China Drive, Morning, Broadcast Time: 11:00-12:00, 2009-01-08

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Topic of the Day

• 3G Comes
  The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued 3G licenses to China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. 3G networks handle faster data downloads, allowing cell phone users to make video calls or watch TV programs.Would you consider buying a 3G mobile phone? Or do you think your current cell phone already has enough functions? What do you usually use your phone for?

Life Style

• College graduates who take jobs in central or western China will be entitled to a full refund of their tuition fees, according to the State Council on Wednesday.
• An Education official in Xinjiang province says that senior high school education may become free of cost for students in the three most underdeveloped regions in southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Kashgar, Hotan and Kezilesu Kirgiz prefectures.
• Heavy snow has returned to large parts of central and southern China, regions that were devastated by killer winter storms last year.
• [Special Report] Spring festival gift
  With only a couple of weeks before the spring festival, many companies have started to send gifts to their employees. From cooking oil to chocolate, these gifts have changed over the decades.
  

Sports

• China's former 110m hurdles world record holder Liu Xiang is set to miss this summer's World Championships in Berlin, according to his coach.
• China has listed freestyle aerial in the National Games, a drive launched to push hard for success at the coming 2010 Winter Games.
• To tennis, and World number five Nikolay Davydenko will miss this month's Australian Open because of a heel injury.

 Business

• China's Lenovo, the world's fourth largest personal computer maker, is preparing to cut two and a half thousand jobs, about 11 percent of its global workforce, according an announcement posted at Hong Kong Exchange's website this morning.
• China's telecommunications supervisor has issued long-awaited third-generation, or 3G mobile phone licenses to three mobile operators, a move that is expected to lead to billions of dollars being invested in building new networks.
  Sales of video games are on the up, and hit an all time high in 2008, according to figures from the industry trade body.

 Media Spin

Sightseeing tower demolished for lack of fund
The 30-meter-high "Three Gorges Mingzhu Tower" in Chongqing's Wanzhou district, was blasted on January 5th. A lack of investment led to the demolishment of the half-built tower. News of this event has gained recent public attention.

 Entertainment

• Super Band Road Show to Start
  The Super Band formed by four Taiwan music heavyweights has announced to start a roadshow this year. The roadshow is set to kick off in Taiwan on March 7th, with more shows scheduled for the upcoming months. They said this will be the band's first and only roadshow and their only album.
  
• New Start Trek Might not Please Everyone
  The film industry had a record year in 2008, bringing in an estimated nearly 10 billion US dollars at the North American box office. It will be a tough act to follow, but 2009 promises to deliver as many -- if not more -- big movies, including a new take on "Star Trek."
  
• Super Mario Dethroned
  Super Mario Bros is no longer the world's top-selling video game.
  According to a game-tracking Web site VGChartz, sales of Nintendo's pop culture phenom, Wii Sports, have surpassed those of the legendary Super Mario Bros. to become the best-selling video game of all time. And it only took two years and two months to do it.