Over the past eight years Steve has been contributing to the show from Beijing where he works for the British Council, popping back every now and then to caress the BBC Radio Lancashire's Mark II Chiltern studio desks he has known loved for years.

BBC: Presenter profile: Steve Barker

Over the past eight years Steve has been contributing to the show from Beijing where he works for the British Council, popping back every now and then to caress the equipment in the BBC Radio Lancashire's Blackburn based studio he has known and loved for years.

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Beijing knocked out San Francisco and is back to the top 10 most popular residences for billionaires.

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Turning back to China, Liberation Army Daily and the Beijing News report that China successfully carried out a land-based, mid-course missile interception test at an undisclosed location within its borders, but says the test did not target any country.

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To encourage the answer it wants--and to cut back the country's growing oil imports--Beijing has imposed taxes on high-gas-consumption autos, while adopting European auto emissions standards in 2004.

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Chinese analyst says Beijing held back so as to give Pyongyang room to climb down and resume talks.

NPR: North Korea Will Return to Talks, China Says

On the opposite side you find athletes like 19-year-old Kenyan Pamela Jelimo who, having been thrust into sporting superstardom in her home country after winning 800m gold in Beijing, had a tough winter and is only just beginning to get back into shape.

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Nonetheless, Beijing is responding with tough anti-inflation rhetoric and normalization of credit and liquidity flows back to pre-stimulus levels.

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