CRI 中国国际广播电台 2010-05-23

Broadcasting Time: 07:00-08:00, GMT+08:00, 2010-05-23

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

In This Edition

Relatives flood into a hospital mortuary in Mangalore, India to try to identify the bodies of the victims from the crash of an Air India Express plane that was carrying 166 people.

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tours the Shanghai World Expo and urges China and the United States to make the best of their bilateral 1 ties.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has endorsed 2 support for a Turkish-Brazilian deal to swap 3 nuclear fuel with Iran.

The 20th Global Summit of Women concludes in Beijing.

And Atlantis astronauts conduct their third and final spacewalk for this mission to install new solar batteries for the International Space Station.

Hot Issue Reports

Bodies in the India Plane Crash Brought to Hospital

Relatives flooded into a hospital mortuary in Mangalore, India on Saturday to try to identify the bodies of the victims from the crash of an Air India Express plane that was carrying 166 people.

Eight people escaped after the plane overshot a hilltop runway in southern India and plunged 4 over a cliff.

By Saturday night, rescuers had pulled 158 bodies from the wreckage 5. The eight survivors 6 were being treated in hospitals.

In New Delhi, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel addressed reporters following a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said the plane had been in contact with air traffic control prior to the crash and had not reported any problems, and refused to speculate on whether the situation of the runway itself had been a contributory factor.

"This runway has been in operation fully 7 since 2006, it has not opened now, and I would like to emphasise 8 that from 2006 there have been over 32 thousand landings in this Mangalore runway, so now I don't think it is fair to make these conjectures 9 unless we have other evidence."

The plane's pilot was a British citizen with more than 10-thousand hours of flying experience, including 26 landings at Mangalore. The Indian co-pilot had more than 3,750 hours of experience and 66 landings at Mangalore.

Air India runs cheap flights under the Air India Express banner to Dubai and other Middle Eastern destinations where millions of Indian expatriate workers are employed.

The crash was the deadliest in India since the November 1996 midair collision between a Saudi airliner 10 and a Kazakh cargo 11 plane near New Delhi that killed 349 people.

Clinton Highlights Importance of Ties Between China and the U.S.

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged China and the United States to make the best of their bilateral ties as she toured the Shanghai World Expo.

Clinton toured the U.S. and Chinese national pavilions and met Shanghai officials during her weekend visit to China's financial hub. The trip comes ahead of her visit to Beijing for the U.S.-China strategic and economic talks.

In a speech to dinner guests at the U.S. pavilion, Clinton said that the shape of future depends, to the significant degree, on the evolving relationship between the United States and China.

"If our relations are defined by win-win solutions rather than zero-sum rivalries 12 we will thrive and prosper 13 together.　We may not always agree on every issue but we should seek and seize opportunities such as this Expo to build great understanding between our peoples."

The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue takes place in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday. Almost 200 Obama administration officials are heading to Beijing for the talks, led by Clinton and Treasury 14 Secretary Timothy Geithner.

South Korea Troops and Security on Island Near Sea Border with North Korea

South Korea said on Saturday that it has created a crisis management team to deal with future North Korean issues.

The move comes just two days after the investigative report into the sinking of the South Korean warship 15 was released, blaming North Korea.

The report blamed a North Korean torpedo 16 for sinking the vessel 17, killing 18 46 sailors on board.

North Korea has refuted the report findings, and said if sanctions are introduced, it will declare an "all out war".

Lee Jae-woog, a businessman from Ansan of South Korea, said he did not think war will happen between the two sides.

"If there is a war as they had said, it will be a regional war. Then, it would ruin both sides so I don't think it will happen."

President Lee Myung-bak vowed 19 "stern action" for the provocation 20 following the release of results from the investigation 21 into the incident.

UN Chief Endorses 22 Support for Turkish-Brazilian Deal to Swap Nuclear Fuel with Iran

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has endorsed support for a Turkish-Brazilian deal to swap nuclear fuel with Iran.

Ban made the remarks at a conference at Istanbul's Bogazici University.

"We hope that this and other initiatives may open the door to a negotiated settlement. The International Atomic Energy Agency will provide its own professional assessment 23, of course."

Tehran agreed with Brazil and Turkey to send some of its uranium abroad, reviving a fuel swap plan drafted by the U.N. with the aim of keeping its nuclear work in check.

The agreement is intended to allay 24 international concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions by committing Iran to ship 1,200 kg of low-enriched uranium to Turkey for higher-enriched nuclear fuel from abroad, which would be used at a medical research reactor 25.

However, western countries remain unconvinced over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Ban's remarks came as five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed on new sanctions on Iran over its uranium enrichment program.

The 10-page draft targets Iranian banks and other industries. The text also calls for international inspection 26 of vessels 27 suspected of carrying cargo related to Iran's nuclear or missile programs.

EU Finance Ministers Back Tougher Sanctions against Rule Breakers

European Union finance ministers are backing tougher sanctions against EU rule breakers to prevent them from running up too much debt. They're doing this in the hopes of winning back market confidence and to get a handle on the debt crisis currently threatening the euro.

European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said the talks Friday showed it was very clear there was a broad consensus 28 on the principle of having sanctions - both financial and political.

"We discussed sanctions and I could say that one of the conclusions of our debate was that it is very clear there was a broad consensus on the principles of having sanctions, financial sanctions and non-financial sanctions."

Current limits on debt and deficits 29 are backed up on paper by heavy fines, which have never been imposed.

Van Rompuy offered no details of the new sanctions because officials from the EU's 27 governments, the European Central Bank and the European Commission are only starting to work on changes to the widely flouted 30 EU budget rules.

Germany, which is providing the largest potion of bailout funds for Greece and the euro zone, is keen on harsher punishments for countries that break the rules to deter 31 them from seeking financial rescue.

Van Rompuy indicated he was opposed to the changes called upon by Germany.

Such changes to EU treaties would require each country to amend 32 its national law - a painful and lengthy 33 process that could be rejected by national parliaments or voters.

EU leaders are due to decide on long-term reforms at an October summit.

2nd China Cloud Computing 34 Conference Wraps Up

The 2nd China Cloud Computing Convention wrapped up on Saturday here in Beijing.

Organized by the Chinese Institute of Electronics, more than 3,000 representatives and experts from industrial administrations and companies, research institutes, IT equipment providers, value-added service and technology developers, and authoritative 35 people from the industry attended the conference.

Li Deyi, an academician at the conference with the Chinese Academy of Engineering explains the new computing technology.

"Cloud Computing helps make the devices which people use to get information, lighter 36 and smaller. And it helps them give orders on a daily basis. For example, you talk on your cell phone and it will automatically transform the sound into letters and send an SMS. With it, you don't need to do anything technical, you don't need to kill computer viruses, develop programs or even type."

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand. With its low cost advantages, energy saving capabilities 37, and with no time or location requirements, it has caught world-wide attention in recent years.

China has embraced Cloud Computing for two years. It is accepted by an increasing number of people working in related areas. It has also been included in the country's 12th national development Five-year Plan which runs from 2010 to 2015.

Carbon Fiber 38 Bicycle Hot Item at China Sporting Goods Show

Sports goods made with new technology and materials have been hotly sought after at the China International Sporting Goods Show which ended Saturday here in Beijing.

One of the star products at the exhibition was a bicycle made of advanced carbon fiber.

The exhibitor says the bicycle weighs only 8 kilograms.

"The weight of the bicycle is largely reduced, when compared to bicycles made with traditional materials, but its hardness increases. Its wheel, also made of carbon fiber, can retain better inertia 39, which means the ultimate speed of the bicycle can reach 60 to 70 kilometers per hour."

Carbon fiber is hailed as the future of material for bicycles to replace traditional materials like steel, iron and aluminum 40. It excels with its extraordinary qualities and environmentally friendly features.

The exhibition is sponsored by the China General Administration of Sports and the China Sporting Goods Federation 41. It is the largest and most professional trade show for sporting goods in China, with about 1,000 exhibitors from over 70 countries and regions in attendance.

Global Summit of Women Concludes Today

The 20th Global Summit of Women, or GSW, closed Saturday in Beijing. During the three-day event, more than 1,000 female delegates from all over the world discussed diverse subjects regarding women's roles in the business area. They used their own experiences to prove women can be successful in their careers and in their life at home.

China Observes International Biodiversity Day

This year is the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity, which represents a milestone 42 for preserving diversity of life on Earth. As the world celebrated 43 the International Biodiversity Day on Saturday, China reviewed its progress and deficiencies in preserving its own biodiversity.

China Daily: Xinfang Officials Receive Better Training

This year, China will train 600 local "xinfang" officials, who are in charge of handling citizen's grievances 44. The first batch 45 of officials has finished their one-week training in Beijing, completing courses including ways to deal with the media.

A commentary from the China Daily says this may seem like a good idea, but it may be a better idea if they are taught to function as effective intermediaries between the people and organs of the State.

Citizens resort to "xinfang", either in the form of complaint letters or personal visits to seek help from higher authorities, in the hope competent officials will address the wrongs done to them.

Although laws to counter injustice 46 are aplenty, the common people favor "xinfang" in the innocent belief an upright government official will be able to better act upon their complaints.

Yet, the commentary says getting one's complaints heard by the right official is never easy. What actually happens is these "xinfang" establishments, which are tasked specifically to take care of people's complaints, often silence dissent 47.

The article says with the central government urging complaints be settled locally, some local authorities have done everything in their power to prevent people from recounting their tragic 48 tales to higher authorities, particularly those in Beijing. Still, they are often stonewalled at "xinfang" offices.

The paper notes it is a dangerous trend. When courts cannot offer proper solutions, "xinfang" is often the only channel for victims of administrative 49 abuse where their wrongs can be addressed.

China Golf Course Development Driven by Fame and Gain

According to the China Golf Association, there were over 500 golf courses by the first half of 2009 in China.

However, only 10 golf courses had been officially examined and approved, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry 50 of Land and Resources.

Meanwhile, some media report Lingshui county, a poor area in Hainan Province, is planning to build over 10 golf courses. And other poor regions are also doing the same.

A commentary on china.com.cn questions why poverty-stricken counties, which still need to receive financial aid from the central government, are putting all their efforts, materials and money into building expensive golf courses. The article points out they are driven by fame and gain.

It says local officials helped these plans to move forward smoothly 51, even without going through the proper approval process.

Building golf courses take up large amounts of farmland, which is in short supply throughout China. But some officials want to accumulate political capital as soon as possible and therefore choose to build image projects. Golf courses are a good choice for them, as they are a symbol of wealth, luxury, and modernization 52.

The commentary goes on to say some businessmen also want to snatch huge profits, as golf courses can raise the prices of nearby houses and villas 53 by at least 30 percent.

In conclusion, the article says golf courses are just for entertainment. Building them over critically-needed farmland is disgraceful. It calls for further careful planning on local economic development in poor areas