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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Paul James with you on this Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Pakistan's Prime Minister is set to begin a state visit here to China with economics high on the agenda.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is rejecting an ultimatum from his country's military to find an end to the political unrest in the country by later this Wednesday.
More and more countries are rejecting asylum requests from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In Business, the US Federal Reserve has voted to bring in tougher capital requirements for US banks.
In sports... Li Na has been bounced from Wimbledon.
In entertainment.... a celebrity couple from Hong Kong have announced the birth of their first child.
First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...
Weather
Heavy rains kill 11, affect millions in SW China
Local authorities in Sichuan say storms and flooding in the central and northern parts of the province have left 11 people dead.
Four others are listed as missing.
Torrential rains have battered the area since Saturday.
So far nearly 120-thousand people have been relocated.
The rains in northern and central Sichuan are expected to continue until Friday.
Beijing will be sunny today, with a high of 35 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will be cloudy tonight with a low of 24.
In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 37 the high, and it will be cloudy tonight, the low of 29 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will be overcast in the daytime the temperature's at 25, and tonight will have showers with a low of 15 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 38.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 29.
And in North America
New York, thundershowers, with a high of 27 degrees.
Washington, thundershowers, highs of 28
Houston, sunny, 32.
Honolulu, overcast, 28.
Toronto, thundershowers, 24.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires, overcast, 18.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with highs of 23 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Pakistan PM visits China with trade high on agenda
Anchor
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to kick start his official visit to China later on today.
As CRI's Su Yi reports, trade and energy cooperation trade and the environment are expected to dominate the week-long visit.
Reporter
The proposed economic corridor linking the strategic Gwadar Port with the western Chinese region of Xinjiang is expected to top Sharif's agenda in Beijing.
The corridor was proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his most recent trip to Pakistan last month.
Wang Xu is assistant to the director at the centre for South Asian studies at Peking University.
He says the project, once completed, is going to benefit people on both sides.
"First, the project can strengthen Sino-Pakistan trade ties and help Pakistan to overcome some economic problems it's facing right now, including energy and power shortages. Second, it will help China integrate economically with South Asian and Middle East countries. Because the corridor takes off from Kashgar in Xinjiang and it ends in Southern Pakistan, the Port of Gwadar and Karachi. So this is going to drive the development of western China."
The corridor consists of a series of special economic zones, on top of a rail link and a pipeline providing China access to the Indian Ocean.
During his 6-day trip here in China, Sharif is also going to discuss clean energy cooperation with Chinese officials.
Wang Dehua is from the South Asia and Central Asian Studies centre at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.
"China and Pakistan have already reached agreements on hydro power stations, thanks to China's experience on our Three Gorges Dam project. The two countries can also deepen cooperation on solar, wind, and bio power and other renewable energy fields. Besides, China is developing technologies that process coal to crude oil, and Pakistan has fair amount of coal reserves, so we've got huge potential in this area as well."
This is Nawaz Sharif's first foreign trip since assuming office last month.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
QA with Pakistan's former Foreign Secretary
For more on Sino-Pakistani ties, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Riaz Hussain Khokahar, a former Pakistani Foreign Secretary.
He is suggesting there is much more to do when it comes to trade and economic cooperation between the two sides.
(qa with Khokahar)
Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Hussain Khokahar, speaking with CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Chinese FM voices firm stance on South China Sea
China's Foreign Minister has been pressing China's claims over the South China Sea at the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Brunei.
Wang Yi has told over 20 of his counterparts from Asia and around the world the Chinese government has an "unwavering resolve" to uphold its sovereignty and maritime rights in the region.
His comments are an apparent response to suggestions made by the Philippines this week, stating Huangyan Island and the Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea are "occupied".
The Philippine statement came after the Philippine delegation failed to force the disputes in the South China Sea into a joint communiqué at the regional meeting.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also says the Chinese government remains committed to solving the disputes through bilateral talks.
He has also urged ASEAN not to let the issue overshadow its broader ties with China.
China joins force with Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in Mekong anti-drug campaigh
The Ministry of Public Security says law-enforcement authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have arrested over 25-hundred suspects as part of a two-month anti-drug campaign in the Golden Triangle.
The region, which runs along the Mekong River through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, is a major drug route in southeast Asia.
As part of the campaign, around 10-tonnes of drugs, a large number of firearms, and about 3.6 million U.S-dollars in cash have been seized.
Liu Yuejin is director general of the Chinese Public Security Ministry's Narcotics Control Bureau.
"We have become colleagues in the same office. They work together, share information, study cases and have discussions every day. This way messages can be delivered efficiently while actions from all sides can be coordinated in time. Emergencies would also be dealt with in a timely manner. This has greatly improved our efficiency."
The anti-drug sweep is part of a broader collaboration among the countries along the Mekong launched in 2011.
Morsi rejects military ultimatum
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is rejecting the army's 48-hour ultimatum to bring an end to the country's political unrest.
Morsi is asking the military to withdraw the ultimatum.
The 48-hour window is set to expire later on this Wednesday.
Morsi has released a statement, saying he will continue with his own plans for national reconciliation.
Meantime, clashes between the opponents and supporters of Morsi are continuing to spread across the country.
"We want nothing but the truth. There is something called presidential and parliamentary elections coming up. We all voted for Mursi and he's a legitimate leader, there's no such thing as removing him now."
"The problem is that the presidency ignored the people from the beginning, and it should have opened dialogue with political powers, but I think it's too late for that after the people don't want the Muslim Brotherhood to rule anymore."
Clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents have left 7 people dead and over 70 others hurt through Tuesday.
Over a dozen people have been killed in the escallating tensions, which began Sunday as part of mass rallies marking the one-year anniversary of Morsi taking office.
More countries turn down Snowden's asylum request
A growing number of countries are turning down asylum requests from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
These countries include India, Austria and Brazil.
Ecuador is also on-record saying it can't consider Snowden's asylum request until he reaches their territory.
Wikileaks, which is offering legal help to Snowden, says he has requests before 21 different countries for save harbor.
He's also reportedly withdrawn his asylum request with Russia.
The Bolivian government says it will consider an appeal from Snowden.
Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Linera.
"We have not received an official request. What I understand is that this list which has come out on the internet is a list of the possible countries where he could request asylum. But officially, no request has been made. But if it does, President Morales has given a reply regarding the study that will be undertaken."
Snowden remains stuck in the international transit lounge at Moscow's main airport.
He's unable to travel, as the US government has revoked his passport.
Snowden has been stuck in Moscow since arriving there on a flight from Hong Kong two weeks ago.
Canada bombing plot foiled
Canadian police say they've foiled an al Qaeda-inspired plot to detonate three bombs during the Canada Day holiday on Monday.
A pair of Canadian citizens have been arrested.
Police allege the suspects planned to blow up their home-made explosives in the west coast Canadian city of Victoria during the national holiday.
James Malizia with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police says there is no evidence to suggest a foreign link.
"The individuals were inspired by Al-Qaeda ideology but there is no evidence to indicate that these individuals had the support or were acting at the direction of a terrorist group per se."
The suspects allegedly planned to target the public celebrations which took place Monday outside the Provincial parliament buildings in Victoria, which is the capital of the Province of British Columbia.
Canadian authorites are also downplaying any links to the Boston Marathon bombings in April, even though the explosive devices are said to be similar to the ones which left 3-people dead there.
Chile Judge visit mine to evaluate suspended project
A leading judge in Chile has visited the world's highest-altitude gold mine,
Justice Antonio Ulloa has toured the facility to decide whether or not construction at the suspended project can resume.
"I think that mainly the goals we had to move forward with a decision have been fully met. The idea of the Copiapo appeals court was to investigate the physical location in its original state - the circumstances and the conditions under which the work is being done."
Ulloa temporarily halted construction work at the Barrick Gold Corporation's mine in April amid environmental concerns.
The local community is arguing the mine threatens their water supply and pollutes nearby glaciers.
The binational mine straddles the Chilean-Argentinian border at some 5-thousand meters above sea level.
Argentine authorities insist their side of the mine will continue, despite what happens across the border in Chile.
Colombian rebel groups in unification talks
Colombia's two largest rebel groups, FARC and ELN, have met to strengthen their unification process.
FARC has issued a statement following their meeting, saying the incidents which first led to the distancing between the groups have been overcome.
FARC is also suggesting all rebel groups in Columbia should become involved in the ongoing peace talks with the government.
The latest round of talks between FARC and Colombian government kicked off in Havana this week.
This latest session is meant to hammer out whether rebel groups in Columbia will be able to become active in the country's politics.
FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez.
"For this national constituents assembly to fulfil the objectives of peace and social justice for Colombians, it must include representative participation of the insurgency and the democratic participation of all sectors that make up the nation."
The ELN, Colombia's second largest rebel group, is not part of the peace talks in Cuba.
This group has clashed with the FARC in the past, but has recently teamed up for armed operations against government targets in Colombia.
The FARC has been trying to hammer out peace terms with government negotiators since November.
The rebel group has been in active conflict with the Columbian government for over half-a-century.
New college grats refuse to lower expectation despite tough job market
Anchor
Despite this year being dubbed the "toughtest in history" as far as job hunting is concerned for Chinese college grads, many are still said to be unwilling to adjust their priorities.
CRI's Zhou Heyang explains.
Reporter
The country's policy-makers have been urging for every measure to be taken to help China's new graduates gain employment, including creating more community-level jobs, recruiting for the military and promoting entrepreneurship.
But some companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, are still complaining about how difficult it is to attract university graduates. Here a human resource manager for a small-sized private enterprise in Guangdong speaks on such difficulties.
"We need to hire lots of people, but we are finding it extremely difficult to find possible candidates. We are worried. See, I only received 2 resumes this morning."
Despite the fact that the starting salary in low- medium-sized enterprises can eventually offer salaries as high as the larger ones; however, graduates appear to show little interest. They don't seem to be willing to invest their time to grow with the company. Instead, according to Guo Sheng, CEO of recruitment company Zhaopin, says graduates are inclined to send job applications to companies with a more recognizable names, even when they sometimes offer less pay.
Another trend, if not problem, for graduates who can't find jobs is that they are prone to seek job opportunities in first-tier cities whereas more opportunities are actually to be found elsewhere. Ming Hong, Division Chief at the Department of Human Resources and Social Security explains:
"The eastern areas of the country are currently seeing a similar number of job vacancies as last year. There is little fluctuation in this regard, whereas the demand for workers in the middle and Western parts of the country is on a sharp rise."
The wage level in middle and Western China is not far behind that of the traditionally more economic prosperous Eastern regions at the moment. Conversely, living expenses and competition is often much lower than that in Eastern regions.
Experts say the toughest job-seeking season reflects the fact that the overall job market is shrinking this year. Yang Lin, director of the career guidance center at Beijing Technology and Business University, believes it is the result of the sluggish world economy and tempered domestic growth. New openings at many large state-owned enterprises have also declined this year.
The problem is further complicated as many fresh graduates are fixated only on jobs in the civil service, public institution or state-owned enterprises where they see a more stable prospect than private companies.
For CRI, I'm Zhou Heyang.
Biz Reports
Anchor
First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
Reporter
U.S. stocks gave up all earlier gains and closed in negative territory on Tuesday.
It come amid the US Federal Reserve's possible tapering of its stimulus later this year and political turmoil in Egypt.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3 percent.
The S&P 500 inched down 0.1 percent.
The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.03 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX gained 0. 41 percent as a surge in oil prices boosted energy shares, offsetting losses in gold stocks.
European stock markets traded mostly lower on Tuesday, following a data-driven rally the prior session.
Germany's DAX lost 0.9 percent.
France's CAC 40 was down 0.7 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 down 0.1 percent.
Oil prices gain on geopolitical tensions in Middle East
Oil prices have risen through the trading day on Tuesday amid growing concerns about unrest in Egypt and upbeat economic data from the United States.
Light, sweet crude for August delivery gained 1-dollar-61-cents to settle at 99-dollars-60-cents a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Brent for August delivery increased a dollar to close at 104-dollars a barrel.
Traders have been expressing concerns the protests in Egypt and the lingering civil war in Syria could affect the oil production and transportion in the Middle East.
Oil prices are now almost 15-percent above this year's closing low of $86-dollars-68-cents registered on April 17th.
Imported iron ore stockpile rises for third week
New Stats shows stockpiles of iron ore here in China continue to rise.
Analysis at this country's 25 major show iron ore stockplies are up for a 3rd-straight week.
Inventories of imported iron ore this past week are up 0.13-percent from the previous week.
Demand for iron ore is believed to be slowing, as steel companies are suffering from poor profitability right now because of low steel prices.
Large and medium-sized steel companies here in China have seen their profits plunge 89-percent year on year this past month.
Live call-in with Benjamin Cavender on Yu'ebao, Alipay's money-market fund investment service
Anchor
Yu'ebao, Alipay's new investment service, has generated over 2.5 million users in just three weeks.
So far users have transferred over 6.6-billion yuan into mutual funds via the service.
The annualized yield has reached over 6.2 percent.
The service, introduced last month, embeds the systems of mutual fund companies' into the Alipay platform.
When users transfer their cash with Alipay into Yu'ebao, Alipay will automatically help them set up mutual fund accounts.
Alipay says most of the funds are being put into corporate debt and government bonds.
For more on the new investment tool, we are now joined on the line with Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
1. Yu'ebao users have transferred over 6.6 billion yuan into the market fund in just three weeks. What makes it so popular?
2. Originally, Alipay is an online payment platform, but now it is also used as an investment tool. What are the risks here? What new challenges does it pose to the regulators?
3. If Ye'ebao does carry on, will it challenge the traditional investment and financial sector?
Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
U.S. Fed adopts higher capital standards for banks
The US Federal Reserve has approved tougher capital reserve requirements for banks.
Under the new rules, minimum requirements will increase for both the quantity and quality of capital held by banks.
All banks will need to maintain a level of high-quality capital equal to 4.5-percent of their risk-weighted assets.
It also raises the minimum ratio for tier-1 capital from 4 percent to 6-percent and includes a minimum leverage ratio of 4 percent for all banking organizations.
The phase-in period for smaller, less complex banking organizations will not begin until January 2015.
Larger institutions with assets worth more than 10-billion dollars will start at the beginning of next year.
The move is designed to force banks to create a buffer against sudden shocks to the market, such as the one which hit in late 2008 which led to the global financial crisis.
U.S. factory orders up 2.1 percent in May
New orders for U.S. manufactured goods have increased in May.
This represents the second straight month of increases.
U.S. factory orders increased 9.9 billion U.S. dollars, or 2.1 percent, to a seasonally adjusted 485 billion dollars in May.
This follows a 1.3-percent gain the previous month.
New orders for durable goods jumped 3.7-percent to just over 231-billion dollars in May.
New orders for nondurable goods increased 0.7-percent to just under 254-billion dollars.
A separate report this week also shows U.S. manufacturing activity rebounded in June after a decline in May.
Three major U.S. auto makers report soaring sales
All 3 major American automakers are reporting strong sales gains this past month.
Ford says it's annual sales are up 13.4-percent in June.
Smaller Ford vehicle sales are up 39-percent.
Chrysler sales are up 8.2-percent, representing the best June sales since 2007.
Chrysler's Fiat, Jeep and Chrysler brands have all posted gains.
GM sales are up 6.5-percent.
Toyota could fall short of Prius U.S. sales target this year
Toyota is warning it may miss its goal of selling 250-thousand of its Prius models in the United States this year.
The Japanese automaker is currently the dominant player in the U.S. hybrid vehicle market.
Prius sales have come in down 5.1-percent through the first half of this year.
Toyota's overall auto sales are up 6-percent.
Falling gas prices earlier this year have weighed on hybrid demand.
The Prius is also being increasingly challenged by rivals such as Ford's C-Max.
Pimco Total Return Fund posts record outflows of $9.6 billion
Pimco Total Return, the world's largest bond fund, has suffered record outflows in June.
Morningstar, an investment research firm, says investors pulled $9.6-billion US dollars from the fund last month.
This has reduced the fund's assets by 8.5-percent.
June is fund's largest single month of outflows since Morningstar began keeping records in 1993.
Pimco, a unit of European financial services company Allianz, had $2.04-trillion in assets as of the end of March.
Its being reported bonds began suffering a broad selloff after the US Federal Reserve announced its intention to reduce its bond-buying program later this year.
Headline News
Pakistan PM visits China with trade high on agenda
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to kick start his official visit to China later on today.
Trade and energy cooperation trade and the environment are expected to dominate the week-long visit.
The proposed economic corridor linking the strategic Gwadar Port with the western Chinese region of Xinjiang is expected to top Sharif's agenda in Beijing.
This is Nawaz Sharif's first foreign trip since assuming office last month.
Chinese FM voices firm stance on South China Sea
China's Foreign Minister has been pressing China's claims over the South China Sea at the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Brunei.
Wang Yi has told over 20 of his counterparts from Asia and around the world the Chinese government has an "unwavering resolve" to uphold its sovereignty and maritime rights in the region.
His comments are an apparent response to suggestions made by the Philippines this week, stating Huangyan Island and the Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea are "occupied".
The Philippine statement came after the Philippine delegation failed to force the disputes in the South China Sea into a joint communiqué at the regional meeting.
Morsi rejects military ultimatum
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is rejecting the army's 48-hour ultimatum to bring an end to the country's political unrest.
Morsi is asking the military to withdraw the ultimatum.
The 48-hour window is set to expire later on this Wednesday.
Morsi has released a statement, saying he will continue with his own plans for national reconciliation.
Meantime, clashes between the opponents and supporters of Morsi are continuing to spread across the country.
Clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents have left 7 people dead and over 70 others hurt through Tuesday.
More countries turn down Snowden's asylum request
A growing number of countries are turning down asylum requests from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
These countries include India, Austria and Brazil.
Ecuador is also on-record saying it can't consider Snowden's asylum request until he reaches their territory.
Wikileaks, which is offering legal help to Snowden, says he has requests before 21 different countries for save harbor.
He's also reportedly withdrawn his asylum request with Russia.
Heavy rains kill 11, affect millions in SW China
Local authorities in Sichuan say storms and flooding in the central and northern parts of the province have left 11 people dead.
Four others are listed as missing.
Torrential rains have battered the area since Saturday.
So far nearly 120-thousand people have been relocated.
The rains in northern and central Sichuan are expected to continue until Friday.
Newspaper Picks
CHINA DIALY
Headline
Earlier treatment for HIV/AIDS sufferers
Summary
A senior official says the central government may expand its free treatment programs for HIV/AIDS patients in response to broader international calls.
The official notes while earlier treatment is expensive, it does lead to fewer HIV infections and deaths.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Xinjiang posts most-wanted terror suspects
Summary
The Public Security bureau in Xinjiang has issued a wanted list of 11 suspects in cases dating back to 2011.
At the same time, new controls are being brought in for knives and explosives.
Authorities are also going to be cracking down on anyone who is inciting terrorism.
This comes on the heels of last week's deadly assault near Turpan which left 24-people dead.
XIAOXIANG MORNING POST
Headline
Xinjiang offers rewards for tips
Summary
Authorities in Xinjiang are also offering rewards of upto 100-thousand yuan to help them solve terrorism-related cases.
The article also cites legal experts, who are suggesting the reward program needs to create solid protection measures for informants.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
City poultry markets to be regulated for bird flu
Summary
Local health authorities in Shanghai are demanding poultry market managers carry out daily inspections for flu-like symptoms among their staff.
The move is to try to reduce the likelyhood of another bird flu outbreak.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Drugs seized in joint program
Summary
Chinese authorities say some 2-thousand suspects have been arrested and nearly 10 tons of drugs have been seized in the latest joint anti-drug operation among authorities from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.
The haul comes as part of the latest sweep of the Mekong River and the so-called Golden Triangle.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Half-finished statue removed
Summary
Workers have torn-down a half-finished statue of Soong Ching-ling, Sun Yat-sen's wife, in Henan's capital Zhengzhou.
The 27-meter-tall statue is reportedly worth some 120 million yuan, and has been financed by the Henan branch of the Soong Ching-ling foundation.
The foundation is now reportedly under investigation.
The details as to the investigation, or as to why the statue has been torn-down, have not been offered up.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Labor camp mom asks for apologies
Summary
Tang Hui, who was sent to a labor camp after petitioning for her daughter, a rape victim, has received an apology from the police chief who sent her there.
The apology has come amid a high court hearing in Hunan.
This is Tang Hui's second hearing, after her previous claim for compensation was overruled in a lower court in April.
Special Reports
Guizhou deal promises tourism dollars for minorities in Guizhou
Anchor
A unique deal has been signed this week to try to help minorities in Guizhou who are unwilling to be relocated to urban centers in the impoverished province.
CRI's Primrose Riordan with more.
Reporter
American NGO the Global Heritage Fund will partner with Chinese NGO You Cheng, the Guizhou local and provincial governments, UNESCO, and Peking and Beijing Universities to conserve two ancient minority villages while boosting local tourism jobs.
Quan Han Li the China Director of the Global Heritage fund spoke to us from on the ground in Guizhou. She says deals like this don't come easy.
"To be able to really execute things smoothly on the ground, you really need to have the local know how and relationships and trust developed over a long period of time. So I would not be able to do this 5 years ago because I don't think the foundation was there yet. Also I feel that dealing with cultural heritage there is a few organizations that are doing it, but it's not very developed or mature."
It's hoped restoring drum towers, covered bridges, and water-powered paper workshops will bring in the tourists dollars to both Dali and Heshui village.
Han Li again
"So one of the villages actually do a very ancient technique of papermaking which is to preserve the more agrarian lifestyle they work of the paper mill when they are not busy in the fields which is a supplement to their income."
Using ethnic minorities to generate tourism jobs is nothing new to the Guizhou provincial government.
Dr. Dan Wenhong is from Guizhou Normal University
"There are 17 ethnic minorities in Guizhou therefore the Guizhou government places great attention to the protection of cultural heritage."
But as the process can be controversial. Dr Dan Wenhong again.
"Culture from outside does effect minority culture, the question is how to protect local people while integrating them into a globalized world especially while incorporating environmental and ecological values."
Ethnic minority theme parks have sprung up in China's south, lurid affairs where the conservation and poverty alleviation value is sometimes unclear.
What's more using cultural heritage conservation to alleviate poverty is not always straightforward.
"Well on the community level they're not just monuments, they're towns, they're villages , they deal a lot with the social issues. And that's when I realized we are trying to solve social issues through conservation, which doesn't really make sense. What we really need is community involvement which is quite difficult to achieve."
Either way, the stakes are high. Many in the province are desperately poor and nearly half earn less than of 2300 yuan a year. They need answers fast.
I'm Primrose Riordan for CRI.
Sports
Li Na Fails to Reach Semifinals at Wimbledon, Beaten by Radwanska
Anchor
China's No. 1 Li Na has failed to rewrite her record at Wimbledon. She was beaten by 4th seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals.
CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has more.
Reporter
Their last meeting here at Wimbledon was three years ago, when Li Na ousted the then 21-year-old Pole in straight sets in the fourth round.
Three years later, the Chinese player was facing last year's tournament runner-up once again.
Li Na grabbed the second set before saving seven match points in a game that lasted ten minutes, but ultimately failed to turn the tables around.
"I have pretty big chance in the first set, but I didn't hold. I mean, yeah, this is tennis. I mean, after lose match, nothing to say. Just I have to know what I should do for next step. But at least I was how you say really proud for myself, because at least today I was try to come to the net. So this is the plan with Carlos, you know, the plan. So, yeah, at least I can use in important match. So pretty positive."
This is the second time Radwanska has secured a place in the last four at the All England Club.
"She was playing unbelievable tennis today. Actually I had really tough two matches last week. Definitely I'm just very happy that I got through even though I was struggling a little bit in the third set. Still very very happy to be in the semi-finals."
Radwanska will next take on 23-seed German player Sabine Lisicki, who ousted defending champion Serena Williams in the previous round.
Lisicki raced past Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
"Especially after yesterday's win. I was ready today. I knew from the past out of experience that I needed to make the switch quickly to be ready, and that's what I did. So I'm very pleased. Agnieszka Radwanska plays a very smart game. She moves well around the court. She was in the final last year, so she has a lot of confidence with that."
Also reaching the semifinals is 20th-seeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who upset 8th seed Cezch Petra Kvitova.
Flipkens will take on 15th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, who powered past 17th-seeded American Sloane Stephens 6-4, 7-5.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.
Orica-GreenEdge claims a stage 4 win at the Tour de France
At the Tour de France,
The Tour's first Australian-registered team, Orica-GreenEdge, won yesterday's team time trial by less than a second.
Orica's Simon Gerrans, the winner of stage 3, took the race leader's yellow jersey after his team's finish.
Since capturing the world's attention by getting its team bus stuck at the finish line on the opening day, the relatively unproven Australian team is now in the spotlight for claiming two of the four stages so far.
Omega Pharma-Quick Step came in second, three quarters of a second behind Orica. And Team Sky was at third. All top four teams came within ten seconds of each other.
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas was riding with a fractured pelvis, and managed to hold with his team until the final kilometer.
The next test is stage 5, a lengthy 228.5 km ride to Marseille.
Fawad Ahmed cleared to play for Australia
Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed received full Australian citizenship, which qualifies him to represent the country in the upcoming Ashes series if selected for the team.
Ahmed claimed asylum in Australia in 2010 after receiving death threats from extremists for his involvement in an organization that promoted women's rights.
"It was a tough time for me the last four years here in Australia. But it's worked now and I have an opportunity to prove myself, prove my skills especially in the cricket and hopefully as best citizen of Australia."
Ahmed currently plays for Australia's A side, but could challenge Nathan Lyon for a spot on the senior squad.
The Australian team defeated Worcestershire yesterday in the first of their final four-day warm-up tests ahead of the Ashes.
Darren Lehmann's fresh starting lineup, which featured some fringe players, ended up paying off.
The new head coach can be especially pleased with the performances of his two starting batsmen Shane Watson and Chris Rogers. The pair put on 170 runs.
The first of the five Ashes tests begins on July 10th in Nottingham, England.
Entertainment
Azaelia Banks unveils new single
American rapper Azaelia Banks has unveiled her latest single.
(Azaelia)
"ATM Jam", which received its official radio release yesterday, sees Banks teaming up with the undisputed man of the moment – Pharrell Williams.
The song is the latest track to be lifted from her upcoming debut album "Broke with Expensive Tastes".
Banks says that the new record will include all new material and has been 5 years in the making.
The Harlem-native's dizzying rise to fame began with the 2011 internet release of the now iconic dance track 212.
(212 clip)
The track went viral, breaking the European charts and gaining Banks the top spot on the NME cool list.
At the time of its release, Banks was working as a stripper and key chain seller in New York City.
The early success led the Banks being signed by Interscope, who has been accused of intentionally delaying releases to whip up media hype.
The 22 year old is currently back in the studio to work on new material with British electronic duo Disclosure.
Donald Sutherland gushes over Hunger Games co-star
Screen veteran Donald Sutherland has called his "Hunger Games' co-star Jennifer Lawrence "a dream".
The 77 year old, who resumes his role as President Snow in the next instalment Hunger Games Catching Fire says working on the film has been an ideal job.
(Sutherland)
"'Hunger Games,' it's about the oligarchy of privilege. And to be able to participate in the struggle against that is everything that my heart would desire. And then, above and beyond that, to have the honor and delight of working with Jennifer, she's a dream to work with. She's a dream. She's a dream. I love that child."
The Oscar Winning actress returns as Katniss Everdeen, who finds herself the target of the Capitol after her triumph at the Hunger Games ignite rebellion in Panem.
Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz will all rejoin the cast of the dystopian epic.
The film, adapted by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arnt, is based on Suzanne Collins' second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy of the same name.
Currently in post-production, Catching Fire is set to hit US screens 22nd November this year.
Jordan Chan and Cherrie Ying welcomes baby boy into family
Hong Kong star Jordan Chan and his wife actress Cherrie Ying announced yesterday the arrival of a baby boy – Jasper.
The 45 year old actor and singer spread the news via his micro blog, accompanying the post with a photo of him and his wife sporting dummies.
The pair say that the arrival of their first child has been a "dream".
It seems that Ying is somewhat hooked on motherhood and is already planning for a baby girl.
The couple tied the knot on Valentines day at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas back in 2010.
World of War Craft film push back release date
World of Warcraft fans out there will need to harness their powers of patience.
(WOW)
The hotly anticipated big screen adaptation of the cult game looks like it will have to push back the release date.
Despite scheduling for shooting to start early next year, producers are encountering substantial difficulties with script development.
Insiders say that time is of the essence to develop the intricate world into a high quality feature.
Developers would like the film to appeal to a wider audience than die-hard World of Warcraft devotees.
The movie is now slated for release in 2016, a year later than the original plan.
That's all we have time for on the show as well.
Recapping our top headlines....
Pakistan's Prime Minister is set to begin a state visit here to China with economics high on the agenda.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is rejecting an ultimatum from his country's military to find an end to the political unrest in the country by later this Wednesday.
More and more countries are rejecting asylum requests from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In Business, the US Federal Reserve has voted to bring in tougher capital requirements for US banks.
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