Welcome to News of the Week, I'm Edward Welsh.
First the headlines:
Guangdong Signs 2.7 Billion USD Deals with Vietnam
First Phase of 106th Canton Fair Concludes with Attendant and Export Volume Increased
First Ship from Qatar containing LNG Arrives in Shenzhen

Guangdong Signs 2.7 Billion USD Deals with Vietnam
A trade fair showcasing products made in Zhongshan was held in the capital of Vietnam this week from Monday to Wednesday. At the fair, a number of deals were signed which amounted to 2.7 billion USD. Li Qihong, the mayor of Zhongshan, said at the opening ceremony on Monday that the fair aims at promoting trade between Vietnam and Zhongshan, a booming city known for manufacturing. More than 100 companies from Zhongshan selling a variety of items such as home appliances, electronics, toys, food, chemical products and machinery are participating in the fair.

First Phase of 106th Canton Fair Concludes with Attendant and Export Volume Increased
The first phase of the 106th Canton Fair concluded on Monday (Oct 19th). Lasting 5 days, this phase exhibited mainly mechanical electronics, construction and decoration materials, chemical engineering products, hardware and so on. One of the exhibitors from Suzhou told us that this session things are looking optimistic again:
"I should say this session is better than the last one. We've seen more buyers and made more deals. After the financial crisis, some customers who were holding back on orders have now started to purchase once more. I think their confidence is slowly resuming. "
Later the Canton Fair organizers released statistics which showed that both the number of attendants and the sales volume for the first phase of the 106th session have seen growth compared to the same period last session.  Over 92,000 overseas buyers came to visit the fair, that's an 11.4% increase over the spring session. With 38.3%, the number of European attendants has seen the highest growth rate, whilst the number of African buyers has dropped by 4.7%. As for trade revenue, 15.58 billion USD' worth of deals were inked, up 19.6%. Guangdong was by far the leading delegations in terms revenue, at 6.18 billion USD.
After a 3-day break, the 2nd stage of the Canton Fair then started on Friday (Oct 23rd) and is exhibiting daily consumer goods and gifts. This session, a purchasing center for domestic buyers has been set up for the first time to promote sales on the domestic market. The second phase will end next Tuesday (Oct 27th).

First Ship of Qatar LNG Arrives in Shenzhen
Monday morning (Oct 19th), the Secretary of Guangdong's CPC Committee, Mr. Wang Yang, and the general manager of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Fu Chengyu, were present to welcome the first ship arriving in Shenzhen from Qatar, full of LNG (liquefied natural gas). This was the first time China receives LNG from Qatar, and was also due to the signing of a contract between the CNOOC and Qatar Gas in which they agreed to supply China with a yearly 2-million-ton of LNG for the next 25 years.

GZ's BRT Main Construction Project to Complete by Late November
The main section of Guangzhou's BRT is expected to be completed by the end of November and be put into operation before the Chinese New Year. In between time, test runs shall be carried out on three major BRT systems. By the time it's put into use, buses that run on these exclusive bus lanes will run at a speed of 20 km/hr on average, up from 11 km/hr today. The end of roadwork also comes as good news to drivers who have been experience severe traffic conditions for the past few months.

GZ Government to Adopt Measures to Boost Employment
Guangzhou will adopt a series of measures to boost employment. Our reporters were talking with relevant governmental departments yesterday, and it's said that measures including favorable tax policies, on-the-job training, and subsidies will be set up to help job seekers. Measures will also be implemented to lower the start-up capital needed for a limited corporation, some say as low as 30,000 Yuan. 
 
A/H1N1 vaccine inoculation campaign starts in November
An official from the Guangdong Health Department revealed details of the provincial A/H1N1 vaccine inoculation campaign on Tuesday (October 20). Our journalist, Zhao Zhaoyi, has the details:
The Vice director-general of the department, Huang Xiaoling, said the vaccines have arrived in Guangdong and inoculation is likely to start in November. She added that these actions will start in the PRD:
"we have an inoculation plan for the PRD, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Foshan, and it mostly targets migrant populations. "
She stressed that detailed records will be kept to ensure the safety of the vaccine receivers:
"we will keep detailed information about the receivers and monitor their evolution. It should be safe and effective."

China's Flammable Ice Research Ship Sets Sail in GZ
The country's first ship "Ocean Six" focusing on the study of the "flammable ice" set sail from Guangzhou. "Flammable ice" is a frozen block of chemical-laced water hidden deep under the surface of the oceans. It is believed it will become an important energy substitute in the 21st century although serious concerns have arose concerning it's impact on the environment. "Ocean Six" was designed and produced in China, the country's first research ship made-in-China in nearly three decades.

ASIAN GAMES UPDATES:
A Series of Publicity Events to be Held Prior to the Games' One-Year Countdown
Prior to the beginning of the one-year countdown to the Guangzhou Asian Games which will fall on Nov 12th, a large publicity campaign focusing on the invitations sent out by Guangzhou to the rest of the World will be launched. According to GAGOC, the campaign will consist of over 40 events, including conferences, ceremonies and promotional activities. Amongst them, the one-year countdown ceremony will be the most anticipated eventl. What's more, during the campaign yet another ceremony will reveal the slogan, mascot and emblem of the Guangzhou Asian Para Games.

Asian Games to Launch Nation-wide Performance in Nanjing
On Wednesday (October 21), a large-scale promotion campaign for the Asian Games was launched in Nanjing, the first stop of a nationwide tour. Vice secretary-general of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, Gu Shiyang, told media that the campaign will inherit the spirit of the Beijing Olympics to spread sport culture throughout the country. The promotion will be held in 9 major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

GZ Asian Games Website Soon to Have Mobile Version
As part of the publicity events to welcome the one-year countdown to Guangzhou Asian Games, a ceremony marking the launch of the Games' mobile website will be held on November 8th. Mobile phone users can access the website and keep posted with Asian Games updates. Finally, more information will soon be available on the official website, including the online torch relay and the ticket bookings.