Expert: China's CPI in the Second Half to be Stabilized
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced today (July 15th), that China's economy grew by 11.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2010, by reaching 17.28 trillion yuan, while China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 2.6 % year-on-year in the first six months of this year. Our reporter Chang Zhifeng reports:
Mr. Wang Jun, an economic professor from Guangzhou's Sun Yat-sen University said there are two major factors pushing up prices. One is the excessive circulation of the currency and the other is the shortage of commodities. The data released today indicates a dramatic drop in the growth of the currency supply. Mr. Wang Jun believes the newly-released CPI data will set the tone for CPI growth in the second half of the year. 
" It is oblivious that the currency supply is being tightened. Thus I believe there will be no significant growth in prices in the second half of 2010."

ABC Shares Start Trading Today
Also today, shares of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) starting trading on the Shanghai stock exchange today, the last of China's "big four" state-owned banks to do so. ABC shares ended the day at only 2.7 yuan, barely higher than the initial public offering price of 2.68 yuan. Mr. Fu Lichun, chief financial researcher from Southwest Securities, said
"The bank's IPO price is set at a reasonable range and it is not very attractive to shareholders compared with other new shares. Overall I think there won¡¯t be an increase by a large margin for this share. "

photofrom: jingji.cntv.cn

Pan Pearl River-Delta Region Aviation Cooperation Initiated
The Pan Pearl River Delta will strengthen cooperation in the development of aviation. This morning heads from the airports across the region signed a strategic action plan, marking the beginning of an airline network connecting Guangdong and other 10 cities in south China, including the cities of Shantou, Fuzhou, Nanchang, Guiling, Sanya, Chengdu and Kunming. At least eight to ten flights will be operated between Guangzhou and each of these cities every day.

Rains Expected this Weekend, Pulling Down the Fever
Finally, more updates about the weather. The provincial weather forecast announced this morning that the tropical storm, Conson, is expected to reach the city of Yangjiang as early as tomorrow afternoon. Affected by the storm, today (July 15th) southern Guangdong will begin to see rain which shall spread to the rest of the province by tomorrow bringing the mercury tumbling down after weeks of scorching weather.