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In This Edition
Chinese leader Xi Jinping tells a visiting Japanese politician that the two neighbours should address sensitive bilateral issues effectively and in a timely manner.
Crowds gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square to mark the second anniversary of the start of the Egyptian revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
China works out a new plan to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent in the next 3-years.
And it remains unclear when Boeing's superjumbo 787 will be cleared to fly again following the latest batteries failure.
Hot Issue Reports
China's Xi Meets Japanese Ruling Party Leader
Chinese leader Xi Jinping says China and Japan should address "sensitive" issues between the two countries effectively and in a timely manner.
The Communist Party of China chief made the remarks as he met with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito party in Beijing on Friday morning.
Shen Chengcheng has more.
Xi Jinping said China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands is consistent and clear, urging the Japanese side to respect history as well as reality and make joint efforts with China to seek effective methods for appropriately controlling and resolving problems through dialogue and consultation.
"Mr. Yamaguchi visits China at a period in which Sino-Japanese relations face an unusual situation. We attach great importance to your visit. New Komeito Party has made great contribution to the development of Sino-Japanese ties. The Communist Party of China and New Komeito Party has set up party to party relations, we hope to continue the exchanges between our two parties."
Yamaguchi's New Komeito party is the smaller party in the Japanese coalition.
He is the first senior member of the Japanese ruling bloc to travel to China though, since ties between the two countries soured in September.
That was when the Japanese government announced its apparent "purchase" of parts of the Diaoyu Islands.
Yamaguchi is said to have presented Xi Jinping with a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and said they were looking at the "big picture" in dialogue with Beijing.
"I proposed that, on the basis of political discussions, it was important for both sides to make efforts to achieve a summit meeting of the two countries' leaders. To that end, the General Secretary spoke about taking serious steps towards having high-level discussions."
The meeting comes amid recent reports suggesting Japanese coast guard ships turned away a Taiwan vesel on its way to the Diaoyu Islands.
The vessel is said to be a fishing boat carrying 7 activists sailing to declare sovereignty over the islands.
The 4 Taiwan coast guard ships protecting it say they were confronted by 8 Japanese ships, throwing water cannons at them and blanketing their vision with black smoke.
The Taiwan coast guard ships are said to have fired back themselves, as well as tried to warn them off.
They were however forced to turn back.
For CRI, I'm SCC.
Xi Meets Japanese Envoy Report
And about that letter from Shinzo Abe delivered by Natsuo Yamaguchi to Xi Jingping... Abe reportedly said he wants to carry on the relationship between the two countries, which he called one of the most important bilateral ties.
He also said the two nations share the common responsibility of peace and development, not just in the Asia-Pacific region, but the world at large.
Egyptians Rally to Mark Uprising
Crowds have been gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square to mark the second anniversary of the start of the Egyptian revolution that saw President Hosni Mubarak toppled from power.
Earlier police are said to have clashed with protesters trying to remove barriers in a road leading to the square.
Opponents of President Mohammed Morsi meanwhile are predicting the crowds to increase in Tahrir Square, accusing the Islamist leader of betraying the revolution.
"We went down into streets to cast our votes, but we made a mistake when we chose the bad. Our revolution is not for destruction. We will retrieve our revolution to make Egypt and its generations happy. Our demands are: dignity, humanity and proper salary."
Oppositions also accuse Morsi of driving through a new constitution that favours Islamists, while his government is also being blamed for Egypt's cash-strapped economy.
On that topic though, Prime Minister Hesham Qandil said deals to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund – or IMF could possibly be finalised within two weeks.
He has reportedly met with IMF chief Christine Lagarde Thursday in Switzerland on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Greek Police Action at Metro Depot to End Workers' Strike
Riot police in Greece have broken up a sit-in protest by workers of the underground railway system by storming a metro train depot in Athens.
Dozens of workers had reportedly barricaded themselves in there following a threat of arrest from the government unless they ended 9 day movement.
"At about 4 am the riot police appeared and tried to break down the door, but because they couldn't, they used a large instrument to put a hole in it, They got in and brought us out."
The latest striking action is said to have been a response to latest government proposals, which could involve up to a 25 percent pay-cut for the metro staffers.
The area around the depot has now been cordoned off to prevent more people joining the strike, although transport unions have apparently said they will continue with the action nonetheless.
Reports say the public are divided over the issue, and the Greek government is thought to be expecting more support from struggling commuters, especially in light of the weather getting colder.
US Biz Council Call for Dialogues with China on Trade Issues
The US-China Business Council, is calling on the congress to focus attention on trade between the two countries.
A latest report by the business council, which represents over 200 American companies operating in China says this country is an important market.
However many Americans are said to be unaware of this commercial relationship and the report suggests more dialogue as a way to resolve trade issues.
Analysts though, such as Yuan Gangming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believe the issues between the two countries are long-standing.
"US has lost its advantage in manufacturing exports. On the contrary, Importing Chinese made commodities are in line with its interest. But this will lead to more unemployment in its manufacturing industry. As long as China's exports are increasing strongly, the US government will have to take some measures to protect its trade."
Last year saw the two countries, considered the top economic superpowers, clashing over industries like solar power and steel, as well as the auto industry.
DPRK to Face Severe Sanctions Should Nuke Test Continues, Expert
Amid reports North Korea is planning a new nuclear test, a Chinese expert is suggesting North Korea is going to face even more international isolation if it insists on going ahead with its threat.
CRI's Wei Tong has more.
North Korea has issued a statement this week, saying it considers the 6-party talks and the 2005 joint statement dead.
The September 19th statement was a commitment by North Korea to eventually denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
North Korea also says it will launch satellites and long-range rockets, and direct the rocket tests at the United States. it's also going to resume high-level nuclear testing.
The North Korean move is in response to new UN sanctions connected to the DPRK's satellite launch in December.
North Korea's first and second nuclear weapons tests were done back in 2006 and 2009.
No time frame has been given for this latest one.
Zhang Liangui with the CPC Party School's International Studies section says it's China's belief the conditions are ready for North Korea to conduct a third nuclear test.
"Long time ago, North Korea announced it has nuclear power and will never abandon the power at any time. All these statements were written into constitution last year. From this perspective, two nuclear tests are far less than enough. The key issue is North Korea needs to find an opportune time for the third nuclear test, which is inevitable. The UN sanction resolution earlier this week gave the country such an opportunity."
Zhang Liangui is warning North Korea will become even more isolated from the international community if it goes ahead with its nuclear test.
"If North Korea launches a new nuclear test, I believe the international community must take further actions. The UN Security Council would issue a new resolution to take more severe sanctions against Pyongyang. But sanction is not the ultimate goal. It aims to force North Korea to choose to abandon or keep nuclear weapons."
Russia, a member of the now-mothballed 6-party talks, says it "regrets" North Korea's refusal to negotiate.
The US is also imposing its own sanctions on several entities and individuals connected to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile activities.
For CRI, I am Wei Tong.
Nation to Maintain Cap on Energy Consumption
The Chinese government is promising to cap its energy consumption by improving energy efficiency and by using more non-fossil fuels.
The State Council has put out a new plan to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent in the next 3-years.
At the same time, the plan is to raise energy efficiency by 38-percent.
Fatih Birol is the chief economist at the International Energy Agency.
"China is making major efforts in terms of shale gas. China provides incentives, subsidies for the shale gas production. The important thing is to take the right regulations; right safety measures so that to make sure it is no problem."
China is set to reduce its ratio of coal consumption in the total energy mix to 65-percent from last year's figure of 66.4 percent.
NDRC: New Urbanization Focuses on the Urbanization of Population
China's ongoing urbanization is a hot topic at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Officials from China's National Development and Reform Commission says the country's new urbanisation is focusing on equal opportunities for the population.
"The new urbanization is based on three conditions. Firstly, more jobs should be available for non-city residents. Secondly, the infrastructure facilities such as housing should keep up. Thirdly, the farmers can enjoy equal education and social insurance in cities."
That was Li Tie, a director under the reform commission.
He also says soaring housing prices will be the biggest obstacle for Chinese economy, which is currently thought to be under strategic transformation.
Clinton Starts New Foundation to Expand Student Exchanges with China
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced the creation of a new foundation to expand opportunities for U.S. students who want to study in China.
The "100-thousand Strong Foundation" is a non-profit organization designed to try to strengthening the China-US relationship through study abroad.
In announcing the formation of the new foundation, Clinton says people-to-people ties will "determine the quality of the relationship for the future."
"We focused on students exchange because we believe that the future is very clearly in the hands of young people of both our countries. And the more we can foster exchanges and understanding and mutual trust, that better off not only our countries' relationship will be, but also each of our countries individually."
The new foundation has been borne out of the U.S. State Department's "100-thousand Strong Initiative" which was first announced by President Barack Obama in 2009.
The Chinese government announced a couple of years ago it is offering 10-thousand scholarships over 4-years for American students to study in China.
So far more than 65-hundred American students have received scholarships from this program.
U.S. Regulators: Boeing 787 Probe Far from Complete
US investigators have uncovered what's been causing the batteries on Boeing's 787 Dreamliners to burn up.
Deborah Hersman is the Chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board.
"We know that the lithium ion battery experienced a thermal runaway. Thermal runaway is an uncontrolled chemical reaction between electro light and electrode that occurs at high temperatures and is uncontrollable. We know that there were short circuits and we know that there was a fire. The work that we continue to do will tell us why these things happened."
It's unclear when the Boeing superjumbo will be cleared to fly again in the US and many other jurisdictions around the world.
Regulators in several countries have grounded the Dreamliner after the latest incident involving its batteries forced an All Nippon Airlines flight from Japan to make an emergency landing shorlty after takeoff.
Boeing has since stopped delivery of the Dreamliner while the probe is underway.
None of the massive planes have yet been delivered to Boeing's Chinese customers.
Talks on Aussie Open
Chinese tennis player Li Na will face the world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka for the Australian Open final in Melbourne on Saturday, a chance to offer Li Na to join many other world famous female players for her second grand slam title.
The final showdown is at 7:30pm Beijing time. Earlier, I talked with CRI Australia Correspondent Chen Xi for more details of the event.
CHINA DAILY
Advisers call for loosened policies on taxis
Political advisers are calling for the loosening of taxi policies and introducing a reservation system to ease the difficulty of hailing a taxi in Beijing.
A local political adviser in Beijing Liu Zihua says, different from the traditional taxi, the reserved taxi does not pick up passengers on the roads but only receives those who have reserved in advance.
Liu adds the cost and expenses of the new taxi system should be studied further and be based mainly on the route and how far in advance the customer makes the reservation.
The taxi reservation system could relieve those who live in the suburbs, where there are few taxis around, and those whose private vehicles are not allowed on the roads due to traffic restrictions on certain days.
In addition, the system could also help curb the number of private cars.
Many people are blaming unlicensed taxis for disturbing the market order, but the fact that illegal cabs are common in the city shows that demand for taxis is huge.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Seafood from Diaoyu Islands to be sold in city
Local residents in Shanghai will be able to taste several kinds of deep-sea fish caught from the waters off China's Diaoyu Islands, after 4-thousand kilograms of the fish were transported to Shanghai yesterday.
The fishing boats that came back from the fishing grounds around the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea docked at Xiangshan Harbor in neighboring Zhejiang Province in the early morning.
Fishers in Xiangshan say they had a bountiful catch, including tuna, cuttlefish, mackerel and green horse-faced puffer, also known as the rubber fish.
The fishing boats worked under the protection of China's coast guard vessels and fishery administrative vessels patrolling in the area.
All the fish will be for sale during a food exhibition which starts tomorrow at Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center.
IAFRICA
Mexico tries gun swaps
A crime-ridden Mexico City district is getting some guns off its street by convincing locals to swap personal firearms for bikes, tablet computers and even cash.
Teams of police and military staff are collecting their weapons anonymously. And the swappers get their choice of rewards, from shiny new bikes to electronics and money.
The Mexico City program, called "Voluntary Arms Trade-in: It's For Your Family," is underway for a week since this Monday.
A local official says they are spending the equivalent of 23-thousand dollars for every day of the program.
Officials so far have collected more than 200 weapons.
However, experts say in the midst of an organized crime nightmare that has rocked the nation, it is obviously the tip of the iceberg. And Swaps from these folks aren't necessarily going to solve the country's biggest problems.
India Times
Girls run away to avoid parental pressure on academics, says study
Statistics show that 15-thousand girls have gone missing from 2009 to 2011, among whom at least 5% ran away from home, unable to bear parental pressure over academic performance.
Most of these girls feared their poor academic performance would invite violent retribution.
Experts say that young girls feel distressed trapped between their inferiority complex and parental pressure.
They say most of these girls were children of entrepreneurs, government employees and those in secure jobs.
According to Article 10 of the Child Rights Convention of India, parents must spend at least two hours with their children. |