News & Reports 2012-02-25

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In This EditionForeign ministers of western and Arabic countries meeting in Tunisia endorse 1 the Syrian National Council, the country's major opposition 2 group, as the "legitimate 3 representative" of the Syrian people.
Australia's former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd confirms that he will be standing 4 against Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Monday's Labor 5 Party leadership ballot 6.
U.S. and North Korean officials conclude a second day of meetings in Beijing aiming to restart six-party denuclearization talksChina signs an acquisition deal with the national electricity transmission grid 7 of debt-stricken Portugal.
Hot Issue ReportsInternational Conference on SyriaForeign ministers of western and Arabic countries attending the what is called 'Friends of Syria' conference in Tunisia have endorsed 8 the Syrian National Council, the country's major opposition group, as the "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people.
In spite of the divisions revealed, a large consensus 9 has been reached on avoiding a militarization of the conflict and moving towards a political solution.
China and Russia both turned down an invitation to attend.
However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry 10 says China remains 11 ready to play a constructive 12 role in solving the Syrian crisis.
Syrian National Committee and the other major opposition group, National Coordination 13 Committee, have agreed on sending representatives for the talks.
Hassan Abdel Azim is the chief coordinator 14 of the National Coordination Committee.
"It is impossible to solve the crisis by foreign military intervention 15, because the Syrian issue is closely connected to the Middle East region. Any kind of 'war' in Syrian could trigger off war in the whole region."The conference is said to aim at demanding an immediate 16 ceasefire and humanitarian 17 assessment 18. The threat of further sanctions will loom 19 if such directives are ignored.
On the streets of the Tunisian capital, people appear to be embracing the conference itself, but don't appear ready to pick sides.
"I hope the conference comes out with positive results that will help the Syrian people resolve this crisis. We stand neutral between the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition and we want them to reconcile as soon as possible."The government of Tunisia has withdrawn 21 its ambassador from Damascus, in line with a number of other Arab countries.
Rudd Challenges Gillard in Party Leadership BallotAustralia's former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has confirmed that he will be standing against Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Monday's Labor Party leadership ballot.
Rudd says that he will ''restore the trust'' of the Australian people that Gillard has lost.
"That's why I'm here today, because I believe that to do the best for Australia and Labor, things have to change. It's no secret that our government has a lot of work to do, if it is to regain 22 the confidence of the Australian people. Rightly or wrongly, Julia (Gillard) has lost the trust of the Australian people, and starting on Monday I want to start restoring that trust."Gillard, who ousted 23 Rudd as Prime Minister in June 2010, called the vote after Rudd suddenly resigned as foreign minister on Wednesday.
Currently, polls show Rudd still popular with voters. He is calling for Australians to get behind his campaign to return as prime minister.
US and NKorea Continue Discussions over Restarting Six-party TalksU.S. and North Korean officials have concluded a second day of meetings here in Beijing aiming to reststart six-party denuclearization talks.
This is the third bilateral 24 session between the two since last summer, but crucially the first time the two sides have met since the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
Glyn Davies, who led the US talks, says that the talks have so far been productive, but progress in restarting talks with Pyongyang could take "weeks or even months.""All those same issues, that begin with denuclearisation but go on to non-proliferation, humanitarian affairs, human rights, all of those issues are on the table. All of those issues are being discussed. As you might imagine, given the fact that it has been some time since we have had a six-party process up and running, and it has now been a number of months since we've had an opportunity on a bilateral basis to discuss issues with North Korea, there is a little bit of catching 25 up to do."North Korean envoy 26 Kim Kye Gwan also describes the talks so far as serious.
The Chinese government has been pressing for a resumption of the long-stalled 6-party talks, which includes the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
The six-party talks have been stalled since late 2008 after North Korea pulled away from the table when the UN issued sanctions for a ballistic missile test.
SKorea Briefing on US North Korea Talks in ChinaAt the same time, South Korea has also weighed in on the US-North Korean talks here in Beijing.
A South Korean government spokesman says that it is "important" the US had emphasized the improvement of relations between the North and South.
Kim Hyung-suk is the South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman.
"The important point they emphasised is the improvement of South-North relations. I want you to focus on the fact that they said that "among all issues, the improvement of South Korea-North Korea relations is one of the most important issues."Kim adds that the South Korean side now is with the United States that the meeting so far has been, to a certain extent, meaningful.
Pakistan Attack: Militants 27 Attack Police Station in Northwest, Killing 28 Three Policemen3 Policeman have been killed and half a dozen injured after militants attacked a police station in Pakistan's northwest city of Peshawar.
A police officer says the three attackers were also killed by blowing themselves up after nearly two hours of exchange of fire with the police.
Imtiaz Altaf is the City police chief.
"The attackers targeted this station because our maximum forces are working here, everything is here. Despite this, our vigilant 29 troops shot all the three attackers and all three were blown up, and the attackers failed in achieving the result they wanted, to harm the force and occupy the station."The latest violence comes a day after a bomb blast at a bus station in the city killed 15 people including two children.
A spokesman for an affiliate 30 group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigade is claiming responsibility for the attack.
The spokesman says the attack was in response to the death of one of the group's commanders, Badar Mansoor, in a US drone strike earlier this month.
Mansoor served as a key link between the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaida.
He led a group of over 200 Pakistani Taliban fighters in the North Waziristan tribal 31 area, where he was killed.
Fukushima Investigation 32 Committee Meets International Nuclear ExpertsInternational nuclear power experts are in Tokyo discussing the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident.
Representatives from the US, France, Sweden, South Korea and China are meeting in a two-day summit with Japan's government-appointed investigative committee.
Yotaro Hatamura is the chairman,"Not only do we ask for advice on the work of this investigative committee, we also ask for general observations on the situation surrounding nuclear power in each respective country, from an international viewpoint."The meeting will be based on a report released by the committee last December that found Japanese authorities guilty of grossly underestimating the possible impact of the tsunami 34 last March.
At the same time, the report also found that there has been a delay in disclosing radiation leaks.
The meeting will conclude with a news conference scheduled for Saturday evening.
China State Grid Acquire 25 percent of Portuguese 35 CounterpartThe State Grid Corporation of China, the country's largest power supplier, has signed an acquisition deal with REN, the national electricity transmission grid of debt-stricken Portugal.
The deal allows China State Grid to obtain 25 percent of its equity 36 at a cost of 387 million euros.
It's the second large-scale acquisition of Portuguese assets by a Chinese energy company in six weeks.
Besides China State Grid, the Oman Oil Company will control a further 15 percent stake.
The selling of REN's equities 37 is part of the 78-billion-euro bailout program designed to stave off a possible Portuguese default.
Shu Yinbiao, vice 33 general manager of China State Grid, says the deal promotes energy development of the two countries.
"This is State Grid's first project in Europe. It will speed up our internationalization and provide opportunities for us to share grid management experience with our counterparts in Europe. It will also help introduce our advanced technologies in extra-high voltage power transmission and smart grid to the world."Apple iPad Sale Ban Case Suspended for now in ShanghaiApple can for now continue to sell the iPad tablet in Shanghai after a court ruling over naming rights was suspended on Thursday.
The Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court denied a request by Proview Technology for the injunction and agreed to Apple's request that the trademark 38 infringement 39 case be suspended.
The decision gives Apple some leeway in a larger battle over the iPad trademark in China.
Proview's lawyers said last week it had won a lawsuit 40 in the southern city of Huizhou against a retailer 41 selling Apple's iPads.
Its attention will now shift to an appeal it has filed against an earlier decision in Proview's favour by a Shenzhen court.
Consumers in Shanghai say the different rulings from the local courts would only stand once there is a final verdict from an appeal set to take place in southern Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
He Ji, 30-year-old Shanghai resident:
"I think this is a problem with the differences in local courts. After all, there is no final ruling regarding the case in Guangzhou. So for now, we do not know who will finally have the rights to the iPad trademark. So the question of whether there should be or should not be a ban on iPad sales, different courts would have different opinions."The outcome of the broader dispute, which Proview has said it is willing to settle out of court, will now hinge largely on the decision of the higher court in Guangzhou.
That hearing is scheduled for Feb. 29th.
Give Kids more Time to PlayChina's Ministry of Education has banned kindergartens from teaching subjects of "elementary schools".
Experts say that playtime is extremely important for kindergarten-age development.
Zhang Wan 20 has more.
On March 1st, 2012, Jiangsu province will implement 42 new regulations on preschool education. According to the new regulations, kindergartens are not allowed to teach children Chinese, math or English. The movement aims to give kindergarten children more time to play.
Yao Juan, headmaster of a kindergarten says this is essential for healthy development.
"Actually, playing games is exactly the thing that is good for children's development because in the process of playing games children are motivated by passion and imagination."Like Jiangsu province, Shaanxi province is also taking action to relieve kindergarten children of such heavy burdens. For example kindergartens are not allowed to give homework to children, and kindergartens are prohibited from asking parents to purchase text books.
However, many are concerned these new rules may not really address the issue of giving small kids enough time to play, because parents' decision is also very important here.
Some parents say they think children in kindergarten should spend most of their time playing rather than attending various courses such as mathematics or English.
Other parents say they would rather have their kid in training courses out of fear their children will lag behind.
Many parents are concerned about elementary schools that require interviews of children before enrollment 44 and that their children won't be able to get in without certain skills in math and language.
On one hand, kindergartens are not allowed to set courses such as mathematics or English, and on the other, parents don't want their child lag behind. Kindergarten headmaster Ms. Chen says they are in the midst of a serious dilemma 45.
"When we enroll 43 children, many parents ask if our kindergarten provides courses such as English, Chinese or mathematics. I tell them that we give children more time to play, won't offer any course apart from what's required by provincial 46 kindergarten curriculum. These parents don't understand this and just leave."To curb 47 over-education among preschool children, the government is not the only one who makes rules and regulations. Parents should also make the effort to give their kids a happy, and well-rounded, childhood.
For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.
New Oscar Nominee-Director Chris Miller 48 Talks about 'Puss in Boots'
Director/animator Chris Miller will have his paws crossed this weekend as he walks the red carpet at the Oscars in the hope of taking home a gong for "Puss in Boots."Miller's work, "Puss in Boots" is nominated in the Animated 49 Feature Film category, and faces stiff competition from "Chico & Rita," "Kung Fu Panda 2," "Rango, " and "A Cat In Paris."The character of Puss originally captured the imagination of viewers around the world when it featured in the popular "Shrek" franchise 50. Miller says the character had enough spark to branch out on his own.
"Yeah, it was a great character, but we knew that he could stand on his own and we could sense a great original story in him, so to pluck him out of that universe was pretty important. And just create an entirely 51 new world just for him and let the comedy of this film come from his character and the narrative 52 and really create a backdrop that was larger than life, even more than the 'Shrek' films, a little more fantastic, a little more surreal and strange and really just let the character lead us and inform us in terms of like what kind of movie this was going to be."And what will Sunday's glittering celebration of A-List talent be like for the director?
"Certainly a day of beauty will proceed, the night of magic, but you know I'm just going to let it just sort of come to me. We'll see."The Oscars take place in Los Angeles this Sunday 26 Feb - 8am Monday morning Beijing Time.
FINA World Cup UpdateChinese diving team has continued their dominance at the 18th FINA World Cup in London when Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan won the men's synchronized 53 10 meter platform.
The silver went to Mexican duo, who trailed the Chinese pair by 21 points, and Olympic silver medalists from Germany won the bronze.
Cao Yuan says he has shown his best in the final.
"I think I've scored above 90%, I think I've done my best in this final. Look at other teams, they are brilliant, so just like the coach said, we have to fight our way. "Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield of Britain scored a huge 91.08 points in the fourth round, which moved them into third place.
However, the pair failed their next dive and eventually finished seventh.
With three events remaining, the weekend will see the finals for women's 3 meter springboard and men's 10 meter platform.
Shanghai DailyShanghai-based Spring Airlines has set up a list of passengers to whom the private carrier "declines to provide service."The airline's spokesman said passengers can be removed from the list after three years or apologizing to the airline.
The move comes after recent clashes between passengers and fight crews in Shanghai.
Last week, a passenger beat a China Southern Airline attendant after he failed to get the magazine he wanted.
Airport police asked the man to compensate 54 the attendant, whose eye was left bleeding.
In another case, a Shanghai couple was forced to get off a United Airlines flight after the husband told one of the attendants to "shut up".
Spring Airlines said the blacklist is mainly for the interest of other passengers and to ensure flight safety.
And an online poll showed that 95 percent of people supported domestic airlines' practice of blacklisting misbehaved passengers who injured crew members or caused flight delays.
However, law experts say that such blacklist is in violation 55 of consumer rights and airlines are supposed to avoid conflicts with passengers by improving services rather than with blacklists.
***************************XinhuaQiandan Sports, the company sued by U.S basketball legend Michael Jordan for unauthorized use of his name, says its brand can not be identified with Michal Jordan.
Jordan filed a lawsuit against the Chinese company and accused the company of building its business around his name in Chinese without his permission.
The company now responds by saying that they just use a Chinese translation of common foreign family name and it can not be identified with Michael Jordan.
Law experts say that Jordan's lawsuit may be difficult to win, as the main point is whether Qiaodan, the Chinese translation of Jordan, is equal to Michael Jordan.
A lawyer surnamed Fu says that the plaintiff has to present proof, but the court might not accept the proof, because Qiaodan Sports uses Chinese rather than English.
Fu says that the Chinese company's actions may constitute an act of unfair competition rather than infringing 56 Michael Jordan's name right, because the company actually profits from making connections between its brand and Jordan.
Yahoo NewsA U.S woman is auctioning 58 a three-year-old McDonald's Chicken McNugget she believes resembles US's first president George Washington.
The McNugget has so far received 17 bids and is going for 356 dollars on Ebay.
The woman said she nearly ate the McNugget while dining at a McDonald's three years ago, but then she noticed the resemblance to President George Washington.
She said she's now selling the McNugget to help raise money for a church summer camp.
The auction 57 is scheduled to end next month.
****************************Yahoo NewsA U.S woman is auctioning a three-year-old McDonald's Chicken McNugget she believes resembles US's first president George Washington.
The McNugget has so far received 17 bids and is going for 356 dollars on Ebay.
The woman said she nearly ate the McNugget while dining at a McDonald's three years ago, but then she noticed the resemblance to President George Washington.
She said she's now selling the McNugget to help raise money for a church summer camp.
The auction is scheduled to end next month.
*********************************The TelegraphA new research shows that the more you fear a spider the bigger it will appear to be.
The research team recruited 57 participants with a spider phobia, and asked the participants to undergo five encounters with live spiders and then provide size estimates.
The result show that the more afraid the participants rated in anxiety, the bigger they described the hairy beasts.
The team leader says that perceiving spiders as bigger than they really are fosters fear and avoidance; it then potentially builds up the phobia.
The result suggests that fear not only alters one's perception of the feared thing, but also can influence a person's automatic attitude toward an object.
Those who have developed an automatic negative attitude toward a feared object might have a harder time overcoming their fear.
Market UpdateU.S stocks ended narrowly mixed on Friday as latest reports showed the U.S. economy was steadily 59 improving but was not strong enough to give equities a big lift.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.02 percent to 12,982. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 0.2 percent to 1,366. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 0.2 percent to 2,964.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 lost 0.1 percent to 5935. Frankfurt's DAX gained 0.8 percent to 6864. CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.6 percent to 3467.