新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/10/10

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
 
 
Paul James with you on this Thursday, October 10th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
This year's ASEAN summit has come to an end, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang taking part in a China-ASEAN leaders meeting as part of it.
Heavy flooding is innondating parts of Shanghai and Zhejiang as the reminants of Typhoon Fitow continue to drench the region.
The US government says it's going to "recalibrate" it military aid to Egypt in the aftermath of the ouster of Mohamed Morsi.
In Business.... US President Barack Obama has officially tapped Janet Yellen to take over the Fed.
In sports... China has ruled the table tennis team events at the East Asian Cup in Tianjin.
In entertainment... a new trailer has been released for the new Chinese film "Unexpected Love."
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be overcast today, with a high of 21 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be clear tonight with a low of 9.
In Shanghai, it will be overcast today, 27 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 20 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be sunny in the daytime the temperature's at 18, and tonight will be clear with a low of 5 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 33.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 28.
And in North America
New York, overcast, with a high of 18 degrees.
Washington, moderate rain, highs of 18
Houston, sunny, 28.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 29.
Toronto, sunny, 17.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, moderate rain, 22.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 25 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
ASEAN summit concludes in Brunei
 
This year's ASEAN summit has come to an end in Brunei.
Leaders from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have wrapped up the meeting with a promise to strengthen existing bonds of solidarity and cooperation within the region.
The bloc has also reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining regional peace, security and prosperity.
The summit has also issued a call for more work toward a future development plan for ASEAN, as the current one expires in 2015.
 
 
China and ASEAN vow to achieve closer ties in the next decade.
 
Anchor
China and ASEAN are vowing to try to achieve closer ties through the next decade.
The pledge has been made in a joint-statement following a China-ASEAN leaders' meeting in Brunei.
CRI's Li Jing has more.
reporter
Addressing the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new policy declaration for the new Chinese leadership for China-ASEAN ties over the next 10 years.
Li Keqiang says his government views ASEAN as a priority, both sides should be seizing opportunities to push forward cooperation.
The Premier has put forward a seven-point proposal on promoting cooperation in various fields, stressing the importance of consolidating political trust.
The South China Sea was one of the main topics at the summit.
Li Keqiang contends the situation in the South China Sea is generally stable.
He says existing disputes there will not and should not undermine the overall bilateral relationship between China and ASEAN.
"We all agree that disputes in the South China Sea should be addressed through consultation and negotiation between parties directly concerned."
The Premier is also promising Beijing will continue consultations with Southeast Asian nations on formulating a code of conduct in the South China Sea.
In the economic front, Li Keqiang suggests China and ASEAN should broaden the scale and scope of currency swap agreements.
He's also calling for an upgrade to the existing China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
Le Luong Minh is the current secretary-general of ASEAN.
"China and ASEAN have been experiencing friendly and close relations. That's why China and ASEAN have established a strategic partnership. And China was the first country to cede to the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation, and China has proposed the conclusion of a treaty of good-neighborness, amity and cooperation between ASEAN and China, the idea is well received and will be studied by ASEAN."
As part of the meeting, the two sides have released a joint statement to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership.
The two sides have also promised to scale up two-way trade to 500-billion U.S. dollars by 2015, and one trillion U.S. dollars by 2020.
China is now ASEAN's biggest trading partner.
Two-way trade volume has already exceeded 400 billion dollars.
This is 5-times what it was ten years ago.
Mutual investment currently totals over 100 billion dollars, three times that of ten years ago.
For CRI, I'm Li Jing.
 
 
PIK: Li Keqiang's visit to Thailand
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is now set to visit Thailand and Vietnam following the ASEAN meeting in Brunei.
For more on his upcoming visit to Thailand, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King spoke earlier with Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
(PIK Q&A)
That is Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, speaking with CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King.
 
 
Wave of violence hits S. Thailand
 
A wave of attacks has hit southern Thailand, leaving three dead.
The attacks have involved bombings, shootings and arsons.
It's said to be the biggest wave of insurgent violence in southern Thailand in years.
Authorities in southern Thailand say they believe a pair of rebel groups has launched the attacks to try to display their combat effectiveness on the anniversary this week of their respective foundings.
Over 40 attacks have been launched across the four provinces in Thailand's restive southern region.
A decade of conflict among Muslim rebels and government forces in the predominantly Buddhist country of Thailand has left over 54-hundred people dead.
 
 
Torrential rains caused by Typhoon Fitow continued to lash E. China
 
Torrential rains caused by Typhoon Fitow are continuing to hit Shanghai and parts of Zhejiang.
At least 10 people are confirmed dead in the city of Wenzhou, with five others still missing.
The storm has inundated roads, houses and breached local river banks across the region.
70-percent of the city of Yuyao in Zhejiang is flooded, affecting nearly 800-thousand people.
The typhoon has also raised water levels on the Yao River to record highs, breaching the banks on one section.
Local flood-control and disaster-relief authorities are expecting the rains to ease up.
"As rescuing work continues, the situation is improving. Floodwater will recede if there is no rainfall."
Zhejiang government Li Qiang says the priority right now is to get people to safety.
"Evacuation is the most important, especially evacuating people from Yuyao city."
Flooding on roads in Shanghai has been causing major traffic disruptions across the city.
 
 
Egypt dissolves Muslim Brotherhood as NGO
 
Egypt's government is outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood as a non-governmental organization.
This follows an earlier court order to ban the group's activities, seize its funds and form a panel to administer its assets.
Egypt's Minister of Social Solidarity says all the funds of the Brotherhood as an NGO will be put under the disposal of a government committee.
The money will be held until all judicial issues are resolved.
Meanwhile, ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is set to stand trial on November 4th in connection with charges he authorized violent attacks which took place outside the Presidential palace earlier this year.
 
 
U.S. to "recalibrate" military aid to Egypt
 
The White House has decided to cut some of its military assistance to Egypt.
However, it remains unclear just how much of the military assistance will be -quote- "recalibrated."
White House spokesperson Jay Carney.
"We will announce the future of our assistance relationship with Egypt once we have made the appropriate diplomatic and congressional notifications. We will continue to support a democratic transition and oppose violence as a means of resolving differences in Egypt, and our relationship with the Egyptian government, including US assistance to Egypt, will continue."
The US government's total allocation of aid to Egypt stands at 1.5-billion US dollars a year.
1.3-billion of that is military assistance.
The Obama administration has been considering its options following the military-backed ouster of Mohamed Morsi in July.
 
 
Barroso and Letta see the coffins of victims of migrant boat that recently sank
 
Italy's Prime Minister and the head of the European Commission have paid their respects to the African migrants killed in last week's shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Enrico Letta and Jose Manuel Barroso have stood in silence over-looking the rows of coffins laid out inside an airport hangar on Lampedusa.
Letta says the victims will receive a state funeral.
"The decision which I am able to announce is that a state funeral will be held for the victims. This decision was taken with a logic of compassion for dramatic suffering, an immense tragedy with a dimension that has never occurred in the Mediterranean."
Meanwhile, Barroso says the European Union is going to help Italy with its issues with migrants.
Barroso says the EU will provide to Italy with an additional 30 million euros to help Italy deal with the thousands of African asylum-seekers arriving on its shores every year.
The official death toll now from last Thursday's sinking stands at 302, as more bodies have been recovered through Wednesday.
The victims include 9 children, 83 women and 210 men.
Authorities now believe a total of 518 people were on-board the ship when it caught fire, capsized and sank off Lampedusa a week ago.
155 people survived.
It's believed the boat originated from Libya, and was made up mostly of migrants from North Africa.
The man suspected of captaining the boat has since been taken into custody by Italian authorities.
 
 
OPCW to negotiate ceasefires to access chemical weapons sites
 
Inspectors with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons are set to try to negotiate cease-fires to try to access certian sites.
OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu is calling on all parties in Syria to cooperate and contribute to their mission.
"I think that the elimination of those weapons is in interest of all. Therefore if we can ensure some cooperation by all parties and if some temporary ceasefires in fact where it could be established in order to permit our experts to work in a very hostile environment the targets could be reached."
OPCW officials also say it is too early in the mission to speculate on exactly how and where the chemical weapons will be destroyed.
They also say they don't know how many inspectors will be needed.
The OPCW has already said it will likely need to hire more staff to cope.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said they may need at least 100 people on-the-ground to deal with Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.
The mission started last week and is expected to last until the middle of next year.
 
 
Turkey scrambles jets to intercept Syrian warplane near border
 
Tensions are once-again being ratcheted up along the Syrian-Turkish border.
Turkish forces scrambled a pair of F-16 fighter jets to the border province of Hatay on Wednesday after a Syrian jet was spotted heading toward the area.
The Turkish army says the Syrian jet disengaged and turned away from Turkish airspace just 4-miles from the border.
Last month the Turkish airforce shot down a Syrian helicopter they say crossed into Turkish airspace.
Turkey has been very proactive in defending its lengthy border with Syria, including istalling batteries of Patriot missiles to defend against any missile launches from Syria.
At the same time, Turkey has also drawn the ire of other countries along its border region, in particular Iraq, for violating borders in its attempt to hunt down Kurdish rebels.
 
 
Six people contaminated in latest Fukushima leak saga
 
TEPCO has revealed 6 of its workers have been exposed to leaking radioactive water after one of them mistakenly removed a pipe at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Tokyo Electric Power Company general manager Masayuki Ono.
"Six people have had their bodies irradiated and it is true that big mistakes like this continue to occur again and again. It is therefore essential that we do something to stop this chain of events."
The workers are now undergoing treatment for radiation exposure.
TEPCO says 7-tons of radioactive water leaked from the pipe for around 50 minutes.
This incident is the latest in a series of leaks caused by human error at the Fukushima plant.
Earlier this week, a pump injecting water to cool the nuclear fuel stopped functioning for a few moments after a worker mistakenly pressed the wrong button on a switchboard.
 
 
Aliyev wins presidential election in Azerbaijan: CEC
 
Exit polling and preliminary figures show incumbent Ilham Aliyev has won the presidental election in Azerbaijan.
Ali Ahmadov is Aliyev's election campaign chief.
"According to the exit polls Ilham Aliyev has more than 80 per cent of the vote. I think that the results of the central election campaign will not be different from these numbers."
Hundreds of Aliyev's supporters have since taken to the streets, carrying national flags and pictures of the president in celebration.
Aliyev's main oppoinent, Jamil Hasanli from the opposition National Council, has only taken around 4-percent of the vote.
The victory by Aliyev will allow him a 3rd, 5-year term in office.
A referendum abolishing term-limits was held in Azerbaijan in 2009, allowing him to run for a 3rd consecutive term in office.
Azerbaijan, situated along the Caspian Sea, is a small, but oil-rich former Soviet Republic.
 
 
Three US scientists share 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
 
Anchor
Three American scientists have won this year's Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
CRI's special correpondent Chen Xuefei has more from Stockholm.
Ann
Staffan Normark, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made this announcement at a press conference in Stockholm.
"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Martin Karplus at Universite de Strasbourg, France and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, Michael Levitt at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA and Arieh Warshel at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA and the academy citation runs "for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems".
According to the Nobel Committee in Chemistry, Karplus, Levitt and Warshel laid the foundation for the powerful programs that are used to understand and predict chemical processes in the 1970s.
The work of Karplus, Levitt and Warshel is ground-breaking in that they managed to make Newton's classical physics work side-by-side with the fundamentally different quantum physics.
Gunnar Karlstrom, an expert and member of the Nobel Committee in Chemistry explaint why the laureates theory is important.
"First of all, it means the theory really help experimentalist to understand their data, secondly, theory gives an understanding that experiment will never give because you get an insight on a very molecular level you can see how charges are creating potential and how actually that gives physical background for why reactions are taking place. "
The three scientists will equally share the 800 million Swedish kronor prize which is equivalent to about 1.2 million US dollars.
The awarding ceremony will be held in Stockholm on December 10, the date of Nobel's death.
For CRI, this is Chen Xuefei reporting from Stockholm.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the markets in North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Hu Jia.
Reporter:
U.S. stocks staged a slight advance Wednesday, though investors continued to play defense during the ongoing stalemate in Washington.
Shares extended gains slightly after the Fed meeting minutes were released.
The minutes indicate officials still hope to start cutting back their bond-buying program before year's end.
The news about the political impasse in Washington and from the Fed has eclipsed the unofficial start of the latest corporate earnings season.
Alcoa shares climbed 2 percent after the aluminum company reported late Tuesday that its earnings rose more than expected, amid lower costs and improved productivity.
Investors also eyed consumer stocks.
Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell, slumped 6.8 percent after reporting earnings that came in below analyst forecasts.
The company has also lowered its full-year outlook, citing weakness in sales here in China.
When the market closed,
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 percent.
The S&P 500 edged up 0.1 percent.
The Nasdaq lost 0.5 percent.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX gained 0.3 percent.
European stocks lost a bit of ground on Wednesday.
The French CAC 40 slipped 0.2 percent
The German DAX 30 fell 0.5 percent.
In London, the FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent.
 
 
Obama nominates Dr Janet Yellen as next Chairman of the Federal reserve
 
As expected, U.S. President Barack Obama has formally nominated current US Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen to be the next Fed chief.
"Janet is committed to both sides of the Fed's dual mandate. She understands the necessity of a stable financial system where we move ahead with the reforms we have begun, to protect consumers, to ensure that no one institution is too big to fail and to make sure that taxpayers are never again left holding the bag because of the mistakes of the reckless a few."
Obama is tapping the 67-year old to take over for current Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, who is set to leave office in January.
Yellen has spent a lot of time in Washington.
On top of being the current vice-chair of the Fed, Yellen also served as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors for former US President Bill Clinton.
"The past six years have been tumultuous for the economy and challenging for many Americans. While I think we all agree, that more needs to be done to strengthen the recovery, particularly for those hardest hit by the Great Recession, we have made progress."
From a policy perspective, Yellen is considered a moderate, with a track-record leaning more toward issues of employment, rather than issues of inflation.
Stephen Oliner is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
"I think Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are going to question her very hard about the accommodative policies that the Fed has been undertaking and that she has actively supported and would continue. I think they'll really question her about her tolerance for installation because there is this widespread perception that somehow she is soft on inflation, which I think is actually a misconception, and I would expect her to answer that quite satisfactorily."
If approved by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve in its 100-year history.
 
 
Fed's Industrial-Production Report Delayed Due to Shutdown
 
The partial shutdown of the US federal government has forced a delay of the release of the next industrial production report, which was scheduled to come out next Thursday.
The US Federal Reserve relies on data from agencies that are impacted by the shutdown to produce reports on manufacturing, utility and mining levels.
The US central bank says it will begin releasing its economic data once the federal government resumes full operations.
Economic data by the Commerce and Labor Departments have also been postponed due to the shutdown.
 
 
Call-in with Ben Cavender on China and Japan urges US to stay solvent
 
Anchor:
Both Chinese and Japanese governments, the United States' largest international creditors, are warning U.S lawmakers their failure to resolve their political impasse on the debt ceiling is threatening to destabilize global financial markets.
The two countries together hold more than 2.4-trillion dollars in U.S Treasuries.
The Chinese government says it has been in touch with Washington amid the standoff.
U.S government is approaching its debt ceiling sometime next week.
For more on this issue, CRI's Rebecca Hume earlier spoke earlier with Benjamin Cavender, associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
(biz call in)
That's Benjamin Cavender, associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai speaking with CRI's Rebecca Hume.
 
 
China Banking Regulator to Raise Capital Requirements for Foreign Banks
 
The China Banking Regulator Commission has unveiled revised regulations connected to the licensing of foreign financial institutions.
The banking regulator is raising the capital thresholds for overseas banks and joint-venture banks.
Registered capital for these banks will have to be one billion yuan.
This is up significantly from the current 300 million yuan threshold.
Requirements for the qualifications for shareholders of foreign banks and joint-venture banks will also be raised.
The banking regulator is also brining in stricter approval procedures for those hoping to become involved in derivatives trading.
 
 
China improves supervision of rural banks
 
China's banking regulator is proposing legal revisions to better supervise the country's rural financial institutions.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission has begun soliciting public opinions on the potential new revisions.
The draft covers issues such as conditions for setting up rural banks and the procedures for foreign banks to invest in them.
Employee shareholders of rural banks would also be restricted to hold no more than 20 percent of a bank's ownership.
Non-employee shareholders would be restricted to 10-percent ownership.
The new draft also specifies rules for changing stock rights and clarifies the qualifications for top executives of rural banks.
 
 
Sharply lower September trade deficit bright spot for India's ailing economy
 
New data shows India's trade deficit has narrowed to a 2.5-year low in September.
India's trade deficit has declined to 6.7 billion US dollars this past month.
The August reading was nearly 11-billion US dollars.
S.R. Rao is India's Trade Secretary.
"Imports have shown a significant fall of 18.1 percent and exports have shown a rise of 11.15 percent. Trade deficit for the month of September 2013 is the lowest in the last 30 months."
India posted an 88-billion US dollars deficit through its last fiscal year.
The Indian rupee has lost around 20-percent of its value over the past few months.
Montek Singh Ahluwalia is the Deputy Chair of India's Planning Commission.
"The fact that the rupee has depreciated compared to a year ago will lead to better export performances, will improve competitiveness of Indian industry and we are going to have a good agriculture year, a good year agriculturally will not only directly contribute to GDP, it will generate income in rural areas that will stimulate non-agricultural GDP. So taking all these things together I expect to see a recovery in the coming quarters. Exactly how much that will produce for the year as a whole is difficult to predict right now, but we are definitely on a turn-around path."
The release of the September trade figures has helped bolster the Indian rupee, shares, and bonds on Wednesday.
The Indian government says it remains confident it can reduce its current-account deficit to 70-billion US dollars by the end of its fiscal year, which ends in March.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China and ASEAN vow to achieve closer ties in the next decade.
 
China and ASEAN are vowing to try to achieve closer ties through the next decade.
The pledge has been made in a joint-statement following a China-ASEAN leaders' meeting in Brunei.
Addressing the meeting, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new policy declaration for the new Chinese leadership for China-ASEAN ties over the next 10 years.
The Premier has put forward a seven-point proposal on promoting cooperation in various fields, stressing the importance of consolidating political trust.
The two sides have also promised to scale up two-way trade to one trillion U.S. dollars by 2020.
 
 
Egypt dissolves Muslim Brotherhood as NGO
 
Egypt's government is outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood as a non-governmental organization.
This follows an earlier court order to ban the group's activities, seize its funds and form a panel to administer its assets.
Egypt's Minister of Social Solidarity says all the funds of the Brotherhood as an NGO will be put under the disposal of a government committee.
The money will be held until all judicial issues are resolved.
Meanwhile, ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is set to stand trial on November 4th in connection with charges he authorized violent attacks which took place outside the Presidential palace earlier this year.
 
 
Italy shipwreck death toll rises to 302
 
We're now getting more firm numbers in connection with last week's migrant boat sinking off the Italian island of Lampedusa.
The official death toll now stands at 302, as more bodies have been recovered through Wednesday.
Authorities now believe a total of 518 people were on-board the ship when it caught fire, capsized and sank off Lampedusa a week ago.
155 people survived.
It's believed the boat originated from Libya, and was made up mostly of migrants from North Africa.
 
 
Obama names Yellen as next Federal Reserve chair
 
As expected, U.S. President Barack Obama has formally nominated current US Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen to be the next Fed chief.
Obama is tapping the 67-year old to take over for current Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, who is set to leave office in January.
If approved by the Senate, Yellen would be the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve in its 100-year history.
Yellen became the front-runner for the job after former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers withdrew from consideration last month.
 
 
Argentina's president "in very good mood" after surgery
 
Argentina's President is said to be in a "very good mood" following surgery to drain a bruise on her brain.
Christina Fernandez' chief cabinet minister says the procedure "went perfectly," and suggests her recovery is "very favorable."
Fernandez handed over the reigns of her office for 30-days on Monday to undergo the operation, after doctors recommended she have the hematoma drained after she began noticing slight muscle weakness in her arm.
Christina Fernandez developed the brain bruise after falling and hitting her head back in August.
She's expected to remain in hospital for a few more days before returning home to complete her recovery.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Jiangsu to reform English in Gaokao
Summary
It's being reported education authorities in Jiangsu may be brining in a new English exam system as part of the college entrance exam, the Gaokao.
It's being reported students will be tested twice a year, with the results published in grades rather than exact scores.
However, a number of school administrators are already express concern the new system will burden students with more tests.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Floodwaters hamper relief efforts
Summary
Complaints are being raised in the flood-innondated city of Yuyao in Zhejiang, with some saying not enough is being done.
Close to three-quarters of the city has been flooded by the lingering rains brought on by Typhoon Fitow.
While no deaths have been reported in the city, many are said to be cold and hungry.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Wingsuit flier found dead after cliff jump
Summary
A wingsuit flier from Hungary is dead after his parachute failed to deploy during a jump into a gorge in Henan.
Organizers of the First World Wingsuit Championship say they suspect it was a technical error.
The victim was a three-time Hungarian national champion and had completed some 700 jumps.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Gutter oil man gets life
Summary
A man in Jiangsu has been sentenced to life in prison for profiting from making and selling gutter oil.
Wang Chengkui sold the tainted oil to more than 100 food producers or oil processors, raking in more than 60 million yuan.
Gutter oil is another term for unregulated recycled cooking oil.
JIANGHUAI MORNING POST
Headline
Fingerprint lock to trial in Hefei
Summary
A fingerprint system for ID card goes is going on trial in Anhui's capital, Hefei.
This comes after a number of problems connected to possible identity theft with the second generation ID cards were exposed in August.
The new system is designed to try to strengthen security and eliminate the possibility of ID theft.
GUANGZHOU DAILY
Headline
Golden Week becomes wedding week
Summary
A growing number of complaints are being raised about people holding their weddings during golden weeks, saying they tend to become a financial burden.
A recent survey here in Beijing has found that around 60-percent of people invited to a wedding during a so-called Golden Week find them to be a burden.
The report in the Guangzhou Daily contends some people attended as many as 6 weddings during the week-long holiday, dropping thousands of yuan in 'hongbao,' or financial gifts.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
New subway lines to open in Beijing
Summary
Municipal authorities in Beijing have unveiled a new concept for building the 17th subway line in the city.
Expected to be finished by 2020, new line would link the northern Changping to Yizhuang in the south.
However, the exact plan has not been finalized yet.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Replanting the wind-sheltering and sand-fixation forests
 
Anchor
Authorities in Hebei, the province which surrounds Beijing and Tianjin, are said to be running into problems in one aspect of trying to keep down air pollution.
CRI's Li Dong explains.
Reporter
Zhangbei is a county located between Beijing and Inner Mongolia. It's about 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing. Since the 1950s, vast forest plantation was carried out in Zhangbei and in neighboring Zhangjiakou in order to build a wind and sand prevention wall to protect Beijing and Tianjin.
However, the vast majority of trees were recently found to have died. Among the nearly 110 thousand hectres of wind and sand prevention forest, one third of the trees are poplar trees.
Wang Jinhua, deputy director of the Zhangbei Forestry Bureau says that natural aging resulted in the death of the forest leading to the area's loss of function.
"It's a natural process. If we don't do anything, all the 40 thousand hectres of trees will gradually die. Most of the them were planted in the 1950s. They are too old. Sooner or later, they will die. It's just their time."
Ding Guodong, professor with the School of Soil and Water Preservation at Beijing Forestry University says the planting and maintenance of trees in two areas, namely Zhangbei and Zhangjiakou, play an important role in protecting Beijing from the attack of wind and sand from the north.
"The Zhangbei area is a major source of the sand pollution in the Beijing and Tianjin areas. Except for the local pollution, wind and sand from the north will go through the Zhangbei or Zhangjiakou areas. So maintaining a functional forest in this area plays a significant part in effectively preventing the wind and sand from the north reaching Beijing."
Replanting the trees is the only choice left in order to renew the wind and sand prevention wall.
But replanting the trees using local government finances seems next to impossible.
Yuan Miaozhi, China's top legislative body deputy says that currently the subsidy for one Chinese Mu or 1/15 of a hectare is 360 yuan. That's about 59 US dollars.
"Based on the current economic and market status, and also taking labor costs into consideration, maintaining one Chinese Mu of such forest requires at least 4 thousand yuan."
According to the local government in Zhangjiakou city, the total investment for replanting 600 thousand Chinese Mu of poplar stands at 300 million yuan.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer advance to third round at Shanghai Masters
 
At the Shanghai Masters,
World number one Rafael Nadal and number two Novak Djokovic both cruised through their opening matches yesterday.
Nadal defeated Ukraine's top-ranked Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-2.
"In the beginning I couldn't do nothing. He was playing amazing, hitting every ball very hard, playing winners from every place. Positive thing is that I resisted well at the beginning and I converted the second chance I had on the breakpoint. I was lucky that he missed that smash, is true. But after that I think I played a great match."
Djokovic has been saying all week that he always plays his best on Chinese soil, and his opening match confirmed it.
The Serb blasted past Spain's Marcel Granollers in two sets 6-2, 6-0, despite calling for a medical timeout after an awkward landing on his right foot.
"I will try to go as far as I can, eventually have an opportunity to get back to No. 1. It doesn't depend only from me. It depends from Nadal. If I continue playing well, that is something that is most important for me. Now to build that confidence, try to get myself aggressive on the court and get my game back to where it should be, that is the primary focus."
Former number one Roger Federer beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-3.
Also advancing to the third round are Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro, and Thomas Berdych.
 
 
China rakes in gold at the East Asian Games
 
At the East Asian Games,
China swept the table tennis team titles yesterday.
The mens and womens teams beat South Korea 3-1 and Japan 3-0.
Chinese athletes were also on a winning streak at the track and field yesterday, grabbing 7 out of the 8 available golds.
One of the big wins was when Jiang Fan won the mens 110 meter hurdles. China has claimed gold in that event in all six editions of these games.
Chinese shooter Mai Jiajie claimed gold in the mens individual 10 meter air pistol, just beating out Beijing Olympic champion Pang Wei.
Diving wrapped up yesterday with the 3 meter springboard synchro finals.
Chinese pair Wang Xin and Wang Hao won gold in the womens event.
But for the men, it was a disappointing result for Chinese pair Li Jincong and Cai Chengcheng.
The duo dominated the first five rounds, but a start mistake in the sixth gave them a zero-point finish. They fell from first place to third, and ended with bronze behind Japan and South Korea.
 
 
Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers meet for global game in Manila
 
The Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers are in the Philippines to take part in one of the NBA's global games.
The Rockets have several new faces in their ranks, including signings like Dwight Howard.
And for the Indiana Pacers, President Larry Bird is back at the helm after a year's break for health reasons.
Rockets shooting guard James Harden said the overseas road trip is a valuable bonding experience ahead of the season.
"It's ridden to another level as far as us hanging out outside of basketball, whether it's dinner, whether just going to the mall, or just small things like that. That's kind of building our chemistry. Those are stepping stones to playing better on the court."
The players seem to be enjoying their time in Manila. Jeremy Lin was able to go shopping at the Mall of Asia without causing a stampede.
And Houston's Chandler Parsons reportedly took Filipina celebrity KC Concepcion out for a dinner date.
Next week,
The Lakers and Golden State Warriors will be in Beijing for the first of their two-part global series in China.
 
 
St. Louis and Pittsburgh head into deciding game 5
 
In the MLB,
St. Louis and Pittsburgh will battle for the National League Central crown in a final game 5 today.
St. Louis is trying to get back into the NLCS for the third year in a row, but for the Pirates it would be their first postseason series win since 1979.
That game will get underway in just a little bit, 8:07pm local time.
 
 
Wayne Rooney is confident England will beat Montenegro
 
In football,
Wayne Rooney spoke ahead of his team's clash with Montenegro, their second to last group qualification match ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
The forward said his team is confident that they can get the two wins and the six points that would secure their top finish in Group H.
But Rooney admitted that in the past, England has had a hard time defeating Montenegro.
They're hard to beat, they put a lot of men behind the ball and try and contain you really. We have to make sure we're patient, we create the chances which obviously could lead to us scoring goals and if we can that first goal, in particular if we can get it in the first half, then the game will open up and we can create more chances. So I think that first goal is vital on Friday night."
Also tomorrow, Egypt will take on Ghana in the first leg of their playoff.
Egypt won all six of their qualifiers under the guidance of former USA national team coach Bob Bradley.
And Bulgarian football club Levski Sofia lost its new coach after a very strange incident.
The Bulgarian club had attempted to unveil new coach Ivaylo Petev at a press conference on Tuesday.
But a group of irate fans stormed the meeting and demanded a flustered Petev to strip off his Levski Sofia shirt, as he was not worthy to wear it.
They accused Petev of supporting Levski's arch rivals CSKA Sofia, which is technically true, since Petev has vocalized his admiration for CSKA.
In the end, the shirtless manager was forced out of the press conference, and word came in today that he doesn't want the job anymore.
Levski quickly named former defender Antoni Zdravkov to replace Petev.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Now You See Me hits Chinese Cinemas
 
New at the cinemas today is Louis Teterrier's thriller "Now You See Me".
(Now You See Me)
The film follows the Four Horsemen, a group of extraordinary street magicians whose staged bank robbery has them hunted by Interpol.
Jesse Eisenberg makes a charismatic turn as the illusionist and ringleader J Daniel Atlas opposite Mark Ruffalo's FBI agent who is called to investigate the case.
Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and hip hop star Common round up the spectacular ensemble cast.
The film was a box office success stateside, achieving the second best opening weekend behind Fast and Furious 6.
Hailed as literal "pure summer movie magic" by Movieline, lets see if its magic keeps its lustre this Autumn.
"Now You See Me" hits screens here in China as of today.
 
 
57th BFI London festival opens with "Captain Phillips"
 
The 57th British Film Institute London Film Festival Wednesday night, with the European premiere of "Captain Phillips."
(Captain Phillips)
Directed by Paul Greengrass, the film is based on the real life story of cargo ship captain Richard Phillips, who was held captive by Somali pirates in 2009.
Many have described the performance as Hank's career best and it was a role he savoured.
"The happy go lucky Phillips disappears as he walks up the gang plank. Yeah its a tough job so the only way to do it is full board. He's a real stickler".
Barkhad Abdi co-stars as Somali hijacker Muse, the only survivor of the group of pirates, a role which has won the relative unknown an outpouring of praise.
Since premiering at the New York Film Festival at the end of last month, the film has garnered immense admiration for its execution and cinematography.
Director Greengrass is proud to be showing the fruits of his labour on home soil.
"I'm very, very proud obviously as a British filmmaker. It's a wonderful event, wonderful festival, and I'm looking forward to it,"
To say that this year's BFI festivall belongs to Hollywood veteran Hanks would not be such a stretch.
The 57 year old takes on the role of Walt Disney in "Saving Mr Banks", which is set to close the festival.
The film centers on the life of P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, and her relationship with both her father and Disney.
Emma Thompson, Paul Giamatti and Colin Farrell round up the stellar cast.
The 57th London Film Festival offers 234 features and 134 shorts over a 12 day stretch.
Judi Dench, Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Radcliffe are all expected in attendance.
 
 
Hayden Panettiere confirms engagement
 
"Nashville" star Hayden Panettiere is confirming her engagement to Olympic gold medalist Wladimir Klitschko.
The 24 year old actress was flashing a large diamond whilst appearing on Wednesday's "Live with Kelly and Michael."
When asked by host Kelly Ripa what it signified, Panettiere confirmed her engagement whilst the audience cheered.
The "Heroes" actress had been dating Ukranian heavyweight boxer Klitschko since 2009.
Despite a breaking up two years ago, the couple rekindled their relationship earlier this year.
Panettiere says that the date has yet to be set.
Panettier is currently playing a conniving rising country music star on ABC's "Nashville", a role which has won her a Golden Globe nomination.
 
 
 
That's all we have time for on the show as well.
Recapping our top headlines....
This year's ASEAN summit has come to an end, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang taking part in a China-ASEAN leaders meeting as part of it.
Heavy flooding is innondating parts of Shanghai and Zhejiang as the reminants of Typhoon Fitow continue to drench the region.
The US government says it's going to "recalibrate" it military aid to Egypt in the aftermath of the ouster of Mohamed Morsi.
In Business.... US President Barack Obama has officially tapped Janet Yellen to take over the Fed.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing, hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together!