China Drive, Evening, Broadcast Time: 17:00-12:00, 2009-01-01

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Topic of the Day

• Lucky Numbers
  Will the year 2009 be lucky for you? Some numbers are said to bring luck to people, like number 6 and 8, while certain numbers are said to be unlucky, like 4. But one lucky number in one country could be considered unlucky in another country. What number is considered lucky or unlucky for you and why? Do you believe in luckly numbers at all?

 Life Style

• The Guangdong provincial government might extend the May Day holiday for another week.
• Beijing had 274 blue sky days this year, 18 more than the target, meaning that air quality in the capital improved for 10 consecutive years.
• Official figures show that over the past 30 years, universities in China have conferred doctoral degrees on 240,000 people.
• [Special Report] Music Memory I
• [Special Report] Hip Hop Crosstalk Workshop

 Sports

• Chinese skier Man Dandan has won the gold medal in the short distance F.I.S. Tour De Ski Changchun leg in northeast China's Jilin Province.
• In European football, the January transfer window opens today, giving clubs their first opportunity to buy or sell players since the end of August.
• In tennis, Maria Sharapova is "hopeful" of being fit to defend her Australian Open title despite withdrawing from an exhibition event in Hong Kong next week.
• To cricket, and the first match of the one-day series between New Zealand and West Indies was abandoned because of heavy rain.
• One of Britain's 2012 athletics hopefuls Dwain Chambers says he may have to quit athletics in 2009 because outstanding bans are depriving him from making a living from the sport.  

 Business

• China expands rural home appliance subsidies
• China issues decree ending three tax fee regulations
• China to almost double railway investment in 2009

 Media Spin

• Battle against poverty
  The government recently cancelled the standard 786 yuan per annum poverty line for destitute villagers and adopted 1,067 yuan as the new yardstick to measure poverty. The new poverty line adopted by the government has increased the number of people living in poverty in China to 43.2 million.

 Entertainment

• Renowned Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke will shoot the 90-minute documentary entitled "Shanghai Legend" for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
• Madonna's "Sticky & Sweet" 58 show concert tour, which finished in Brazil last week, was the highest-grossing music tour of 2008 in North America, with an income of 105 million U.S. dollars, according to media reports Wednesday.
• The 'Changeling' actress gave birth to twins in July last year and also raises a biological daughter and three adopted children with partner Brad Pitt. But she has been told to seriously consider never getting pregnant again as it could damage her health.