新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2013/07/17

 Paul James with you on this Wednesday, July 17th, 2013.

Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new call for a more 'scientific' approach for Chinese economic policies.
The mainland's lead liason in Hong Kong is moving to try to reassure the city about the move toward universal sufferage.
The White House is renewing its call for Russia to hand over Edward Snowden following word the NSA whistleblower is requeseting asylum in Russia.
In Business, a Chinese smartphone maker is reporting massive revenue increases through the first half.
In sports... England and Australia gearing up for the start of their second clash at the Ashes starting tomorrow.
In entertainment.... a coroner in Canada has determined the cause of death of "Glee" star Cory Monteith.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 32 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be overcast tonight with a low of 22.
In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 36 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 28 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will see showers in the daytime the temperature's at 24, and tonight will have slight rain with a low of 14 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 36.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 35.
And in North America
New York, overcast, with a high of 33 degrees.
Washington, overcast, highs of 34
Houston, thundershowers, 30.
Honolulu, overcast, 29.
Toronto, overcast, 31.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, sunny, 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will have moderate rain with highs of 22 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Chinese premier highlights scientific economic policies
 
Anchor
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new call for this country's macroeconomic policies to be more "scientific, forward-looking and targeted" in order to promote more sustainable growth.
CRI's Lucy Du has more.
Reporter
Li Keqiang has made the comments at a conference in Beijing among several economists and business leaders, who have gathered to discuss China's economy.
It comes as latest government data shows China's economic growth slowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the first.
Li Keqiang says the country's economy has entered a new phase, where it has to rely more on economic transformation and upgrading.
"We would maintain the economic development under a rational micro-policy frame. If exceeded, adjusted measures involving maintaining economic increase, adjusting structure as well as accelerating reform should be taken. Within the frame, the key task is still to change development mode to realize sustainable and health economic development in a long run."
The Chinese premier also cautions that economic fluctuations are inevitable, saying it's the government's task to avoid sharp fluctuations and keep economic growth within a "reasonable range".
Li Keqiang says when economic growth is in a reasonable range, the government should prioritize promoting economic restructuring and giving better play to the market mechanism.
But when the economy reaches its upper or lower limits, the Premier says macroeconomic policies can be adjusted to either encourage growth or control inflation.
He says there are risks for the economy if it slips out of the reasonable range or undergoes large fluctuations.
Long Guoqiang is a researcher with the State Council's Development Research Center.
He took part in Tuesday's conference.
"The premier has spoken out his understanding toward macroeconomic policies. Based on my observation, it centers around those reforms driven by market force, less government interference and economic restructuring."
The central government's goal is to keep growth around 7.5-percent this year, while at the same time holding inflation at around 3.5 percent.
Chinese economy expanded 7.6 percent in the first half, down from a full-year growth rate of 7.8 percent last year.
For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
 
 
Chinese political advisors warn of urbanization risks
 
China's top political advisors have held a special meeting in Beijing to discuss China's economy.
Several political advisors are warning of the risks of sacrificing the quality of urbanization for speed.
Top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng says the urbanization process should be more coordinated and "human-oriented".
Over 52 percent of China's population now lives in cities.
This represents a 20-percent increase compared the start of Reform and Opening-up some 3-decades ago.
 
 
China's Buying Spree in UK Property Market Rational?
 
Anchor
Recently announced major Chinese investments in London are prompting more and more Chinese interest in potential investments in the UK capital.
CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has more.
Reporter
Haidi Dai is a property market analyst from Shanghai.
She's in London for a short business trip.
"The places I'd like to visit are mainly business and commercial areas like the City and Canary Wharf."
Dai's company has previously helped with the planning of a finance and trade zone in Shanghai's Lujiaozui area, and is looking at Canary Wharf as a case of study.
"Shanghai is a global cosmopolitan city, so we chose the finance districts of those cities like New York, Paris, London, and Tokyo as examples for research."
While some Chinese companies are studying from afar, some are coming straightforward to tap into the local market.
Ping An Insurance Group has agreed to buy the landmark Lloyd's building in the City of London for around 390-million US dollars.
Last month, Chinese property developer Dalian Wanda Group announced plans to invest some 1.5-billion dollars to buy a British yacht maker and develop a five-star hotel in London.
And in May, Beijing-based developer Advanced Business Park signed a deal worth 1.5-billion dollars to transform the Royal Albert Dock in east London into a business port.
"London has demonstrated a very credible growth even when the market was very tough over the last couple of years."
Ajay Bhalla is Professor of Global Innovation Management at Cass Business School with City University in London.
"It has outperformed most of the world property markets especially in the developing world. I think that confidence which London has built has become a very attractive proposition for Chinese and other investors. And the market's future outlook is to remain very buoyant."
A latest United Nations report shows foreign direct investment into Britain rose 22 percent to over 60-billion dollars last year.
That runs counter to the 18 percent decline in global FDI last year.
Haidi Dai says a comparatively high rate of return is the main factor driving Chinese investors to look abroad.
"Return on investment in China's property market is relatively low at the moment. Take office buildings as an example. The ROI is only around 5 percent."
In comparison, analysis is suggesting property prices in London are expected to enjoy an average increase of around 25 percent over the next 5-years.
And with the UK economy still struggling, most politicians and business leaders in the UK are welcoming the potential for more Chinese investment.
Professor Bhalla says its quite understandable.
"The investment in land often is a different intention. In these cases, all these investments which we've recently seen from China are the ones that are going to generate jobs, are the ones going to generate development of real estate, which means real money. And we've got to remember these investments often are long-term investments, and are passive investments, not active in interfering in each other's affairs. And that's often welcomed by any advanced economy."
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun in London.
 
 
Central gov't sincere about universal suffrage: liaison office chief in HK
 
Anchor
The central government's chief liaison in Hong Kong has gone on record saying authorities on the mainland are sincere in achieving universal suffrage for Hong Kong.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong, has made the comments during a lunch meeting with the city's Legislative Council.
Zhang Xiaoming is calling for the combined effort of everyone in Hong Kong to make universal suffrage a reality.
"If we want to achieve universal suffrage sooner, we need to follow the track of the Basic Law and the related decisions of China's top legislature, and avoid taking a wrong path."
Zhang also says the process needs to adhere to the current governing principle of "one country, two systems".
"Hong Kong is not a country. It's an administrative region of PRC with high autonomy. Therefore, when we are designing the universal suffrage system of Hong Kong, we must comply it with the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and make sure the country's sovereignty safety and the central government's legal rights are well protected."
Commenting on the so-called 'Occupy Central' movement which calls for a mass demonstration to bring the Central hub of Hong Kong to a stand-still, the chief liaison says he is against it, saying it violates the law of Hong Kong and does harm to young people.
Ahead of the lunch meeting, Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung has issued a statement, saying Beijing has always acted strictly in accordance with Hong Kong's Basic Law.
Leung also says the SAR government is happy to see communication between representatives of the central government and Hong Kong lawmakers.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Xi Jinping meets Belarusian counterpart
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko here in Beijing.
The two leaders have agreed to raise the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Both sides have also agreed to increase cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunications, energy and finance.
The two sides are also hoping to set up a joint industrial zone.
As part of Lukashenko's three-day visit to China, both are expected to sign a joint declaration and more than 20-bilateral agreements, protocols and contracts.
 
 
Egypt's interim gov't takes oath
 
Egypt's interim government has been sworn in.
The new temporary administration is headed by Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi.
Beblawi's cabinet contains no representatives from any of the Islamic-based parties.
Military head Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is also the defense minister, is also acting at Beblawi's deputy.
The Muslim Brotherhood has rejected taking part in the new cabinet.
Ousted President Mohamed Morsi's political party is also refusing to take part in national reconciliation talks being requested by President Adli Mansour.
Mansour has gone on record saying he expects most Islamic-based political groups in Egypt to take part in his reconciliation efforts.
 
 
5-thousand people being killed in Syria every month
 
A new report to the UN Security Council is suggesting that some 5-thousand Syrians are dying every month in the country's civil war.
UN refugee Chief Antonio Guterres also says refugees are fleeing the country at a rate not seen since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
He says the conflict has the potential to ignite the entire region.
"Measures must be taken now to mitigate the enormous risks of spillover and to support the stability of Syria's neighbours, so as to keep the situation from escalating into a political, security and humanitarian crisis that would move far beyond the international capacity to respond."
The new UN report says over 6-thousand refugees are leaving Syria on a daily basis right now.
Nawaf Salam is Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Nations.
"Potential dangers are unfortunately turning into actual realities. Increasing cross-border fire and incursions from Syria into Lebanon are threatening the stability and security of my country."
Lebanon has already witnessed a series of battles between supporters and opponents of Syria's Bashar al-Assad government within its own borders.
Lebanon, with a population of just over 4-million, has already taken in over 600-thousand people.
 
 
U.S. urges Snowden's return from Russia
 
The White House has issued a statement, once again calling on Russia to hand over NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The new call from the Obama administration comes following word Snowden has officially filed a request for temporary asylum in Russia.
A spokesperson for the White House says the US and Russian sides maintain contact on a number of issues, including the Snowden case.
The White House contends Snowden is either a human rights activist or dissident.
This would be the common criteria used to judge whether someone should qualify for political asylum.
It's unclear at this point whether the Russian government will grant Snowden's request.
However, President Vladimir Putin has suggested this week that Snowden could be granted temporary asylum as he tries to find transit to a different country, provided he stop harming US interests.
Snowden has been stuck in the international transit lounge at Moscow's main airport since arriving there from Hong Kong some 3-weeks ago.
 
 
L.A. protest against Zimmerman acquittal turns violent, over dozen arrested
 
Over a dozen people have been arrested after a protest against the acquittal of George Zimmerman turned violent in Los Angeles.
Authorities say that while the original demonstration was peaceful, a group of young protesters began to turn violent, setting fires and attacking people.
The rioters also began trashing retail outlets in the suburb of Crenshaw.
The Crenshaw district of Los Angeles was the scene of some of the worst upheaval during the Rodney King Riots which hit the city in 1992.
George Zimmerman's acquittal in the shooting death of 17-year old Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has created concern about a repeat of what happened in Los Angeles two decades ago.
The acquittal has already sparked demonstrations in major cities in the US, and has renewed debate about potential injustice against ethnic minorities, though Zimmerman himself is mix-raced Hispanic.
 
 
Israeli PM strongly denounces EU funding ban
 
Israel's Prime Minister is blasting a new EU decision to cut off funding for Israeli institutions operating in occupied territory.
Benjamin Netanyahu is suggesting the decision by the European Union infringes on Israeli sovergnty.
"I will not allow hundreds of thousands of Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and in Jerusalem - our united capital - to be harmed. We will not accept any external edicts about our borders."
Netanyahu says any issues connected to land can only be resolved through direct negotiations with the Palestinians.
The new guidelines block EU cooperation grants for Israeli entities that operate in any territory annexed by Israel following the 1967 war.
The implication of the move by the European Union is that it doesn't consider areas such as east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
 
 
President Bouteflika returns to Algeria after treatment in France
 
Algeria's ailing President has returned to his home country, weeks after suffering a stroke in April.
Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been shown on state television meeting with senior government officials while in a wheelchair at the military airport near the capital, Algiers.
A statement from his office says Bouteflika will continue to rest and rehabilitate for the next while.
Word of the 76-year old's stroke in April has spurred opposition calls for early elections to replace Bouteflika, with rumors swirling that he will not be able to effectively run the country.
Amid those reports, Bouteflika appeared on television to try to reassure people in Algeria about his status.
Bouteflika has been Algeria's president since 1999.
He's been a part of Algerian politics since the country's independence from France in 1962, and was a leading figure in the resistance movement before that.
 
 
NASA aborts spacewalk due to water leak in helmet
 
NASA has aborted a spacewalk at the International Space Station because of a dangerous water leak in one of the astronaut's helmet.
Italy's first spacewalker, Luca Parmitano, was pulled back to safety after he felt a lot of water on the back of his head an hour into his spacewalk.
"Hey, Luca, can you give us what you think. It sounds like we just heard you cannot hear? Is that true as well?"
"No, no, no, I can hear perfectly. I can still hear perfectly. But, my head is really wet, and I have a feeling that it is increasing. And, I'm thinking that it may be - I don't know if it's possible - but, I'm thinking it may be the LCVG (liquid cooling ventilation garment) that's leaking? Is that a possibility?"
It's said that upwards of a half-liter of water leaked from Parmitano's drinking bag.
The planned 6-hour spacewalk had been scheduled to perform cable work and other routine maintenance on the ISS that has been stacking up over the past couple years.
 
 
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 pulled back on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite Index snapping an eight- day winning steak.
Investors took a cautious stance ahead of the Federal Reserve chief's testimony to a U.S. congressional panel on Wednesday.
The economic data came in generally positive on Tuesday but failed to push the market higher.
The Dow trimmed down 0.2 percent.
The S&P 500 shed 0.4 percent.
The Nasdaq lost 0.3 percent.
The Canadian stock market's main index moved lower Tuesday as declines in shares of energy companies offset strength in the gold mining sector.
Canada's S&P/TSX lost 0.1 percent.
In Europe, European shares retreated from six-week highs on Tuesday, as concern about the earnings outlook prompted some investors to book profits.
Germany's DAX lost 0.4 percent.
France's CAC 40 was down 0.7 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 also down 0.5 percent.
 
 
Xiaomi revenue up 140 pct in first half year
 
Xiaomi Technology, a Chinese maker of android-based handsets, has more than doubled its revenues through the first half of the year.
The company's revenues have surged 140 percent from a year ago, coming in at nearly 13.3-billion yuan in the first 6-months.
Xiaomi smartphones have become increasingly popular in second and third-tier cities in China.
Shipment of its smartphones have jumped to 7 million in the January-June period.
This is nearly as many smartphones as the company sold through the whole of last year.
All four Xiaomi smartphones are priced under 2-thousand yuan.
There are over 14-million people using a Xiaomi phone here in China.
The company has plans to unveil a new smartphone model later this year.
 
 
Phoning Fortune China 500 List sees 47 enterprises posting net losses
 
This year's Fortune China 500 list has 47 of the companies on it posting net losses.
This is more than twice as many as last year.
Among the 47 companies currently in the red, shipping giant COSCO Holdings is suffering through the worst of the losses of over 9 billion yuan.
COSCO is followed by China Aluminum Corporation, which posted net losses of more than 8 ??billion yuan over the past year.
Of all the losers on the top 500 list, steel makers make up the majority, with ten different companies posting losses.
Sinopec and PetroChina remain one-two on the top of the top 500-list.
China State Construction Engineering has replaced China Mobile at 3rd on the list.
For more on this year's China Fortune 500 list, we are joined on the line by Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai
1. First of all, does this list reflect China's economic landscape over the past year? What trends does this list point to?
2. Why steel makers as a sector were hit the hardest at a time when the country is still having massive construction and infrastructure building going on?
3. Authorities here have talked a lot about structural reforms in the economy, does the list provide any clue to who could see their positions boosted and who will be the next in line to drop off?
back anchor: Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai
 
 
Sinopec, Shell, Total to build shared lubricants park in Singapore
 
Energy giants Sinopec, Shell and Total have announced plans to build and operate a shared lubricants park in Singapore.
Shell says the construction of the shared industrial park is scheduled to start later this year.
It's expected to be complete by 2015.
The joint venture will include shared facilities, including an import and export jetty, common pipelines, infrastructure and storage facilities.
These will service companies' respective lube oil blending plants and grease manufacturing plants.
Sinopec began running its new lubricant plant in Singapore last week.
 
 
HP to build software training centers in China
 
Hewlett-Packard has announced plans to build an international software training center here in China worth some 2-billion US dollars.
The American IT giant has signed the agreement with authorities in the city of Jining in Shandong.
As part of the deal, a software talent training center, software testing outsourcing service facility and an IT resource service base will be built.
The project is to be set up at the Jining National High-tech Industrial Development Zone.
The talent training center is expected to train up to 10-thousand IT professionals every year.
 
 
U.S. builder confidence hits 7-year high in July
 
U.S. builder confidence levels for newly-built, single-family homes has hit its highest level in more than 7-years in July.
The builder sentiment index has gained 6 points to hit 57 this month.
This is the highest level since January of 2006.
Any reading over 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor.
All three components in the calculation have posted gains.
The component gauging current sales conditions increased 5 points to 60.
The component measuring sales expectations for the next six months is up by 7 points to 67.
And the component measuring the traffic of prospective buyers has gained 5 points to 45.
However, observers are cautioning the positive momentum could be disrupted by threats on the policy side.
A mortgage interest deduction and federal support for the housing finance system are being cited as potential impacts.
The average rate for the 30-year fixed mortgage in the US hit a two-year high to 4.51 percent last week.
 
 
U.S. CPI up 0.5 pct in June
 
Inflation is up in the United States through this past month.
The Consumer Price Index has come in up 0.5 percent in June on seasonally adjusted basis.
It marks the biggest increase in four months.
The energy prices jumped 3.4 percent last month, with gasoline prices rising by 6.3 percent.
Food prices also inched up by 0.2 percent.
Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, the so-called "core" inflation index rose 0.2 percent in June.
The CPI has risen 1.8 percent in the 12 months ending June.
It is still below the US Federal Reserve's target inflation rate of 2 percent.
 
 
British and EU inflation rises
 
New Stats show the Britain's consumer price index grew by 2.9 percent this past month.
This is up from the 2.7 percent increase seen a month before.
Increasing fuel and clothes prices are being cited as the main reason for the rise.
The UK's core inflation, which excludes food, alcohol, energy and tobacco, accelerated to 2.3 percent in June from 2.2 percent the previous month.
Meanwhile, the CPI across the whole of the Eurozone has increased 1.6 percent in June.
This is up from 1.4 percent in May.
This is the second month in a row the CPI has risen in the Eurozone.
There had been concerns the Eurozone was running the risk of deflation.
 
 
Chrysler recalls 45,961 Ram over software glitch
 
Chrysler is recalling nearly 46-thousand of its Ram 1500 trucks to fix a problem with the vehicles' stability control system.
Chrysler says the recalled models have an error in the Electronic Stability Control which can disable the system when the trucks are running.
Safety regulators say with the system disabled, the risk of a crash is more likely.
No injuries or accidents have been reported as a result of the defect.
The recall is expected to begin in August.
This is the second recall of the same model in recent months.
In June, the automaker recalled around 30-thousand Ram 1500's to fix a faulty warning light in the dashboard.
Chrysler has already launched 4 separate recalls this year, three of which were to fix problems with the electronics in vehicles.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Chinese premier highlights scientific economic policies
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has issued a new call for this country's macroeconomic policies to be more "scientific, forward-looking and targeted" in order to promote more sustainable growth.
Li Keqiang has made the comments at a conference in Beijing among several economists and business leaders, who have gathered to discuss China's economy.
It comes as latest government data shows China's economic growth slowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the first.
Li Keqiang says the country's economy has entered a new phase, where it has to rely more on economic transformation and upgrading.
 
 
Central gov't sincere about universal suffrage: liaison office chief in HK
 
The central government's chief liaison in Hong Kong has gone on record saying authorities on the mainland are sincere in achieving universal suffrage for Hong Kong.
Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong, has made the comments during a lunch meeting with the city's Legislative Council.
Zhang Xiaoming is calling for the combined effort of everyone in Hong Kong to make universal suffrage a reality.
Zhang also says the process needs to adhere to the current governing principle of "one country, two systems".
 
 
Syrian refugee crisis worst since the 1990s Rwandan genocide: UN
 
The UN Security Council has been told the Syrian refugee crisis is at the range not seen since the Rwandan genocide nearly 2-decades ago.
The United Nations now estimates some 6-thousand people are leaving Syria per day.
Around 1.8-million people have fled the fighting over the past 2-years.
The UN Security Council has been told the flow of refugees into Lebanon, as an example, would be the equivalent of 75-million additional people flowing into the United States, which has a population of around 350-million.
Lebanon, with a population of just over 4-million, has already taken in over 600-thousand people.
 
 
U.S. urges Snowden's return from Russia
 
The White House has issued a statement, once again calling on Russia to hand over NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The new call from the Obama administration comes following word Snowden has officially filed a request for temporary asylum in Russia.
A spokesperson for the White House says the US and Russian sides maintain contact on a number of issues, including the Snowden case.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested this week that Snowden could be granted temporary asylum as he tries to find transit to a different country, provided he stop harming US interests.
Snowden has been stuck in the international transit lounge at Moscow's main airport since arriving there from Hong Kong some 3-weeks ago.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Extreme heat causing vehicle fires
Summary
It's being suggested the high summer temperatures gripping many parts of China have caused 20 to 30 percent more vehicle fires.
Authorities are reminding people that lighters, especially disposable lighters, should never be left in a vehicle.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
China to launch anti-porn campaign
Summary
A campaign to crack down on the spread of pornographic and vulgar information on the Internet is being launched.
The State Internet Information Office says the campaign is designed to try to create a "benign Internet environment" for young people during the summer holiday.
The campaign will target porn sites, online games, online advertisements, web pages, columns, forums, blogs, microblogs and social network websites.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
App for ayi services
Summary
The Shanghai Household Service Association has launched an instant ayi-reservation app for smartphone users in the city.
The association says the new service should also help crack down on illegal agencies and tackle complaints about a shortage of ayis in Shanghai.
Ayi is the Chinese term for domestic helper.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Beijing metro hike speculation
Summary
Beijing's transport authorities have responded to reports the authorities are mulling a subway fare increase, calling the speculation 'premature.'
A study of the operating costs of the subway system was launched last month, sparking speculation about a possible subway fare increase.
Authorities say the possibility of price change depends on the result of the findings, which are expected to be released by year's end.
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Hospitals cautioned about inferior implants
Summary
Chinese health authorities has issued a new circular, cautioning local government agencies and hospitals about inferior or fake implantable medical devices.
The circular says government organs and hospitals need to have formal procedures for checking the quality and manufacturing permits of companies which produce medical implants.
DONGGUAN TIMES
Headline
Arrests in artificial salt production
Summary
Police in the city of Guangzhou have busted a major cross-provincial salt storage and sales network, seizing over 280-tons of artificial salt.
Authorities from Guangdong, Shandong and Hunan worked together to bust 12 suspects for allegedly producing and selling more than 5-thousand tons of fake salt worth some 20 million yuan.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Arrests in blockade of government gate
Summary
Four people have been arrested by local police in Shenmu county in Shaanxi for spreading rumors via social media applications and text messages.
Authorities in the county say locals began to receive reports that a number of high-level officials in the county were being transferred to avoid taking the blame for the recent credit crunch in the region.
These reports led to a large public gathering that eventually blocked the gate to the county government's offices.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Weight losing summer camp
 
Anchor
A new summer camp for obese children has opened in Hunan's capital Changsha.
CRI's Li Dong on what challenges the 55 children are going to face.
Reporter
The children, ranging from 6 to 15 years of age, are to take on a strict 10-day, weight-loss program, where they will take on extra exercise, abstain from soft drinks and practice healthy living habits.
"I weigh like. 63 kilos. I am not satisfied with my figure. I want to be as fit as Yao Ming."
Mostly spoiled at home, the children are required to take care of themselves at the camp. The program's instructors maintain that their teaching methods are quite strict.
Parents of the participating children signed them up for the camp to enable them to become healthier while being encouraged and supervised by professionals. The young camp participants, however, appear to be yearning to return to their previous lifestyle. Another boy says:
"I just want to have snacks and drinks while playing computer games or lying on my bed without being controlled by my parents. Just one day would be enough for me."
Treated like military soldiers, the youths are all required to wear uniforms and obey the instructor's commands. To help them better control their weight, meals provided to the children consist of mainly vegetables and a small portion of pork. And they are required to take regular exercises like jogging and ball games to consumer the calory they over intake. An instructor says their environment at home is what make them overweight.
"I know their parents take good care of them at home, but they, honestly speaking, they have to actively take part in the training, even though it's difficult and tiring."
Physical examination data collected by the Hunan Children's Hospital in a survey of 60,000 students from two Changsha districts in the first half of this year reflects that overweight children already account for 12.94 percent of all students.
Child obesity has been linked to some adult diseases, such as cardiovascular and sleeping conditions. Most of the overweight children also tend to have low self-esteem, according to recent studies.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Australia and England get ready for second Ashes test at Lords
 
Cricket fans are anticipating another intense set of matches between England and Australia, who will face each other at Lords tomorrow.
Before Trent Bridge, the overwhelming opinion was that England would make light sport of Australia to retain the urn.
But after the hosts just narrowly edged out the Aussies in a surprisingly competitive first Test, many wonder now whether Australia couldn't pull off a victory.
But Australia wicketkeeper brad haddin pointed out that a close loss is still a loss.
"Obviously it was a disappointing result in the first Test, it was nice to get so close, but we're not here to get close, we're here to win cricket games and where we are at and where we want to take this group, we're comfortable where everything is at. It's the second Test of the campaign, we're at Lord's, we'd love to see a couple of the guys' names up on the board and to get a win here."　
One of the most controversial moments in the first test was Stuart Broad's decision in the second innings to not walk after a miss by the umpire.
Former Australia bowler Shane Warne was one of the vintage players who ruled in favor of Broad's action.
"Well I think hats off to Stuart Broad for not walking. If you nick one to first slip and don't walk I say well played// You stand there if you want to stand there. I think it shows a lot of.... it's just, natural reaction is when you nick one to slip you go 'oh!' and you're off. So for him to stand there I thought was fantastic. I actually loved it."
The second test begins tomorrow at 3pm London time.
 
 
Rui Costa wins stage 16 at the Tour de France
 
Portugal's Rui Costa broke away to win stage 16 for Moviestar at the 100th edition of the Tour de France.
A 26 man group broke away in the latter section of the 168 kilomter ride.
They stayed together until the third and final climb of the day - the 9.5 kilomter ascent up the Col du Manse.
At that point, Spanish cyclist Daniel Navarro increased the pace, and Costa was the only one who managed to stay on his back wheel.
But then Costa attacked, and pulled ahead for his second tour de france stage win.
At the end of stage 16, the top four overall standings remain unchanged.
Chris Froome retains his healthy four minute 14 second lead over second place Bauke Mollema.
And Alberto Contador is in third, 11 seconds behind the Dutchman, despite a minor crash on the final descent to the finish line.
Up next is a 32-kilometer individual time trial in stage 17 of the 21 stage race.
 
 
Jamaican athletics coach says Powell and simpson are not to blame for doping
 
The coach of Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson came to the defense of his athletes, saying they are not to blame for the failed dope tests.
The two sprinters tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine.
Jamaica athletics coach Stephen Francis cast suspicion on Christopher Xuereb, the sprinter's Canadian trainer whose room was also searched by Italian police.
"I think Asafa..... and Sherone are very lucky, that they got caught with this.... before the guy had a chance to.... force something stronger on them, because it could have easily have been steroids, or growth hormone or something, which is really indicating that they were cheaters. Stimulants, does nothing to a sprinter."
Francis added that he had always had trouble getting Asafa to take even basic proteins and vitamins.
Both sprinters have withdrawn from the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, which are less than a month away.
America's Tyson Gay also withdrew after failing the first sample of a doping test.
 
 
Tiger Woods feeling confident ahead of Open Championship
 
World number one Tiger Woods is letting everyone know that he feels confident ahead of the Open Championship.
Despite being haunted by the 81 he shot at Muirfield in 2002, which remains the worst score of his professional career, Woods affirmed his love for Links golf and said he's feeling good about his game.
"I feel very, very good going into the major championships. I have a pretty good year this year so far. I have won four times and even though I haven't won a major championship in five years I have been there in a bunch of them where I have had chances so I just need to keep putting myself there and eventually I'll get some."
Woods will be paired with Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen for the first two rounds.
 
 
Final day of competition at the Universiade games
 
It is the final day of competition at the Universiade games in Kazan.
Some final events on today's schedule include rugby sevens, rhythmic gymnastics, and swimming.
Chinese shooters will also have a chance to add a few last medals in today's shooting events.
Russia leads the gold medal count with 151. Japan and China are tied with 24 golds each.
 
 
NFL schedules two games in London for 2013 season
 
The NFL has scheduled two regular season games in the UK this year, instead of the usual one.
London will host a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers in September.
And then another between reigning NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars in October.
Uche Nwaneri of the Jacksonville Jaguars was one of the four NFL players to visit Wembley stadium this week, to get a feel for the turf ahead of this fall's game.
"I think guys are really looking at that as an opportunity to build a fanbase here. It's almost like having a second home and having a second home team so guys are really, really looking forward to it// The people, they don't necessarily watch our sport on a week to week basis like they do in the US so you want to show them the best of what we can do. I really feel like it's going to be a great experience over the next four years."
Jaguars owner Shad Khan also bought Fulham Football club in London, a move Nwaneri credits with linking London fans to the American football team.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Cory Monteith autopsy result
 
British Colombian coroners have announced that Glee star Cory Monteith died from a heroin and alcohol overdose.
The 31 year old actor played Finn Hudson in the smashhit Fox musical comedy.
Monteith was found dead in a Vancouver hotel on Saturday after a night out with friends.
The star, who checked into a rehab clinic back in April had been open about his struggle with serious drug addiction prior to his death.
 
 
Tina Turner marries in Switzerland
 
Legendary performer Tina Turner has tied the knot with her long term partner in Switzerland.
(Tina Turner)
The 73 year old wed 57 year old record executive Erwin Back in a civil ceremony in Northern Switzerland.
The couples have been together since meeting in 1985, ten years after Tina fled her abusive relationship with Ike Turner.
The pair are expected to hold a intimate Buddhist ceremony in the coming weekend to celebrate the nuptuals.
Stars expected to make the tight cut of 120 guests are David Bowie, Sade and Oprah Winfrey.
Turner has reported chosen to sport Giorgio Armani on her big day.
Born Anna Mae Bullock, the Tennessee native began her 50 year career as a teenager in the mid-50s.
Turner is often named as "one of the greatest singers of all time" and holds the record for selling more concert tickets than any other solo artist in history.
 
 
Portishead lashes out at The Weeknd
 
Portishead producer Geoff Barrow has slammed the Weeknd for sampling his work on latest signle, "Belong to the World"
(Weeknd)
The single is lifted from the RnB star's upcoming album "Kiss Land".
The track uses samples from Portishead's single "Machine Gun", from their 2008 LP named Third.
Following the premiere of the music video, Barrows commented that as a fellow artist, the Weeknd should have respected his wishes not to be sampled.
The 41 year old added that money is not the issue and he would give sample clearance to songs that he liked.
Kiss Land will be the first studio album for the Weeknd, whose meteoric rise to fame started when his House of Balloons mixtape went viral back in 2011.
(House of Balloons)
Kiss Land is slated for release on August 27th.
 
 
Royal Baby drives people gaga
 
With the arrival of the royal baby delayed, the British public have been whipping themselves into even more of a frenzy.
The Duchess of Cornwall recently hinted that the royal baby, who was originally expected to arrive over the weekend, could enter the world before the week is out.
Excited Brits have been hedging their bets on everything from the hair colour to gender of the most eagerly awaited baby in the world.
Bookmakers have been taking odds on some unlikely royal baby names.
Rory Scott is one bookmaker who has set up camp outside the Lindo Wing, where the birth is expected to take place.
"People are really getting into this. We've taken money on Hashtag at 500/1, Wayne and Waynetta, Kai even at 1,000/1. So who knows, if one of those comes in, that'll be your summer holiday paid for, that's for sure."
The couple have a reputation for being a thoroughly modern couple - however calling one's child Hashtag seems to be pushing it somewhat.
More conservative estimates suggests the child is more likely to take on more regal names like Alexandra, Charlotte or George.