Listen to more on Beyond Beijing

[Metro & Sports]

• Hillary Clinton, the United States secretary of state, urged American companies to sponsor the country's pavilion at next year's World Expo in Shanghai.
• If a special fast track process works well, the Chinese-speaking people could type in their mother tongue and get connected by 2010.
• The Great Wall may open three new sections totaling 50 km in a government-funded move to protect the World Heritage site over the next five years.
• Peking University on Monday released a list of 39 high school principals nationwide who are recognized to recommend their students to be enrolled without taking national college entrance examination.
• Mercedes-Benz will head up their own Formula One team next season after the German car manufacturer confirmed they have taken a 75.1 percent share in Brawn GP -- with Ross Brawn remaining as team principal.
• World number two Rafael Nadal will spearhead Spain's bid for a second successive Davis Cup title against the Czech Republic next month.

[China's Champion] Chinese American cellist Yo-Yo Ma

World-renowned Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma played for the first time at the National Centre for the Performing Arts last night in Beijing with his longtime accompanist, English pianist Kathryn Stott. Having won 16 Grammy awards and recorded more than 70 CDs, Ma fully deserves the title as the first living cellist in the world.

[Cultural Voyage] Chinese Teaching Booming in UK

If you're living outside China and you want to study Chinese, where can you go? Well, the best answer could be the Confucius Institutes or Confucius Classes spreading all over the world. The Chinese government-funded programs take promoting Chinese language and culture as their primary mission.

[Showbiz News]

• Lead actress Fan Bingbing and other cast members attended a press conference promoting the upcoming release of the TV series "The Last Night of Madame Chin," on Sunday.
• Country star Wynonna Judd has apologized for publicly slamming Taylor Swift hours after the teenager's big wins at the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night.
• Tennis ace Andre Agassi stormed off the set of "Friends" during one of his then-wife Brooke Shields' appearances on the sitcom - because he couldn't sit and watch her lick Matt Leblanc's fingers.
• Liam Gallagher has finally lifted the lid on the true story behind the Oasis split - his brother Noel used their furious bust-up as an excuse to quit the band.

[Strange News]

• A boy in Shanghai has formulated a chemical to resist getting beaten up by his parents.
• A 5-year-old dog has developed a habit of picking up used plastic bottles around its master's residential district in Tianjin municipality.
• A thief who was detained by a security guard while trying to steal cars in a housing complex had to seek police help in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, on Monday.
• Online users in Chongqing municipality touched by the story of a couple who were reunited after six decades have been penning songs to praise the duo.

[Real China] Village of 800 Could Help Save Drinking Water for 17 Million

Beijing's 17 million people drink a lot of water. And two out of every three cups come from the Miyun Reservoir. The reservoir is threatened by pollution from rain run-off from the surrounding mountains. Healthier forests are the key to protecting Beijing's water supply, and the small town of Huayuan, with its population of 800 could be the key to improving the forests. Thomas Rippe has more.