CRI 中国国际广播电台 2010-05-15

Broadcasting Time: 07:00-08:00, GMT+08:00, 2010-05-15

Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

In This Edition

Thai troops fire bullets and tear gas at anti-government protesters rioting near the Japanese and US embassies in central Bangkok, leaving ten dead and more than a hundred others injured.

Less than a month after a deadly explosion in the Gulf 1 of Mexico destroyed a BP-owned oil rig and created a natural disaster, a Venezuelan natural gas exploration rig sinks in the Caribbean Sea.

U.S. authorities expand probes of past mortgage securities deals, with New York's attorney general opening an investigation 2 into whether eight banks misled rating agencies.

Chinese police vow 3 to enforce the law "firmly" to stop school attackers, and may include guns for officers on school patrols.

Hot Issue Reports

Tension Escalates 4 as Renegade Army General Shot by Thai Security Forces

Thai troops have fired bullets and tear gas at anti-government protesters rioting near the Japanese and US embassies in central Bangkok, leaving ten people dead and more than a hundred others injured.

Authorites say they've arrested 17 people Friday.

Chances of a political compromise have all but evaporated after renegade army Major-General Khattiya Sawasdiphol, was shot in the head by an apparent sniper while talking to reporters just inside the Red Shirts' perimeter 5.

A hospital official says he's unlikely to survive.

Arisman Pongruengrong, a Red Shirt leader, calls the government's actions an attack on the Thai people.

"This is an illegal use of force as ordered by Center for Resolution of Emergency Situations and Abhisit Vejjajiva. They should be responsible for those wounded and dead. This is clear, that there were no clashes at the general, but he was shot by the government's sniper. Citizens are targeted by government's snipers. This is clearly a use of war weapons on the people."

The some 10,000 Red Shirt anti-government protesters are trying to defend an upscale 3-square-kilometer area that they have turned into a barricaded 6 encampment.

The fighting, which has killed scores of people and injured hundreds, has now plunged 7 Thailand deeper into political uncertainty 8.

Venezuelan Oil Rig Sinks; Chavez Blasts Financial Trading Houses

Less than a month after a deadly explosion in the Gulf of Mexico destroyed a BP-owned oil rig and created a natural disaster, a Venezuelan natural gas exploration rig has sunk in the Caribbean sea.

Most of the 95 workers escaped by boat after water apparently 9 rushed into one of the giant submarine rafts supporting the $200 million US dollar football field-sized structure.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela has no need for financial trading houses and brokerages, as the country is struggling to stem the rapid depreciation 10 of the bolivar currency.

"Only the state, through the Venezuelan Central Bank, can commercialize. Yes, that's what we want so we can get rid of the chaos 11 of that small stock market, and currency exchange, and I don't know what else. It's true chaos."

His comments come hours after Venezuelan legislators voted to clamp down on foreign exchange trading.

The government is determined 12 to strengthen the bolivar's rate on the free-floating market in a bid to counter one of the highest inflation rates in the world.

Karzai shows Unified 13 Front with U.S.

On the final day of a four-day visit to the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai continued to show a unified front with the U.S. at an event with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Karzai and Clinton discussed the upcoming U.S.-led offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and the schedule for troop withdrawals 15. The U.S. has ordered a 30,000 troop buildup to Afghanistan, although it is also looking to begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011 as more security duties are turned over to Afghan forces.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"We see the July 20 date as another date to aim for. And we believe that it can be the beginning of the security transition. The enduring partnership 16 will last long beyond any security transition, any withdrawal 14 of combat forces over time. We are committed to a strategic partnership with Afghanistan."

Looking to ease Karzai's worries about the troop drawdown deadline, U.S. President Barack Obama has assured Karzai in their meeting that U.S. support will continue long after the forces start pulling out.

"The July 20 date not pose a problem to us because we know that the United States will not abandon the cause unless we have succeeded fully 17."

Karzai's U.S.trip comes at a crucial time in his country, where one protester was shot dead today by security forces while protesting a NATO raid overnight, in which the locals say 11 villagers were killed.

Bomb Blast Outside Greece's Largest Prison, Injures 1

A powerful bomb blast outside Greece's largest prison has left one woman injured and nearby homes damaged.

The explosion outside Korydallos prison happened after a warning call to an Athens newspaper, giving police about 20 minutes to cordon 18 off the area.

Police say the blast, heard across western parts of the Greek capital, shattered apartment block and storefront windows for several blocks.

"Please come closer, I have to say this. It was a huge bomb, just boom."

The injured woman is being treated for glass cuts in hospital, and authorities say her condition is not serious.

There has been no immediate 19 claim of responsibility for the bombing, but suspicion has fallen on radical 20 Greek militant 21 groups that have stepped up attacks in recent years.

US Arrests 3 Pakistani Men for Alleged 22 Connection in NYC Terror Plot

Three Pakistani men who authorities say supplied funds to Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad have been arrested in a series of raids across the Northeastern United States.

The FBI says they followed the money trail in the failed attack, leading to the arrests.

Investigators 23 say, though, that it is not yet clear whether the three men knew how the money was going to be used.

US attorney general Eric Holder 24 says the arrests were originally based on immigration violations 25.

"We executed search warrants in several locations in the northeast in connection with the investigation into the attempted bombing. Several individuals who were encountered during those searches have been taken into federal custody 26 for alleged immigration violations. These searches are the product of evidence that has been gathered in the investigation since the attempted Times Square bombing and do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States."

Pakistan has detained at least 4 people with alleged connections to Shahzad and says it is too early to say whether the Pakistani Taliban is behind the Times Square plot, although the US has said it has found a definite link.

Eight banks face US investigation

U.S. authorities are expanding their probes of past mortgage securities deals, with New York's attorney general opening an investigation into whether eight banks misled rating agencies.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is looking at whether the relationship between the banks and credit rating agencies was manipulated to gain a better ratings for risky 27 securities.

John Coffee, a securities law professor at Columbia University, says the investigation could be a waste of time.

"You can't indict 28 everyone. There is safety in numbers, and these investigations 29 that the Justice Department is conducting and the Attorney General is conducting have so many potential defendants 30 that it's hard to pick out one that is uniquely culpable 31, and you can't go after all of them because you don' t have the resources. At least in Mr. Cuomo's case, he has a fairly, thinly staffed office. And finally, everyone is aware that the U.S. government bailed 32 out this industry with TARP money. There is something perversely 33 counter-productive with indicted 34 an investment bank that has received billions of dollars of federal funds just a year or two ago."

The banks under investigation are believed to include Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Chinese police vow "firm" measures to stop school attackers

Chinese police have vowed 35 to enforce the law "firmly" to stop school attackers, which may include guns for officers on school patrols.

Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry 36 of Public Security, says the killing 37 of innocent children has to be condemned 38 by the whole society.

He stresses that their top priority is going to be the protection of schools and kindergartens with little safety precautions.

"We will focus on security of schools and kindergartens in the countryside, suburbs, neighborhoods and remote areas. In the meantime, police nationwide will comb through schools and nurseries, especially private ones, to close security loopholes."

Local police are being asked to find every possible security threat and patrol around schools more frequently.

In Beijing, police will be on patrol around school compounds ten minutes before students go to school and ten minutes before they are dismissed.

Wu is calling on everyone to be aware of possible attacks and report suspects to the police.

"We will also work to help solve disputes, and provide psychological counseling for people suffering mental problems. All negative factors should be nipped in the bud."

He says schools are now being required to tighten 39 their security checks, with support from the police.

42,000 relocated in rainstorms in Central China

Twelve people have been killed and around 42,000 relocated by rainstorms, flooding and landslides 40 in recent days in Hunan in central China.

Heavy rain has lashed 41 the region since Wednesday, flooding both small villages and cities across the province.

Floodwaters through the streets of the city of Xiangxiang have submerged vehicles.

People there are using sandbags to try to protect their shops and homes.

The heavy rain and flooding in Hunan comes less than a week after earlier storms killed 11 in the province.

At least 86 people have been killed and 16 are still missing from the storms across central and southern China in recent weeks, as the annual wet season gets under way.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs says the extreme weather has so far caused direct economic losses of almost 6 billion yuan.

In Jiangxi, which borders Hunan to the east, heavy rain has caused several landslides around the city of Pingxiang.

In one case, a local bus was hit by large falling rocks on the road, leaving the side of the vehicle damaged and passengers shaken, but not injured.

"I was driving from Pingxiang and when we reached this stretch of road, suddenly it collapsed 42 and a big rock came down and hit the side of my bus."

Parts of Jiangxi have seen the strongest rain in over 25 years.

The provincial 43 meteorological authorities are forcasting more heavy rains in coming days, suggesting the flooding could become much more serious.

Experts say private investment into Chinese energy sector 44 is a boon 45

The Chinese government is now actively 46 promoting policies to encourage and guide private investment into the economy. It is being suggested that private funds should be encouraged to invest in oil and natural gas exploration projects.

Han Xiaoping, energy expert and Chief Information Officer of China5e.com believes allowing private money into energy sector is beneficial to China's energy conservation and emission 47 reduction strategy, and will also help China adjust its energy consumption pattern.

"Private companies in the energy sector are market-oriented. They are in the business for profit. Therefore they will pay attention to changes in the market. If the companies' technology is not energy efficient, it will be eliminated by market force. Private companies that can surive usually specialize in CHP, cogeneration of power and heat. As a result, they can save a lot of energy than state-owned comapnies."

He says these companies will also benefit from the policies.

"If the energy sector is open to private investment, private companies can enter the field such as exploring coal seam gas or shale 48 gas. They can raise funds from capital market."

Han also points out with more private investment into natural gas exploration projects, the country's natural gas exploration capacity can be expanded substantially.

Montreal Day in Shanghai Expo

The Canadian city of Montreal has opened its pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo which features one of the city's most innovative 49 projects in sustainable urban development. As we hear from Wang Ling, the Complexe Environmentale Saint Michel, which has transformed a quarry-turned-landfill into a large public park, attempts to exemplify the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life."

One year anniversary of the launching of Herschel telescope

European astronomers 50 Friday celebrated 51 one year of discoveries by the Herschel telescope. Launched on May 14th last year from French Guiana, the European built space craft is designed to increase our knowledge about the universe.

Media Digest

Newspaper Picks

From the Shanghai Daily: The Shaolin Temple in central China, internationally renowned 52 for its kung fu monks 53' stage shows and business acumen 54, is now turning its hand to the medical field.

The temple will set up a Zen public hospital to treat patients with "tranquil 55 martial 56 art" and "tonics 57."

The soon-to-be chief of the Zen hospital, Shi Yanlin, says the Shaolin Medicine Hospital will be built at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain in Henan, where the temple has stood for more than 1,500 years.

Doctors will treat ailments 58 by guiding patients in Zen meditation 59, teaching them kung fu and strictly 60 monitoring their diets.

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From Reuters Life: Lovers in Paris were left feeling a little less welcome this week after the tokens of their affections mysteriously disappeared from one of the city's most romantic spots.

For years love-struck couples have been fastening padlocks to the railings of the Pont des Arts, engraving 61 them with their initials, adding a few sentimental 62 words and then tossing the keys into the Seine river below to symbolize 63 their eternal love.

However, the hundreds of "love locks" vanished overnight sometime before Wednesday morning.

In a bid to preserve the 19th century bridge's structure, the town hall had said it planned to dispense 64 with romance and had ordered the locks to be removed at an unspecified time.

Market Update

Stocks tumbled for a second day Friday after concerns grew that the deep spending cuts under Europe's bailout plan would slow a global recovery.

The Dow fell 1.5 percent, to 10,620. It has fallen seven of the last nine days.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 1.9 percent, to 1,136, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 2 percent, to 2,347.

For the week, the Dow rose 2.3 percent, the S&P 500 index added 2.2 percent and the Nasdaq gained 3.6 percent.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 3.1 percent to 5263, Germany's DAX index fell 3.1 percent to 6057, and France's CAC-40 tumbled 4.6 percent to 3560.

0515 weather for 07am

Before we go, a quick look at the weather,

Beijing is Sunny day with a high of 29, clear tonight and low of 16

Shanghai is light rain and high of 20, falling to 18

Elsewhere around the world

Bangkok Sunny of 34

Tokyo Sunny 17

Vientiane Sunny 36

New York shower 26

Toronto Sunny at 19

Sydney Sunny at 22

Wellington light rain at 15

Perth Sunny 17

Cairo Sunny at 39

Morovia Sunny at 31

And finally Nairobi will be Sunny at high of 23 degrees