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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Tuesday, August 20th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening.
Southern China is poised to be hit by another Typhoon later on this week.
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff has been officially indicted in connection with the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has appointed a new interim leader following the arrest of the group's former head.
In Business, the Chinese government is reportedly set to create a new blanket agency to deal with a host of economic issues.
In sports, Li Na drops one place in the world tennis rankings ahead of next week's US Open.
In entertainment, this year's Shanghai Book Fair is drawing to a close tonight.
Weather
Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 23 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow cloudy with a high temperature of 30.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 28, light rain tomorrow, with a high of 32.
Lhasa will have showers tonight, 12 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 33.
Kabul, sunny, 31.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 18.
Canberra, sunny, 12.
Brisbane, sunny, 21.
And finally, Perth will also be sunny with a high of 21.
Top News
Tropical storm Trami nearing Chinese coast
Southern China is poised to be hit by another Typhoon.
This time, tropical storm Trami is churning in the Pacific Ocean well east of Taiwan.
However, forecasters are predicting the storm is now turning toward China.
Currently ranked as a Severe Tropical Storm, Trami is expected to make Typhoon status by tomorrow morning.
It's forecast to roll by the northern tip of Taiwan before making landfall in northern Fujian sometime on Thursday.
Trami is expected to increase its power, and is expected to make landfall on the mainland with wind-speeds of around 120-kilometers per hour at the center of the storm.
Forecasters are already warning the storm is generating waves in the East China Sea of upto 8-meters in height.
Fishing boats in the region are being called back to harbor.
Former Pakistani president Musharraf charged in Bhutto killing
Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has been formally indicted on murder charges in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Bhotto was killed in a suicide attack in December 2007 following an election rally.
Musharraf, who was president at the time Bhutto was murdered, is rejecting the charges against him, calling them politically-motivated.
Four witnesses, including an American journalist, have given sworn statements against Musharraf in connection with the charges.
Musharraf's lawyer, Afsha Adil, says the statements shouldn't be considered evidence.
"The important thing is this: you will have to prove the allegations, with evidence, and still there is no evidence on record, so we can say the future of President Musharraf is quite clean and neat. These are all fabricated cases. There is nothing solid in all these cases, even Benazir murder case."
The court decision to indict Musharraf marks the first time a former army chief in Pakistan has been charged with a crime.
Musharraf was has been in-and-out of jail since returning to Pakistan earlier this year in an effort to try to contest the recent parliamentary elections.
He's currently under house arrest, and is due back in court next week.
Iran to resume nuclear talks after appointment of nuclear negotiator
Iran has signalled its intensions to resume talks with world powers over its nuclear program.
President Hassan Rouhani is reportedly very close to appointing a new chief nuclear negotiator.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry is on record saying it will announce its plans to resume talks with the P5+1 grouping as soon as the new nuclear negotiator and the negotiating team are set up.
Iranian domestic media is reporting it's likely Iran's Foreign Ministry will take over from the Supreme National Security Council to lead the nuclear talks.
At the same time, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader is also using more conciliatory language.
Ali Akbar Velayati is a close advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"Repeating the same language that we had before, I don't think it is useful. We have to talk with a different language. The same purposes but a different language."
But Velayati notes any final decisions on Iran's nuclear issues are made by the supreme leader, not President Rouhani.
The last round of negotiations in April between Iran and the 5-permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, failed to yield any practical results.
MB appoints new leader after its supreme leader Mohamed Badie was arrested
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has appointed Mahmoud Ezzat as its temporary new leader, hours after its supreme leader was arrested by police in Cairo.
Mohamed Badie has reportedly been arrested in an apartment in the eastern Cairo district of Nasr City.
That's where supporters of former President Mohammed Morsi held a six-week sit-in protest that was cleared by security forces in a crackdown last Wednesday.
Egyptian government officials say Badie and his deputy, Khairat el-Shater, who is also under custody, will go on trial later this month.
The two are accused of crimes in connection with the killing of 8 protesters outside the Islamist group's Cairo headquarters in June.
Badie's arrest is being viewed as a serious blow to the Muslim Brotherhood at a time when the interim authorities are cracking down on its leaders and mid-ranking officials.
Word of his arrest is being welcomed by some on the streets of Cairo.
"Thank God that Mohammed Badie has been arrested, and the government should take all the necessary measures for the Muslim Brotherhood to stop. It is a sin to have a son up to this age and raise him and at the end he gets killed in cold blood."
Badie's arrest comes as the courts in Cairo decide whether former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will go free later this week.
Mubarak's lawyer is arguing to try to have his client released from custody, after the courts dropped another charge against him.
Mubarak is still awaiting a re-trial in connection with the killing of protesters which eventually led to his ouster.
Egypt tourism takes massive hit amid unrest
Museums and archaeological are taking a massive financial hit amid the unrest in Egypt.
Looters have already stolen items from the Malawi Museum in the southern Nile River city of Minya.
Among the stolen antiquities is a statue of the daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled during Egypt's 18th dynasty, which ran from 1550 to 1292 BCE.
Other looted items included gold and bronze Greco-Roman coins, pottery and bronze-detailed sculptures of animals.
Local shop keepers selling tourist items are also feeling the pinch.
''The country is politically unstable, so how can it be economically stable? It just doesn't work. The first thing with the economic problem is security, if the issue with safety is resolved, the tourism problem will be resolved.''
The violence in Egypt has resulted in many countries issuing travel warnings to the country.
Egyptian tourism minister Hisham Zaazou.
''I think that the main reason for the absence in tourism in this last period, is to do with security in the first place, the absence of security, different things like, cutting off roads, protests from factions, and because of this it effected the main cultural areas, Cairo, Luxor and Aswan. ''
Tourism is one of Egypt's largest industries, employing more than 2.8 million people.
Palestinian killed in West Bank clashes
A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by Israeli soldiers during a raid in the West Bank.
Three other Palestinians have been wounded in the clashes.
There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli side.
Eyewitnesses say Israeli troops broke into a West Bank camp at dawn in an attempt to arrest someone living there.
In response, young Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers, who reportedly responded with live gunfire.
Israeli troops have been known to enter Palestinian-controlled territory to detain individuals believed responsible for militant activities.
This killing is the first since the Israeli and Palestinian sides launched their peace talks last month.
It's believed Israeli forces have killed 11 Palestinians so far this year.
Highly radioactive water leak found at Fukushima
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is reporting around 300 tonnes of highly contaminated water has leaked from a storage tank.
Masayuki Ono is the general manager of the Tokyo Electric Power Company.
He says the puddle that has formed near the tank is highly radio-active.
"It can be said that we found a radiation level strong enough to give someone a five-year dose of radiation within one hour."
TEPCO also admits the leak, which hasn't been stopped, could be flowing fast enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool in a week's time.
TEPCO, after months of denials, has finally admitted that contaminated water is reaching the ocean from its shattered facility.
The company is still struggling to figure out how to keep the crippled nuclear plant from doing more damage, despite the earthquake and tsunami hitting the plant 2.5-years ago.
Partner of Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald talks about detention by UK police
The partner of the journalist responsible for writing the NSA whistleblower stories in the Guardian newspaper is claiming he was illegally detained at Heathrow Airport in London.
Police in London detained David Miranda, who is in a civil union with American reporter Glenn Greenwald, for 9-hours under anti-terror legislation.
Miranda says he wasn't asked a single question about terrorism.
"They asked me about the protests here in Brazil, they asked about my relationship with Glenn, they asked me about my family, my friends. Not one question about terrorism, not one."
The 28-year-old university student was detained as he travelled home to Brazil after visiting Germany.
He was held for the maximum time British authorities are allowed to detain individuals under Britain's Terrorism Act.
Angered by the detention of his partner, reporter Glen Greenwald is describing it as harassment.
He's also promising he is going to write "much more aggressively than before" about government snooping.
Greenwald is also suggesting he still has many documents connected to England's espionage system.
Greenwald has written several articles based on information supplied by Snowden, who is currently living under temporary asylum in Russia.
China's Corporate Soical Responsibility in Africa
Anchor:
With more and more Chinese firms looking to expand into Africa, pressure is being put on them to ensure the companies both expand opportunities for local workers, while at the same time, pay attention to their role in the local communities they work out of.
CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King has more.
Reporter:
As with any example of foreign direct investment, Chinese companies successfully operating in Africa are providing training and funding opportunities for many of the local people that they work with.
Gabriel Nalokessissi is a grader operator at China Road and Bridge Corporation. He was awarded a long-service award by his company for his hard work; receiving enough of a bonus to buy a shamba, or farm, and build a house on his newly-purchased land.
"Because when I started, I had nothing; but when I began to work with the CRBC, I was able to build my house and I started to pay my child's school fees."
Alan Omondi was also working for the same company. He started off as a basic office clerk, but through training and hard work was promoted to be an engineer, or specifically, a quantity surveyor.
"When I was first employed; I used to stay in slums. Now, with time, as I started to gain experience, and started to do the work efficiently… when I got the promotion, ok, it was a surprise to me, because now the level I've reached, in both economic and social terms, is fantastic."
In 2011, Kenya saw its worst drought in six decades. Sino Hydro, Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company, sponsored the creation of water facilities for a school in Nairobi.
Mr Gong Changying, deputy general manager of Sino Hydro, talks of the need for positive outcomes for local communities when working in Africa.
"In 2011, Kawaha secondary school faced a very serious water crisis, especially in 2011, Kenya experienced an extreme drought disaster; the teachers and students in Kahawa school suffered a serious water shortage. As soon as we learnt of this news, we immediately decided to sponsor a water supply facility for this school"
Margaret Ngjagag is the principal of Kahawa Garrison secondary school in Nairobi. She explains the importance of the project:
"Sufficient supply: the toilets can flush, the students have enough water in the dining hall for the kitchen, there is a lot of water to clean, the lawns are very beautiful, the teachers are very happy, the children have water at home, they can now take safe water – they can drink water in school, we don't have to buy bottled water… free of charge from the borehole"
Chinese firms have greatly increased their activity in Africa in the past decade, either through direct investment, or aid. In 2009, China became Africa's biggest trading partner.
According to the Africa Research institute, China's foreign direct investment in Africa totaled 491 million US dollars in 2003, and 14.7 billion US dollars in 2011. Research from Standard Chartered estimates that trade between China and Africa will hit 385 billion US dollars by 2015.
For CRI, I'm Nathen Wakelin-King.
PLA hospital ship makes 2rd visit to Bangladesh on a medical mission
Anchor:
The Chinese naval hospital ship "Peace Ark" is now in Bangladesh to provide medical services to locals there.
The details from CRI's Marc Cavigli.
Reporter:
The arrival of the "Peace Ark" was welcomed by Bangladesh's naval officials, Chinese diplomats and local residents in a long and high-profile ceremony.
Addressing the crowd, Rear Admiral Shen Hao, Commander of "Mission Harmony 2013", said the ship's arrival in Bangladesh for a second time represents a special bond between the two countries.
"Chinese navy is coming for carrying on the friendship, for the purpose of carrying forward international humanitarianism, and strengthening friendly relations. I believe the current visit will definitely enhance the exchanges and cooperation between our two militaries and two navies, in particular, and consolidate the traditional friendship between our two peoples."
In 2010, medical staff onboard the "Peace Ark" provided medical services to more than 3,000 residents during its first visit to the South Asian nation.
The "Peace Ark" is currently on its third overseas mission known as "Mission Harmony 2013."
The vessel has over 400 people onboard with around 100 of them working as medical staff.
Rear Admiral Saiful Kabir, deputy chief of staff of the Bangladeshi navy, says the ship's revisit is a testimony to the friendship between the two nations.
"Bangladesh and China has close and comprehensive partnership of cooperation on the basis of long-standing friendship, security and mutual benefit. The arrival of the PLA navy hospital ship the 'Peace Ark' is the testimony of this friendship between our two friendly nations."
During its one-week stay in Chittagong, the ship's medical staff will give on-the-spot medical services to local residents at a local military hospital.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi medics will be invited to get onboard the hospital ship to jointly attend to patients with the Chinese medics.
The "Peace Ark" set sail from eastern China's Zhoushan Islands early June, embarking on its third overseas trip to 8 Asian countries and the Gulf of Aden.
After Bangladesh, the "Peace Ark" will travel to Myanmar to continue its voyage.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
Biz Reports
Asian Stock
Asian stocks continued their downward trend in Tuesday's trading.
Several regional currencies in the emerging markets have been weighed down amid worries that the US Federal Reserve's tapering of its bond-buying program will suck funds from the area.
The Indian rupee has fallen to a fresh record low against the US dollar.
And at the same time, Indonesia's rupiah has also been struggling against the dollar, with that country's economy going through one of its biggest slowdowns in recent years.
On the markets here in China,
The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.6 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index also declined 0.6 percent.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng plunged 2.3 percent.
Elsewhere,
Tokyo shares hit their lowest levels in nearly two months this Tuesday.
All 33 sectors declined, led by tires, auto and mining companies.
The Nikkei 225 lost 2.6 percent.
South Korean shares fell for two straight sessions with the benchmark KOSPI slumping 1.6 percent.
The only gainer among top 10 blue-chip stocks in Seoul is Samsung Life Insurance.
It rose 0.5 percent.
In Singapore, the Strait Times Index shed 1.4 percent.
In Sydney, gold producer Newcrest Mining slid 2.9 percent while diversified miner BHP Billiton fell 1.4 percent.
This dragged the Australian ASX 200 down 0.7 percent.
China to create agency to align financial supervision
The Chinese government is reportedly working on setting up a new agency to deal with issues connected to monetary policy, financial regulations.
The yet-unnamed organization will be managed through the People's Bank of China.
It's reportedly going to be tasked with the oversight of financial products, along with accounting across different financial sectors.
Under the new plan, the central bank will govern bond sales in the inter-bank market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission will oversee bonds issued by listed companies.
The National Development and Reform Commission will have the power to approve bond issues by non-public firms.
It's unclear at this point when the new agency will be activated.
China to allow social capital in railway sector
Anchor:
The central government here in China has outlined how it intends to allow social investment into the railway sector.
CRI's He Fei has more.
Reporter:
A guideline has issued by the central government on how to innovate railway funding and speed up railway construction.
The guideline suggests that ownership and management of intercity railways or rail lines in suburban areas can be opened up to local governments or private investment.
Researcher Wang Jun from the China Center For International Economic Exchange says the central government is targeting the construction of railways to try to boost local economies.
"China's central and western regions seriously lack the construction of railway coverage. But we are now also facing financial problems, including how to lower the high debt in the railway sector."
Earlier this month, the China Railway Corporation, which replaced the Ministry of Railways, set an investment target of up to 660 billion yuan in the overall railway sector this year.
As part of the plan, the central government will give subsidies to the state-owned corporation over the next 3-years.
This is part of the broader attempt by the government to make this country's state-dominated sectors, such as the railway sector, more market-oriented.
Professor Peng Qiyuan is from Jiaotong University.
"If the railway system wants to be more opened up to the market, the threshold lies in the price. The central government can fix an institutional price, which can be floating according to the market needs. This kind of pricing mechanism can bring more benefits to passengers and further promote the development of the railway sector."
The new plans also call for the creation of a railway development fund to support national railway projects.
The fund will be set up with cash from both the central government and other social investment vehicles.
For CRI, this is He Fei
China Telecom, Netease jointly launch mobile chat app
Anchor:
China Telecom has formed a joint venture with Chinese internet firm NetEase to launch a new mobile chat tool.
The new app, called Yixin, is expected to try to challenge Tencent's popular WeChat application.
Different from Wechat, Yixin users can send free text and voice messages to any mobile phone users, regardless if they have the Yixin app or not.
China Telecom has 73 percent of the joint venture, while NetEase has the remaining stake.
Called Zhejiang Yixin Technology, the joint venture has registered capital of 200-million yuan.
Zhejiang Yixin is hoping to have more than 100 million registered users within six months.
WeChat currently has 236 million monthly active users.
For more on the move, we're joined live on the line with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
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Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Macao's visitor spending up 23 pct in Q2
Authorities in Macau are reporting non-gaming visitor spending in the region has spiked some 23-percent year-on-year through the 2nd quarter.
Visitors to Macau spent nearly 1.75-billion US dollars in non-gambling cash during the April to June period.
Per-capital spending in Macau through Q2 hit 247-US dollars in non-gambling expenses.
Visitors to Macau from the mainland spent the most, with travellers spending an average of just under 353-US dollars per trip on non-gambling expenses.
On average, most visitors spent half their non-gambling cash on general shopping.
The remainder is mostly spent on accommodations, food and drinks.
Thailand's economy falls into recession
Thailand has officially fallen into recession.
The southeast Asian country's second quarter GDP reading unexpectedly contracted 0.3 percent.
The Thai economy dropped 1.7-percent through the first three months of the year, putting the country's economy in an official recession.
The latest readings are a polar contrast to the country's rapid expansion last year.
The Thai economy grew 6 percent this past year.
Weak exports and domestic demand, as well as fading business confidence, is being cited as the main factors behind the recent economic downturn.
Headline News
Tropical storm Trami nearing Chinese coast
Southern China is poised to be hit by another Typhoon.
This time, tropical storm Trami is churning in the Pacific Ocean well east of Taiwan.
However, forecasters are predicting the storm is now turning toward China.
Currently ranked as a Severe Tropical Storm, Trami is expected to make Typhoon status by tomorrow morning.
It's forecast to roll by the northern tip of Taiwan before making landfall in northern Fujian sometime on Thursday.
Trami is expected to increase its power, and is expected to make landfall on the mainland with wind-speeds of around 120-kilometers per hour at the center of the storm.
Forecasters are already warning the storm is generating waves in the East China Sea of upto 8-meters in height.
Fishing boats in the region are being called back to harbor.
S. Korea regrets over DPRK's condemnation of military drill with U.S.
The South Korean government says it's disappointed with the North Korean response to its latest military exercises with the United States.
In a statement, the South Korean side says its 'regrettable' for North Korea to consider the joint exercises as preparation for an invasion of North Korea.
The South Korean side is also calling on Pyongyang to stop the condemnations and show a responsible attitude toward the development of inter-Korean ties.
North Korea is warning if South Korea continues to pursue confrontation with the North, the relationship is going to hit a new low.
The increasing tensions on the Peninsula come amid a new round of military drills between South Korea and the United States on Monday.
Meanwhile, South Korean authorities have proposed a new round of talks on the potential reopening of the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea.
Death toll from Philippine ship collision rises to 64
The official death toll from last week's ferry crash off the central Philippines has reached 64.
56 others are still officially listed as missing.
The ferry collided with a cargo ship Friday evening off the coast of the central Philippine province of Cebu.
750 of the 850 people on-board at the time were rescued.
Oil from the now-sunken passenger ship has since begun washing up on the shores of the province, prompting authorities on Cebu to declare a 'state of calamity.'
Many of the locals on Cebu's coast rely on fishing to survive, despite the province being known mainly for its growing tourism sector.
China to create agency to align financial supervision
The Chinese government is reportedly working on setting up a new agency to deal with issues connected to monetary policy, financial regulations.
The yet-unnamed organization will be managed through the People's Bank of China.
It's reportedly going to be tasked with the oversight of financial products, along with accounting across different financial sectors.
Under the new plan, the central bank will govern bond sales in the inter-bank market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission will oversee bonds issued by listed companies.
The National Development and Reform Commission will have the power to approve bond issues by non-public firms.
It's unclear at this point when the new agency will be activated.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
"Soft clampdown on illegal Beijing street food"
Illegal food stalls, or barbeques, in two districts of the capital have been put on warning by law enforcement officials.
Dongcheng and Fengtai districts in Beijing will clamp down on unlicensed food hawkers using chengguan, or urban management officers, in a less confrontational manner.
The officers will take photos of the illegal stalls and track down the caterers who will be issued with warning, fines or orders to move.
Statistics showed reports on outdoor barbeques dropped by 12 percent in July, while street occupation by illegal food stalls were also down by some 12 percent.
The new management move, which is soon to be expanded across the city, is expected to reduce the risks of on-site conflicts, which have turned deadly in the past.
Shanghai Daily
"Fire fears for portable power banks"
Shanghai's quality watchdogs found problems with more than half of the portable power banks they tested recently — including some that burst into flames.
The Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau checked 22 batches and found quality issues in 13 batches.
Affected batches included products sold by well-known electrical product retailers in both brick-and-mortar and online stores.
Officials said the faults with safety protection and battery safety detected could lead to devices going up in flames in certain circumstances.
Scenarios included overcharging, over discharge, short circuiting, static electricity disturbance, high temperatures or the device striking heavy items or falling down.
AFP
"Study finds brain lesions in spy plane pilots"
A new study said tiny brain lesions are vastly more common in US Air Force pilots who fly at high altitudes than in non-pilots.
The findings describe an analysis of 102 pilots who fly U-2 reconnaissance aircraft at an altitude of some 21,000 meters.
According to the study, these pilots, age 26 to 50, had nearly four times the volume and three times the number of brain lesions as non-pilots.
The lesions were spotted whether or not the pilots reported having the symptoms of decompression sickness.
Non-pilots had some lesions, too, associated with normal aging. But they were mainly in the frontal white matter, while the lesions in high-altitude pilots were evenly distributed throughout the brain.
Still, the impact of these lesions remains unclear.
News.com.au
"Quinoa, mushrooms and coca kept me alive for 123 years"
The oldest person in the world says a diet of quinoa, mushrooms and coca have kept him alive for 123 years.
Bolivian indigenous farmer Carmelo Flores, who turned 123 a month ago, attributes his longevity to the traditional Andean diet.
Mr Flores said he has lived so long by eating quinoa grains, riverside mushrooms and constantly chewing coca leaves.
The water Mr Flores drinks streams down from the snow-capped peak of Illampu, one of Bolivia's highest mountains.
Flores also said he walks a lot. And he goes out with the animals.
He doesn't drink alcohol, though did imbibe some in his youth.
He's eaten a lot of mutton, and though he likes pork it is rarely available.
The Bolivian Government has confirmed his age, and consequently that he is the oldest living person.
Special Reports
Edinburgh Festivals Underway
Anchor:
Tens of thousands of people are swarming into Edinburgh, Scotland to take part in the city's annual festival season.
CRI's correspondent Tu Yun is among them.
Reporter:
Walking around in big cities, you may see buskers performing here and there.
But in Edinburgh, you can see them all within less than half a mile on one street.
It's the Edinburgh Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world.
It features over 45,000 performances in nearly 2,900 shows across the city this year, of which around 16 percent are free.
This year's Fringe has reported sales increases in double figures compared to last year when the annual event was affected by the Olympics.
Also a favorite is the Military Tattoo, where you can join thousands in front of the Great Castle of Edinburgh watching massed pipes and drums.
All tickets for the 2013 Tattoo were sold out more than a week ago.
"We have tonight in the audience 8,800 people, a total of 220,000 across the whole of the summer. This year we have seven great bands of pipes and drums."
Brigadier David Allfrey is Chief Executive and Producer of this year's program.
"We have the Republic of Korea, celebrating spring time with some wonderful music. From Mexico we'll bring the sound and sights of summer. From New Zealand, the other side of the world, we have autumn. And finally winter from Mongolia. We'll touch also night and day, and life and death, the important elements of life.
And we'll end by looking to the heavens, to the stars and the sun and the planets for our inspiration."
Also looking for new inspiration and direction is Jonathan Mills, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival since October, 2006.
"Two years ago we had a huge celebration on arts from Asia and Europe. Three years ago, it was the notion of colonialism and the New World. Five years ago, it was much about the new members of the European Union, Poland, the Czech Republic. So each year it's a completely different journey. The more you come to visit my festival, the more you'll see these connections and passions. And the journey will become more clear."
The theme of this year's festival is the interaction between art and technology.
The program features Beethoven's only opera Fidelio staged in a spaceship.
Chinese director Lin Zhaohua is bringing his production of Shakespeare's tragedy Coriolanus, which will make its European premiere on Tuesday.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun in Edinburgh.
Sports
One week to go until US open begins
With just a week to go until the start of the US Open tennis tournament, the new ATP rankings are out.
And the biggest surprise will see Swiss star Roger Federer come into the major tournament ranked 7th in the world.
Federer, who has been struggling in recent weeks, will be ranked out of the top-3 at a major tournament for the first time in a decade.
Meanwhile, most of the big players have been skipping the final tune-up for the last major of the year at Flushing Meadows.
World Number-3 Andy Murray, the defending US Open champ, says his final preparations are coming along well.
"I took quite a big break after Wimbledon which I don't normally do but I needed to take a little bit of time away from the court. I did not play so well in Montreal, but I played better in Cincinnati and I started practicing here again yesterday and each day I am feeling better on the court so hopefully by the time the tournament comes around I will be feeling good."
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal come into next week's tournament as the top two seeds, followed by Murray, Spain's David Ferrer and Czech Tomas Berdych.
Berdych, who was the only one in the top-ten taking part in the last tune-up before the US Open, has pulled out of the tournament in North Carolina, citing foot pain.
Meanwhile, on the women's side, Li Na has been bumped one-spot on the world rankings.
The Chinese ace has been overtaken by Italy's Sara Errani, who now takes over the WTA's 5th ranked spot.
Li Na will start the US Open as the 6th seed next week.
Meanwhile, it's being reported Russian Maria Sharapova, who's currently ranked 3rd in the world, is going to legally change her name from Sharapova to Sugarpova.
The 26-year old, who has already earned over 3.6-million US dollars on the tour this year, has reportedly applied to the courts in Florida for a temporary name change to promote her new line of candy products.
Sharapova, who launched the Sugarpova company last year for 500-thousand US dollars, will still have to convince US Open officials to officially list her name as Sugarpova at next week's tournament.
Redskins down Steelers in NFL pre-season action
There was one game this morning in National Football League pre-season action.
It was the Washington Redskins dumping the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-13 in a game marred by turnovers and pre-season injuries.
The game saw a total of 15 penalties and 7 turnovers, including a sequence of 3 give-aways in just 5 plays.
The Redskins QB Kirk Cousins, who could be the starter on opening day if Washington's star quarterback Robert Griffin III, sprained his foot in the 2nd quarter of the game.
The sprain isn't expected to be too serious.
Griffin himself was suited up for Washington, even though he's not cleared to play yet by team doctors, after undergoing season-ending reconstructive foot surgery last year.
Washington is unclear yet whether Griffin, last year's offensive rookie of the year, will be ready to suit up for the team's season opener on September 9th.
The hands-down star of the game this morning was Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who made a juggling interception of a screen pass from Ben Roethlisberger and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown.
Later, Kerrigan stripped Roethlisberger's backup, Bruce Gradkowski, to force another turnover.
Next up on the Week-4 schedule for the NFL preseason will be Friday morning Beijing-time, when Detroit entertains New England, while Carolina is on the road to take on Balitmore.
Pujols out for remainder of MLB season
In diamond news from Major League Baseball...
Albert Pujols has finally agreed he should wait till next year.
The Los Angeles Angels have announced the slugger will miss the rest of the season to rest his injured left foot.
The 240-million dollar slugger gave up his hopes of playing again next month after the team's medical staff advised him to avoid rushing back to the lineup.
Pujols partially tore his left plantar fascia last month, and only recently got his foot out of a walking boot.
The three-time National League MVP hasn't played since July 26th.
The LA Angels currently have a 55-69 record, and have virtually no chance of making it to the playoffs.
Pujols only has 17 home runs and 64-Runs Batted In this year.
The 34-year old Pujols still has 8-years on his contract worth 212-million US dollars in what is currently the 3rd largest contract in Major League history.
Olympique Lyon prepare to face Real Sociedad in Champions League
French football side Lyon will be looking to start this year's UEFA Champions League action with a better finish than last year.
Last season saw Lyon fail to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 12-years, after being knocked out by Tottenham in the round of 32.
Lyon is due to take on Spanish club Real Sociedad, who finished fourth in La Liga last season.
Lyon captain Yoann Gourcuff.
"It's a group objective so, we want to play such a match, I think we're well prepared for the match, we're going to play the best match possible and get the best result possible."
In other action later on tonight in Europe,
It's Celtic on the road, taking on Kazakh side Shakhter Karagandy.
Slovenian side Maribor is on the road in the Czech Republic to take on Viktoria Plzen.
It's Pacos Ferreira at home in Porto, Portugal to Zenit St. Petersburg.
Dutch side PSV Eindhoven is at home to AC Milan.
FIFA's Jerome Valcke checks on progress at the Arena da Baixada ahead of World Cup
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has made a stop at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba to check on the progress of the stadium that will host matches in four of the groups in next year's Football World Cup.
Former Brazilian footballing legend Ronaldo is among those that toured Curitiba with Valcke.
Curitiba is one of the 12 host cities for next year's World Cup.
The visit comes after Valcke declared Sao Paulo's stadium will be ready to host the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, despite the slow pace of construction.
He is also due to visit at least one more site before attending a board meeting of the local organising committee in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.
Entertainment
"Pacific Rim" continues to rule China's box office
New stats show U.S. science fiction blockbuster "Pacific Rim" remains atop the Chinese box office.
The film has grossed some 640 million yuan through the end of last week.
At the same time, "Tiny Times 2," a sequel to domestic film "Tiny Times," has taken in 106 million yuan through this past week, putting the film 2nd on the charts.
"Tiny Times" is a film inspired by author-turned-director Guo Jingming's novel of the same name.
The film has raked in over 488 million yuan since its debut on June 27th.
"One Night Surprise," a romantic comedy starring Fan Bingbing and Aarif Lee, has taken in just under 97-million yuan last week, placing it third on the charts.
"Unbeatable," a Hong Kong film directed by Dante Lam, came in fourth.
It debuted on August 16th.
The same stats show that theatre visits through this past week are down around 9-percent.
Asian-American sitcom set to hit the small screen
A Chinese-American sitcom could be set to hit the small screen in the United States this fall.
Restaurateur and TV host Eddie Huang's recently-published memoirs are being used as the vehicle for the potential new sitcom.
The sitcom, adapted from his book Fresh Off the Boat, is set in the 1990s in Orlando, Florida, and is loosely based on Huang's childhood.
Before Huang made a name for himself as a New York City food personality, he struggled to define what being a Chinese-American is all about.
Huang's memoirs have been described by The New York Times as a "frequently hilarious and surprisingly sophisticated memoir about race and assimilation in America".
ONE DIRECTION FANS GATHER IN LONDON AHEAD OF PREMIERE
Hundreds of One Direction fans are gathering in London's Leicester Square ahead of the premiere for the band's film "One Direction: This Is Us."
"It's like I saw their auditions and them talking as individuals and I was like wow and when I saw them on stage together, I was like, that's a boy band, and when they got put together and they were just being themselves, they weren't acting, they were just goofing around being normal teenage boys. I don't know, that's what kind of drew me into them"
Teenager Dani Pring arrived in Leicester Square on Sunday morning in the hopes of getting one of the best tickets.
When fans arrive, they're given a number which allows them to come back the next day and be given access to the red carpet area in the hope of catching a glimpse of the band.
"With our numbers that we got they said that the first 200 would probably be right at the front of the barriers so hopefully we get to meet a few of them and get an autograph, maybe a photo."
The Morgan Spurlock-directed 3-D documentary "One Direction: This Is Us" premieres in London later on tonight.
Thousands honor Elvis Presley at Graceland
Thousands of fans of Elvis Presley from around the world have made their annual pilgrimage to Graceland, his home in Memphis, to pay their respects to the rock n' roll icon.
Fans carried candles as they walked silently through the Meditation Garden at Graceland.
The garden is the location of Presley's grave and also where his mother, father and grandmother are buried.
The vigil is part of a weeklong celebration of the rock icon.
Having started as an informal gathering the year after his death, the vigil has now blossomed into a major tourist event.
Presley died of a heart attack on Aug. 16, 1977, after battling prescription drug abuse.
The 'SIMS' GET IN TOUCH WITH EMOTIONS IN NEW GAME
The 4th edition of Maxis' successful life-simulating game, the Sims 4, is reportedly set to include more expressive versions of the virtual people whose lives and homes players can manipulate.
"The Sims 4" producer Lyndsay Pearson says the developers have focused this time around on crafting more believable 'Sims' who can perform multiple actions - like walking and talking - at once.
The producers also say the 'Sims' are going to be guided more by their feelings in the latest edition of the game.
Lyndsay Pearson says more emotions should mean more options for players.
"I think the key of 'The Sims 4' emotions is that there isn't anything that's particularly better or worse. You actually have the ability and the power to decide what to do with that Sim's emotion. So if a Sim is furious, that may seem like a bad thing on the surface, but it actually means they can write a special book or paint a special painting or go for a really good run and do a really great workout."
"The Sims" franchise has now sold more than 170 million copies worldwide.
Shanghai Book Fair Closes Aiming to be More International Acdemic and Professional
This year's Shanghai Book Fair drawing to a close tonight.
Kan Ninhui is the Vice Director of the Shanghai Press and Publication Bureau, which helped set up the 10th edition of the book fair.
Kan says one of the biggest challenges they had this year was trying to cope with the record heat in Shanghai.
"Compared to the past, we set up this water mist cooling system for the readers. And in just one day, we had to set up more to cope with the extremely hot weather."
Kan says one of the highlights of this year's book fair is the representative of a series of international literary A-listers.
The vice-director says there will be more international representation in the book fairs still to come.
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