Shunde to cut 2/3 of government body
Two thirds of party and government departments in Shunde will be cut to reduce redundency and improve efficiency. The decision was made yesterday (September 16) to merge 46 departments into 16 and cut administrative layers by 2. Shunde is currently a district of Foshan but saw its status raised last month to become a independent city. In recent years, Shunde has often been chosen to pilot reforms.

Seven dead, five missing as typhoon Koppu hits GD 
Seven people have been killed and five others remain missing as typhoon Koppu slammed its way into Guangdong. The typhoon, the 15th this year, brought heavy rainstorms to the province. Although this water has relieved the lingering drought in northern and eastern Guangdong, the rain has also caused serious disruptions. The Guangdong Flood and Drought Relief Headquarters announced that houses in Yangchun, Xinyi and Luoding have been destroyed by typhoon-triggered landslides. At Gaolan Harbor in Zhuhai, a cargo ship registered in Panama went aground during the typhoon causing fifty tonnes of oil to spill out into the sea. According to Guangdong maritime authorities, as of 8 p.m. yesterday, the spill was basically under control thanks to a containment boom used to prevent the oil from spreading to nearby aquaculture areas.

photo from people.com.cn

Murdoch and Bob Iger come to GZ for Cultral Industries Forum
Guangzhou will host the 3rd International Forum for Chinese Cultural Industries in November, which is known by insiders as the Davos for cultural industries. This year's theme will be on opportunities for cultural industries amidst the global financial crisis. Celebrities such as the highly controversial Rupert Murdoch and the president and the CEO of Walt Disney, Bob Iger, will attend the event and deliver speeches.