China, Germany Sign Big Deals

October 10， Berlin： Chinese Premier Li Keqiang （L） and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a joint press conference after the third round of bilateral governmental consultations. Premier Li Keqiang， accompanied by various government officials and an entourage of 130 business executives， set off for Germany on October 9， aiming to enhance Sino-German ties. On the day he arrived， Li joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel in cochairing the third round of ChinaGermany governmental consultations and witnessed the signing of deals worth more than US$ 18 billion. Aiming to boost trade and investment， while deepening innovation partnership， the two nations also signed a Platform for Action covering 110 cooperative agreements over the next five to 10 years， the largest such agreement between China and another country. Analysts say this indicates that the two driving forces of Europe and Asia are focusing less on low-end manufacturing and more on high-tech fields. Lis trip to Germany followed Merkels July visit to China， her seventh official trip to the country. President Xi Jinping visited Berlin in March. Xinhua

Beijing Scenic Spots Packed with Tourists

October 2， Beijing： A sea of tourists streams through the northern gate of the Palace Museum（Forbidden City）. Almost every scenic spot in Beijing was besieged by tourists on the second day of the National Day holiday， which ran from October 1 to 7. The 26 most intensively monitored scenic spots in the capital received 542，000 visitors on October 1， up 32.8 percent over the same day last year. Jin Liangkuai/Xinhua

Vintage London Cabs Hit Shanghai Streets

October 11， Shanghai： Drivers stand at attention next to 50 gold-painted taxis， the Chinamade Geely Englon TX4， before they are released onto Shanghai streets. The first 50 of 200 vintage-UK-styled taxis are operated by Shanghai Qiangsheng Taxi， with a base fare of US$ 2.9 and per-kilometer rate of $0.42. These special cars feature barrier-free designs with more space than standard cabs， especially suitable for those with special needs， such as the disabled and seniors. Qiangsheng says it will release another 150 Englon cabs by early next year. IC

iSlave

September 19， Hong Kong： Protesters from the Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior （SACOM） hang a banner outside an Apple store reading，“iSlave， Harsher than harsher， Still made in sweatshops，” to oppose labor practices of some Apple component suppliers. The day was big for iPhone fans around the world： Apples latest offerings， the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ smartphones， went on sale globally. But the modelsrelease at the Hong Kong Apple store didnt go quite as smooth as elsewhere. To accompany the protest， SACOM also published a new report titled “The Lives of iSlaves” showing recent findings from a year-long investigation of three factories operated by Apple manufacturing partner Pegatron， which took half of iPhone 6 production orders. SACOM says its key findings include various labor law infractions at the facilities. However， the protest didnt appear to interfere with customers attempting to purchase the device. Police were instead called to deal with angry line sitters unaware that they needed to pre-order. REUTERS