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South Korean president's begins first state visit to China
South Korean president Park Geun Hye is beginning her first state visit to China today and will be speaking with the President Xi Jinping as well Premier Li Keqiang.
This visit comes after last week's talks between South Korea's top nuclear envoy and Wu Dawei – who is China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs.
The Chinese government says the situation on the Korean Peninsula is going to be focused on during the South Korean President's visit here as well.
Here's the foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
"Following tension on the Korean Peninsula in recent years, there have been some positive moves toward alleviation on the peninsula thanks to joint efforts by all sides involved. all sides will cherish the hard-won opportunity to improve ties and increase mutual trust through dialogues and contacts. The six-party talks are still an important platform to help achieve denuclearization and address the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula."
The talks so far have involved the possibility of resuming the long-stalled 6-party nuclear talks as well.
Those negotiations, which involve North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, began in 2003 but stalled in 2008.
North Korea then backed out them altogether in 2009 to protest the international condemnation of its long-range missile tests.
For more on the subject, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke to Chung Jaeho - a Professor in the Department of International Relation at Seoul National University.
(QA south korea)
BACK ANCHOR:
That was Chung Jaeho - a Professor in the Department of International Relation at Seoul National University, speaking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Rudd sworn in as PM
Anchor:
Kevin Rudd has been officially sworn in as the Australian prime minister again.
It happened earlier this morning at 10 AM local time.
Our correspondent Wang Xiao has the details.
Reporter:
Exactly 3 years and 3 days after being deposed from the same job, Kevin Rudd was sworn back in as prime minister for the second time.
After the victory, he said he now wants to resume the job he was chosen for 6 years ago.
""In 2007, the Australian people elected me to be their prime minister. That is a task that I resume today with humility, with honour and with an important sense of energy and purpose"
At the ceremony, Anthony Albanese was sworn in as deputy prime minister while Chris Bowen was made the treasurer.
It was the result of the challenge against Julia Gillard's leadership, which Rudd says he was persuaded to make by not just other parliamentarians, but the "thousands" of ordinary Australians demanding it.
"In recent years politics has failed the Australian people, there's just been too much negativity all round. There's been an erosion of trust; negative, destructive personal politics has done much to bring dishonour to our parliament. ....All this must stop."
He now faces the daunting task of reworking policy and replacing more than a-third of the cabinet just months before an election.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott meanwhile has changed his mind.
Saying he's unlikely to move a motion of no confidence in the new government, insisting he's not into parliamentary games.
He says it's up to the people of Australia to choose the prime minister and government.
Rudd meanwhile, hasn't said when he will call the poll or whether he will stick with Julia Gillard's initial nomination of the 14th September as the election date.
For now though, he appears to have the confidence of the hung parliament.
For CRI, I'm Wang Xiao in Sydney.
Australia's former leader Rudd wins Labor caucus ballot
Anchor:
With Kevin Rudd returning to the Prime Minister's seat and Julia Gillard confirming she won't be running for re-election, he now takes over a Labor Party which is still expecting a resounding defeat in the forthcoming elections.
Opinion polls suggest Tony Abbott's opposition coalition is currently on course for a convincing win.
For more on the dynamics leading to this change, last night Rebecca Hume spoke to Joanna Heath, who's the Canberra correspondent with the Australia Financial Review.
(QA Joanna Heath)
Joanna Heath, Canberra correspondent with the Australia Financial Review, speaking with Rebecca Hume.
Philippine, U.S. start Naval exercise in South China Sea
The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces has begun joint military exercises at the South China Sea.
The current military drills, codenamed 'Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training' or CARAT, is to be held near China's Huangyan Island.
The Philippine Navy says the exercise isn't related to last year's incident at the Huangyan Island, as this was finalized by both countries as early as 2010.
The major objective of the exercise is to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures.
The Philippines have sent BRP Gregorio del Pilar, the country's first Hamilton-class cutter.
The high endurance patrol ship was converted from a retired U.S. ship in 2011.
The U.S. side on the other hand have dispatched a guided missile destroyer called the USS Fitzgerald.
U.S. Defense Secretary calls on Moscow to turn Snowden over
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is calling on Moscow to turn the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden over to them.
Hagel says the intelligence leaked by him was a serious breach that has damaged US national security.
"I would hope that the Russians do the right thing here and turn Snowden over to the United States. As to the damage done to this country, I've said, General (Martin) Dempsey's said, others, yes there was damage done to this country by the Snowden leaks and we're assessing that now bt, make no mistake, this violation of our laws was a security breach in our national security apparatus."
Russian President Vladimir Putin is on record saying his government will not extradite Snowden, who is reportedly staying inside the international transit zone at Moscow airport.
The 29-year old has been there since Sunday after flying in from Hong Kong.
While Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday said his country would grant Snowden political asylum if asked, it's widely believed he's trying to gain a transit through to Ecuador.
However, Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino says it could take his government months to make a decision.
But Patino says it's not unusual, given the time it took for them to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange would be given sanctuary.
"It took us two months to make a decision in the case of Assange, so don't expect us to make a decision sooner this time."
Assange is still at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Snowden meanwhile - if extradited to the United States, is facing charges which could see him put behind bars for up to 30-years.
Egyptian president calls for forming commission to amend constitution
The Egyptian President is calling for the formation of an independent commission to ammend the country's constitution.
In a televised address, Mohamed Morsi says he wants to see all political forces and parties involved in the process.
"This committee will be made up of members from all political parties and powers who are all invited to meet with me starting tomorrow, and choose the chairman of this committee, and to decide from previous propositions what their new propositions for the constitution are. I myself will propose the outcome to the parliament in its first session as a suggestion from the president."
He's also calling for the formation of a commission to deal with national reconciliation.
The call comes just days ahead of planned mass-demonstrations against his rule.
Sunday's demonstrations will coincide with the one-year anniversary of him taking office.
Morsi has assigned his interior minister to set up specialized units to deal with any violence stemming from the demonstrations.
In a move to try and placate them, Morsi has ordered all his ministers to appoint deputies under the age of 40.
Biz Reports
Stock
Anchor:
First off, a check on the stock markets.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Primrose Riordan.
Reporter:
Chinese mainland shares closed higher after the morning trading.
The Shanghai composite index increased 0.4 percent while the Shenzhen component index advanced 0.8 percent.
Elsewhere in the world,
U.S. stocks rallied for a second day on Wednesday, on reduced concern that the Federal Reserve will begin to withdraw its stimulus.
Dow and the S&P 500 hit a series of record closing highs, with the healthcare and utilities sectors leading the way.
The rally followed data showing unexpected cut of the first quarter GDP, easing worries that the Federal Reserve may wind down its stimulus soon.
When the markets closed,
The Dow rallied 1 percent,
the S&P 500 surged 0.9 percent,
and the Nasdaq added 0.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX dropped 0.4 percent.
Over the Europe,
Germany's DAX gained 1.6 percent.
France's CAC 40 rose 2 percent
and Britain's FTSE 100 added 1 percent.
China vows policy continuity to steady market expectations
In what's been thought as an attempt to stabilise market expectations in China, the State Council has issued a statement, saying its current economic policies will be maintained.
The cabinet says the economic condition is generally stable this year.
But they will be moving forward with plans to balance the need for short-term and structural adjustments, while keeping an eye on the longer-term as well.
The government is also promising to make more credit available for sectors that have the potential to create more growth.
China's industrial profits pick up in May
China's industrial enterprises registered strong profit growth in May, offering an uptick sign for the world's second largest economy.
Chinese industrial firms with annual revenues of more than 20 million yuan, or 3.2 million U.S. dollars, saw profits surge 15-and-half percent year on year to reach just over 470 billion yuan last month.
The growth rate was faster than that of 9.3 percent recorded in April.
In the first five months, their profits rose 12.3 percent year on year to just over 2 trillion yuan, compared with a growth of 11.4 percent from January to April.
Housing prices and real estate market
Anchor:
Increasing difficulties are being reported for homebuyers in China applying for public housing mortgages.
The bank approval period which was previously within 2 weeks is now unspecified - which means there is no deadline.
Discounts on benchmark mortgage rates for first time buyers is also being offered by just 4 commercial banks in Beijing.
Analysts are also suggesting that small and medium-sized property developers might be getting ready to cut their housing prices later this year because of a shortage of working capital.
For more on this situation, Paul James spoke with our Financial Commentator Cao Can.
(Q&A)
Back to Anchor:
That was Cao Can, CRI's Financial Commentator.
European finance ministers strike deal in Brussels
European finance ministers have struck a deal in Brussels in a new attempt to share out the cost of future bank failures saving taxpayers from footing the bill.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem is the Dutch Finance Minister:
"That's a major shift from the public means from the taxpayer, if you will, back to the financial sector itself, which will now become for a very large extent, responsible for dealing with its own problems."
After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Ireland, Britain and Germany had to pump billions into ailing banks to avoid the collapse of the financial system.
But ordinary taxpayers were left with the bill.
The new rules force banks' creditors and shareholders to be the first to take losses.
France and Germany drew out negotiations and were split over how much leeway governments should have on how shareholders with more than 100-thousand euros in any given bank should share the burden of the institution's collapse.
The French side argued the new EU rules should allow countries more freedom in deciding how banks' creditors are dealt with while Germany pushed for stricter rules.
Italy seeks to lift youth employment
The Italian government says it will spend 1-and-half billion euros to try and boost youth employment – that's 2 Billion US Dollars.
The funds will target the country's deprived southern areas, including tax breaks for companies that hire people between the ages of 18 and 29.
Prime Minister Enrico Letta says that the money aims to get at least 200 thousand young Italians into the workforce by aiding those with temporary contracts as well as boosting training and school-leaver schemes.
Two in five young Italians are out of a job, while the national unemployment rate is about 12 percent at the moment.
A couple of ways to get in touch with us here at the Beijing Hour.
You can follow us on WEIBO
– it’s weibo.com/beijinghour
You can also email us on [email protected]
Do write in, we always love to hear your comments and feedback on the show.
You can also listen to our other shows throughout the rest of the day – live or as podcast by going on the English.cri.cn and then the Beijing Hour page on the Radio section.
Weather
Beijing will be cloudy today, with a high of 34 degree Celsius in the daytime, and the tonight will also be cloudy with a low of 22.
In Shanghai, it will see pouring rain today, 24 the high, and tonight is going to have moderate rain, the low of 21 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be overcast in the daytime the temperature's at 23, and tonight will have showers with a low of 12 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 41.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 36.
London, sunny,20.
Paris, sunny, 20.
Cairo, sunny, with a high of 36.
Monrovia, sunny, 28.
Nairobi,sunny, 23.
Johannesburg, sunny, with a high of 20.
News paper picks
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Sexual assault prevention education is necessary
Summary
Sexual assault prevention education is likely to become compulsory in schools in the city of Guangzhou in coming months.
As part of the new rules, children under the age of 10 will also not be allowed to stay home alone in city.
This comes amid the string of sexual assault cases involving students which are being reported throughout the country.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Beijing proposes stringent animal regulations to prevent diseases
Summary
Beijing government announced that it plans to ban animals on public transportation.
The new rule has triggered a heated debate among local pet lovers.
Pets, including dogs, cats and birds, will be prohibited from entering public transportation. The same rule also applies to farm animals such as chickens or ducks.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Corrupt Police chief captured
Summary
A district police chief in Sichuan's capital Chengdu, who is being investigated for corruption, has been caught.
Authorities say he was planning to flee the country with vast sums of money.
The police chief reportedly has links with other officials who are also being investigated for corruption.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Government toughens meth penalties
Summary
The central government is tighening up the rules around ephedra.
Ephedra is the naturally-grown source of the drug ephedrine.
Ephedrine is the main ingredient in Methamphetamnies.
Those who harvest or purchase ephedra to make drugs will be charged with drug-related crimes.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Sina Weibo leads way with online rumors
Summary
A report shows that more than a third of online rumors are spread on micro blogs, with those spread on Sina Weibo way ahead of those on other micro-blogging platforms.
The report said Weibo users have a low level of education, with more than 70 percent of them educated to high school level or below.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
China mulls elevator safety law
Summary
Under a new set of draft rules, those in charge of maintaining elevators will have to be qualified and strictly observe technical standards.
This comes amid increase concern about elevator safety, following a number of elevator-related accidents, some of which have been fatal.
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
H7N9 kills 16th in Shanghai
Summary
A 56-year-old man has succombed to the new form of the Bird Flu.
The vicitm came down with the deadly flu weeks ago.
Authorities in Shanghai ended their emergency response to the new Bird Flu on May 9th, after no new cases were reported for 20-days in a row.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Online privacy campaign to be launched
Summary
The Chinese government is launching a campaign to prevent online breaches of privacy and information leaks.
The campaign will focus on blogs and microblogs that are set up in other people's names.
Leaks of people's personal addresses and their identities, secretly recorded audio or video content and slanderous statements are also the targets of the campaign.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Looted relics returned
Summary
Two Chinese cultural relics have been repatriated.
The bronze sculptures of a rabbit head and a rat's head will be put on display at the National Museum.
The two sculptures are part of a collection of 12 which were looted from the Old Summer Palace during its seisure by French and British forces in the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion in the late 1800's.
So far 5 pieces of the collection have found their way back to China.
Special reports
Agricultral insurance
Anchor:
According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in December 2011, China is the second-largest agricultural insurance market in the world after the United States, with 35% of major crops covered. That has helped farmers to recover from unexpected losses. But the system is still far from complete.
Zhang Wan has the story.
Reporter: Recently, many places in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have frequently been experiencing extreme weather conditions such as hailstorms, heavy winds and floods, which have led to big losses in crop production.
Many local cotton growers in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region complain that recent hailstorm has brought them big losses, and it's too late to replant crops in their fields now as it is already late June. Here is Yuan Jinjiang, a local farmer.
"I can do nothing to recover the losses this year, all that I can do is to start all over again next year."
Yuan says thanks to government-subsidized agricultural insurance, local farmers like himself can receive several hundreds or several thousand yuan in insurance claims.
Maimaitijiang Aishan, a local farmer says, with subsidies by the government, local farmers only paid 30 yuan per mu of field for the insurance.
"Without buying the insurance, there would be no insurance claims to cover our losses, and we would get not a penny in revenue this year."
However, there are also some farmers arguing the insurance claim is far from enough compared to their losses. For example, the average cost of one mu of field is about 1000 yuan, but farmers only receive 600 yuan of claim for each mu of field.
Liu Yonghu, head of a county in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region explains more about the government-subsidized agricultural insurance.
"The current implemented government-subsidized agricultural insurance is the kind of low cost and low claim insurance, which provides wide coverage. Or let's say, this insurance may only insure the materialized cost of planted cotton."
As for the government-subsidized insurance, most premiums are paid by the central government and the local government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, but meanwhile, local county government is also expected to pay 15 to 20 percent of the premium.
Aimaierjiang Awuti, head of a local county, says that 20 percent of the premium means 20 million yuan has to be invested into the insurance, it has caused them great pressure.
The Chinese government now shoulders 80 percent of agricultural insurance premiums. In Heilongjiang, every yuan paid by a farmer is subsidized by 0.75 yuan from the county government, 1.25 yuan from the provincial government and 2 yuan from the central government.
According to the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, from 2007 to 2011, China's central government budget spent 26.4 billion yuan on agricultural insurance subsidies. And the country has pledged to continue to support agricultural insurance with favorable financing and taxation policies.
For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.
Sports
Federer, Sharapova Suffers Shock Defeat; Bunch of Players Withdraw
Anchor:
Wednesday has been one of the most dramatic days in recent Wimbledon history, with a slew of top players now out of the tournament.
CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has the details.
Reporter:
Just when you thought defending men's champ Roger Federer would enjoy a wide-open draw after Rafael Nadal's early exit, the seven-time Wimbledon champion has been handed a "Waterloo" defeat in the second round for the first time in almost ten years.
116th ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky outperformed the defending champion 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6.
The 27-year-old stunned center court in only his second-ever meeting with the Swiss powerhouse.
"When you play Roger Federer in Wimbledon, it's like playing two persons. First you play Roger Federer. And then you play his ego, and on the Center Court of Wimbledon, where he's historical I would say, that's like playing two against one."
Despite the historical early exit, the 17-time grand slam champion seemed quite calm in the press conference room.
"He was uncomfortable to play against. I think he served and volleyed really well. It was difficult to get into that much rhythm clearly against a player like that. It's a great number. I can be proud of it. But moving on from here."
On the women's side, another equally stunning upset, with 3rd seed Maria Sharapova being handed an early-exit from the All-England club.
131st ranked Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal did need five match points, but eventually dumped Sharapova 6-3, 6-4.
"From what I felt, there was like dead grass on the top, and that made it quite slippery. But I just tried to be more careful."
The slippery courts have also taken their toll on the competition.
So far seven players have been forced to withdraw because injury.
They include 6th-seeded male Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, women's 2nd seed Victoria Azarenka and Belgium's Steve Darcis, who shocked Rafael Nadal in the first round.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.
Brazil beats Uruguay to advance to finals at Confederations Cup
At the Confederations Cup,
Host nation Brazil are through to the final after defeating Uruguay 2-1.
The two teams were bound for extra time, tied 1-1 with four minutes remaining.
But then Brazil's Paulinho headed in a corner kick from Neymar to the delight of the partisan crowd.
It was a disappointing ending for Uruguay, who had been hoping to repeat their famous triumph over Brazil in the final of the 1950 World Cup.
The second semifinal between top dogs Spain and Italy will take place tomorrow.
Many are predicting a mismatched semifinal, with the Spanish champions being the clear favorites to dominate.
Spain's tournament statistics are unmatched at 15 goals and just one concession.
Meanwhile, Italy are missing their central striker Mario Balotelli, who was sidelined after sustaining a thigh injury.
But they will be looking to avenge their humiliating 4-0 loss to the Spanish at the Euro 2012 final last summer.
Carlo Ancelotti is presented as the new coach of Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti is set to take over as manager of Real Madrid after Jose Mourinho's departure back to Chelsea.
The Italian has signed a three-year contract with the club, and will be joined by his assistant Zinedine Zidane.
Ancelotti is expected to be something of a peacemaker following Mourinho's tumultuous reign.
One of his early objectives will be to restore the communication lines between coaching staff, players, and the media, which had become strained under Mourinho.
The other objective will be getting Real Madrid back up to form in the La Liga.
Last season, the club finished 15 points behind arch rivals Barcelona in the League.
Rory McIlroy considered a favorite to win at the Irish Open
Some of the European Tour's top players are gearing up for the opening round at the Irish Open, which will get underway at Carton House later today.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is considered a favorite to win and is in need of a strong performance if he is to maintain his world no. 2 ranking.
Since the beginning of this year, the 24-year-old has recorded just one top-five finish in 12 events.
Add that to the negative media buzz he created after throwing his club and bending another out of frustration at the US Open.
A player feeling confident ahead of the first round is defending champion Jamie Donaldson.
"I'm a much more well-rounded player. Last time, I wasn't playing that great. This time I'm a different player, different guy I suppose."
The first wave of players tee off at 7:30am today local time.
Australia triumphs over Somserset in first match
Australia took a load of late Somerset wickets to rally and win the opener of their Ashes tour.
Nick Compton showed his worth by scoring 81 off the Australian attack. And Somerset's Chris Jones scored his maiden century.
It was head coach Darren Lehmann's first test after replacing Mickey Arthur, who was sacked earlier this week.
Day two is scheduled to begin later today.
Entertainment
Michael Jackson's Son testifies at trial
Michael Jackson's eldest son has testified at the trial against promoters AEG.
Prince Jackson says that his father's conversations with AEG sometimes brought Michael to tears.
The 16 year old said that MJ was excited about going back on tour but had wanted more time to rehearse.
Prince recalls that after one of his father's conversations with AEG, the singer said that "They're going to kill me".
The testimony is part of an ongoing lawsuit against AEG, which the Jackson family claims hired Conrad Murray - the doctor later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Jackson died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol back in 2009.
Prince Jackson is a plaintiff alongside his siblings Paris and Blanket in the case filed by the children's grandmother and caretaker.
The youngster told the jury that the siblings had no idea of the extent of Michael's fame before his death, as the singer had always shielded the children from the spotlight.
The trial is expected to continue into the coming month.
Lady Gaga is Forbes' most Powerful Musician
Lady Gaga has topped Forbes' list of the most powerful musicians.
(Gaga clip)
The rankings are compiled based on earnings, press mentions and social media following.
Lady Gaga earned over $168 million for her Born This Way Ball tour, despite having had to cut it short due to a hip injury.
The 27 year old singer's 38.5 million Twitter followers and 57.9 million facebook fans also helped propel her to the top.
Lagging behind is Beyonce at number two, with her Mrs Carter show and endorsement deals with Pepsi and H&M.
(Beyonce clip)
Meanwhile, Madonna is in third place, having earned over $300 million for her MDNA tour.
Elsewhere on the list, country pop songstress Taylor Swift makes it to number 4, followed by Bon Jovi and Justin Beiber at 5 and 6 respectively.
Star Wars revamped: Shakespeare Style
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope has got a revamp.
(Star Wars clip)
In an upcoming book by Ian Doescher, the story has been rewritten in the style of William Shakespeare.
Entitled Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope, the book is in play format and features woodcut illustrations.
The upcoming book has lines such as "Alas, poor stormtrooper, I knew ye not'
The book will hit stores on July 2.
Stevie Wonder may sing the Gospel in Arabic for upcoming album
The godfather of soul Stevie Wonder may be writing a gospel song in Arabic for his upcoming album.
(Stevie clip)
The legendary musician said in an interview with Rolling Stone that his upcoming project "Gospel Inspired by Luna" will be full of traditional material, with a twist.
Wonder says that he thinks "everyone needs to hear the word of the gospel…whether they read the Koran, Torah or the Bible".
The album is named after Wonder's mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who has been credited as a co-writer on hits such as "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours".
Wonder says his latest record is fulfilling a promise he made to Lula, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 76.
The superstar has not set a release date for the imminent album as he refuses to be time restrained on making the record the best it can be.
Will.i.am sues Pharrell over the use of "I am"
Will.i.am is suing Pharrell Williams…bizarrely over the use of the phrase 'I AM"
(Pharrell clip)
Will.i.am launched a range o add=ons for the Iphone named i.am+camera last year.
The Voice judge is now claioming that Pharrell's proposed range, branded as I am OTHER, is placed in what he calls a confusingly similar way.
In his lawsuit, Will.i.am is claiming copyright of the phrase "I am", something that Pharrell has branded "ridiculous".
Pharrel is less than impressed by the move.
The 40 year old artist has told Rolling Stone magazine that he is disappointed that Will.i.am did not talk it out with him first.
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