新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/08/16

 Rebecca Hume with you on this Friday, August 16th, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
China strongly condemns Japanese visits to the Yakusuni shrine
17 killed 135 wounded in car bomb attack in Lebanon’s capital
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita wins Mali's presidential election runoff with a landslide victory
Business
New measures to be put in place to reform on the IPO process in China
Sports
We get the latest from the Athletics world championships in Moscow
Entertainments
Chinese ballet dancers bring new Jane Eyre performance to London
Plus
Special reports investigates the boom in summer holiday driving lessons here in China.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...  
 
 
Weather
 
 
Typhoon Utor kills 3 in south China
 
Authorities in Southern China are now assessing the damage brought by Typhoon Utor.
The largest Typhoon of the year slammed into southwestern Guangdong Wednesday afternoon, bringing heavy winds and flooding.
At least 3 person have been killed and 5 others are listed as missing.
While Utor is now classified as a tropical storm, it's expected to continue lingering in Guangxi through the weekend, brining continued rains and more flooding.
 
 
Beijing will see thundershowers today, with a high of 32 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see thundershowers tonight with a low of 24.
In Shanghai, it will be cloudy today, 35 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 28 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 22, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 9 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, thundershowers, 28.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 30.
And in North America
New York, sunny, with a high of 24 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 26
Houston, thundershowers, 32.
Honolulu, sunny, 31.
Toronto, sunny, 23
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 14.
And Rio de Janeiro will be overcast with highs of 21 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China strongly condemns Japan over shrine visit
 
Anchor
The Chinese government has issued a strong protest following visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine by a number of Japanese cabinet ministers.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has the details.
Reporter
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin have summoned Japan's ambassador to China, Masato Kitera, lodging solemn representations about the issue.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry is describing the visit to the shrine by the Japanese Cabinet ministers as an open challenge to historical justice and human conscience.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also confirmed he sent an ornamental offering bought with his own money to the shrine, rather than going in person.
In response, the Chinese government says whatever form and name Japanese leaders visit the shrine, the nature is that they're attempting to deny and glorify Japan's militarism and history of aggression, on top of challenging the results of World War II.
The Chinese foreign ministry goes on to say Japan can only face the future by looking in the mirror of history.
The Chinese side is also calling on Japan to deliver a commitment to deeply reflect upon its history of aggression and make a real effort toward trying to gain trust from the international community.
The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is dedicated to honoring Japan's war dead.
It also enshrines 14 convicted Class-A war criminals from World War II.
Visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders are considered an insult to the countries Japan invaded before and during the war.
For CRI, this is Cao Yuwei.
 
 
Chinese mark 68th anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender
 
Anchor
Chinese nationwide has held anti-war activities on Thursday to mark the 68th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
CRI's Lucy Du has more.
Reporter
August 15, 1945 marked the end of the Chinese war against Japanese aggression.
Former Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced in a radio address that the country would surrender to the Allies 68 years ago.
People have visited war memorial halls in China to mourn those who died in the war.
73 year old Zuo Taibei is the daughter of Commander Zuo Quan, the highest-ranking military personnel died in the war against Japanese agression.
She has arrived at a War Memorial Hall in Beijing early Thursday morning.
"Losing my father at such an early age is the biggest regret in my life. He is a hero in the war of anti-Japanese aggression. But as a family, nobody else can understand how much a child was hurt when she lost her beloved father."
An international peace assembly was held in Jinagsu Province's capital of Nanjing on Thursday.
Many students gathered at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall to mourn the 300-thousand people who died in the massacre.
"I can feel that our soldiers have gone through very tough battles. I prefer a peaceful world."
"Too many people were died at that time. I would like to do all I can to make my mother country stronger."
Not only Chinese people, but some Japanese peace groups have also attended memorial activities during the past two decades.
Zhu Chengshan is manager of the massacre memorial hall.
"Although the Sino-Japan relationship has encountered some difficulties recently, I'm still glad to see increasing exchanges between non-governmental groups and young people from the two countries."
Zhu also says he wants more and more youth from Japan to know the truth of this part of the history
For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
 
 
China expresses deep concern over Egypt
 
China has expressed its deep concern over the bloodshed in Egypt and urged all parties to exercise the maximum restraint before a political process can restart.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlights China's position during a phone call with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.
The comments come one day after at least 638 people were killed across Egypt when security forces moved in to clear protest camps in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt is currently in a state of emergency.
The night-time curfew is still in place in 14 provinces, although the hours have been shortened from 11 to 9.
The interior ministry has now authorized police to use live ammunition against attacks.
Earlier in the governorate of Giza, angry Egyptians stormed and torched two buildings housing the provincial government.
State TV is blaming supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi for the fire.
The UN Security Council is meeting in a closed emergency session to discuss the situation in Egypt.
Meantime, U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned the Egyptian government's heavy-handed crackdown and called off a joint military exercise next month.
"While we want to sustain our relationship with Egypt, our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets and rights are being rolled back.”
Also on Thursday, Turkey decided to recall its ambassador to Egypt in protest of the violent crackdown on sit-in camps.
 
 
17, killed, 135 wounded in car bomb in southern Beirut
 
At least 17 people have been killed and 135 others wounded in a car bomb explosion that has rocked southern Beirut, Lebanon's capital.
Witnesses and emergency officials say many more people are still trapped inside the damaged buildings.
A Sunni Muslim group dubbed the Brigades of Aisha have claimed responsibility for the bombing in an online video and threatened to launch further attacks.
The blast comes a month after a car bomb wounded more than 50 people in the same district of the Lebanese capital.
Sectarian tensions are tearing up Lebanese society over the intervention of Shi'te Muslim Hezbollah against Sunni rebels in Syria's civil war.
Lebanon's Sunni Muslims mostly support the rebels in Syria, while Shi'ites have largely supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier in June, Hezbollah spearheaded the recapture of the strategic town of Qusair for the Syrian government.
 
 
UN Chief Urges All Efforts to Achieve Two-State Solution
 
Anchor
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging Israel and Palestine to make more effort to make their resumed negotiations a success to achieve a two-state solution.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Ban Ki-moon issued the call during his visit to Ramallah.
Ban called on both sides to avoid derailing the peace efforts.
"I remain deeply troubled by Israel's continuing settlement activity in the west bank, including east Jerusalem. Settlement activity is deepening the Palestinian people's mistrust in the seriousness on the Israeli side towards achieving peace. It will automatically make a two-state solution impossible."
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators restarted their direct talks in secrecy on Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the negotiations have just started and he cannot reveal details.
"I cannot speak what we have achieved. But we have discussed all the issues on the table, which mean border, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, security and prisoners."
Abbas says the only way to reach peace is through negotiations.
"Palestinians have shown goodwill to reach peace. I hope Israel can also show their goodwill to stop settlement building and release all the Palestinian prisoners."
Ban Ki-Moon says the renewed hope brought by negotiations must be sustained.
"I understand that two parties have some understanding that you will exert all your efforts to make this negotiation a success to achieve a two-state solution. Then if you realize a two-state solution, I think you'll realize all your other priorities."
Ban is set to visit Jerusalem later today to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
IBK wins presidential elections in Mali
 
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won Mali's presidential election runoff with a landslide 78 percent of the vote.
Keita was a former prime minister and former president of parliament in the worn-torn West African country.
He advocates a tough approach to rebels in the north, and has promised to root out corruption.
Many locals say they hope aside from forging long-lasting peace with the northern separatists, Kieta could also push through other reforms.
"The country is corrupt, so he (Keita) needs to fight against corruption, and he shouldn't expect everyone to work alongside his ideals. We must have an opposition, a true, strong opposition who is there and watching what he does. He shouldn't do like during ATT's regime, where everybody was with the president, saying what the president wants. There's a need for a good opposition on the side, who says "no"."
Last years coup led to a brief seizure of the desert north by rebelling Islamists before a French-led military intervention busted the Separatist movement.
 
 
Overseas WeChat users reach 100 million
 
It's being reported WeChat now has more than 100 million overseas users.
WeChat is a mobile text and voice messaging application developed by Chinese Internet service portal Tencent.
The mobile app currently supports 18 languages and is available in more than 200 countries and regions.
Tencent has been working to promote 'WeChat' globally, last month, Tencent unveiled a new global campaign featuring football superstar Lionel Messi.
 
 
Wechat, Weibo vs. SMS
 
Anchor
As more people like to communicate using WeChat or Weibo, analysts and insiders are offering their respective opinions on how traditional telecommunications companies can cope with intensing cpompetition.
CRI's Xu Fei has more.
Reporter
Tencent's Wechat has become a major tool for instant communication.
Statistics show that the number of WeChat users has already exceeded 300 million.
But according to analyst Lu Jingyu, who works for i-Research Consulting Group, a leading company focusing on in-depth research related to China's internet industry, SMS messages will not be quickly replaced by Over-The-Top services such as Wechat or Weibo private messaging.
"The short messaging service will not disappear in the short term since a large amount of the population is still using it. But in the future, along with the number of rising smartphone users and the development of mobile Internet, I think more and more people will switch to this Over-The-Top service.
An Over-The-Top or OTT application is any app or service that provides a product over the Internet and bypasses traditional distribution networks.
As such OTT services become available, Lu Jingyu proposes two ways by which telecommunications companies can tackle the present challenge.
The telecommunications companies may try to invent a competitive instant messaging service of their own. The other way is to cooperate with OTT service providers. But the disadvantage in the first solution lies in the fact that the telecom companies are unfamiliar with making Internet-related products; so their products might not give the users the same comfortable experiences when it's put to use. "
In fact, the popular messaging App -- WeChat is not just conquering user but turning rivals into partners.
China Unicom in Guangdong province and WeChat's owner Tencent are introducing the first joint SIM card.
Users can enjoy both WeChat's new services and discounts from China Unicom.
A marketing manager with China Mobile Guangxi Branch surnamed Su explains his thinking on the ways in which his company can cope with the challenges it now faces.
"The telecommunications companies should explore a specialized and profitable corner of the market to attract customers. This way, the telecommunications companies can cope with the challenges posed by the new WeChat and Weibo private messaging systems. Business innovation is the direction that the three telecom giants should work towards. Innovative development can increase their value."
For CRI, I'm Xu Fei.
 
 
WHO chief praise China in containing bird flu
 
The Head of the World Health Organization is throwing some praise towards China for its control of the H7N9 bird flu virus.
Doctor Margaret Chan0 is Director-General of the WHO:
"So far H7N9 has not spread beyond China. That speaks volumes of the determination and commitment of the government to contain the disease. "
The H7N9 virus was first identified in eastern China in March.
There have been 135 confirmed cases and 45 deaths.
Only one case has been detected outside the mainland.
That was on Taiwan, although the person who contracted H7N9 had recently travelled from the mainland.
However, Margaret Chan is warning H7N9 could be more active active again this fall.
She is also calling on countries to work toward eventual universal health coverage tailored to each country's situation.
"I believe, personally believe, that universal coverage is the best way to cement the health gains made during the previous decade. It is a powerful social equaliser and the ultimate expression of fairness."
The call has come at the launch of the "World Health Report 2013" in Beijing this past Thursday.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
Reporter
U.S. stocks plummeted on Thursday.
Several upbeat economic data spurred thinking that the Federal Reserve will begin to scale back its monthly bond buys in September.
The number of Americans who initially applied for jobless benefits decreased to the lowest level in nearly six years.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Consumer Price Index rose for the third consecutive month.
Moreover, industrial production was unchanged in July after having gained 0.2 percent in June.
In corporate news, Wal-Mart Stores shares slipped 2.6 percent as the world's largest retailer disclosed a disappointing earnings report for the second quarter.
Cisco Systems shares also dipped 7.2 percent after the network equipment maker said it would slash 4 thousand jobs due to uncertain demand.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 1.5 percent.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock Index lost 1.4 percent.
The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 1.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX gained 0.5 percent.
In Europe, European stock markets shed some of their recent strong gains on Thursday.
Investors are concerned that central banks might tighten policy sooner than expected.
Germany's DAX lost 0.7 percent.
France's CAC 40 was down 0.5 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 was down 1.6 percent.
 
 
Live call-in with Doug Young on corporate news of the week
 
Anchor:
Let's check in with some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
So, what are the corporate highlights week?
1.Huawei, Lenovo likely bidders for BlackBerry – analysts
Analysts believe Lenovo, Huawei could be the top bidders for BlackBerry the Canadian smartphone maker.
The comments came after the company, based in Waterloo, Canada, said this week it is considering selling itself to another smartphone maker.
The company decided to explore "strategic" options because its long-awaited latest device failed to grab enough market share after its release in January.
Data from the United States consultancy IDC showed the global market share of BlackBerry devices declined nearly 12 percent year-on-year in the second quarter.
Suggested talking points:
1)Why would these two Chinese smart phone makers want to buy BlackBerry, besides its big name? What makes it so attractive to the Chinese bidders?
2)Do you expect any potential difficulties in this cross-border acquisition?
2.UPS (United Parcels Service) Expands Logistics Reach To Meet Emerging Demand in China
UPS has announced the expansion of its presence in China with the addition of two new contract logistics distribution facilities in Chengdu and Shanghai.
The move is expected to bring the total to more than 130 distribution facilities, covering 87 cities.
The two new facilities are in addition to the UPS healthcare facilities that opened last year in Shanghai and Hangzhou.
The contract logistics facilities will provide distribution and warehousing solutions to shippers who want to reach customers within China.
These facilities demonstrate UPS's continued commitment to serving China's emerging middle class.
Suggested talking points:
1)What's the rationale behind the move? more distribution centres yet also expanding into healthcare. This is rather confusing, what are they trying to do here? Is there any industry or business that UPS is specifically interested in? Where do we expect the emerging demand in China to come from?
2)Why did UPS pick Chengdu and Shanghai to build the distribution center? Is there any geographic significance with the two locations?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
China Poised to Further Deepen IPO System Reforms
 
Regulators here in China are said to be working on new measures to reforms on the current IPO process even further.
Internal sources are suggesting policymakers are doing research on the possibility of resuming the new share allotment system.
The system will allow IPO shares to be offered online, based on their market prices.
Meanwhile, the same sources are also suggesting the reforms may include a trial run of shelf registration.
Shelf registration is designed to try to provide more flexibility to companies in terms of their issuing times.
It also allows companies to list themselves on various exchanges.
 
 
U.S. initial jobless claims fall to near six-year low
 
New data shows the number of Americans initially applying for unemployment aid fell to the lowest level in almost six years last week.
The U.S. Labor Department reports first-time applications for jobless benefits dropped 15-thousand to a seasonally adjusted 320-thousand in the week ending August 10th.
The figure represents the lowest since October 2007.
Meanwhile, the four-week moving average of new claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, also fell to its lowest level since November 2007.
 
 
U.S. CPI up 0.2 percent in July
 
The U.S. Labor Department is reporting the Consumer Price Index in the country rose 0.2 percent in July on a seasonally adjusted basis.
It marks the third consecutive monthly increase.
Energy prices edged up 0.2 percent last month, with gasoline prices rising 1.0 percent.
Food prices also moved up by 0.1 percent in July.
Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, the so-called "core" inflation index rose 0.2 percent in July.
Economists monitor core prices to get a sense of broader inflation trends.
It is a key barometer for monetary policy decision of the central bank.
 
 
U.S. builder confidence rise to near eight-year high
 
New statistics are suggesting U.S homebuilder confidence neared an eight-year high in August.
Limited supply of new and existing homes and strong buyer demand outweighed higher mortgage rates are being cited as the reason.
The builder sentiment index rose to 59 this month.
It is the fourth consecutive monthly gain and best showing since November 2005.
July's reading, initially reported at 57, was revised to 56.
Analysts had expected the index to sag to 56 in August.
Readings above 50 indicates more builders view sales conditions as favorable than poor.
 
 
Dell's quarterly profit plummets as PC sales shrink
 
Computer maker Dell has reported a 72-percent slide in quarterly earnings as PC sales extended their downward spiral.
Dell once led the world in computer sales and was held up as a model of production-chain innovation.
But in recent years it has become one of the more prominent victims of the PC market erosion from mobile devices.
Sales from its end-user computing division slid 5-percent to $9.1 billion.
The world's No. 3 PC maker reported sales of $14.5 billion in the fiscal second quarter, flat from a year earlier.
The figure is slightly surpassing analysts' projections.
The PC maker has reportedly been embroiled in a takeover battle between its founding CEO and activist investor Carl Icahn.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China strongly condemns Japan over shrine visit
 
The Chinese government has issued a strong protest following visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine by a number of Japanese cabinet ministers.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin has summoned Japan's ambassador to China, Masato Kitera, lodging solemn representations about the issue.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry is describing the visit to the shrine by the Japanese Cabinet ministers as an open challenge to historical justice and human conscience.
The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is dedicated to honoring Japan's war dead.
It also enshrines 14 convicted Class-A war criminals from World War II.
Visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders are considered an insult to the countries Japan invaded before and during the war.
 
 
China expresses deep concern over Egypt
 
China has expressed its deep concern over the bloodshed in Egypt and urged all parties to exercise the maximum restraint before a political process can restart.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlights China's position during a phone call with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.
The comments come one day after at least 638 people were killed across Egypt when security forces moved in to clear protest camps in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
 
 
UN Chief Urges All Efforts to Achieve Two-State Solution
 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging Israel and Palestine to make more effort to make their resumed negotiations a success to achieve a two-state solution.
Ban Ki-moon issued the call during his visit to Ramallah.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators restarted their direct talks in secrecy on Wednesday in Jerusalem.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the negotiations have just started and he cannot reveal details.
Ban is set to visit Jerusalem later today to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 
 
Overseas WeChat users reach 100 million
 
It's being reported WeChat now has more than 100 million overseas users.
WeChat is a mobile text and voice messaging application developed by Chinese Internet service portal Tencent.
The mobile app currently supports 18 languages and is available in more than 200 countries and regions.
Tencent has been working to promote 'WeChat' globally, last month, Tencent unveiled a new global campaign featuring football superstar Lionel Messi.
 
 
US researchers claim to find new mammal carnivore
 
US scientists say they have identified a new animal living in the cloud forests of Columbia and Ecuador.
They have named the newly discovered mammal carnivore olinguito.
It is believed to be the first new species of carnivore to be identified in the Western hemisphere in decades.
The 35-cemtimeter-long olinguito belongs to the animal family that includes raccoons.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Global Times
Headline
Holiday blood shortages
Summary
Blood shortages have been reported in the city of Nanning, as the students who typically make up the majority of blood donors are on their summer holidays.
To meet the demand for clinical blood, the city's blood donation center needs 400 to 500 donors every day. But now it has less than 200 per day.
Shanghai Daily
Headline
Plan calls for air conditioners in schools
Summary
The Shanghai Education Commission said it will encourage primary and middle schools to install air conditioners inside classrooms.
Meanwhile, it will carry out a survey to work out a plan for installing air conditioners in schools citywide. The survey will also take the operation and maintenance of air conditioners and energy conservation into consideration.
China Daily
Headline
Survey shows female bias against male nurses
Summary
Nearly 30 percent of female respondents to a survey said they would not accept care from male nurses.
The survey also reveals that respondents aged 50 or below have a higher tolerance to receiving care from male nurses than the elderly.
Xinjiang Daily
Headline
Xinjiang woman to be the next oldest person in the world at age 127
Summary
China has discovered another 127-year-old woman, who is now believed to be the oldest in the world - after her predecessor Luo Meizhen died in June.
Ali Mihan from Shule county of Kashi, Xinjiang, is said to be born in 1886, the latter years of the Qing Dynasty.
The Xinjiang woman has to wait for a global accreditation before she can be crowned as the oldest person in the world.
Beijing Evening News
Healine
Owner to tear villa down
Summary
Demolition of the rooftop villa on a 26-story Beijing apartment block began yesterday, three days after it was ruled illegal and ordered to be removed. The owner claims he had little knowledge about the legal process involved in obtaining approval for the project when the work started.
Beijing Times
Headline
Forbidden City bans lighters and matches
Summary
Visitors to the Forbidden City are not allowed to carry cigarette lighters or matches from yesterday.
Shan Jixiang, the curator, said the move will further help eliminate any potential fire risks at the museum.
Beijing Morning Post
Headline
Net speeds to reach 100 Mbps
Shanghai telecom will upgrade its broadband network from September, tripling the speed to 100 Mbps (megabytes per second) next month.
The city's average broadband speed is 16 to 20 Mbps now.
Citizens were concerned about a possible price hike. Shanghai Telecom declined to say how much the new service will cost.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Summer holiday-driving school
 
Anchor
More and more students and teachers are taking advantage of their summer holiday this year to earn their driver's license here in China.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter
In a driving school in Chu Xiong city in Yunnan Province, the instructors are fully booked. Many more students are still enrolling. This situation is common in almost all the driving schools in the city. According to a member of staff at the driving school, most of those enrolling or taking lessons are students and teachers.
One student says the ability to drive is now a useful skill when job hunting as well as being beneficial for one's daily life.
"I passed the written exam in January. The practical training started in July. If I can pass the field test this month, I plan to pass the road test by the winter holiday."
Another learner who comes here is a teacher at a primary school.
"Teachers like me and students are pretty occupied during weekdays. It's not convenient for me to ask for days off to taking driving lessons. The summer holiday is a comparatively good time for me to learn how to drive."
Everyone wants to pass their driving test as soon as possible. Aside from practicing as much as you can, He Jianping, a traffic police office in Chu Xiong city, provides learners with another piece of advice, that people should choose bigger driving schools with more customers.
"We will assign more test quotas to those driving schools which have more school students and teachers. We will try our best to ensure that all the students in driving schools have a chance to take the test."
However, the summer holiday driving school market is also attracting criminals who are attempting to cash in by misleading those who want to learn how to drive. Recently police in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, arrested a suspect who lured university students to part with their cash with the promise of discounted lessons despite the fact that he wasn't a qualified instructor.
Police remind students to be cautious of such schemes. Students should check the qualifications of the driving school and are advised to choose those institutions with a good reputation.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
  
 Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Sweden and Czech Republic pick up first golds at world championships
 
Let's go first to Moscow, where several countries picked up their first world championship golds on day six.
In the mens 400 meter hurdles,
Trinidad and Tobago's Jehue Gordon claimed the first world championship gold for his country in 16 years.
He just barely beat out American Michael Tinsley by one-hundredth of a second.
"I'm going to give my coach a big nice hug. I'm going to give my medical team a big nice hug. And my family, I'm going to thank them for being there. I'm happy not only for myself, but for my country."
Caterine Ibarguen earned Colombia its first gold after winning in the womens triple jump.
Olympic bronze medalist Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic took gold in the womens 400 meter hurdles, clocking the fastest time in the world this year at 52.83 seconds.
Ukrainian high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko set a new world championships record with his gold-medal winning leap of 2.41 meters.
And Sweden's Abeba Aregawi triumphed in the 1500 meters, crossing the line well ahead of her competition, including US defending champion Jennifer Simpson.
The United States still leads the medal count with 14 total. But Kenya has slipped into a second place tie with hosts Russia at 8 medals.
 
 
Athletes at the IAAF World Championships are divided over Russia's anti-gay law
 
Meanwhile off the track,
Some athletes are taking sides over Russia's controversial law that criminalizes the promotion of homosexuality.
Swedish high-jumper Emma Green Tregaro painted her fingernails in a rainbow hue to show her support of gay rights.
On the other hand,
Russian pole vault gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva defended her country's legislation against the attacks from foreign athletes and media.
"It is disrespectful to our country, to our citizens, because we are Russians, maybe we are different to European people, than other people from different lands. We have our law which everyone has to respect."
The law, which was passed back in June, bans public promotion of homosexuality.
For example, wearing gay pride symbols or posting about pro-gay rights online could be punishable.
The International Olympic Committee and FIFA have both asked the Russian government for more clarification on the law ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup.
 
 
Marion Bartoli announces retirement from professional tennis
 
In tennis,
China's Li Na is through to the third round at the Cincinnati Masters.
Fifth seeded Na stuggled in her first set against American teenager Lauren Davis.
Davis had a strong start and was up 4-0 at one point, but then Na reeled off five straight games to take the advantage.
Davis ended up taking the first set 6-4, but Na commanded the final two sets, winning 6-1, 6-1.
Milos Raonic's third round loss to American John Isner ended the young Canadian's hopes for a second straight quarter-final appearance.
Meanwhile,
Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has announced her retirement from the sport after her second round loss to Romanian Simona Halep on Tuesday.
The 28-yearold Frenchwoman said her body just can't handle the pain any more.
"I've been already through a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year. But now my body just can't cope with everything.　I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play, you know I've been doing this for so long."
Bartoli's retirement will end a 13 year career on the womens tour.
 
 
Chad Le Clos named ambassador for 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games
 
The international Olympic Committee has named Chad Le Clos as Ambassador for next year's Nanjing Youth Olympic Games.
The South African swimmer was a five-time medalist at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.
He went on to win gold at the London 2012 Olympics, and was most recently crowned double world champion in Barcelona.
The second edition of the Youth Olympic Games will take place in Nanjing China next August.
The competition will feature 28 sports, ranging from the traditional competitions to some unique events like 3-on-3 basketball and 5-a-side hockey.
 
 
Team USA looks to reclaim the Solheim Cup
 
In golf,
The biennial Solheim Cup will take place this weekend.
An American team that includes Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer will try to take back the trophy they lost two years ago at Killeen Castle to the European team.
The battle between Europe and the USA's top female golfers, mirrors the great rivalry of the Ryder Cup. 　
And over in the PGA,
Chris Stroud tops the leaderboard at six under after the first round of the PGA's Wyndham Championship.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Chinese ballet dancers bring new Jane Eyre to London
 
Dancers from Shanghai have brought the modern ballet "Jane Eyre" to the London Coliseum.
(Ballet trailer)
An audience of about 2,500 came to watch the first performance of the overseas debut, since the ballet premiered in China last November.
Jane Eyre is a classic Victorian novel written by the famous British writer Charlotte Bronte.
The Shanghai Ballet Company interprets the well-known story in a distinct way, emphasizing the inner world of the main characters, as well as the role of the "mad" wife of Mr. Rochester.
 
 
Zhang Yimou to Reunite with Gong Li in new film
 
Chinese director Zhang Yimou may unite with popular actress Gong Li in a new film project.
The news comes from Zhang Zhao, CEO of Le Vision Pictures.
However, Zhang has refused to verify the cooperation, saying that he would discuss it later.
Zhang Yimou's new film, "Return", is a highly anticipated story set during the Cultural Revolution.
It is an adaptation of the novel, "The Criminal Lu Yanshi," by author Yan Geling.
Yan also collaborated with Zhang on the script for "The Flowers of War," a film adaptation of her novel, "13 Flowers of Nanjing", which starred Christian Bale.
(Flowers of War trailer)
Gong Li and Zhang have a long history of working together. The pair were also at one time romantically involved.
 
 
One Direction tickets 'most searched-for this summer'
 
One Direction have the most searched-for tickets this summer.
(One Direction clip)
The boyband will not be heading back out on tour until next May, but that
hasn't slowed down demand for tickets to their 2014 shows.
Searches for them on online marketplace StubHub are double those for second favourite Bruno Mars, and ten times more than searches for fellow X Factor boyband JLS.
Fans' love for One Direction doesn't seem to be slowing down - in fact, we're seeing an increasing demand for tickets to the boy band's concerts.
And it's not just teenage girls either. There's also quite a bit of demand from fans who are over 45 years old.
One Direction's next tour will include a headline set in the UK at the famous Wembley venue.
 
 
Tina Fey is returning to sitcoms a year after the end of 30 Rock.
 
Tina Fey is returning to sitcoms a year after the end of 30 Rock.
(30 Rock trailer)
But this time, Fey is only behind the scenes.
She will work as the executive producer of a Cheers-style show and a college-themed show along with her fellow 30 Rock producer.
The first show follows a young woman who is trying to reconnect with her father. The second is about a former all-girls college that opens its doors to men.
NBC has bought the Cheers-style show, while TV networks are still engaged in a bidding war over the college show.
 
 
Michael Jackson's ex-wife recalls star's fear of pain
 
Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, spoke in court about the pop star's "incredible" fear of pain.
Rowe was giving evidence in a lawsuit filed by Katherine Jackson over her son's death in 2009.
The Jackson family claims concert promoter AEG Live failed to properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray and missed critical warning signs about the singer's poor health.
In court, Rowe recalled seeing Jackson administered with the surgical anaesthetic propofol - the drug which ultimately killed him, when he was struggling to sleep during the HIStory tour in Munich.
(HIStory Tour clip)
Ms Rowe also described the failed efforts to wean Jackson off the painkiller Demerol during the tour.
AEG Live argues that Jackson had prescription drug and addiction problems long before he entered into any agreement with the company.
The company also contends that it did not hire or supervise Murray and could not have foreseen any danger to Jackson.
Rowe will continue testimony under cross-examination by Jackson's lawyers.