiwanese golfer Tseng Ya-ni.

She started the second round with a three shot lead, but after shooting a double bogey at the par three second hole, followed by bogeys at the third and fourth, the former world-number-one closed out with a six over 78 for a share of ninth place.

In the PGA

Spain's Sergio Garcia shot a 6-under 65 to remain top of the leaderboard by two strokes after three rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championships.

In second place is Sweden's Henrick Stenson, while Graham DeLaet of Canada and Steve Stricker of the USA are tied for third one shot further back.

And on the European Tour...

Gregory Bourdy birdied his last three holes Sunday to end a four-year winless drought with a two-shot victory at the Wales Open.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Zhang Yimou confirms co-directing new movie Yang Gui Fei

 

Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou has appeared in Beijing for the launch of his next movie, entitled "Yang Gui Fei."

Zhang is co-directing the historical epic along with fellow Chinese filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhaung.

Zhang has tapped his friend to help with the film's bigger scenes.

The historical drama is based on the legendary Yang Yuhuan, who was a royal concubine during the Tang Dynasty some 14-hundred years ago.

As the story goes, it was Yang's beauty that led to civil war.

Fan Bingbing plays the title role.

Veteran actress and director Joan Chan, along with rising star Chun Wu, also star in the film.

 

 

"Tiny Times" tops China's box office in summer vacation

 

"Tiny Times" has topped the Chinese box office through the summer vacation.

New figures show the two episode drama has raked in 80-million yuan over the past two months.

The film has blown a variety of Hollywood blockbusters out of the water in Chinese theaters.

The film is adapted from a literary trilogy written by Guo Jingming.

The last week of summer vacation has also seen a run on other Chinese films.

Chinese film "The five years stolen" has taken-in 65 million yuan over the past four days, outshining "The great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is an adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name.

 

 

Miyazaki to retire just as last animated film competes for Golden Lion in Venice

 

The man dubbed the "Walt Disney of Japan", Hayao Miyazaki, has decided to retire.

The announcement comes just as his latest film competes for the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.

"The Wind Rises" is a fictionalized biography of the designer of the Japanese fighter jet that served in World War II.

Although the film has received a large amount of criticism from Japanese filmgoers, critics in Italy have been praising the film.

"It's funny way to talk about a controversial topic. In the story there's a comprise between a dream to develop technology and a fight to prevent its negative effects. It's shocking, weighty, and full of meaning."

"The Wind Rises" is the third Miyazaki film to compete for the festival's top prize.

Miyazaki will reportedly hold a news conference on Friday in Tokyo to formally announce his retirement.

 

 

PRINCESS DIANA MEMORIAL UNVEILED IN VIENNA

 

A memorial honoring the late Princess Diana has been unveiled in Vienna.

Around 200 people gathered at the Cobenzl castle for the unveiling of the bust to honor the late Princess.

The man behind the idea for the memorial is Austrian radio journalist Ewald Wurzinger.

"Lady Diana has always fascinated me, even as a child. And when she died, I had the urge to give her a present even if it was just a rose from my mother's garden. This memorial project started in a year filled with family problems of my own. So I turned to this project knowing that Lady Di stands for humanity, fate and empathy. So I really tried to give this to her as a present."

Dozens of fans of the late Princess lined up to have their picture taken near the bust of Diana.

"I'm especially fascinated by the person within her, the great character and the endearing way she treated children and people. That distinguishes her from all other people."

Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

 

 

UK Broadcaster David Frost Dies

 

UK broadcaster Sir David Frost has passed away after suffering a heart attack.

The 74-year-old media personality was giving a speech on board the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship when he fell ill.

Frost was known for his time on the shows The Frost Report and Through the Keyhole.

His interviews with US President Richard Nixon became the focus of the 2008 Academy Award nominated film Frost/Nixon.

Stars and politicians alike have taken to social media to offer their condolences to Frost and his family.

Prime Minister David Cameron remembers Frost as a friend and fearsome interviewer.

Frost's family has thanked the public for their well-wishes and has asked for privacy during this difficult time.