Anchor: For the next 11 days, over 4,000 athletes from 147 countries and regions will showcase the spirit of constantly striving for transcendence, equality and integration in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games . They will prove that both disabled and able-bodied people are part of the same world and can work hand-in-hand to create a better future. Our reporter, Wu Jia, brings you a CRI special on the Games.
This is the moment that the Chinese have been looking forward to. This is the moment that the whole world will fix its eyes on. All those who are concerned about the disabled have been anticipating the start of the Beijing Paralympic Games.
The opening ceremony kicked off at 8 p.m. Saturday and lasted about three hours. The cultural performance, which followed the entrance of the athletes, was divided into three segments: Journey of Space, Journey of Time, and Journey of Life. The performance incorporated the themes “one world, one dream” and “transcendence, integration, and equality.” The performance expressed the idea that “all lives have value, dignity and dreams.”
Distinguished guests and leaders from more than countries and regions attended the opening ceremony, along with over 90,000 spectators.
The cauldron at the National Stadium was lit with the Paralympic flame gathered on August 28th at the Temple of Heaven, a place where Chinese emperors offered sacrifices to heaven. The Paralympic torch toured 11 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China from August 28th to September 6th.
Deng Pufang, Chairman of China Disabled Person’s Federation, says he wishes the Paralympics all the best.
“The Games are a festival for all people across the world. They are a pageant in which people abandon discrimination and prejudice while promoting equality and harmony. Under the theme ‘One World, One Dream,’ we’ll join people around the world in celebrating the peace, progress, friendship and humanism of society.”
Philip Craven, Chairman of the International Paralympic Committee, says the Beijing Paralympics will be as splendid as the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Coca-Cola Company’s 2.4-billion-US-dollar offer to buy Huiyuan Juice, one of China’s major domestic juice makers, has sparked hot public debate over the past couple of days.
The Southern Metropolis Daily reports that as many as 80 percent of people surveyed online are against the proposed acquisition, and the reason is simple: they do not want to see any more well-established domestic brands replaced by foreign brands. (Www.hXen.com)
Further more, some of the respondents said they believe that Coca-Cola’s offer may not simply be a just takeover, but would affect other interest parties that work closely with the juice company, including farmers, fruit business people, government departments, as well as logistics and sales networks.
However, others argued that in an era of globalization, trade should just follow the rules of commerce rather than nationalistic purposes.
They point out that Huiyuan’s shareholding of other international businesses including dairy products maker Groupe Danone of France and the American venture capital and investment firm Warburg Pincus is just an example. And it also reflects Huiyuan’s strategic choice. Therefore, even after the takeover, Huiyuan would still be regarded as a domestic brand and continue to enjoy its market share.

Primary and high schools in Panzhihua in Southwestern China’s Sichuan province start the new semester on Monday, a week delay due to a 6.1-magnitude earthquake on Aug 30th.
As many school buildings are damaged in the disaster, the city’s education department has pleaded for tents and other materials and adopted several emergency measures. Kong Wei is the director of the education department in Panzhihua.
“We have fully explore every school’s human and material resources, opening as much as classes and using the experimental and functional classrooms for normal study. Some students are arranged to study in other cities’ school. Meanwhile, we also build some tents as temporary classrooms.”(Www.hxen.com)
Kong Wei also introduced that as aftershocks are still possible in the area, every school will begin their first class with instructions on emergency evacuation and self-saving.
Last Saturday’s earthquake has killed at least 38 people and left about 800 people injured, while more than 5 hundred thousand building collapsed.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council says the weekend charter flights across the Taiwan-Straits have been operating smoothly since June, with flights going 89 percent full.
Li Weiyi is the spokesman of the authority. He says the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation have agreed to solve the current charter flight shortage in an upcoming conference.
“The weekend charter flight is just a special arrangement during this period of time. It still can not meet the demand from passengers.”(Www.hxen.com)
Li Weiyi adds two pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, will be gifted to Taiwan by the mainland.
“The pandas are now being inspected to ensure good health. With the joint efforts of the mainland and Taiwan, we hope the pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, can go to Taiwan soon.”
The 4-year-old pandas, one of China’s most endangered animal species, are currently at a panda breeding base in Ya’an, western Sichuan Province.
The spokesman also notes that cross-straits relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan are on “the track of peaceful development”.
“In the past half year, both sides have seized the valuable historical chance, made their own efforts and brought visible benefits for people across the strait. The conditions for both sides to cooperate in various fields is better than any other moments, and the future of the development of cross-straits relations is brighter than any other moments.”

U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama appeared together at Ground Zero Thursday afternoon on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees said in a statement they would appear together at the World Trade Center site to honor the memory of each and every American who died” in the 2001 attacks.
Earlier, U.S. President George W. Bush joint fellow Americans around the nation to mark the occasion by observing a moment of silence.
The silence marks the exact time 8:46 a.m. when the first hijacked plane hit the World Trade Center in New York.
On Wednesday, relatives of 9/11 victims gathered in New York to remember their loved ones, ahead of the anniversary of the attacks.
Relatives of victims took part in a “9/11 Living Memorial” workshop, where families contributed pictures and letters, which were put onto an online memorial.
Barry Zelman, who lost his brother Kenneth in the attacks, says the workshop reconnects him with his brother in some way.
“It’s an extension of me, so you know part of me died on 9/11 so, you know, any time I can connect with my brother in any way I can, it helps me because it’s just connecting with him on another level. You know, I feel close to him.”
Meanwhile, US soldiers at Camp Eggers in Kabul attended a prayer ceremony.
The soldiers laid a floral wreath and observed a moment of silence.
Major General Robert W. Cone, US military Commander made a speech at the ceremony with a stark security reminder. (Www.hxen.com)
“Since 11 September, 2001 the world has witnessed horrific scenes of terrorism in places like Bali, Russia, Madrid, London, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey. These attacks are stark reminders that the threat of terrorism is real and still a danger to the entire world.”
At least 517 members of the US military have died as a result of the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the US Defence Department.

Thailand’s recently ousted Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has decided to give up his attempt to win back his job.
Samak’s aide Teerapon Noprampa told reporters that Samak wanted to say he has done his best and decided to end his participation in those roles. (Www.hXen.com)
“The only message he wants me to deliver is that he has done his best as party leader and prime minister in defending the democratic system and he will now end his roles.”
The House was due to pick a new prime minister on Friday morning, but failed to do so as not enough members showed up to hold a valid vote. It was rescheduled for Wednesday.
The ruling People’s Power Party earlier on Friday announced that it was giving up its bid to install Samak back in power.
73-year-old Samak was booted out on Tuesday by a Constitutional Court ruling for violating a conflict-of-interest law by hosting a television cooking show while in office.
Criticism of Samak’s leadership had turned into a national crisis on August 26, when anti-government protesters occupied the grounds of the prime minister’s office in the Thai capital Bangkok and refused to leave until he resigned.
A party spokesman said the party has short-listed three candidates to replace Samak. However he did not say when the party will decide on the final candidate to contest the vote in Parliament.
63 Should Golden Week Be Split?
As the National Day Holiday, also known as “the Golden Week”, is approaching, debates over whether to split the week long holiday into smaller ones has once again aroused heated discussion across the country.
Some experts suggest canceling the Golden Week and allocating the 7 days to more traditional festivals, in a bid to ease traffic jams and tourist congestion.
But this suggestion has been wildly opposed on the internet.
The China Youth Daily carries an article, analyzing the reasons behind people’s dissatisfaction.
The article says that as the previous week long May Day holiday was divided, the public has already postponed their vacation plans until the longer Golden Week.