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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Friday, July 26th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
China's vice-President has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of tomorrow's 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistace.
Spain's Prime Minister has declared 3-days of official mourning following Wednesday evening's deadly train derailment.
Municipal authorities in eastern China are taking steps to try to help people cope with the heatwave gripping the region.
In Business, Starbucks blows away analyists expectations for its latest quarterly results.
In sports... the world's top sprinters are back in London to relive their Olympic experience this weekend.
In entertainment.... the latest installment in The Fast and Furious franchise is premiering today here in China.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
Weather
14 dead in NW China rainstorm
14-people are dead and one remains missing in Shaanxi after torrential downpours caused numerous houses to collapse.
The downpours have cut off roads and caused in several rivers to spill over their banks in the city of Yan'an.
Officials are estimating economic losses of some 1.8-billion yuan.
Beijing will see showers today, with a high of 29 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see showers tonight with a low of 23.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 39 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 30 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will have showers in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have moderate rain with a low of 11 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 32.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 34.
And in North America
New York, moderate rain, with a high of 22 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 27
Houston, overcast, 36.
Honolulu, overcast, 30.
Toronto, sunny, 22
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 14.
And Rio de Janeiro will see moderate rain with highs of 19 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Top North Korean leader meets Chinese vice-president
Anchor
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Chinese vice-President Li Yuanchao.
Li is in Pyongyang to attend this weekend's ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice which brought the fighting to an end in the Korean War.
Su Yi has more.
Reporter
As part of their meeting, Li Yuanchao says the anniversary Saturday marks an opportunity to remember those from both China and North Korea who lost their lives to defend their homelands.
He goes on to say the relationship between China and North Korea is entering a new period which is - quote - "built on the past and prepared for the future."
The armistace which ended the fighting in the Korean war was signed on July 27th, 1953.
When it comes to the Korean Peninsula issue, Li Yuanchao says the Chinese government is resolute in pushing forward the six-party denuclearization talks and maintaining the peace and stability of the region.
For his part, Kim Jong-un says North Korea will remember those from both North Korea and China who sacrificed in the war.
Kim says the North Korean government values its traditional friendship with China.
He goes on to say the North Korean government supports China's efforts to restart the Six-Party Talks, saying North Korea is committed to protecting the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
China's military activities in West Pacific accord with Int'l law
China's Defense Ministry says the Chinese military plane that flew through international airspace near Okinawa was on a routine training mission.
A Chinese military aircraft flew across the first island chain to the West Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets.
Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Geng Yansheng.
"It was not targeted on any specific country or target, and it accorded with the international law and international practices. China has the legitimate right to fly freely over relevant sea areas. Besides, it's not the first time that Chinese military aircraft flew to the West Pacific Ocean. We conducted many trainings in the West Pacific Ocean before."
The Japanese side says it scrambled its fighter jets as a precaution against intensified maritime acitivities from the Chinese side.
The incident comes amid the continued tensions over the Diaoyu Islands.
GSK to appoint new head for China operation
GlaxoSmithKline has appointed a new General Manager here in China.
Herve Gisserot has been the senior vice president for Europe.
He's taking over as the General Manager from Mark Reilly.
Reilly had been in charge of GSK's operations during the current bribery scandal which has gripped its Chinese subsiduary.
The Ministry of Public Security alleges GlaxoSmithKlein funneled billions of yuan through travel agencies here in China to bribe doctors and officials to help increase sales.
Mark Reilly is expected to return here to China to be questioned in connection with the investigation.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon says over 100,000 people killed in Syria
Anchor
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the number of people killed in the Syrian conflict has now surpassed 100-thousand.
Lucy Du has more.
Reporter
The latest estimate is 7-thousand people higher than the figure issued by the UN only a month ago.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon,
"The conflict is now continuing for almost two and a half years. More than 100,000 people have been killed. Millions of people have either been displaced or become refugees in neighbouring countries. We have to bring this to an end."
Ban Ki-moon has issued the statement at UN headquarters in New York alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Both are stressing the urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict.
Ban Ki-Moon is also appealing for a fresh attempt to try to convene a peace conference.
Previous attempts at trying to get a peace conference together have been held up by differences between Russia and the US about who will be involved.
At issue is the involvement of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia has insisted Assad needs to be part of the process.
For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
Spanish PM declares three days of mourning for train crash victims
Spain's Prime Minister has declared 3-days of mourning following Wednesday's deadly train crash in the country's northwest.
Mariano Rajoy, who hails from the region where the accident took place, took time to visit the site.
"For a native from Santiago, like me, believe me this is the saddest saint's day of my entire life. In my name, in the name of the government of Spain, and in the name of all those Spaniards who might feel represented by what I'm going to say, I want to transfer my condolences to all families and friends of people who have died - who unfortunately - they are too many of."
He's also met with survivors in hospital.
The death toll from Wednesday evening's train crash now stands at 80.
95-others have been hospitalized, with 35 of them said to be in critical condition.
Initial indications are the train took a sharp curve just outside the city of Santiago de Composetela at around 180-kilometers per hour.
The maximum speed for the corner is listed at 80.
The train's driver has been ordered to issue an official statement about the derailment by judicial officials.
The train was carrying mostly tourists on their way to mark a religous holiday in Spain.
So far only around half of the victims have been identified.
Egyptian army gives 48 hours for Islamist to join "national rank"
The Egyptian military has issued a new ultimatum to Islamists in the country.
In an ominous statement, the Egyptian military has given a - quote - "last chance" for supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi 48-hours to join the national ranks.
Otherwise, the Egyptian military says it will adopt a new strategy to deal with, what it calls, "black terrorism."
The statement follows a call by the country's military chief and defense minister for supporters of the military to hold a mass rally this Friday in support of the military.
Supporters of Morsi have condemned the comments by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as call for civil war.
Tunisia declares day of mourning for assassinated opposition figure
Tunisia's Parliament has declared an official day of mourning following the assassination of a major opposition figure.
Mohamed Brahmi was gunned down by unidentified gunmen in central Tunis on Thursday.
It is the second time an opposition party leader in Tunisia has been killed this year.
The killing has led to protests calling for the government to resign.
Tunisia's largest trade union has called for a general strike for later on this Friday.
Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has condemned the assassination.
However, he's rebuffing calls for the government's resignination, saying it will lead to a power vaccum.
A popular uprising in Tunisia in late 2010 kick-started a series of revolutions across the Arab world, which has been dubbed the Arab Spring.
Many Tunisians who took part in the initial demonstrations are complaining their initial demands for a secular democracy have been hijacked by Islamists.
Commission says internal conflict has claimed at least 220,000 lives since 1958
The Colombian government says the internal conflicts in the country have claimed at least 220-thousand lives over the past five decades.
The new analysis by the Columbian government says most of the victims have been civilian non-combatants.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
"No one can be indifferent towards the anxiety of the innocent, who are separated from their children, their partners and parents or are deprived of their land."
The report says most of the killings took place after far-right militias backed by ranchers and cocaine traffickers emerged in the 1980s to counter the leftist FARC rebels.
It's estimated the number of Colombians forcibly displaced by the conflict stands at 5.7 million.
The report comes as the Colubian government tries to negotiate a peace treaty with the FARC rebels.
Moscow says no Snowden extradition request from U.S.
The Russian government says it has not recieved an extradition request for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
But at the same time, the Russian side does say it's recieved a letter from US Attorney General Eric Holder, explaining the US position on Snowden.
The US ambassador to Russia says while the US government hasn't filed a formal extradition request, it does want Snowden returned to the United States to stand trial.
Snowden remains in limbo in the international transit lounge at Moscow's main airport.
The 30-year old has been stuck there for around a month, as the US has revoked his passport.
Snowden has applied for asylum in Russia.
The status of that appeal remains up-in-the-air.
Meanwhile, a US Senate panel has approved an amendment to the State Department funding bill designed to try to put pressure on Russia and other countries against giving asylum to Snowden.
The amendment, authored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, stipulates that if Snowden is granted asylum, the Secretary of State must consult with Congress on possible sanctions against the country who gives him sanctuary.
The amendment says the possible sanctions could include the revoking of trade privilages with the United States.
The ammendment would still have to be passed by Congress and signed off on by US President Barack Obama.
Heat wave grips parts of China
Anchor
Local governments in many parts of eastern China are taking steps to try to conserve energy in the midst of the heatwave which has seen temperatures in many parts of the region top 40-degrees.
CRI's Shen Chengcheng with more.
Reporter
Heat alerts have been issued in a number of cities along the mid and lower reaches of the Yellow River.
Parts of Zhejiang and Chongqing have both seen temperatures hit above 40 degrees this week.
Forecasters are warning the high temperatures are going to last through the weekend.
"It's especially hot, it feels like a sauna. I'm sweating a lot."
"Recently It's really hot. I have to turn on air conditioning, day and night. People who go outside get really tanned by the sun."
The Provincial government in Zhejiang has opened up underground air-raid shelters to provide locals a place cool down with free drinking water, cable television and wifi access.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hangzhou saw its electrical load exceed 11 million kilowatts.
This is 10-percent higher than the same day a year ago.
To ensure the power stays on, the municipal government in Hangzhou has deciced to cut off certain street lights.
It's also told large companies to initiate their emergency plans for off-peak power consumption.
In Shanghai, a rare red alert for the heat has been issued, with temperatures hovering around 39-degrees, which is the highest in decades.
Doctors are cautioning people to try to reduce their outdoor activities, drink plenty of water and wear hats and long-sleeve shirts to try to prevent sunburn and sunstroke.
For CRI, I'm SCC.
Customized buses post a possible solution to ease the traffic congestion in Beijing
Anchor
New online polling is suggesting a new customized bus service here in Beijing is enjoying wide-spread support.
CRI's Hu Jia explains.
Reporter
By the end of next month, the first bunch of routes will be up for city dwellers to subscribe to.
The proposed seat-guaranteed, wi-fi enabled and air-conditioned buses successfully address the issue of overcrowding. However, people are questioning if this innovation is a way of solving the primary problem, congestion.
Zhu Liang is a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
"The biggest problem in Beijing is that there're way too many private cars, so the most direct way is to persuade car drivers, or at least some of them, to favor public transport. This customized express shuttle could act as an alternative for car drivers."
Although buses and subways here in Beijing form one of the most developed public transport networks in China, the city has failed to attract private car owners to embrace greener options.
The uncomfortable ride and the inconvenience caused by numerous transfer in public transport is not only time-wasting but also nerve-breaking.
When comfort is not a big worry, concerns centre on whether or not the price will be affordable.
Bus fares in Beijing for transit card holders currently stand at 0.4 yuan for adults and 0.2 yuan for students.
Hong Chongyue, the vice president of the Beijing Public Transport Group, says they are aiming to establish a monthly package deal at around 30 percent of the cost of driving a car.
"We'll charge 15 Yuan for a 20 kilometer return ride. But if you choose to drive a private car for as long as that, the cost could well surpass 50 yuan, given the amount spent on toll fees, fuel and parking lots."
To distinguish the new service from the existing community commuter express, Hong stresses that the customized bus will hand over the total responsibility over the initiative to passengers.
"In the past, we planned the routes first and passengers would apply for seats. But this time, the Group will plan routes according to the needs and load of passengers. We will then recruit potential customers via this platform."
The service is expected to mainly connect dense residential areas, such as Tiantongyuan and Huilongguan in northern Beijing, with main areas, such as the CBD in the east and the Financial Street in the west.
For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.
China likely to issue 4G licenses by year end
Anchor
Anticipation is growing among Chinese mobile internet users on the heels of the government's announcment the much-anticipated 4G wireless licences are going to be issued before year's end.
CRI's Mark Cavigli has more.
Reporter
At a 4G service center of China Mobile in Henan's Zhengzhou city, customers are trying out the new service with high expectations for faster speeds and easier access.
"I look forward very much to the availability of 4G service, which will be faster than the current 3G network. But I'm not sure if it will be able to synchronize with televisions and other home appliances."
"I hope it will be launched soon. I really want to experience it as soon as possible."
The fourth-generation wireless service is designed to deliver a speed four to ten times faster than today's 3G system, the most widespread, high-speed wireless service at the moment.
China Mobile, China's largest cell phone provider, is now promoting a homegrown 4G standard and hopes to start commercial rollout soon.
The core technologies are ready and the company has been ramping up installations of its base stations, which will be shared by both 3G and 4G networks.
Li Xiaobang is an engineer with China Mobile.
"We need to examine all the base stations currently used for 3G services, including the machine room and the roof, and carry out Long Term Evolution upgrade, either to F frequency band or to D frequency band, based on overall conditions of the base stations."
According to Li, the company is hoping to finish the work as soon as possible so people can use the new service once the 4G license is issued.
The government says it will press ahead with building infrastructures and hopes to issue 4G licenses by the end of this year.
There are 1.2-billion mobile phones in China, more than any other country in the world.
For CRI, this is Mark Cavigli.
Biz Reports
Anchor
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
Reporter
U.S. stocks managed to end in green territory after a volatile trading session on Thursday, as investors digested a bunch of mixed earnings reports and a pair of economic data.
The Dow inched up 0.1 percent.
The S&P 500 advanced 0.3 percent.
The Nasdaq gained 0.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX finished flat.
In Europe, European market fell on profit warnings by German heavyweights BASF and Siemens, which hit the country's stock index on Thursday.
Germany's DAX lost 1 percent.
France's CAC 40 was down 0.2 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 down 0.5 percent.
Starbucks profit up, U.S. sales unexpectedly strong
Starbucks is reporting a larger-than-expected jump in its quarterly profits.
The company's net earnings through the latest quarter have increased more than 25-percent to just under 420-million US dollars.
It represents an increase of 55 cents per share, which has blown away analysts' expectations of just 2-cents per share.
Same-store sales in the U.S., which makes up about three-quarters of Starbucks' revenue, are up 9-percent.
Global sales at Starbucks cafes are up around 8 percent.
Same-store sales have increased 9 percent here in China.
Amazon reports unexpected losses
US online retail giant Amazon is reporting unexpected losses through its latest quarter.
The Seattle-based company is reporting a net loss of 7-million US dollars through Q2.
This represents a 2-cent a share loss.
Most analyists had been anticipating Amazon was going to report a profit of around 6-cents a share.
The post-close announcement briefly send Amazon's share-price down around 4-percent in afterhours trading.
Right now the shares are down around 2-percent.
Amazon is on-record saying unfavorable foreign exchange rates through this latest quarter have cut its operating income by some 18-million US dollars to 79-million.
Amazon shares on the S&P 500 have risen by over 10.5-percent so far this year, outstripping the 6.5-percent rise in the S&P itself.
Singapore Airlines net profit surges 56.2 pct in Q1 of FY 2013-14
Singapore Airlines has posted a net profit of just over 96-million U.S. dollars in its latest quarterly report.
This represents a year-on-year quarterly increase of over 56-percent.
The company says the sharp improvement is mainly due to the 265 million US dollars sale of its stake in Virgin Atlantic.
Singapore Airlines revenues in the April to June period have come in at just over 3-billion U.S. dollars.
Live call-in with Doug Young on corporate news of the week
Anchor
Let's check in with some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
So, what are yours picks of the week?
1. Xiaomi near new funding round for up to $2 bln, investors include Tencent
Xiaomi is reportedly seeking as much as US$2 billion for the new round of funding.
The smart phone maker is expected to attract investment from a Russian venture firm, Digital Sky Technologies, in which Tencent has a stake.
The latest valuation of Xiaomi is US$9 billion.
Last June, Xiaomi attracted US$216 million in investment and was valued at US$4 billion.
Suggested talking points:
(1). Apple just reported a decline in its revenue from China by 14 percent year-on-year. The figure represents a 43 percent decline from the previous quarter. It is the first time that Apple's revenue decreased in the region. Does it have something to do with Miaomi? If so, why?
(2). What do we expect with Tencent's taking a stake of Xiaomi? More collaborations from the alliance?
2. Alibaba submits listing application to HK stock exchange, plans to raise up to HK$150 bln
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is about to go public.
Its being reported that the company has already submitted its application paperwork to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Alibaba plans to raise up to HK$150 bln.
Its valuation reportedly tops out at $100 billion.
Suggested talking points:
(1). Why does Alibaba want to list in Hong Kong, instead of the U.S. or domestic?
(2). Market analysts say that Alibaba may have been over priced. What do you think?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
China's Hanergy buys US Global Solar
Chinese clean energy provider Hanergy is negotiating the potential purchase of US solar firm Global Solar Energy.
The negotiations come amid the difficulties Chinese solar panel makers are facing in shipping their products to the US and the European Union.
Jason Chow is the Executive President of Hanergy Global.
"Global Solar is actually the largest commercial-size flexible panel manufacturer in the US and the world. Actually what's very helpful for us is that we can bring the technology and the products to China."
If the negotiations go through, Global Solar would be Hanergy's third acquisition in less than a year.
The move by Hanergy comes as the Chinese government tries to increase the country's solar power generating capacity four-fold in the next 2-years.
To meet the target, the government has rolled out a series of support measures, including promoting small-scale solar power generators and increasing financial support for large solar panel producers.
Deadline set for removing outdated industrial capacity
The Chinese government has set a timeline for mothballing of some 14-hundred industrial production facilities.
The outdated operations will have to be shut down by the end of September.
The companies involved also have to dismantle the physical structures by the end of the year.
It involves 19 industries, including steel, coke, ferro-alloy, cement and paper making.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is also banning the companies from restarting the operations in another area.
This is the first batch of operations targeted in the government's plan to remove outdated industrial capasity in a plan first put forward in 2010.
U.S. initial jobless claims edge up
US initial unemployment applications have edged up last week from the 2-month low the previous week.
The U.S. Labor Department says the increase is partly due to the annual auto-plant shutdowns.
In the week ending July 20th, the advance figures for initial jobless claim have come in 343-thousand.
It is up 7-thousand from the previous week.
Jobless claims are normally volatile in July as carmakers usually take this time to remodel their vehicles and temporarily lay off workers.
School closings in the summertime also influence the figures.
The four-week moving average, which helps smooth out week-to-week volatility, has actually dropped by 12-hundred-50.
FAA to airlines: remove or inspect Boeing 787 beacons
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is instructing airlines to remove or inspect the emergency beacons in their Boeing 787-Dreamliners.
A fire in an Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner earlier this month has been traced to one of the units, which are constructed by Honeywell.
Boeing has already advised its customers to inspect or remove the device.
The fire on the Ethiopian Airlines plane broke out after the jet had been parked for eight hours at a remote stand at London's Heathrow airport.
The problem is the latest in a series of setbacks for Boeing's new 787-jumbo airliner.
Headline News
Top North Korean leader meets Chinese vice-president
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Chinese vice-President Li Yuanchao.
Li is in Pyongyang to attend this weekend's ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice which brought the fighting to an end in the Korean War.
As part of their meeting, Li Yuanchao says the anniversary Saturday marks an opportunity to remember those from both China and North Korea who lost their lives to defend their homelands.
He goes on to say the relationship between China and North Korea is entering a new period which is - quote - "built on the past and prepared for the future."
The armistace which ended the fighting in the Korean war was signed on July 27th, 1953.
GSK to appoint new head for China operation
GlaxoSmithKline has appointed a new General Manager here in China.
Herve Gisserot has been the senior vice president for Europe.
He's taking over as the General Manager from Mark Reilly.
Reilly had been in charge of GSK's operations during the current bribery scandal which has gripped its Chinese subsiduary.
The Ministry of Public Security alleges GlaxoSmithKlein funneled billions of yuan through travel agencies here in China to bribe doctors and officials to help increase sales.
Mark Reilly is expected to return here to China to be questioned in connection with the investigation.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon says over 100,000 people killed in Syria
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the number of people killed in the Syrian conflict has now surpassed 100-thousand.
The latest estimate is 7-thousand people higher than the figure issued by the UN only a month ago.
Ban Ki-moon has issued the statement at UN headquarters in New York alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Both are stressing the urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict.
Egyptian army gives 48 hours for Islamist to join "national rank"
The Egyptian military has issued a new ultimatum to Islamists in the country.
In an ominous statement, the Egyptian military has given a - quote - "last chance" for supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi 48-hours to join the national ranks.
Otherwise, the Egyptian military says it will adopt a new strategy to deal with, what it calls, "black terrorism."
The statement follows a call by the country's military chief and defense minister for supporters of the military to hold a mass rally this Friday in support of the military.
Supporters of Morsi have condemned the comments by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as call for civil war.
Plane skids off runway in NW China
No injuries have been reported after an airliner skidded off the runway during a landing last night in Xi'an.
The Tianjin Airlines flight veered off the runway while landing shortly after 6:30 in the evening.
One of the plane's tires burst as part of the botched landing.
Airport officials in Xi'an say the pilot's vision was hampered by a sudden downpour.
Much of Shaanxi has been innondated by heavy rains through the course of this week.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Lawmakers request public opinions
Summary
Guangdong lawmakers are calling for more public participation in the process of drafting laws in an attempt to try to make the system more transparent.
Under the new plans, no local laws or regulations can be passed until a series of legislative arguments, hearings, debates and assessments are held.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Street barbecue fines to increase
Summary
Authorities here in Beijing have confirmed plans to quadruple the fines for street barbecue stalls in an effort to curb air pollution.
Fines are set to increase from 5-thousand yuan to 20-thousand.
Authorities have also declared barbecue stalls have to be excluded from downtown public areas, such as streets and plazas.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Follow the lights, win a trip
Summary
Traffic authorities in Shanghai have come up with a new plan to try to curb jaywalking.
Pedestrians who follow the rules and obey the lights now stand a chance of winning free tickets to tourist sites.
As part of the new plans, people caught jaywalking will not-only be fined.
They'll also have to go through a public humiliation process of reading the traffic regulations aloud in front of their fellow pedestrians.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Health care reforms
Summary
The State Council has unveiled 26 tasks for the reform of the healthcare system.
They include consolidating the basic drug system, improving the operation of grassroots medical institutions and promoting the reform of public hospitals.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Suspect detained in child assault
Summary
Beijing police are holding a suspect in custody, after he allegedly ripped a 2-year old girl from a stroller and slammed the child to the ground.
Police say the suspect and another man became embroiled in a traffic dispute with the child's mother, which led to the assault.
The little girl is in critical condition.
CHONGQING MORNING POST
Headline
Man gives up white-collar job for construction work
Summary
A man who gave up a white-collar job to work as labourer in Changsha is hailing his own decision.
28-year old Tu Jian gave up his position as a marketing director at a company in Guangzhou to become part of his family's construction business.
He says the move has allowed him to say goodbye to his - quote - "dispirted and impulsive" former life.
Special Reports
China's left-behind children reunite with family during summer
Anchor
Government agencies here in China are launching a number of programs to try to help so-called "left behind" children reunite with their parents during the summer vacation.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter
Every summer, a large number of left-behind children in rural areas flock to cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou to meet their migrant worker parents. Most of them are escorted by relatives.
To make things easier for the children's families, a long distance bus terminal in Jinan city, capital of Shandong Province has launched a green channel for these children since 2006. Relatives only need to fill in some forms, providing key information such as the destination city and the person who is going to collect the child, before they are able to leave their children to the staff onboard the bus.
Han Jie is the China Communist Party Secretary of Jinan long distance bus station.
"We will remind our staff on the bus to take care of these children. Besides, when they arrive at the destination we will also arrange staff at the terminal to contact parents who will come to pick their children."
But meeting their parents doesn't mean these children are going to enjoy a fulfilling summer holiday. Many of their parents are busy migrant workers who work in roles such as construction worker and vendors.
Most of these children are aged between 6 and 12, so obviously leaving them home alone is not a safe choice. Many parents opt to take their children with them even when they are working.
Sending the left-behind children to summer camp or taking them to amusement parks may cost a lot of money, so even when these children visit their beloved parents, most of them spend the holiday watching TV or going to the library.
Participating in a summer school where they can have safe place to either study or play is an economical choice for migrant worker parents.
However, many of the summer schools are already too packed due to large number of children of migrant workers flocking into the city.
At Yuhang, Zhejiang Province, one summer school for the left-behind children coming from far away has been operating for 3 years. The classes are free. Children can study music, painting, mathematics, and other extra curriculum courses. The number of students rose from 60 in the first year to 380 this year.
Cai Yaoqi, a volunteer teacher at this nursery says the capacity of their summer school is unable to meet the demands of many migrant workers.
"The students already outnumber the space we have. But we still try our best to accept more children. The situation is that 2 students have to share one desk."
At another community at Yuhang, volunteers at the summer school face the same problem. They are considering moving the school to a nearby factory, where they can have more classrooms to accommodate the growing number of these visiting left-behind children.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
Japan defeats Australia at the East Asian Cup
Japan now leads at the East Asian Cup on 4 points after defeating Australia last night 3-2.
A completely reordered Japanese side faced an unaltered Australian lineup.
Japan opened scoring in the 27th minute with a goal from Saito, his first international goal. A second goal from Osako put Japan up 2-0 in the second half.
Australia launched a mini-comeback in the second half. Duke and Juric scored back to back goals for Australia to pull equal. But two minutes later, Japan had the ball up the field and Osako put it in goal for the winning shot.
The mens tournament will conclude this weekend with China taking on the socceroos, and Korea facing Japan.
On the womens side
North Korea's match against defending champions Japan ended in a scoreless draw.
China will take on North Korea on Saturday, and South Korea will play Japan.
North Korea and Japan are tied on 4 points apiece.
Athletes return to London's Olympic stadium for the Diamond League meeting
Track and Field athletes are in London for the start of the Diamond League meeting today.
Many of the athletes will get to relive what it's like to compete in the Olympic stadium.
Usain bolt, hurdlers Sally Pearson and Aries Merrit, and Kim Collins are a few of the Olympic veterans making their return.
New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams wants a chance to win after she took silver at the London games.
Adams was later awarded the gold by default after Nadzeya Ostapchuk tested positive for a banned substance.
"hey, I'm glad to come back here and compete in the Olympic stadium where I think for us as athletes, and as throwers, our event was tainted. So it's good to be back here to compete and to show the crowd that we are doing it clean, we are competing well to the best of our ability."
Doping is of course on everyone's minds since world-class sprinters Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay both recently failed drug tests.
This weekend is important because it serves as a warmup ahead of next month's World Championships in Moscow.
China's synchronized swimmers take silver
At the 15th Fina World Championships in Barcelona,
China's synchronized swimming duo Jiang Tingting and Jiang wenwen took silver in the duet free final. In the individual event, China's Huang Xuechen also finished in second.
And the US, Russia, Australia, and Hungary won the womens water polo groups. China secured a second spot finish in Group B after defeating New Zealand.
China continues to top the medal count with 13 overall. Russia is in second and Germany has moved up to third.
Drivers look ahead to the Hungarian Grand Prix
Formula One heads to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
After winning his home race three weeks ago in Germany, Sebastian Vettel is in a strong position to win his fourth successive Driver's Championship.
Vettel has a 34 point lead over Fernando Alonso going into round ten.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is looking to defend his win at the Hungaroring this year.
"It's going to be tough this weekend definitely. Conditions will not help, plus we haven't driven the tyres as everyone else has, so we've got a bit of catching up to do, but that's what we do best, and we're just going to work as hard as we can this weekend to try and understand the tyres, and put ourselves in the best position."
Track temperatures could get as high as 50 degrees Celsius this weekend, which could pose more tyre problems.
Gene Sauers has an early lead at the Senior Open
American Gene Sauers holds the lead at the Senior Open with a three-under-par round one.
The 50 year-old made a big comeback to professional golf after battling a life-threatening skin disease in 2009.
"It's a second chance, you know. I was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnsonson.
Both arms and both legs got burned up. Got skin grafts on all of them. Seven weeks in the hospital, and it was torture. I don't want nobody to go through that. Didn't touch a golf club for five years, had some arthritis going on with me. Like I said, I'm blessed to be doing this right now."
The opening round conditions at Lancashire's Royal Birkdale were tough for the veteran players. The average score was 4.6 shots over on a par 70.
Peter Senior, the winner of last year's Australian Open, ended on 68.
He's tied for second with former Senior Open victor Bernhard Langerm, David Frost, and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines.
And over in the PGA,
American Brendan Steele took an early lead at the RBC Canadian Open with a 7 under after round one.
Lebron James has personal DJ in China
Lebron James is touring in China with Nike this week, and he seems to be traveling in style.
The Miami Heat superstar posted a photo on instagram showing off a hotel room with a personal DJ. About 8 hours later, he posted another photo showing the 24-hour DJ still spinning.
James is on a 4-day tour that started in Guangzhou where he interacted with fans and met with young basketball players.
Entertainment
Fast and Furious 6 Opens today in China
Fast and Furious 6 arrives in Chinese cinemas this weekend.
(Fast)
The latest instalment follows Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, as his gang moves away from heists to work with the Diplomatic Security Services.
The film received warm reception for its spectacular action scenes, having already grossed over $710 million at the box office world wide.
Directoed Taiwanese-born director Justin Lin, the film also features Chinese star Sarah Li Yan.
CRI caught up with the modest starlet about the filming experience.
"The hundreds of eyes were just looking at you. And I was nervous. Then Justin came to me and said 'Sarah, I want your eyes tougher and cooler. Justin was patient. I was embarrassed. So it's not like that easy. I still have a lot of (things) to learn. "
This could spell the start of Li's big break into Hollywood.
Li was also cast in a Hollywood remake of John Woo's 1988 film the Killer last year.
The project is currently thought to be in pre-production.
Meanwhile, Fast and Furious 6 opens in theatres here in China today.
Venice Film Festival Line Up Announced
Following previous teasers from organisers, the full line-up for this year's Venice Festival has been unveiled.
Twenty titles will compete trhis year for the prestigious Golden Lion award.
The shortlist this year features films from 3 Oscar Winners, including Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feature "The Wind is Rising".
Erroll Morris is in the running with his latest documentary about the life of former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield.
Other highlights in the shortlist include Hollywood star James Franco's "Child of God" and "Dangerous Liaisons" director Stephen Frear's latest film "Philomena".
The festival will also unveil Lindsay Lohan's return to the big screen in The Canyon, written by "American Psycho" author Bret Easton Ellis.
The official selection for this year's festival features 51 world premieres and films hailing from 33 countries.
The jury this year will be headed by "Last Tango in Paris" director Bernardo Bertolucci.
The festival will be lighting up the Venice Lido from this Sunday until 7th September.
Rolling Stones siniger Sir Mick Jagger turns 70
Rock royalty Sir Mick Jagger turns 70 today.
(Rolling Stones)
The quintessential rockstar was born in Kent and met bandmate and fellow hell-raiser Keith Richards back in primary school.
But it wasn't years later that the two were joined by Brian Jones to form the Rolling Stones, named after a song by Blues legend Muddy Waters.
The Stones ruled the swinging Sixites, as Jagger and Jones' flourishing song-writing partnership produced a string of hits including the timeless "Satisfaction".
(Satisfaction)
The band continued to produced hit albums into the 70s with records such as "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on the Main Street".
Jagger says that early success is often underappreciated by the young.
"When you do these kinds of things, especially when you are younger you don't really think of them as a piece for prosperity. You are just doing it for that year because next year there will be another record, so, you don't really think at the time, "This will hold up, or I'm so proud of it. This will be something I will be looking back on 40 years." You don't think of it. I don't think people in rock music, especially at that time ever thought like that."
Earlier this month, the band made headlines by taking Glastonbury by storm to celebrate half a century since breaking into the charts.
The father of seven's effect on youth culture persists today, with his performance style still inspiring many a academic articles on issues of gender, image and sexuality.
Jagger was knighted in 2003 for services to pop music, joining pop knights Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John at the top of rock's hall of honors.
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