Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Security to remain tight in Beijing

The heightened security witnessed in Beijing during the Olympics will remain for the duration of the Paralympics, the city's public security bureau said yesterday.



"We will not lower any of the security standards put in place for the Olympics, but we do promise a people-oriented service," Cao Dongxiang, who is in charge of venue security, said at a press conference in Beijing.



"Our guiding principle will be to respect the independence and privacy of all disabled people," he said.



Experts from the China Disabled Persons' Federation have helped train security officers on how to deal with people with various disabilities, he said.



Also, every competition venue will have at least one entry channel that is wide enough to accept wheelchairs, he said.



However, Zhu Yijun, a senior official from the Beijing security command center, has requested all disabled spectators arrive at their venue security checks at least two hours ahead of the event's start time.



He had also some very specific advice for people with hearing difficulties.



"In a bid to improve efficiency, people who have cochlear implants should tell security staff in advance, and enter the venue through the disabled channel," he said.



"While the scale of the Paralympics is much smaller than the Olympics, the number of police on duty across the city will be the same," Zhu said.



More than 100,000 officers - including 1,000 in plainclothes - will be deployed, he said.



Security teams will be based at 17 competition venues, 29 training bases and 16 designated family hotels, he said.



About 4,500 athletes and coaches from 148 countries and regions will take part in the Games, and almost 4,000 journalists will cover the event, he said.



Meanwhile, Zhu also said yesterday that between July 1 and Aug 24, Beijing police cracked 930 street crime cases.



Over the same period, 1,000 people, including 40 foreigners, were questioned or arrested, he said. All of the foreigners had been either detained or deported.



He refused to reveal their nationalities or names.



"We did a good job during the Olympics, and we are confident of doing the same during the Paralympics," he said.



Source: China Daily

Stars turn up to thank volunteers

Two of the biggest stars at the Beijing Olympic Games, swimmer Natalie du Toit and table tennis player Natalia Partyka, paid tribute to the Olympic volunteers at the Paralympic Village yesterday.



The two made history by entering the Olympics with able-bodied athletes last month.



They thanked and presented memorabilia pins to the volunteers.



"Everyone has been very very sweet," du Toit, the 24-year-old South African, wearing her country's dark green Paralympic shirt and white shorts, said. She is first amputee athlete to take part in both the Games.



Du Toit placed fourth in the 2008 Open Water World Championships held in May in Seville, Spain and instantly qualified for the Olympics. She competed in the 10 km marathon swimming event at the Olympics and placed 16th among the 25 best distance swimmers in the world.



In February 2001, her left leg had to be amputated at the knee after being hit by a car while riding her scooter back to school after swimming practice.



But just three months later, even before she could walk again, she was back in the pool determined to compete at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.



She said young people, including the thousands of passionate volunteers, should always be positive toward the possibilities in their lives and give all they can.



"Aim high, dream big, and achieve your ambitions," she said. "As I have always said, the tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach."



Representatives of the 70,000 Olympic volunteers were yesterday presented with bouquets by newly elected members of the IOC, including legendary Russian swimmer Alexander Popov.



More than 44,000 volunteers, many of whom served at the Olympics, will help out at the Paralympic Games starting on Saturday.



Natalia Partyka, Poland's 19-year-old table tennis star, was born without a right hand.



"I am surprised by the work of the volunteers. A week ago the spectator stands at the Olympic Village welcoming ceremony were tiered. Today, they have been transformed into barrier-free slopes," Partyka said.



She became a household name among Chinese fans when she defeated World No 6 Li Jia Wei from Singapore at the World Championships in Guangzhou earlier in the year.



Li Mengdi, 19, a volunteer, said: "I think athletes and volunteers inspire each other. I was inspired by Partyka."



Both du Toit and Partyka said they have now aclimitized to the weather and conditions.



Du Toit said her training at the Water Cube has been perfect.



She said her goal was to do the same as at the last Paralympics - winning five gold medals. But this time, she expects tougher competition, especially from the Chinese swimmers.



"It's going to be tough. There are 41 swimmers from China," du Toit said.



Source: China Daily

Media services 'top quality'

The media services provided for the Beijing Paralympics will be every bit as good as those available at last month's Olympics, the Games' organizers said yesterday.



At the same time, they will take into account the specific requirements of disabled reporters, Sun Weijia, director of BOCOG's media operations department, said.



"It is unprecedented for a Paralympic Games to use the same media facilities and services as an Olympics," Sun said at the reopening of the Main Press Center and International Broadcast Center , both of which were used at the Olympics.



"As well as providing high-quality media services, we have paid full consideration to the needs of disabled journalists working here during the Paralympics."



More than 6,300 journalists, 47 of them disabled, from 13 countries and regions have been accredited to cover the Games, which start on Saturday, Sun said.



In the period between the two Games, both the MPC and IBC were adapted to better suit the needs of disabled reporters, he said.



Both are completely wheelchair-friendly, for example, and teams of volunteers will be on hand to help as required, he said.



"Both venues have easy-access elevators, while in the main lobby and work areas of the MPC, there are four sets of Braille printers and special computer terminals for reporters with impaired sight," he said.



Also, the interview rooms at most Games venues are more spacious to ensure easy access for people in wheelchairs, while press tables and handrails have been adapted accordingly, Sun said.



Furthermore, all media shuttle buses offer easy access, while 10 specially adapted taxis are available by reservation.



"BOCOG can also provide one-on-one services for disabled journalists if required," he said.



Source: China Daily

Professor gets relay going

The sun shone as the Paralympic torch relay arrived here yesterday in the capital of Jiangsu province, the latest stop along its "ancient China" route.



The 3-km, 90-minute run began at Dr Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and involved 60 torchbearers, six of them disabled.



University professor Hou Jingjing, who has been confined to a wheelchair since losing her legs to polio at the age of 11, was the first to carry the torch.



"I feel really happy and honored to be the relay's first torchbearer," she said.



Despite her physical disability, Hou, a native of Ma'anshan in Anhui province, has always had a passion for life, and a love for the English language, which she began studying as a young girl.



In 1997, she completed a bachelor's degree in English and followed that a year later with a master's in the same subject from Nanjing Normal University. In 2004, she completed her PhD to become China's first wheelchair-bound doctor.



"I always felt I could achieve the same things as able-bodied people because I have confidence in myself, and have always received strong support from both my family and society as a whole," Hou said.



She has given back to society by working with young people at delinquency prisons, as well as donating the money she was awarded for being a model worker to poor students and orphans across China.



Running the last leg of yesterday's relay was local sports coach Zhou Zengfu.



He said six athletes from Nanjing will take part in the Beijing Games and he expects them all to do well.



"I am confident that Nanjing athletes will win about 10 medals at the Paralympics," he said.



Over the past 20 years, 67-year-old Zhou has trained several Paralympic champions.



"The Paralympics is a not only a sporting event, but also a chance for disadvantaged people from around the world to get together and learn from each other and get to know more about the world," Zhou said.



Mu Guiying, president of the Nanjing Disabled People's Association, said that over the past several years, local authorities have done much to improve the lives and working conditions of Nanjing's 441,500 disabled residents, who account for more than 6 percent of the city's total population.



The proportion of disabled people in work has risen from 60 percent in 2003 to 80 percent last year, while 99 percent of all disabled children now receive compulsory education.



Source: China Daily

Sorenstam to play in China at last

World No 2 Annika Sorenstam will make her maiden appearance in a professional tournament in China when the Swede competes in the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open from Oct 30 to Nov 2.

World No 2 Annika Sorenstam will make her maiden appearance in a professional tournament in China when the Swede competes in the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open from Oct 30 to Nov 2.



The event, tri-sanctioned by the Ladies Asian Golf Tour , Ladies European Tour and the China Golf Association, will have special significance for the former world No 1 as this will be the final time that she will compete in a professional tournament, having announced that she is stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the season.



The event will offer the prize purse of 200,000 euros and will be held at Suzong Taihu International Golf Club, in Jiangsu province.



"I'm delighted to be coming over to play in the first ever Ladies European Tour event in China. Having started my professional career in Europe, I feel a very strong bond with the Tour and to be able to share this historic moment with my fellow European players is a big thrill," Sorenstam said.



"It's great also to see that the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open 2008 is a true international event with not only competitors from the Ladies European Tour but also a large number from Asia, and particularly from China. China represents the future and I would love to see women's golf develop strongly there."



"We're delighted that the Ladies European Tour is coming to China," said Zhang Xiaoning, deputy chairman and secretary-general of the China Golf Association. "And we're particularly proud that one of the all time great players in women's golf, Annika Sorenstam, will compete. It presents Chinese lady professionals with some really tough competition and will be a great motivation for them to raise their performance to the highest level."



"It's our first event ever in China and will be a historic occasion for us," Alex Armas, executive director of the Ladies European Tour said. "At a time of year when the weather in Europe is turning against us, it's important to be able to extend the Tour's season and give our players an opportunity to come here to compete."



LAGT chief executive Aylwin Tai welcomed the new event and thanked Suzong Taihu International Golf Club for its foresight in sponsoring this event.



"The LAGT events are getting bigger and bigger. We need to elevate the status and prestige of LAGT," he said. "We have been very successful as a few players on our Tour have already chalked up victories in the US LPGA and Japan LPGA, and also did relatively well in the LET tournaments."



Source: China Daily

Nigerian power lifter aims to set world record

Solomon Amarakwu, Nigeria's 2002 Commonwealth Games power lifting gold medalist, has promised to set a new world record at the Beijing Paralympics, reported the News Agency of Nigeria.



Amarakwu said he would improve on his previous mark in Beijing.



"In Manchester, I set a new world record of 235kg to win gold at the Commonwealth Games and at the Athens 2004 Paralympics Games,I improved on it with another new world record of 240kg to win gold again. I have trained very hard and I am injury free, nothing other than gold is my target in Beijing," he said.



Amarakwu will compete in the men's 90kg category.



Eight power lifters including Amarakwu will represent Nigeria at the Games.



The seven others are Lucy Ejike , Patience Igbiti ,Victoria Nneji , Kikelomo Ogunbamiwo and Grace Alozie in the female category while Ruel Isiaku and Obioma Alegakwue are taking part in the male category.



The Paralympics Games open on Sept. 6 and end on Sept. 17 in Beijing.



Source: Xinhua

Beijing Paralympics Main Press Center opens

Following the successful services for the Beijing Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Games Main Press Center was once again opened for the Beijing Paralympics Games on September 2 after a brief transition .



The Beijing Paralympics MPC is the working headquarter for the accredited journalists, photographers and the non-right holding broadcasters' organizations, and will provide an excellent working conditions, stable and efficient technology and communications systems, fast and accurate information and also many kinds of services to the media.



According to Sha Wanquan, director of MPC Venue Operation Team, that the MPC has taken full account of the special requirement of the Paralympic Games. The MPC has been designed in full compliance with the accessibility specification, it is a high standard barrier-free venues. All the entrances of the MPC have barrier free ramps so that people with disabilities can easily access building; all the reception desks are of low and high positions; the working desks and tables for the journalists are designed in such a way that it can provide convenience both to the people with disabilities; the dedicated Info Terminal and the screen reading software have been installed for the people with visual impairment. The MPC has also installed various services in support of the work of the journalists covering the Paralympics.



In addition, the dedicated freezers installed in the media dining hall, the food, beverages, flavourings and table wears are placed with the recommendation of the experts. All the venues and working people in the MPC have received multiple rounds of training, especially people working in the reception area have received on site training so that they provide more detailed and professional services.



Sha Wanquan said that the Paralympic Games uses the same MPC as the Olympic Games so that the facilities and services at the Paralympic Games can be maintained at the same level and the same standard as the Olympic Games. This is an innovation in the Paralympic history. This also fully shows the high attention given by the Chinese government and BOCOG to the media services for the Paralympic Games.



By People's Daily Online

Nadal wins prestigious Prince of Asturias award in Spain

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has been named as the winner of the prestigious Prince of Asturias Sports award for 2008.



Eighteen members of the 24-man jury, which was presided over by former International Olympic Committee chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch and which met in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo, voted for Nadal in the final round of votes.



That allowed Rafael to triumph over the other candidates, who included U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Michael Phelps, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Olympic 100 meters champion Ursain Bolt of Jamaica.



The Spanish football squad which won this year's European Championships, was also among the candidates.



2008 has been an incredible year for Nadal. He won the French Open tournament in May and followed that up with his first ever triumph in Wimbledon and the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.



Nadal succeeds former Formula 1 racing champion Michael Schumacher, who won the award in 2007.



The Prince of Asturias Awards were initiated in 1981 to encourage achievements in scientific, cultural and humanistic fields. The awards are divided into eight categories including arts, social sciences and sport. Each of the eight international recipients are awarded 50,000 euros.



Source:Xinhua

Liu's injury may require surgery in US

The injury of China's star hurdler Liu Xiang is more severe than expected and Liu may go abroad for surgery, local media reported yesterday.





China's Liu Xiang kneels down while warming up prior to the first round competition of men's 110m hurdles at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 18, 2008. The defending champion Liu Xiang dropped out after getting injury.

Liu pulled out of the 110m hurdles first round at the Beijing Olympic Games last month, citing a recurrence of the chronic inflammation in his Achilles' tendon.



As reported by Yangtse Evening Post, Liu may have to undergo surgery in the United States after Sept 20 and said it is hard to decide exactly how long the recovery will take.



After the conclusion of the Beijing Games, Liu and his coach Sun Haiping returned to his hometown of Shanghai last Friday.



Having a one-day rest at home, Liu returned to his training base in Shanghai for upper body training and healing of the injury.



Currently, the 25-year-old is undergoing examination by domestic experts and he will not seek for further treatment in the US unless his injury is in stable condition.



A doctor, who conducted the initial examination, told the Shanghai Evening Post that it will take about one year for Liu to get fully fit.



"My foot is not as swollen but I still cannot run," Liu was quoted by Liberation Daily of Shanghai. "When I tried to exert strength I could feel great pain. After the swelling goes down the doctors will work out a plan to perform a radical cure. I will continue training my upper body and remain optimistic."



Considered the biggest track and field star at the Beijing Games, the defending champion withdrew from his race, causing great surprise and disappointment for his fans.



Despite pressure from the public and watching rival Cuban Dayron Robles grab Olympic gold medal so easily, Liu has stayed calm and vows to return stronger than ever.



"I am not upset after watching the final race," he said in his column in the Liberation Daily after the finals of the Olympic men's 110m hurdles. "On the contrary, I still feel the desire for victory burning. I am still young. I have the potential. I can fight on against him ."



His coach said he will not push Liu to train unless he fully recovers .



"We will resume normal training when the doctors confirm that he has fully recovered. Liu is young and still at the peak of his career. I believe he will regain his best form."



Source: China Daily

World record duck race turns Thames blue

The ducks were released near Hampton Court Palace as part of the Great British Duck Race, raising money for charities including the NSPCC and Water Aid.



Official entrants were an exotic blue, instead of the more traditional yellow, after stewards last year face problems with people throwing their own unofficial plastic birds into the water at the event.





The Great British Duck Race in West London sees 250,000 blue rubber ducks released into the river Thames.



The 250,000 ducks created a world record this year for the most plastic ducks raced together. It beat the record set on the Thames last year, when 165,000 were raced down stream, raising more than $180,200 for charity.



Each duck cost $3.604 to enter in to the race, with the owner of the first past the finishing line at the Sheriff Boat Club at Albany Reach receiving a $18020 first prize.



In 1992, 29,000 rubber ducks fell overboard from a boat in the Pacific Ocean and floated around the world for more than 15 years.



Source: China Daily

"Early" blast-off tipped for spacewalk mission

The planned launch date of Shenzhou VII, China's third manned spacecraft, may be brought forward from next month to sometime this month, Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po newspaper said.



A source reportedly told the paper the launch date will be between Sept 17, the closing day of the Beijing Paralympics, and Oct 1, China's National Day.



"Now it is fairly certain it will be before National Day, because the best launch window for Shenzhou VII will be before Oct 1," the newspaper quoted the source as saying.



But an officer with the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army, which oversees the Shenzhou program, told China Daily the report was "not reliable".



The spacecraft will lift off from the Jiuquan rocket launch site in northwestern Gansu province with three astronauts. Two of them will enter the orbital module, with one expected to become the first Chinese spacewalker.



Shenzhou VII has already been assembled and transferred to Jiuquan for final tests, the paper said.



It will be launched on a Long March 2F rocket. On its return, the spacecraft is expected to land within the jurisdiction of Wulanchabu, a city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the paper said.



Shenzhou VII astronauts will use a Chinese designed and made airlock module for extra vehicular activity - work done by an astronaut away from the Earth and outside of a spacecraft.



The spacesuit is designed for such missions of up to seven hours.



The much-awaited mission is the second stage of the country's three-staged manned space program, which seeks to launch a manned spacecraft, set up a space laboratory, and build a space station before 2020.



The first phase was completed in 2003, when China became the third country to send a person into space on its own. In 2005, the country sent two more astronauts on a five-day flight on Shenzhou VI.



Last year, Chang'e I, China's first lunar probe, was sent into orbit, drawing a close to the first stage of its lunar exploration project, which too involves three phases. The last aims to collect soil samples from the moon, also before 2020.



Source: China Daily

China to launch 1st natural disaster monitoring satellite

China will launch the first of eight satellites to monitor environment and natural disasters from the country's north Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center this week, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation .



The satellite "Environment 1", an optical satellite, will be sent into orbit by a Long March 2C carrier.



It will monitor most of the country and send back data daily, making up for the country's earth observation data shortage, said Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of Environmental Protection, Wednesday's "China Business News" reports.



"Launch of the satellite will largely enhance our environment monitoring ability," said Wu, explaining that the present environment monitoring and researching method was not good enough to cope with the dynamic environment and the occurrence of natural disasters.



The satellite will work as a constellation with seven other satellites yet to be launched. Its observational footprint is 720 km.



It is expected to forecast and monitor natural disasters such as flooding, drought, typhoon, landslide and earthquake, said Wu.



Source: Xinhua

Bye-bye to "bad hair days" as experts unsnarl tangled hair

"Bad hair days" could soon become a thing of the past, according to German researchers who say they have unsnarled the mystery of frizzy and tangled hair.



The chemists from the University of Bayreuth claim they have developed the first detailed microscopic analysis of what happens to individual hair fibers when they interact with each other, which is to say when they get tangled up with each other and refuse to untangle.



The research could pave the way for the development of improved shampoos, conditioners and other products for repairing damaged hair, according to the findings.



In the new study, the researchers invented a unique technology for analyzing hair that involves mounting individual hair fibers on a cantilever tip of an atomic force microscope and measuring their interactions as they touch each other.



"The system will allow scientists to explore how different hair care products affect hair-to-hair interactions so that these products can be optimized in a more systematic fashion," says study co-author Eva Max, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany.



She says the research involves "haptics," the science of touch - how the subjective perception of touch connects to objective surface properties of hair and other materials.



The researchers used this new technique to analyze hair samples to be collected from volunteers. The samples, which were previously bleached, ranged from light blond to dark blonde in color.



The researchers found that hair feels rough and difficult to comb for two main reasons. On the one hand, mechanical damage to a hair's surface or cuticle, creates scaly projections that jut out at perpendicular angles to other hair fibers. When hair fibers slide past each other, these scales create more friction than smooth hairs, causing a rough feel and making hair more difficult to comb. To soften hair, conditioners must contain active agents to smooth-out these scales so that they produce less friction, the researchers say.



On the other hand, chemical changes occur when hair fibres interact. Negative charges build up on the surface of hair that causes repulsion between single hairs. This repulsion causes friction and makes hair rough and difficult to comb. To solve the problem, positively-charged polymers that neutralize the negatively charged surfaces are included in conditioner formula to provide a silky feel to hair.



But finding the right formula for repairing damaged hair is no easy task, notes Dr Claudia Wood, a senior scientist at BASF in Bayreuth, Germany. In addition to hair interactions, many other external factors, such as humidity, water content of hair, and hair stickiness, all affect hair quality, Wood says.



The key to repairing these processes is to find the right ratio of beneficial components in a conditioner or shampoo that optimize hair feel, Max and colleagues say.



Source: China Daily\agencies

PA breaks two records in covering the Beijing Olympics 2008

During the Beijing Olympics, PA Sport, leader of global sports information, sent a team of professional journalists and photographers, who were based in Main Press Centre and at the venues, offering comprehensive, instant and on-the-spot service.



According to Pete Whitfield, PA Sport's Global Planning Editor, on its way to the preparation to Beijing Olympic Games, at least two records would be broken. Firstly, PA Sport's team of 27 journalists, the largest ever sent to the Games, which was almost doubled the number sent to the Sydney eight years ago and a significant increase from 19 sent to the Athens Games four years ago. Secondly, PA Sport team would contain for the very first time two multimedia video journalists, who would be Beijing-based and definitely bring a new dimension to the Games' reporting. Game-time coverage will be illustrated by comprehensive results, picture services as well as graphic images.



Beijing promised exciting Games and its handover to London 2012 Games brought great interest to the media giant. PA Sport is accredited directly by the IOC and is allocated more accreditation than the previous games.



For the Beijing Games, PA Sport team includes eleven reporters, and nine out of them stayed in Beijing and the remaining two covered equestrian and sailing events in Hong Kong and Qingdao respectively.



PA Sport's game-time office within the Main Press Centre in Beijing had four sub-editors, results editor, picture editor and two IT staff. In addition to the picture editor in the MPC, there were six photographers –four of them were based in Beijing and the remaining two provided coverage in Hong Kong and Qingdao.



Team in the PA Sport office at the MPC organised which reporter should cover which sport, and reports and photos should be edited and transmitted immediately. PA team at the MPC also organised tickets for the reporters covering high-demanding events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies.



PA Sport's relationship with sport information employers and organizations has assisted privilege in reporting the Beijing Olympics. The MPC team will also deliver daily roundups for all sports either from the British angle or from the global perspective.



PA Sports offers a number of innovative and compelling products and services to all of its clients, namely, news service, wireless, broadcasting, betting, internet, printing, as well as sports photography.



Additionally, an image transferring technology called ShootLive provides live coverage from every event in the Beijing Games. For the photographers, ShootLive transmits images in real time to picture editors. It stores every image on a server and creates communications between photographers and editors. It presents digital images clearly as previews on a monitor to the editor. The best pictures can be quickly selected and edited and delivered to clients. The entire process from camera click at the event to consumers only takes less than 60 seconds.



By People's Daily Online

"Bird's Nest" makes international debut at the 29th Olympic Games

The National Stadium, better known as "Bird's Nest" for its structure, the iconic building for the Beijing Olympic Games, comes to the spotlight as the grand opening ceremony held on 8 August, 2008. Fantastic firework displays, celebrities as well as all the flags of all different countries are the things to enjoy.



Located in the Olympic Green in north Beijing, the stadium with a capacity of over 90,000 seats, designed by Arup, a professional consultancy providing engineering, design, planning as well as project management, hosts the main track and field competition as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.



The stadium earned the nickname of "Bird's Nest" for its unique steel roof structure. "We designed the stadium inside out. The seating bowl was designed first as our priority to ensure that 91,000 spectators will be as close as possible to the action with clear sight lines," said J Parrish, a Director of Arup Sport focusing on specialist sports design.



Parrish continued that the first thing came to mind when designing the stadium was all about the people, giving people a great view, comfortable seats, guaranteeing all the spectators' security and their enjoyment of the Games. The stadium should get people as close to the action as they can and get the right balance between what they can see and how close they are. The tribune was designed to give people a good view over the head of the person at front.



When construction for 'Bird Nest' was commenced right in the early stages, the designers already knew where every seat was located. They also knew the quality of the view from every seat. computer technology, helped strike a balance between the conflicting factors of how a good view was, how close the spectators were and whether the spectators were close enough to see the far end.



A lot of work has also been done for people's movement in the stadium because everyone who goes there must be kept safe. "It is a very courageous building in terms of size, so it requires much information very very early. A lot of factors needed to be taken into consideration. An issue becomes critical in stadium, what happens when people bounce up and down?" noted Parrish. "As we did in Beijing for the Olympic stadium as well as for all our projects, we use computer technology to model the flow of crowd. It is a very challenging field because the difference between being safe and being killed is very close. "



According to Parrish, if a stadium becomes obsolete, it is not simply because the structure is too old, or because the seats are wrong - it is because of the facilities are not considered appropriate. "We employed parametric design in Beijing Olympic venues in order to design things much more sufficiently than we normally could, and we were also keen to do to bring people as close as we could," said Parrish.



Last but not the least, the design of "Bird's Nest" also met the challenge of creating a legacy. What does it do once it finishes the Olympics and what does it do for the next 20, 30 or even 40 years? The stadium will be more than just a sporting venue after the Olympics. Besides big events, the "Bird's Nest" will serve the citizens for their fitness, entertainment and leisure in the long run.



By People's Daily Online

Paralympics chief: China serious about Games

Clear skies, golden sunshine and the cool autumn weather. The Paralympic Games could not have got a better welcome.



International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven agrees. "Isn't the weather fantastic?" he said yesterday.



"We had incredible weather in Torino and brilliant weather in Athens, where the temperature was around 25-26 C. We are just moving into weather in Beijing," the 58-year-old Briton said.



The 2006 Winter Paralympics was held in Torino, Italy, and the 2004 summer version, in Athens. This time, the Paralympics is being held by the Beijing Olympics organizing committee to present "Two Games with Equal Splendor".



Craven has been involved in the preparations of the Beijing Olympics as well as the Paralympics since 2002.



The IPC chief, who uses a wheelchair, has worked to make venues in Beijing and the two co-host cities of Qingdao and Hong Kong as accessible as possible for Paralympians and spectators both.



But making the Great Wall and the Forbidden City accessible to the physically challenged was a more urgent task for him.



"It's symbolic China is serious about the Paralympics and about all people," he said.



"It's a great feeling to be there on the Great Wall, just as the saying goes, 'you are not a hero unless you climb the Great Wall'."



Craven praised the facilities in Beijing but hoped that more would be done for the physically challenged after the Paralympics. "The level of accessibility is absolutely fantastic and it's a first class job."



Six years is not enough to change everything, he said, still a "lot of work has been done".



More, however, needs to be done to educate the public and the media to change their perception about the physically challenged, he said. After all, in a developing country like China most of the people have never heard of the Paralympics or seen the disabled play much sport, he said.



People have to enjoy the Paralympics just like they enjoy the Olympics, he said. The IPC has been trying to help "Paralympians achieve excellence and inspire and excite the world", and make the Paralympics as competitive and exciting as any other sporting event.



About 4,000 athletes from 148 countries and regions will compete in 20 events at the Beijing Paralympics.



The very high competitive level of the Paralympians is surprising, Craven said. "For example, the fastest male runner takes about 2 hours, 5 minutes to complete the marathon, while a wheelchair runner takes less than 1 hour, 30 min - which means he is 40 percent faster."



"Once you watch the competition you will be amazed and inspired and excited."



To his delight, there will be over 1.6 million spectators at the Beijing Paralympics. The attendance in Sydney was 1.2 million and in Athens, 850,000.



Source: China Daily

Ronaldinho and Robinho top summer transfers

PARIS: Ronaldinho, who left Barcelona for AC Milan, and Manchester City-bound Robinho were the two top names in soccer to have completed transfers during the summer.



Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Andrei Arshavin of Zenit St Petersburg had been tipped for big-money moves but they came to nothing.



The transfer deadline passed at midnight on Sept 1, meaning players cannot now move clubs till the winter transfer window opens in January.



Ronaldinho's move meant he could leave his wretched season at Barcelona behind him, where he was accused of showing more interest in night-time partying than what he was doing on the Nou Camp pitch.



AC Milan's 20-million-euro purchase of the 2005 European Footballer of the Year could prove a rebirth in the career of Ronaldinho, who teams up with Brazilian compatriots Kaka and Pato at the San Siro.



Andrei Shevchenko has also returned to AC Milan from Chelsea and the club looks set for an upswing in fortunes following a poor 2007/08 season.



Manchester City signed Robinho from Real Madrid for a fee of around 42 million euros , the English Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday.



Brazilian international Robinho agreed a four-year contract with Mark Hughes's side shortly before the close of the transfer window.



Juventus contented itself with the 22.8 million-euro capture of Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo as its top signing.



Coach Jose Mourinho was the big investment by Inter Milan who brought him in as a replacement to Roberto Mancini and its major signing of the season was made on Monday when it took on board FC Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma for around 17 million euros.



Inter also landed Roma's Brazilian midfielder Mancini and Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari.



In Spain, Real Madrid purchased striker Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from Hamburg, joining up with fellow Dutchmen Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Royston Drenthe and Wesley Sneijder at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium.



Van der Vaart's inclusion no doubt consoled the Meringues somewhat having failed to prise Euro 2008 top scorer David Villa from Valencia.



Barcelona opened its wallet wide to pay for the incoming players of Daniel Alves, Alexander Hleb and Seydou Keita.



Though the top Spanish clubs often get the players they want, Ronaldo did not move to Madrid although it offered Manchester United a reported 85 million euros for the player who scored 42 goals on the way to the English Premiership and Champions League titles.



He was involved in a tug-of-war between the clubs with daily updates throughout the summer though early last month he finally decided to stay with the Red Devils for at least another year, adding he would still like to play for Madrid at some point in his career.



Just after losing in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 with Portugal, Ronaldo had made clear his desire to move to Madrid although he had a contract linking him with Manchester till 2012.



Sir Alex Ferguson got his way however and hanging on to Ronaldo was the major task, as far as his squad was concerned, during the summer.



However United beat the transfer deadline to complete a 37.7 million-euro deal for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov, 27, agreed a four-year contract with United and Tottenham confirmed the deal on its website 45 minutes after the transfer window shut.



Manchester City had tried to lure Berbatov to Eastlands after having an offer accepted for the Bulgarian, but he opted to join the European champions following talks with Ferguson at the club's Carrington training ground.



Arsenal's Arsene Wenger brought in Marseille's midfield maestro Sami Nasri, sometimes touted as the new Zinedine Zidane, and defender Mikael Silvestre, also of France, from Manchester United.



Liverpool however splashed out 24 million euros to buy Tottenham striker Roy Keane to create a new strike partnership at Anfield with Fernando Torres.



Chelsea's new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to its fifth World Cup title in 2002, brought in midfielder playmaker Deco from Brazil.



Tottenham, very active in the transfer market this season, failed to land its sought-after target of Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg.



Arshavin's superb showing for Russia, as it cruised to the Euro 2008 semifinals, put him nicely in the shop window but St Petersburg's 25 million-euro plus price tag proved too much for the north Londoners.



Source: China Daily/Agencies

Singh sizzles with putter to win again

NORTON, Massachusetts: Vijay Singh rolled in three tremendous long putts in a sizzling 8-under 63 on Monday to win the US PGA Deutsche Bank Championship, his second triumph in a row in the tour playoffs.



Singh, a Fijian-Indian, finished 72 holes on a four-round record 22-under par 262 to defeat runner-up Mike Weir of Canada by five strokes. South Africa's Ernie Els fired a final-round 70 to finish third on 270 with Colombia's Camilo Villegas.



Vijay Singh of Fiji holds the championship trophy after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Monday in Norton, Massachusetts. AFP



"I feel incredible," Singh said. "I started great, made a great eagle on 2 with a chip-in and got the ball rolling. I drove the ball beautifully all day and kept the ball in play, never got into much trouble. That was the key."



American Tim Herron and Spain's Sergio Garcia were on 271 with United States veterans Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard and Chad Campbell another stroke back.



"It was just impressive," Garcia said. "Well done to Vijay. He played amazing."



The victory makes Singh the man to beat for the PGA playoff crown, with Weir and Garcia needing victories and bad showings from Singh to overtake him for the points crown.



"It's good to see my ball going in for a change," Singh said. "I've been watching everybody else's go in. It's nice to actually stand over the putts and make putts like that. It's a great feeling. There's nothing better."



Singh, who was struggling with his putting just last month, eagled the par-5 second hole and added birdies at the sixth and seventh, the latter a 37-foot twisting putt that found its way to the bottom of the cup.



Singh birdied three of four holes starting at the 11th to seize control and dazzled at 14 with a 60-footer.



After a bogey at 15, Singh sealed his third triumph in five starts with a 35-footer at the 17th for birdie and a tap-in birdie at 18th, his fourth birdie in as many tries at the closing hole.



"Vijay played a wonderful round," Weir said. "That was just a fantastic round in those conditions. It's hard to combat that firepower when the wind was blowing. Vijay's round was really exceptional."



There was more length in all of Singh's putts on Monday than there had been in all of his putts over the first three rounds.



"I've never felt this comfortable on the greens ever," Singh said. "The more I talk to myself on the golf course, the better I feel."



Singh won the Barclays in a playoff over Spain's Sergio Garcia and American Kevin Sutherland last week and won the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational last month at Akron, Ohio.



"Making the last putt at Akron told me that I needed to change some kind of an attitude or change my putting style. If I kept doing that, I don't think I could make it anymore. It was hard just putting," Singh said.



"So I went back home and just had a good attitude change. I spoke to some psychologist that was trying to help me. Deep down it has to come from me."



Singh, 44, fired the lowest final round by a tournament winner on the US PGA Tour this year to claim his 22nd victory after the age of 40, giving him 34 for his career.



"Since he turned 40 he's had 22 wins, so he just keeps getting better and better," Weir said. "He just has that kind of body that he's a big guy and he's kind of loose, so I think he'll always hit it far even as he gets older."



Singh has a huge lead in the points fight to determine the season-ending champion, but that will not stop him from working hard next week in the quest of yet another triumph.



"I don't take anything for granted," Singh said. "I'm going to play hard next week."



The top 70 players in points will advance to next week's event in St. Louis, which will decide the 30 players who compete later this month in the season-ending Tour Championship, but Singh's lead is nearly insurmountable.



"When Vijay is playing like this and rolling the ball like he's rolling it, it's hard to get him because we all know how good a ball-striker he is," Garcia said. "I don't see him finishing outside the top 10 in the next two tournaments."



The victory, worth $1.26 million, also moved Singh beyond $60 millions in career winnings, trailing only Tiger Woods' $82 million total.



"It' like when Tiger is playing well," Garcia said. "You want to beat him, but you've got to give it up to him. It's awesome to watch. You're watching history."



An impressive global leaderboard featuring six stars with a chance to win faltered, with only Singh coming through lower than 1-under par with the title on the line in the $7 million event.



Source: China Daily/Agencies

Nadal withstands fierce test

NEW YORK: World No 1 Rafael Nadal battled his way into the US Open quarterfinals on Monday, outlasting 55th-ranked Sam Querrey 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 , 6-3 to match his best career showing at the Grand Slam event.



The reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion is trying to become only the fourth man to win three Slam singles crowns in a row, joining Pete Sampras, Rod Laver and the man he dethroned atop the rankings, Roger Federer.



"Very tough," Nadal said. "I'm very happy for the victory. Now I'm in my best round at the US Open and I hope to play better in the next round."



But Nadal struggled in the face of an epic effort from lanky United States 20-year-old Querrey, who nearly made his fourth-round Slam debut a shocker for the ages and cast major doubt upon whether or not Nadal has what it takes to win a US Open.



"He had to earn that third set and fourth set," Querrey said. "It's nice to know he actually had to go out there and fight for it rather than me handing it to him."



The 22-year-old Spanish left-hander bids for his first US Open semifinal against 35th-ranked American Mardy Fish, who matched his best Slam run from last year's Australian Open by defeating France's Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.



"He's a dangerous player. He's playing very well," Nadal said. "He's playing with big confidence and I have to play very well if I want to win."



The other quarterfinal on Nadal's side of the draw will send British sixth seed Andy Murray against the hottest player on tour, Argentina's 19-year-old Juan Martin Del Potro.



The South American won his 23rd match in a row, beating Japan's 18-year-old Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to advance, while Scotsman Murray ousted a friend, Swiss 10th seed Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.



"It's always tough playing against one of your friends," Murray said. "But this is the quarterfinals of my favorite tournament and I had to put the friendship aside."



Murray, who reached his first Slam quarterfinal this year at Wimbledon, assured a rise to fifth in the world with the triumph. He beat Del Potro in May on Rome clay in their only prior meeting when his foe retired in the third set.



Querrey fired 20 aces and 52 winners at Nadal but made 50 unforced errors to fall short after three hours and 13 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.



"At the start I was a little nervous but after an hour I was hiting my shots pretty good," Querrey said. "I was just taking my forehand and trying to rip it as hard as I could. He's just too good."



Nadal broke Querrey in the third and seventh games to take the first set in 31 minutes, but in the second, Querrey answered a Nadal break in the seventh game by breaking at love with Nadal serving for the set to equalize at 5-5.



If Fish has anything to say about it, another battle awaits Nadal.



Fish, 26, was a runner-up last week at New Haven and beat then No 1 Federer in March at Indian Wells. He said he was "absolutely" confident he could hurt Nadal.



"Confidence is a big thing. It comes back to wanting desperately to do well and do anything I can to win," Fish said. "A guy with my style of play is someone he doesn't want to see.



"Rafa is playing so well and so solid from the baseline and moves so well. You've got to be able to finish points quickly," Fish said. "He can finish with anybody. He wants to run guys down. I don't intend to let him do that.



"I'm going to come in - not necessarily kamakaze-type tennis, but I'm going to try to keep the points as short as possible."



Source: China Daily/Agencies

Serena, Venus set up US Open sister showdown

NEW YORK: Serena Williams will face sister Venus at the US Open for the fourth time after bringing Severine Bremond's wild card run to a halt with a 6-2, 6-2 victory on Monday.



Serena and Venus have met 16 times previously with both winning eight matches, but this will be the first time they have met in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.



Seventh-seeded Venus, who eliminated Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-3, said life on the court would be easier if she didn't have a superstar sister.



But says she won't hold back against eight-time Grand Slam winner Serena.



"If I had a sister who wasn't good then it would be easier because I would just beat her. But obviously she is very good," said Venus, who like Serena has two US Open titles.



"We have to meet in the quarters but this would be a huge milestone for me to win this championship. That's how I see it, as trying to win the tournament."



Said fourth seed Serena, "It's my career and her career. I know she can definitely bury it. So I can do the same thing."



In the other women's fourth-round matches on Monday, Russian sixth seed Dinara Safina beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5, 6-0 and Flavia Pennetta of Italy trounced France's Amelie Mauresmo 6-3, 6-0.



Serena needed just 60 minutes to bounce France's Bremond and Venus not much longer to send Radwanska packing as neither sister has dropped a set so far.



Venus and Serena have met twice in the US Open final with the older Venus winning in 2001 before losing to Serena the following year.



Wednesday's match will be a repeat of this year's Wimbledon final, which Venus won 7-5, 6-4.



And this is only the third time since 1998 they have met before the semifinals of a tournament. They have not been shy about expressing their disappointment at this year's draw.



"It sucks," Serena said. "That's how I feel. Even the semis would be better than the quarters. At least one of us will make it to semis."



They only have themselves to blame for their being in the same quarter of the draw as neither has played a full tour schedule in the past year.



There is more on the line than just sibling bragging rights for Serena. If the 26-year-old Serena makes it to the finals she could regain the No 1 spot she held for the first time in July 2002.



"It is not about getting there for me," Serena said. "It is about keeping it."



Serena won 90 percent of her first-serve points and hammered 24 winners to 121st-ranked Bremond's 10 winners.



Venus, who won back-to-back US Open titles in 2000 and 2001, avenged a loss to Radwanska in their only other career meeting two years ago in Luxembourg.



Venus hammered four aces, won 77 percent of her first-serve points and converted five of 14 break-point chances in the 84-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.



She came out with plenty of fire, winning the first set in just 32 minutes before clinching the victory on her second match point when the error-prone Radwanska sailed a forehand into the net.



Venus never let Radwanska into the match, jumping on her serve and attacking the net. Venus broke Radwanska in the second and fourth games of the opening set and then held serve to take a 5-0 lead.



She smacked a 121mph ace to win the fifth game and hit a total of 33 winners.



Safina is trying to follow in the footsteps of brother Marat Safin and win her first Grand Slam at the US Open.



Safina has won three titles and was runner-up at the French Open earlier this year, giving credence to the argument she is the most in-form of all the WTA Tour.



Source: China Daily/Agencies

Sino-African trade to hit $100 bln in 2008, China predicts

Bilateral trade between China and Africa will exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, two years earlier than expected, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.



The forecast was based on first-half figures, which showed that bilateral trade grew almost 66 percent year-on-year to 53.14 billion U.S. dollars. The growth rate was about 40 percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.



The total included 23 billion U.S. dollars in exports to Africa, up 40 percent, and about 30 billion U.S. dollars in imports, up about 92 percent. The import growth rate was almost 85 percentage points higher.



The administration attributed the rapid growth rates largely to an economic upturn in Africa and mounting Chinese demand for resources.



According to Customs data, 19 African countries each recorded more than 500 million U.S. dollars in trade with China in the first half, up from 14 a year earlier.



Despite rapid growth, the administration said, Sino-African trade only accounted for 4.3 percent of China's first-half foreign trade.



Source:Xinhua

Brown suspends homebuyer tax

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suspended a homebuyer tax and proposed spending 1 billion pounds sooner than planned to help reverse Britain's worst housing slump in at least 18 years.



The money will be used to help people buy new homes and support those struggling to pay their mortgages. From tomorrow, residential properties worth less than 175,000 pounds will be exempt from stamp duty for a year under plans announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.



The measures are part of a package of relief aimed at preventing the economy from tipping into a recession and bolstering the popularity of the ruling Labour Party, which has lagged behind the Conservative Party in polls since October. The economic slowdown has sent the pound to a record low against the euro.



The rescue package will be funded by spending more quickly the 6.5 billion pounds earmarked for social-housing programs over the next three years so that more of it is used in the next 12 months.



The stamp duty move effectively raises the current threshold for paying the tax from 125,000 pounds. As a result, the share of housing transactions exempt from the levy will rise to a half from a third.



The move will cost the Treasury 600 million pounds in foregone revenue over the 12 months.



Darling was quoted in the Guardian August 30 as saying the UK is facing "arguably the worst" economic conditions since World War II. That prompted Brown's spokesman, Michael Ellam, on Monday to deny a rift between the two men.



Interest-free loan



The program would offer help to thousands of first-time buyers earning less than 60,000 pounds a year for up to a third of the value of a newly built property. The interest-free loans, funded by the government and the property developer, will be available for up to five years.



The government will also give money to several thousand households at risk of falling behind with mortgage payments in return for an equity stake in the properties.



Housing associations would be given the money to buy and then rent back properties to those struggling to make payments, or buy or rent a share of the property to help reduce payments. The plans are part of a broader economic package that Brown will unveil by September 8, when the Cabinet meets for the first time following the summer parliamentary recess. Nationwide Building Society said last week that house prices declined 10.5 percent in August from a year earlier, the biggest drop since the final quarter of 1990.



Source: China Daily/Agencies

Coke offer for China's Huiyuan could face difficulties winning approval

Coca-Cola said on Wednesday it has offered to buy Huiyuan, China's largest fruit juice company, for the equivalent of 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in cash, in what would be the second-largest acquisition in the U.S.-based company's history.



Coke said the offer needed to be approved by the Chinese government.



The prospects of approval are unclear. In July, China turned down an offer by U.S.-based private equity company Carlyle Group to acquire the Xugong Group Construction Machinery Co.



"The approval of the acquisition faces many difficulties," said Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a government think tank that is under the Ministry of Commerce.



"There are two main difficulties. One is the large size of the two companies, which will raise concerns about monopolies," Mei told Xinhua. "The second is that the brand of Huiyuan is considered to be protected as a famous domestic brand," he said.



If successful, the acquisition of Huiyuan would represent the largest purchase of a controlling stake in a Chinese company by a foreign company, according to Thomsom Reuters.



Coca-Cola intends to make an all-cash offer to purchase China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited, a Hong Kong-listed company that owns the Huiyuan juice business throughout China. The deal is part of a larger program to grow internationally through acquisitions.



Coca-Cola is offering 12.20 Hong Kong dollars per share and an equivalent price for outstanding convertible bonds and options. It said it has accepted irrevocable undertakings from three major shareholders for acceptance of the offers, in aggregate representing approximately 66 percent of the Huiyuan shares.



"Huiyuan is a long-established and successful juice brand in China and is highly complementary to the Coca-Cola China business," said Muhtar Kent, president of Coca-Cola.



Atlanta-based Coke has been doing business in China since 1979.It was also a major sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games.



"This acquisition will deliver value to our shareholders and provide a unique opportunity to strengthen our business in China, especially since the juice segment is so dynamic and fast-growing in China," Kent said.



Coca-Cola intends that initially, Huiyuan will continue to function as usual, while a review of its operations and synergies are undertaken.



"I am very pleased that the current chairman of the Huiyuan business, Zhu Xinli, has agreed to take up the role of honorary chairman. Both the Huiyuan business and Coca-Cola will benefit from his deep understanding of the beverage business in China," Kent said.



Qu Bing, the head of public affairs of the Huiyuan group in Beijing, declined comment when contacted by Xinhua, except to say:"The deal will not influence the manufacturing operations of Huiyuan."



Source:Xinhua

Impact of PM Fukuda's resignation on Japan's political scene

Editor's note: Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced his abrupt resignation on Monday evening, or September 1. In a short span of time, two Japanese prime ministers left the political arena with striking similarities after less than a year in office. One of them is Shinzo Abe who represents the younger, militant faction in the Liberal Democratic Party , and the other, Yasuo Fukuda, is generally known as one of the senor moderates within LDP. But both have failed eventually to tackle domestic political, economic problems with an ensuing drop in their support rate.



With regard to the timing and causes for Fukuda's unexpected resignation and future trends in Japan's political scene, People Daily's desk editors Li Wenyun and Cao Pengcheng have conferred with PD resident reporter in Japan Yu Qing, Professor Liu Jiangyong at the Institute of International Studies of elite Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Wu Jinan, executive vice-president of the Society for Japanese Studies in Shanghai to analyze and explore into the issue.



The reason and timing of Fukuda's resignation need careful study



Desk editor: LDP has reportedly suffered from "symptoms of public confidence deficiency", and the two prime ministers who resigned one after other have contracted this illness and are faced with such questions: When the negative legacy of the Junichiro Koizumi era became evident, how to value the reform of the past? When Japan's old economic structure is changed, how to establish the new set-up? LDP did not answer these questions timely, and the Democratic Party of Japan , the country's largest opposition party, also did find answers to these questions. But the latter has been bent on making trouble for LDP, so can it be said that it is very hard for the Fukuda cabinet to hang on as his government fails to execute orders and so the efficiency of both Houses is extremely low.



Liu Jiangyong: Fukuda has in fact intended to resign long ago, and he only wants to seek an opportune time relatively favorable to the ruling party. First of all, he prefers quitting at this time so as to avoid the "power vacuum". If he chooses mid September when Congress is in session, he has to bear more responsibility as DPJ would use the Upper House to go on making trouble for LDP, and the Lower House, or the House of Representatives, would be under greater pressure.



Besides, Fukuda has no desire to hold on to his post, as he has completed his main political, diplomatic programs for this year. He hosted the G8 Hokkaido summit in Toyako in June, attended the opening ceremony of Beijing's 2008 Olympics, and participated in huge peace rally held in Hiroshima to remember the first victims of Atomic bombs, etc.



Yu Qing: Fukuda's resignation has both similarities and differences with that of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In term of similarities, both have been troubled by domestic issues and both face rivals in Congress who want to act defiantly and independently. The direct cause for their resignation is different nevertheless. Abe, in his 50s, left primarily for health reasons, and Fukuda, 72, steps down as he has been beset for sluggish support rate.



Abe, too, was troubled by low support rate in the latter period of his office. At present, however, the support rate for Fukuda's cabinet is low and the support rate for the Fukuda cabinet is also on decline inside the coalition of the ruling LDP. First, there has been a growing voice inside LDP to question Fukuda's leading ability. When the general election is in sight, the defeat for LDP is certain if he lead the ruling party in the race. Besides, New Komeito party, the coalition partner of LDP, began to "keep a certain distance" with the Fukuda cabinet from two months ago and, on such issues as negative annuity, medicare and social security, it no longer follow the LDP's advices.



Variables are still in brewing in Japan's political scene



Desk editor: Japan cannot stand aloof its domestic and external situation. There are numerous problems with negative annuity, medicare and social security plus recent soaring prices at home and, externally, its territorial dispute with the Republic of Korea is difficult to resolve and it has to re-establish or adjust its relations with the United States and Russia. General public and media in Japan hope there will be a powerful authority to lead them to tide over a crisis. The new prime minister and LDP as a whole would likely face an even greater pressure in such a situation. Then, will the next variable is in brewing in Japan's politics?



Wu Jinan: two "captains" have quit successively and forsaken the LDP "vessel" within one year, and people cannot but doubt its prospects.



Fukuda succeeded former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last September to become a leader of the ruling LDP and subsequently the prime minister. LDP met with unprecedented difficulties due to the control of both Houses by the ruling party and the opposition. The new "Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Act was passed in the Lower House but got agrounded at the Upper House, or the national diet. So Fukuda resorted to a two-third majority in the House of Representatives to re-vote and adopt the relevant codes, and thus harmed his image as a government leader. Moreover, he was hesitant and irresolute while coping with pension record misspeaks, so the support rate of his cabinet had dropped beyond the "warning line" from more than 50 percent at beginning. With a drastic drop in his cohensiveness within LDP, he finally stepped down and his resignation also heralds the troubled times ahead in Japan's political scene.



Yu Qing: The growing centrifugal tendency from Fukuda in the coalition is a leading pressure for Fukuda to quit. He thought the support rate for his cabinet would upgrade with the hosting of G8 summit, but turned disappointed as his hopes were dashed. Ordinary Japanese are only concerned about rising prices, social security, income increase and other topics relating closely to people's livelihoods. To view from this angle, a sustained rise in consumer goods prices is also a contributing factor to upheavals in Japan's political situation.



Still a limited room for Japan's new PM to maneuver



Desk editor: The revamping of the ruling party is still confined to the Party itself at present, and it is difficult to make a major policy decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and return politics to the people. So, the political scene remains in turmoil of political struggles between the two parties. In such circumstances, who is more likely to come to the fore as the new prime minister, and what challenges he is expected to meet?



Wu Jinan: Fukuda appointed Taro Aso, 67, as the LDP secretary general in a cabinet reshuffle a month ago, with an implication that he was ready to step aside. Upon Fukuda's announcement of his resignation, Aso announced his candidacy, saying in a strong statement that he would run for the LDP chief. At present, Japanese statesmen with strength to vie for this position are, among others, former defense minister Yuriko Koike, incumbent chief cabinet secretary Nobutaka Machimura, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Tanigaki Sadakazu. In comparison, Taro Aso is likely to win the most votes as he is populous and good at winning over voters, but the question is that he also has a lot of old foes inside LDP.



Liu Jiangyong: The application to the candidacy for the new LDP chief is reportedly due to finish before September 10 and the new LDP president will be elected around Sept. 21 and will become the new prime minister through confidence vote at the House of Representatives. To date, Taro Aso is prepared to stand for vote and is capable of winning more ballots. Furthermore, he is incumbent LDP secretary general in charge of personnel and elections. However, whoever is elected the Japanese new prime minister, it is not a funny game, as it implies the reorganization of politics in Japan.



Desk editor: Whoever will be Japan's new prime minister, it seems that he will be confronted with quite a few thorny problems.



Liu Jiangyong: The toughest problem rests with the imminent transitional Congress. The Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Act and Japan's supply of fuel to U.S. and other warships in the Indian Ocean are now a major political issue, whose prospects for the ratification is remote in the transitional Congress. Moreover, it is also hard to raise the new prime minister's support rate since he has to pluck up the confidence of his nationals economically.



The new prime minister should also attach importance to continuity in the domestic and foreign policies. Japan in years ahead has to face a range of new challenges, and particularly in the diplomatic fields to stabilize Japan-China ties, solve the Japan-ROK island dispute, and to cope with new variables in the Korea Peninsula nuclear issue and the U.S. presidential election.



Wu Jinan: the Democratic Party of Japan , the country's largest opposition party, triumphed and claimed control of the Upper House and it had all along looked forward to seizing the power. The party's current representative, Ichiro Ozawa, is good at waging election campaigns and knows very well how to hit the "soft rib" of the LDP. There are evidences that the ruling LDP and the opposition will wage a decisive battle in the transitional Congress in the fall.



By People's Daily Online

Why not discard the artificial marks

It has evolved into a cultural fight in the disguised form for all these years that China's adjacent provinces and municipalities are competing with one another for historical legacies and cultural resources, or even the legendary sites and figures, such as the Emperors of Yan and Huang, the ancestors of the Han ethnicity in sagas, and the butterfly lovers Liang and Zhu in fairy tales.



The historical and cultural resources seem to be a trade mark signaling the place is worth visiting, and therefore the obscure place could become a much-traveled tourist attraction overnight thanks to the real or the fanciful historical sites. That is why the cultural fight so far shows no signs to cease, instead, it has escalated in recent days.



It all happened when a bridge was erected last year in the ancient river way of Huaihe River, and Jiangsu Province, who masterminded the thing, announced recently that on top of the bridge would be built a sphere-shaped object as a mark to act as the geographical indication dividing China's south and north. Immediately after it was released, the announcement set up a hot debate across China, and in particular, irritated its neighbors-- Anhui Province and Henan Privince. An online poll even came as the bridge base was just completed, which showed almost all the 150,000 voters offended to the idea.



Many scholars also deemed that conventionally the Qinling Mountain, with the Huaihe River to the east, marks the geographical boundary between northern and southern China, and thereby it was completely undesirable to select a particular place as a representative for this geographical indication. But the provinces in question are still reluctant to give up their efforts to hanker after the fame as a historical or cultural site and the economic gains attached to the fame, and so they take it a necessary step to first of all create an impressive ‘name card' for their places before making them a hasty rise to fame.



This also helps explain why in recent years many artificial sites and even some fake ones have mushroomed, ruining the reputation of a place instead of gaining popularity as it wished, repelling the tourists rather than attracting them. Ironically, a certain governmental department recently stated that it would invest a huge sum in building a batch of public facilities with the historic significance immortal for centuries. History is man-made, but the high profile buildings with historic significance are not.



The immortality of a historical site or building comes to be so simply because history in its progress has taken root in people's memory deeply but naturally. Human efforts may propel or hinder the progress of history, but cannot change the course of its natural evolution. Likewise, historical significance is a treasure gained over time and test, nor can it be imposed upon a piece of architecture by human efforts.



Some would argue that designers of the bridges of Madison County had no intention or ability to leave behind some dreams. Why the bridges built there gained such an enormous popularity all attributes to a novel named The Bridges of Madison County. Indeed, there are many successful

cases like this smartly harnessing the unique cultural resources and making a perfect match of the cultural elements and the particular architecture and as a result, to make an otherwise obscure place eye-catching. Be that as it may, the agreement between the cultural elements and a particular place must be reached in a natural way, otherwise, the hype of historical and cultural sites by cooking up the story and stretching the meaning is not only absurd but may end up with making a blunder.



Even though the ‘eye-ball economics' has become a fashionable term and creative ideas deserve much more respect than ever before, capturing public attention can only be done through smart strategies and planning, instead of desperately cooking up a hype. In terms of developing local economy, the local authorities should keep a foothold on reality and fully capitalize on their local resources and potentials, and through the all-round planning, in order to win and enhance the public appeal for their places.



By People's Daily Online

Paraplegic girl finds new life with Sweet Home Neighborhood Program

Beijing girl Li Nan was not beaten by the tremendous change of lifestyle after being paralyzed in a car accident five years ago, and she now lives a whole new life with the Sweet Home Neighborhood Program.



"The life without walking legs has not been like in the hell tome. On the contrary, I have received more attention and been taken good care of after becoming a disabled person," Li, with a peaceful smile, told a press conference ahead of the Paralympic Games here on Wednesday.



"Sweet Home, the neighborhood organization that supports people with a disability, has helped me a lot in having a positive life, and now I am working under the program and helping other disabled persons," added the Beijing native, who was paralyzed by a traffic accident in January 2003.



Launched by Deng Pufang, Chairman of China Disabled Persons' Federation, the Sweet Home program offers extensive services to help the disabled people in rehabilitation and employment and brings cultural and physical education to needed communities to create an atmosphere of help and assistance.



The disabled people can enjoy a vast array of services such as rehabilitation, education, employment, social security, right protection, life care, cultural and sports activities, care support and accessibility in Sweet Homes.



"I got through the most difficult time short after the accident, learned how to live as a disabled and now enjoy a better social life in 'Sweet Home'," said Li.



Before the Sept. 6-17 Paralympic Games, more than 1,400 Sweet Homes of varied kinds have been established by the Beijing Municipal Government in sub-districts and residential communities to further improve the local work that supports people with disabilities.



A hundred and fifty community centers have been built under theSweet Home program, totaling 45,814 square meters and spreading over 18 districts and counties in Beijing.



These direct services now benefit 45,000 people with disabilities.



"Sweet Homes is the closest comprehensive service platform established in the local communities," said Zhao Chunluan, Chief Director of Beijing Disabled Persons' Federation.



"In the past, individuals would stay home for extended periods.Today, with Sweet Homes, they can go out and enjoy all of life's blessings," she added.



By 2010, Beijing plans to build a Sweet Home for people with disabilities in every sub-district or township, said Zhao.



Source: Xinhua

Japan: Trilateral Summit with China, S Korea postponed

Japan's top government spokesman said Wednesday that the trilateral summit with China and South Korea, scheduled to be held later this month, will be postponed.



Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura made the announcement at a regular press conference two days after Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's unexpected resignation.



The meeting is possibly rescheduled to take place "by the end of the year in Japan," said Machimura, adding that China and South Korea have accepted the deferment.



At a press conference hastily called at the prime minister's residence late Monday, Fukuda abruptly announced his resignation as the low approval rating for his cabinet persisted.



Source:Xinhua

China approves outbound tour groups to DPRK

China will allow its travel agencies to organize tour groups to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as the Chinese government has decided to grant approved destination status to the neighboring country, China's National Tourism Administration announced on Tuesday.



Group tours to the DPRK will start "at an appropriate time after the two countries negotiate details and sign official agreements," a statement from the NTA quoted its deputy head Du Jiang as saying when he met his DPRK counterpart during a visit to the country last Friday.



Du said 2009, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-DPRK diplomatic relations, would be a good opportunity for both countries to enhance cooperation in tourism, said Du.



"I believe China and the DPRK will further develop their relations and have closer cooperation," the statement quoted Du assaying.



Deputy Director Kang Chul-soo of the DPRK National Tourism Administration said the DPRK considered China as an important tourist source and hoped China could offer assistance in such fields as tourism promotion and personnel training.



Air China, the leading Chinese carrier, launched direct service from Beijing to Pyongyang in March. It is the only foreign airline to offer scheduled flights to the DPRK capital.



China approved 135 countries and regions as outbound destinations before the DPRK gained the status.



Chinese made 40.95 million outbound trips in 2007, more than any other Asian country and about 20 percent up from the previous year.



Source: Xinhua

Guizhou's charms attract growing tourism

On the map of China Guizhou province could be likened to lotus leaf flourishing on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest of the nation.



The province, with its capital Guiyang, covers an area of over 176,000 sq km and has a total population of more than 35.2 million.



It adjoins Sichuan province and Chongqing Municipality to the north, Yunnan province to the west, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to the south and Hunan province to the east.



Mountains and hills cover 92.5 percent of the province, with karst landscape comprising 61.9 percent of the total area.



In fact, Guizhou is China's only province without plains.



It is among the provinces with the most ethnic groups. Of China's 56 ethnic groups, 49 live in the province.



Minority groups account for about 40 percent of the province's total population and 55.5 percent of the province's area is designated as their autonomous regions.



History and resources



Far from the nation's political center, the province was historically China's frontier. It became one of China's 13 provinces in 1413, the 11th year of the rein of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty .



Known human habitation in Guizhou dates back 240,000 years.



Archaeologists have found numerous prehistoric cultural sites in the province, including the famous stone age Guanyin Cave Culture and Big Cave Culture.



Today the province remains unfamiliar to many travelers and tourists.



Yet it is blessed with striking natural scenery, culture and customs, a long history and a pleasant climate, all of which are beginning to attract more tourists, both domestic and international.



Wang Fuyu, deputy Secretary of CPC Guizhou Provincial Committee, described the province as "a colossal treasure house, a giant air-conditioner and an immense park".



It has 76 varieties of minerals with verified reserves. Among them, 28 rank in the top five of their kind in China.



Guizhou has one of China's three major bauxite deposits and is the largest coal producer in southern China.



It also boasts an abundant and extremely diverse ecology. It has more than 4,900 kinds of herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, the second-most in the country.



With forest coverage of 34.9 percent, the province has over 1,000 species of wild animals, including the golden monkey, clouded leopard and south China tiger.



At an average altitude of 1,100 m, most of the province is cool in summer and warm in winter.



Its beautiful limestone landscape has the most karst caves in the world. It has 948 rivers longer than 10 km and more than 10,000 waterfalls.



Francesco Frangialli, secretary general of the World Tourism Organization, praised Guizhou as a province of "colorful scenery, good wine, profound culture and charming singing and dancing".



Huangguoshu Falls



Huangguoshu Falls 137 km southwest of the provincial capital is the largest waterfall in Asia. It is 77.8 m high and 101 m wide and a 5-A national scenic spot.



Its Water Curtain Cave - Shuiliandong in Chinese - is a 134-m-deep naturally formed cave in back of the falls.



It allows visitors not only to view, but also to hear and touch the waterfalls. Huangguoshu is one of few waterfalls that can be seen from front and back - and all other angles.



Source: China Daily

Nation promotes vocational education

Management talents and engineers may be in short supply, but what the Chinese business sector needs most is skilled workers and technicians.



As China's manufacturing industry has climbed up the value chain since the beginning of economic reforms 30 years ago, the demand for highly skilled blue-collar workers on the factory floor has been growing.



Despite that, factory owners traditionally pay blue-collar workers, even the highly skilled ones, disproportionately low salaries compared with those at the management level. Not enough workers are therefore willing to spend the time and the effort to acquire skills in their trade, leading to a shortage of technicians since the late 1990s.



To solve this problem, the government began to promote vocational education, which can help ease the pressure on universities and increase job opportunities for urban youth.



According to China Statistics Yearbook, there were 11,570 secondary vocational schools around the nation with over 3 million students in 2003. The number of schools rose to 11,813 and that of students crossed 14 million in 2006.



At the same time, the number of schools for skilled workers stood at 2,884, while that of students jumped from 2.35 million in 2003 to 3.21 million in 2006.



People's Daily reported in 2006 that the central government planned to invest 10 billion yuan in vocational training in the 2006-10 period, with an annual enrollment target of 8 million.



Minister of Education Zhou Ji said at a recent national meeting that China will enroll 8.2 million students in secondary vocational schools this year. He also said that to attract more students to secondary vocational schools, the government will offer more financial support, build a better school management system and try to improve teacher training.



But more than a government push, the development of vocational education in China needs corporate support, which may involve cooperation with schools to increase the practical skills of students, offering internship opportunities as well as providing on-the-job training for existing workers.



And more important than that is an improvement in salary levels and social status, which will automatically attract more urban youth to the factory floor.



Source: China Daily

Hangzhou named top business city

Hangzhou was named the best place to do business in China for a fifth consecutive year in a Forbes survey released yesterday.



Shanghai came in at No 2, with Beijing remaining in sixth position for the second straight year. Wuxi was third, Nanjing fourth and Ningbo fifth.



Forbes China short-listed 194 mainland cities from a pool of 652 candidates with an annual GDP above 19 billion yuan in 2006.



Of the top 42 cities, 10 are from Jiangsu province, nine are from Zhejiang and seven are from Guangdong. Cities in the Yangtze River Delta rated well, despite the gloomy global economic outlook, the survey said.



"In Zhejiang province alone, over 5,000 SMEs emerged this year. Jiangsu province's Changzhou, with its environmental protection industry and great market potential, has outdone other cities to move into ninth place," Chen Lan, Forbes China editor, said yesterday.



The Yangtze River Delta region was represented by Shanghai and another 23 cities from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.



Chen said the Forbes list was based on each city's climate for business start-ups and private capital, which is why Hangzhou beat Shanghai for the top placing.



"In Hangzhou, more than 92 percent of the city's GDP is created by private companies, but Shanghai is the traditional business center for foreign investment," Chen said.



Although Beijing hosted the Olympics last month, Chen said the business and investment benefits are yet to come.



"We might see Beijing climb higher on the list in two to three years," she said.



The survey looks at the quality of the labor force, business costs, market size and capitalization to find the top business cities in the country.



Source: China Daily

Jilin expo a bridge for expanding northeast trade

The fourth China Jilin Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo opened yesterday to again bridge buyers and suppliers in the provincial capital of Changchun over the next four days.



One of the most influential trade fairs on the mainland, it offers an important opportunity and platform for opening up in Jilin", said provincial Party Secretary Wang Min.



"We must do our best to make this year's event the best ever in service for the opening up of Jilin, revitalization of northeast China and enhanced cooperation and communications between countries and regions," he noted.



The expo continues to grow after its successful first session three years ago. The number of contracts signed increased from 132 in 2005 to 169 last year, with the aggregate value growing from 36.79 billion yuan to 70 billion yuan.



It is now ranked as a national A-level exposition and among China's 10-most influential government expos.



The number of exhibition booths have increased to 2,000 this year, with 708 for overseas exhibitors and 1,292 for domestic participants. A new 3,000-sq-m outdoor exhibition area for engineering vehicles and machinery is a highlight this year.



The international image of the expo appeals to suppliers, enabling both returning and new entrants to promote their brands and expand sales.



"I believe there will be more extensive cooperation between China and Sri Lanka at the fair," said a commercial counselor of Sri Lankan Embassy in China. The Sri Lanka delegation, attending the expo for the first time this year, is promoting its native products including black tea and jewels.



Twenty-five government officials and 120 business representatives from the Russian Federation will attend the expo to display products and seek trade opportunities.



The show now underway has attracted more than 60 of the world's top 500 companies, including Wal-Mart, Johnson Controls and General Motors from the United States, SK and Doosan from South Korea, Japan's Toyota and Sumitomo Corp and Germany's Siemens and ZF.



Some 67 financial and investment institutes from 36 countries and regions are also in attendance. Big-name banks including Citibank, Bank of America, Standard Chartered Bank and Deutsche Bank are promoting their financial and investment products and services.



Seventeen large domestic corporations, including China Power Investment Corp, China State Construction Engineering Corp, China Electronics Corp, China National Foreign Trade Transportation Corp and China Metallurgical Group Corp are adding their weight to the trade fair.



Other participants include 86 overseas trade associations and 71 purchasing agents.



Organizers are also hosting a range of events to enrich the show including the well-established Northeast Asia Economic Cooperation Forum jointly sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and the fair's organizing committee. It has been well received during the past three sessions of the expo, hailed by both businesspeople and government officials from home and abroad.



The Yanbian Korean minority autonomous prefecture and the cities of Siping, Liaoyuan and Tonghua will use the mega event to display their industries and invite investment.



The expo has also helped improve public administrative services, said sources from the local government.



Source: China Daily

U.S. video game publisher opens Shanghai office for Chinese market

U.S. video game publisher THQ announced Tuesday the opening of a new office in Shanghai in a move to pursue more development and publishing partners in the fast-growing Chinese market.



The new office will work to expand existing local partnership to develop and publish both online and packaged games for distribution in China and around the world, the Los Angeles-based company said.



"The Asian markets represent a significant growth opportunity for THQ, particularly as we execute on our strategy to grow revenue from online gaming, an increasingly important segment for our industry," said Martin Good, senior vice president of the THQ Asia Pacific region in a statement.



THQ plans to launch Company of Heroes Online -- a free-to-play, micro-transaction game designed specifically for Asia -- later this year in collaboration with its Chinese partner, Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd.



Source:Xinhua

Economists: China's economy still in shape

It's too soon for government measures to spur the economy, with momentum likely to remain strong despite the recent slowdown, economists said.



The economy has grown at an average 10.8 percent over the past five years, making it the fastest growing economy in the world. But a tight monetary policy and the worse-than-expected global slowdown has put the brakes on growth after it peaked at 11.9 percent in the second quarter last year.



The country's GDP growth slowed to 10.8 percent in the second quarter, compared with 11.9 percent for 2007. Meanwhile, external demand, a key driver of China's economic expansion, is likely to dry up further in the months ahead. Some analysts have warned there is risk of recession and called for more stimulus packages.



"The economy is not really weak," Huang Yiping, an economist with Citigroup, wrote in a research note. "China needed economic stimulus policies during the Asian financial crisis, but it doesn't need them now."



Retail sales were up 23.3 percent in July, the strongest increase in the past 10 years, Huang said. Meanwhile, fixed-asset investment growth also picked up in July to 29.2 percent, compared with 26.8 percent for the first half.



"There is no question that economic activities are already starting to decline," Huang said. "But they should rebound somewhat in the fourth quarter when these restrictions are removed and when the fine-tuning measures begin to work."



"Given the 9.9 percent growth this year and the 8.6 percent forecast for next year, China's economy really has no need for stimulus at this point."



According to a quarterly survey by the National Bureau of Statistics, 64 out of 100 economists estimate growth will be slower than 10 percent for 2008. But the average prediction is 10 percent.



"This year is the start of a slowdown phase," Wang Yiming, an economist with the National Development and Reform Commission, said. "But the fundamentals propelling China's economy, such as urbanization and infrastructure investment, will remain in the years ahead."



China's economic growth has mainly been led by its coastal areas, which have turned themselves into export powerhouses. But coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu were among the first to feel the pinch when the world economy began to lose steam as a result of the subprime crisis.



Meanwhile, economic growth is picking up in the vast inland regions, especially the central and western provinces. In the first half, the lowest GDP growth recorded across the six central provinces was 11.8 percent. Four of the six provinces, including Anhui, Hubei, Henan and Jiangxi, notched up a growth rate of more than 13 percent year-on-year.



This growth is largely due to the surge in fixed assets as the provinces invest in infrastructure such as roads, rail and airports. Fixed-asset investment in the central provinces surged 35.3 percent year-on-year, much higher than the nation's average of 26.3 percent.



"Growth in the inland areas could help cushion the impact of the coastal slump," Zhuang Jian, an economist with the Asian Development Bank, said.





Source:China Daily