News & Reports 2010-10-17

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In This Edition

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says he has asked his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki to release two German reporters detained in Iran.

NATO has granted safe passage to Kabul for at least one Taliban commander to hold talks with the Afghan government.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hints at a new round of quantitative 1 easing, given the country's continued high unemployment and low inflation.

And China observes Double Ninth Festival, or Senior Citizens' Day.

Hot Issue Reports

German FM Requests Release of Journalists Detained in Iran

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says he has asked his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki to release two German reporters detained in Iran.

Both ministers are in Brussels for an EU-sponsored meeting on Pakistan.

Westerwelle says he is confident that Mottaki is considering his request.

"Naturally, I expressed an urgent wish to my colleague, (Iranian) Foreign inister Mottaki, that our two nationals can return to Germany as soon as possible. I have an impression that Mr. Mottaki will personally take up this issue. Therefore, I don't want to say more about this, because by being discreet 2 we want to ensure a good outcome."

The two German reporters were arrested while reportedly trying to interview the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning.

The stoning sentence against 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has raised an international outcry, embarrassing Iran.

The two reporters have admitted breaking the law by entering the country without the proper visas.

Nato's Secures Safe Passage for Taliban

NATO has granted safe passage to Kabul for at least one Taliban commander to hold talks with the Afghan government.

General David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, says the move aims to back President Hamid Karzai's efforts to reach out to the insurgents 3.

"In certain respects we do facilitate that, given that, needless to say it would not be the easiest of tasks for a senior Taliban commander to enter Afghanistan and make his way to Kabul if [the] ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) were not...aware of it and therefore allows it to take place."

Petraeus says several "very senior" Taliban leaders have reached out to the Afghan government and other countries engaged in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is facing its bloodiest 4 year since the U.S.-led invasion of 2001. More than 40 NATO soldiers have been killed this month.

Petraeus also said video footage appears to show a grenade being thrown before an explosion that may have killed kidnapped British aid worker Linda Norgrove in Afghanistan.

Fed's Bernanke Signals New Round of Quantitative Easing

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has opened the way to a new round of quantitative easing, given the country's continued high unemployment and low inflation.

It is the most explicit 5 signal yet from Bernanke that the U.S. central bank is likely to ease its monetary 6 policy as soon as its next meeting in November.

The Fed is expected to back a move to buy up U.S. government bonds to lower its borrowing costs at its next meeting.

"Given the committee's objectives, there would appear--all else being equal--to be a case for further action."

Bernanke also suggests the Fed could indicate a willingness to hold interest rates low for longer than currently expected.

Bernanke says a prolonged period of high unemployment could choke off the U.S. recovery and that the low level of inflation means the risk of deflation is greater than desirable.

Venezuela and Russia Reach Deal on Nuclear Plant

Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have reached a deal to build the South American country's first nuclear plant.

Medvedev and Chavez also signed other energy agreements following talks in Moscow.

The ITAR-Tass news agency says Russia plans to build two 1,200-megawatt nuclear reactors 7 at the Venezuelan plant. The cost of the deal hasn't been announced.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sees the deal as an interesting and positive one.

"As for the nuclear power plant, we first have to carry out all preparatory studies and work, assess the structure and capabilities 8, the market volume, but we consider the project as quite interesting and positive."

Chavez says Venezuela wants to reduce its dependence 9 on oil and gas and has praised Russia for helping 10 his country.

"The nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is vital for us. Thank you, Dmitry. I thank Vladimir (Putin). We started talking on this subject with Vladimir eight years ago. I thank all of you."

The deal is likely to raise concern in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.

American Arrested in Israel for Stabbing Parents to Death

Israeli police have arrested an American citizen who flew to Israel after allegedly stabbing his parents to death in their New York home earlier this week.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says police detained the man at Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport while he was trying to buy a plane ticket.

Liron Cohen is a check-in attendant at the airport.

"A passenger arrived to buy a ticket. He appeared unstable 12, spoke 11 to himself, wasn't sure what he wanted. Eventually, he decided 13 to buy a one-way ticket to leave the country. I asked for a credit card, [but] his card didn't work. This also raised an alert because of the circumstances, because he was not stable and calm."

Police are questioning the suspect who will remain in custody 14 while Israel coordinates 15 his extradition 16 to the United States.

The New York Police Department has identified the man as Eric Bellucci of Staten Island, New York.

His parents, Arthur and Marian, were found dead earlier this week.

Bellucci is not an Israeli citizen, and it is unclear why he traveled to Israel.

The NYPD says Bellucci previously 17 lived with his parents and suffered from schizophrenia.

Media reports says Bellucci was once a star athlete at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, and his father was a senior associate at a large real estate company.

Swiss Complete World's Longest Tunnel

Engineers have drilled through the last remaining rock to complete the world's longest tunnel under the Swiss Alps.

The 10-meter-diameter drill-head tore through the rock to cheers and applause from watching workers.

Jan Hamper 18 is a tunnel surveyor.

"It's very many emotions to see the tunnel bore machine from the other side. We work every day here, and now I've worked here for four years. And now it's the day where you can see the other persons (working) from the other side. It's great."

The 57-kilometer Gotthard rail tunnel has taken 14 years to build and is not likely to open before the end of 2016.

It is expected to revolutionize transport across Europe, providing a high-speed rail link between the northern and southern parts of the continent.

Eventually, trains will travel through it at speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour.

Ticket Prices for London Olympics Disclosed

The organizers of the London 2012 Olympic Games have revealed the pricing system for tickets to the events.

Ticket prices for the London Olympics will range from less than 20 pounds each to more than 2,000 pounds, or about 3,200 U.S. dollars, for the best seats at the opening ceremony.

8.8 million public tickets will go on general sale in Britain in March with 30 percent of them set to cost 20 pounds or less, and two-thirds with a face value of less than 50 pounds.

Children will benefit from a "pay your age" scheme meaning a 10-year-old would have a chance to buy a 10-pound ticket for any sports competition during the two-week event.

In another initiative, Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, says one in eight London schoolchildren will be able to attend the Games for free.

All tickets will also come with a free London travel card.

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Olympics organizing committee, says:

"I've always known that in the UK empty stadiums would be unacceptable. I would have considered that to be failure if I can't put the bulk of people into those venues—and importantly, young people and people that want to be there."

Coe says he wants people passionate 19 about sports to attend and not simply to have "bums 20 on seats" for the television cameras.

Overseas Student Market Expanded in China's Medium-sized Cities

The overseas student market in China's medium-sized cities is growing fast, while the number of overseas students here continues to see a double-digits growth.

Zhu Yanmin, CEO of the agency Jinjilie, says that over the two-day annual international education exhibition during the weekend in Beijing, orders from some medium-sized cities have doubled this year.

"So far this year, the orders in small and medium sized cities that have our branches such as Jinan, Qingdao, Shenyang, Dalian, Shijiazhuang and Zhengzhou have already increased more than 100 percent."

Nearly 230-thousand Chinese students registered at foreign schools last year, 27.5 percent more than 2008. It is well thought that strong economic growth and weak US dollars are the two main factors that helped boost the market.

Jiang Bo, head of China Education Association for International Exchanges, predicts the number of overseas students this year could reach 300-thousand.

"The number will keep increasing due to the strong economy and growing family income. We predict this year's number may reach 300-thousand."

Many schools have set up classes designed for the senior high students who plan to go overseas after graduation. It is estimated that around 10 percent of students in Beijing's top high schools are planning to apply foreign colleges and are not taking the national college exam.

Meanwhile, more students from upper-middle class families are planning to go overseas for middle school and elementary education. The education exhibition this year has set up an area for their parents.

The exhibition will travel to Dalian, Xi'an and some other cities after this weekend.

Gov't Efforts to Improve Eldercare

Saturday, October 16th, is September 9th on China's lunar calendar. The day is better known as the "Double Ninth" festival dedicated 21 to the elderly people. With the world's largest number of senior citizens, China is now grappling with how to provide adequate care and nursing home facilities for growing aging population. On this occasion, let's learn more about the situation and the government's solutions.

Here is reporter He Fei.

Reporter: Caring for one's elders is a traditional virtue 22 and responsibility in China. There is also an old saying that couples have children to ensure that they themselves will be looked after in their old age.

But in modern times, especially since the introduction of the country's one-child policy in the late 1970s, supporting the elderly has become a heavier burden for families.

In July, the China National Committee on Ageing released its first statistical 23 report on the government's plans to deal with the country's growing aging population. It said the number of citizens over 60 years old had reached 167 million last year, accounting 24 for about 13 percent of the country's total population.

It predicted that by the year 2050 one-third of China's population would consist of senior citizens.

But the country's nursing homes currently have only 2.5 million beds available, which means one thousand people would have to share 15 beds or fewer. To tackle the issue, many cities, especially major ones like Beijing and Guangzhou, have included plans to increase the number of nursing homes on their agenda.

Last year, Beijing began earmarking funds to help set up more nursing homes. Under the scheme, the municipal government pays 8,000 to 16,000 yuan to private social welfare institutions for each bed they add to their facilities.

The homes can also receive 100 to 200 yuan a month for each elderly resident they accommodate.

Besides the subsidy 25, the municipal government provides favorable policies for purchasing land to build private nursing homes.

Beijing has also called for the establishment of a new care system for seniors.

Wu Shimin, Director of the city's Civil Administration Bureau, explains.

"We will adopt a so-called '90-6-4 model' for caring the elderly. That means 90 percent of the aging population will be supported by their families, 6 percent will be taken care by the communities, and the remaining 4 percent will be supported by nursing homes."

By the end of the year, the number of beds in Beijing nursing homes will reach 70,000, about 15,000 more than last year.

In Guangzhou, the number of beds in private nursing homes has exceeded that in public ones.

The Guangzhou Friendly Aging Apartment complex is a privately 26 run nursing home with more than 2,000 beds and an occupancy rate of more than 90 percent. One reason for this is because it offers affordable 27 prices that are almost the same as ones offered by public nursing homes, thanks to government subsidies 28.

Zhang Huiqing, Vice 29 President of the apartment complex, says the monthly fee for residents who can take care of themselves without assistance is 900 yuan, or about 135 U.S. dollars.

"The room fee is 550 yuan per month. If they eat here, they are charged 350 yuan a month for meals. So altogether the total is 900 yuan."

For that amount, residents also enjoy free health care, water delivery and cleaning services as well as psychological counseling.

Although China has seen great improvements in eldercare, more efforts must be made to meet additional demands as the country's aging group continues to grow. Eldercare issues will remain a major social concern for years to come.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.

Federer vs. Murray in Shanghai Masters Final

World number two seed Roger Federer of Switzerland and fourth seed Andy Murray of Britain both won their matches in straight sets on Saturday and will meet each other in the final of the tennis Shanghai Masters. Both of them will fight for their first title of the tournament. CRI's Sun Yang has more.

Reporter: Murray reached his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final of the season as he smashed Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1.

The Scot faced a mid-match comeback from Monaco when he was broken at 5-3 in the first set, but held on to turn things around with a broken string.

"I managed to get the break that game. It's obviously a lot tougher to break when you're down 30-love than 15-all. But I was feeling good. You know, just needed to focus."

The semifinal clash between Roger Federer and second seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic was much tougher as both of the two are good at playing hard court tennis.

Djokovic, chasing his second title of the week after winning the China Open on Monday, squandered 30 four break points in the first set against the Swiss.

"I'm just disappointed a little bit because I think I've played quite well in the first set. He played some great shots when he needed to. He deserved to win."

Federer avenged 31 his U.S. Open semifinal loss to the Serb in a very solid performance, defeating Djokovic 7-5, 6-4. He has yet to lose a set in the Shanghai tournament.

Following the semis victory, Federer reclaimed 32 the No.2 ATP world ranking.

"I'd rather be 1 than 2 and rather be 2 than 3. This doesn't have much of an impact. This isn't why I'm here in Shanghai, to get back to No. 2 in the world. That's a nice bonus."

The 16 Grand Slam winner takes on Murray in their third meet of the year. Federer was 1-1 in their previous two matchups. He lost out to Murray for the Toronto Masters title in August.

"The conditions are pretty much the same as in Toronto which is going to make for a very tough and physical match."

The final match will be held on Sunday afternoon with the winner taking home 616, 500 US dollars and 1,000 ranking points.

For CRI, I'm Sun Yang from Shanghai.

China Daily: Rural Identity A Hurdle 33 for Educational Equality

Children of millions of migrants in China have difficulties in getting into public schools in big cities. A lucky few are asked for extra tuition fees but most of them have to go to special schools set up for them, which usually lack of qualified 34 teachers and other resources.

An editorial in China Daily says reforming the distribution structure of educational resources is inevitable 35 since this inequality is getting more prominent.

The article explains one reason that most eligible 36 migrant students are denied entry to senior high schools in cities is that they will not get a seat for the college entrance exam. All senior high students in China are required to register for the exam at the place where they have a residence permit.

Regarding the free nine-year education policy, the article says budget is another concern for public schools. Clearly local finance is not willing to shoulder the extra burden.

The editorial concludes that all these issues are caused by the localized educational system in the country. The distribution and scale of schools are based on the distribution of permanent residents in the locality.

The article calls for the central government to continue reforming the structure of educational resources distribution. It argues that permanent urban residence permits should not be a requirement for migrant children.

It also praises Beijing for its plan to open more senior high schools for migrants and also set up more vocational schools for them.

The State Council has passed a broad and ambitious roadmap for the country's educational reform in this decade, with advancing educational equality as its top agenda.

Guangming Net: Policemen Lose Last Report of Filing Complaints

Two policemen from Shandong Province who came to Beijing to complain about the quality of their new houses have been tracked down and sent back by the branch office of their local government in the capital.

A commentary on the Guangming Net says the story reflects the choked dialogue mechanism 37 between people and local authorities and the difficulty that normal people constantly face when it comes to complaints.

The article says the incompetence 38 and the protection of interests groups of some local authorities have meant even police officers have to file their complaints with the governmental departments at high levels. Complaint visits in the capital, a historical way for normal people report social inequalities for thousands of years of Chinese history, is still a necessary if not the only way when people feel they are powerless in their local communities.

But the problem is, the commentary points out, that when it comes to the complaint visit, there is nothing different between police officers and other rural people. They still cannot get a satisfied answer, the problems they report are put aside and they themselves are sent back.

The two police officers were the representatives of their some 300 co-workers back in their hometown. The article then questions if they are still committed to fulfill 39 their duties.

Chinese government has taken many efforts on making the complaint channel more accessible, including using the internet. Last week, a man in central China's Yueyang complained online that he was charged unfairly and spent two months in jail. Only three days later he got an apology from the local government and a compensation of 40-thousand yuan.