新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/06/13

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Friday, June 13th 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening.
The Chinese military has released videos showing Japanese planes closely tailing a Chinese aircraft conducting a routine patrol.
The central government has launched a new six month campaign against online piracy.
And the US president acknowledges that Iraq needs help fighting militants who have seized key cities and a wide area of the Middle East country.
In business, Chinese industrial output is on the rise.
In sports, a rematch of the 2010 World Cup Final is just a few hours away.
In entertainment, a new drama by Tencent Video debuts at the 20th Shanghai Television Festival.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 21 degrees Celsius. Cloudy tomorrow with a high of 32 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 22, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 32.
Chongqing will have moderate rain, 20 degrees the low,　moderate rain will continue tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 43.
Kabul, sunny, 37.
Over in Australia
Sydney, showers, high of 19.
Canberra, cloudy, 13.
Brisbane, showers, 19.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 19.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China releases videos on Japanese jets tailing Chinese plane
 
Anchor:
China's military has defended its role during a close encounter involving military planes over the East China Sea.
Beijing has released videos showing Japanese jets tailing a Chinese plane during the encounter.
CRI's Tu Yun has more.
Reporter:
China's Ministry of National Defense has released two videos of the encounter.
One of the videos show two Japanese fighter jets tailing a Chinese Tu-154 plane that was on a routine patrol in the Air Defense Identification Zone on Wednesday.
The ministry says the two Japanese jets came within about 30 meters of the Chinese plane, seriously threatening the safety of Chinese personnel.
The Japanese government earlier denied its aircrafts came near the Chinese jet, while trying to shift the blame for the incident on China.
Geng Yansheng, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, says Japanese aircraft have tailed Chinese patrol planes on at least 10 occasions.
"In recent years, Japan has repeatedly sent out aircraft to track Chinese jets at close distance. The Japanese pilots also made dangerous moves threatening the safety of China's airspace. Japan has also set up a series of agendas to stir up tensions between the two countries. "
Geng says Chinese pilots have acted with restraint and in line with international practice during the close encounters with the Japanese jets.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry says China will remain vigilant regarding Japan's intentions.
The Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying:
"Thinking about the series of actions taken by Japan, military expansion and war preparation, playing up regional threats and creating tension and confrontation, it is necessary for us to stay sober and highly vigilant regarding Japan's intentions. We want to ask Japan to honestly explain its intentions and the China reserves its right to take further action."
Last month, two Japanese airplanes also entered the Air Defense Identification Zone to reportedly observe a series of Chinese and Russian naval drills taking place in the East China Sea.
China established the air defense zone in November last year.
Since then, China's Air Force has exercised regular control over all objects flying over the zone.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.
 
 
China launches campaign against online piracy
 
The Chinese government has launched a half-year campaign against online piracy, targeting websites which offer unauthorized content.
The campaign will start from this month and run till November.
Apart from protecting digital copyrights, this year's campaign will also crack down on websites which use content from traditional media without authorization.
Yu Cike is an official with the National Copyright Administration.
"We will beef up monitoring on news websites, audio & video sites, online reading sites and game sites. The campaign will also crack down on illegal services including providing search links, advertisements and storage for pirated content. "
The authority says the campaign is designed to standardize the use of copyright owners' content online.
Chinese authorities have stepped up efforts in protecting copyright over the years.
This year's campaign comes as the tenth of its kind since 2005.
 
 
Chinese Premier visits UK, Greece to deepen cooperation
 
Anchor:
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to make official visits to Britain and Greece next week.
CRI's Min Rui takes a detailed look at his schedule.
Reporter:
Vice-foreign minister Wang Chao says Li Keqiang's forthcoming trip should help establish a new direction for cooperation between China and the UK.
"Premier Li's visit to UK will further cement the bilateral cooperation, especially the cooperation concerning infrastructure construction, nuclear power, high-speed railway, finance and high technology, and bring vitality and new content to the bilateral partnership. The talent exchange will be promoted through cultural interactions, media collaboration, educational communications and personnel exchange. We will put forward new measures to consolidate the friendship between the two countries."
Li Keqiang is due to meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
He's also been granted an audience with Queen Elizabeth II.
The Chinese Premier is also due to meet with business leaders and deliver a speech to a British think-tank.
Chinese vice Commerce Minister Gao Yan also says the trip should help solidify Britian's move toward becoming a major hub for the movement of the Renminbi.
"The city of London has always been committed to become the RMB trading center. China will held talks with Britain around the issue. I hope Li's visit will help make progress in this issue and in finance cooperation as well."
As for the 2nd leg of Li Keqiang's trip to Greece, business dealings will also be high on the agenda.
Greece, still trying to claw its way out of debt, has been looking toward China for investment opportunities.
Chinese shipping giant COSCO has already acquired a 35 year deal to operate piers at Greece's Piraeus port.
Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Chao says the Piraeus port deal is a good example of the cooperation that's available between China and Greece.
"Both countries are large ocean countries, with long costal lines and ample oceanic resources. The two sides have great potential in ocean cooperation.
Li Keqiang's latest overseas trip will run from June 16th to the 21st.
For CRI, I'm Min Rui.
 
 
London's Status as Renminbi Offshore Hub Decided by Market, Says City of London Chairman
 
Anchor:
Ahead of Li Keqiang's visit to the UK this coming week, a municipal official is touting London's ability to be a European hub for the exchange of the Chinese currency, the renminbi.
CRI's London Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.
Reporter:
The Bank of England and People's Bank of China signed a deal earlier this year to make London an RMB clearing and settlement hub.
Once fully launched, it will allow RMB-denominated transactions to be settled in London, rather than via agent banks in Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan.
However, London is by no means the only European city which aspires to become a European hub for the renminbi.
Facing competition from Frankfurt and Luxembourg, Mark Boleat, Chairman of the City of London's Policy and Resources Committee, says he believes London is the place to be when it comes to handling the Chinese currency.
"Trade does not depend on ministers agreeing on things, it depends on a market operating. And even without any ministers, any visits and any agreements, London would be a significant center for offshore renminbi trading, because it is the largest center for foreign exchange trading in the world. So it's entirely natural that the use of offshore renminbi grows in London and it would be a significant center."
Boleat says establishing London as a hub for the movement of the renminbi through Europe will be very advantageous for UK companies doing business with China.
"Recognizing the size of the Chinese economy, perhaps more attention are given to bigger investors, like some of the biggest institutions in China, looking at the Banks for example when insurance companies are very small outside of China. So we are expecting more business from China both from small levels like entrepreneurs and bigger level from large financial corporations."
To help British business settle and develop in China, the City of London has set up two representative offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
Boleat says British entrepreneurs are keeping a close eye on the development of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
"We are very keen in Britain, we are doing everything we can to get more Chinese banks to operate in Britain and once they are established with the appropriate license they can wherever they like and do what business they want. And in due course the Chinese authorities have got to allow foreign banks to do the same. And in that way, Shanghai will become an international financial center. "
For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian, reporting from London.
 
 
European Commission President Barroso urges Russia not use force in Ukraine
 
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is urging Russia not to use force in Ukraine.
This comes after Barroso's telephone conversation with Ukraine's newly-elected President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday.
"European Union has stated several times and I want to repeat it today that it is very important and urgent to cease this kind of military action or any kind of military action in that area - eastern Ukraine and Russia. We believe that illegal armed groups also need to be disarm and we hope that Russia will repeal the authorization for use of force in Ukraine."
There have been reports of tanks crossing into Ukraine with other armored vehicles from Russia which led to the exchange of fire.
Meanwhile, Russia has denied sending troops or equipment into Ukraine, describing Russian citizens who have joined the armed separatists as volunteers.
And no independent confirmation that the tanks had come from Russia was available.
 
 
Iraq will need more help: Obama
 
U.S. President Barack Obama says he's not going to "rule out anything" in his support of the Iraqi government to deal with the Islamist overrun of northern Iraq.
In making the statement, Obama says the US government "has a stake" in ensuring the insurgents are not getting a foothold in either Iraq or Syria.
"But what we have seen over the last couple of days indicates the degree to which Iraq is going to need more help. It is going to need more help from us and it is going to need more help from the international community. So, my team is working around the clock to identify how we can provide the most effective assistance to them. I don't rule out anything, because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria for that matter."
The northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has been taken over by members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, is a gateway to Syria.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has reportedly requested US airstrikes against staging areas for the insurgents.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is vowing to take its fight throughout Iraq, including a pledge to assault the capital, Baghdad.
But in making the pledge to help in Iraq, the US side has already ruled out putting ground troops back in the country.
The US completely withdrew from Iraq at the end of 2011.
Meantime, the UN is also condemning the mass insurgency.
Farhan Haq is a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemned the upsurge in violence in Iraq at the hands of terrorist groups. He said that terrorism must not be allowed to succeed in undoing the path towards democracy in Iraq as determined by the will of the Iraqi people."
It's also being reported around 300 Iraqi troops have been taken hostage, after being overrun in Saddam Hussien's former home town of Tikrit.
 
 
US calls for greater cooperation in tackling world climate change
 
The United States is calling for greater cooperation among major countries of the world in tackling climate change.
US President Barrack Obama made the remarks while meeting with visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
"There are a handful of countries in the world that we always know we can count. Not because they share our values, what we know, we can count on them because they got real capacity, Australia is one of those countries."
While talking about economic issues, Abbot suggested that US should not see China's ascent as a threat.
"The rise of China has been good for the wider world, because there are so many people to afford to buy while the rest of the world produces."
It has been Tony Abbot's first meeting with the US president since his inauguration as Australian Prime Minister last September.
 
 
70 injured as Macao fast ferry hits breakwater
 
70 people have been injured as a high-speed ferry heading to Macao crashed into a breakwater this morning.
The hydrofoil was carrying 220 passengers and 13 crew members when it hit the breakwater after departing nearby Hong Kong.
"When the ferry had almost arrived in Macau, it suddenly collided. I felt a very strong shudder and the ferry inclined to the right."
The injured include 59 Hong Kong residents, 4 from Macao as well as 4 from South Korea, 2 from Thailand and a Japanese national.
Most of the passengers suffered from minor injuries, while a 68-year-old needs surgery.
The boat, steered by a captain with 34 years of experience, was traveling at 65 kilometers per hour in fine weather at the time of the accident.
The ferry route between Macau and Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest.
 
 
Death toll in India steel plant gas tragedy rises to seven
 
The death toll has risen to seven in Thursday's poisonous gas leak at one of India's biggest steel plants.
Two more bodies have been recovered from the Bhilai Steel Plant in the central state of Chattisgarh.
40 others are receiving treatment at a local hospital where the condition of some are said to be critical.
The poisonous gas leaked following an explosion in a pipeline at the plant.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragedy and offered his condolences to the family of the victims.
The steel plant was set up in 1955 with help from the Soviet Union.
 
 
US former president George HW Bush celebrates his 90th birthday with a tandem parachute jump
 
Former US president George HW Bush has celebrated his 90th birthday with a tandem parachute jump.
On Thursday, he jumped out of a helicopter at 6,000 feet or 1,830 metres while harnessed to a retired member of the Army's parachute team.
Mike Elliott is the member of The All Veteran Parachute Team who jumped in tandem with Bush.
"The landing was a little rougher than normal. Once again, because of the legs, him being so tall, his legs hanging down below mine, (there was) really no way to get his legs up. We modified the jump suit with handles but he just didn't have the strength to get his legs up. So we kind of knew it was going to slide left, right. We knew that was going to happen. No ands and buts about it."
Thursday marked Bush's eighth jump. The first one occured after Bush's plane was shot down over the Pacific during World War II.
Hundreds of people gathered on the rocky coast to get a glimpse of the jump.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks
 
Anchor:
First, let's have a quick look at all the business numbers from Asia.
Joining me in the studio for that, is Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Asian markets traded mixed Friday amid batch of data from China that mostly matched forecasts.
The Shanghai Composite gained 0.9%.
Shenzhen component added 1.3 percent while the Hang Seng was up 0.6%.
Japan's Nikkei was up 0.8%.
South Korea's KOSPI lost one percent.
Singapore's Straits Times was flat.
Australia's ASX lost half a percent.
 
 
China's industrial output accelerates
 
China's industrial production expanded at a faster pace in May.
The National Bureau of Statistics says industrial value-added output rose 8.8 percent in May from a year ago, accelerating 0.1 percentage points from the April figure.
And the total industrial output during the January-May period increased 8.7 percent year on year.
Value-added industrial output measures the final output value of industrial production.
Meanwhile, retail sales, a key gauge of consumer spending, increased 12.5 percent last month from a year ago, up from a gain of just under 12 percent in April.
The data provided further evidence that economic activity in China is picking up as the government stepped up the "mini-stimulus" to arrest a slowdown seen earlier this year.
 
 
China's property climate index drops in May
 
China's property development climate index fell to 95 points in May, 0.77 points lower than that of April.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, this figure has declined month on month for four consecutive months.
The slowdown results from a range of factors such as a tightening credit and financial pressures.
China's property market is undergoing a profound adjustment.
Analysts expect the property market to keep cooling down in the coming months.
 
 
Corporate news of the week
 
Time now for our corporate news of the week.
China Mobile's 4G network has accumulated 6.5 million users and covered 300 cities across the country since its launch six months ago.
And China's ZTE has found rare opportunities to cherry-pick talent from global competitors like BlackBerry and Motorola Mobility.
For the insight on these stories, CRI's Paul James earlier talked to Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Back to Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
Japan to cut corporate tax rates in growth bid
 
Japan will slash one of the world's highest corporate tax rates as part of a wider bid to shake up the economy and drive growth.
Economy minister Akira Amari says that he has reached an agreement with the tax commission.
Media reports suggest the deal would see corporate taxes cut to below 30 percent within several years.
Japan's corporate taxes, including a rate of 35.6 percent in Tokyo, are the second-highest in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, behind the United States.
 
 
South Africa outlook downgraded by Fitch
 
Credit ratings agency Fitch has downgraded South Africa's outlook from stable to negative, citing poor economic prospects and rising public debt.
The move comes after the country's economy contracted by 0.6% in the first quarter, following a five-month platinum strike in the country.
But unions say a platinum miners' wage deal is on the horizon.
A negative outlook can indicate that a country's credit rating could be downgraded.
A downgrade can influence a country's borrowing costs, as some investors are restricted from lending to borrowers that do not have a high rating.
 
 
Tesla confirms plans to open up electric car patents
 
Electric carmaker Tesla Motors has confirmed it will open up its patents for others, in the hope of speeding up electric car development and adoption.
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk says the company would not take legal action against anyone who "in good faith wants to use our technology."
"What we really want to do is to make great electric cars. We want to make electric car that's better than patrol car. And that's what's needed to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport."
This move covers all of Tesla's patents, including several hundred current ones and several thousand in the future, which will provide the whole industry with a technology-sharing platform.
But Musk adds his company will continue to file for patents in part to keep competitors from attaining them and then blocking Tesla and others from using the information.
Tesla sold 22,500 of its Model S cars last year.
 
 
Dianping.com seeking US IPO
 
Dianping.com, the Chinese version of Yelp, is reportedly seeking a listing in the US, to raise about 500 million US dollars.
Bloomberg reported that the company is working with Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group and Morgan Stanley for its US listing.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China releases videos on Japanese jets tailing Chinese plane
 
China's military has defended its role during a close encounter involving military planes over the East China Sea.
Beijing has released videos showing Japanese jets tailing a Chinese plane during the encounter.
One of the two videos shows two Japanese fighter jets tailing a Chinese Tu-154 plane that was on a routine patrol in the Air Defense Identification Zone on Wednesday.
The ministry says the two Japanese jets came within about 30 meters of the Chinese plane, seriously threatening the safety of Chinese personnel.
The Japanese government earlier denied its aircrafts came near the Chinese jet, while trying to shift the blame for the incident on China.
 
 
Militants seize new towns in Iraq
 
Islamist militants in Iraq have seized two new towns, widening their control after threatening to move on Baghdad.
The insurgents advanced into Saadiya and Jalwa in Diyala province and surrounding areas as security forces abandoned their posts.
Earlier this week, militants led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant overran the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, but their advance has slowed down.
The United States says it is looking at "all options", including military action, to help Iraq fight the insurgency.
But the White House also insists it will not send in ground troops.
 
 
Iran says to resume 20 pct uranium enrichment if talks fail
 
Iranian authorities say the country will resume high-grade uranium enrichment if talks aimed at securing a long-term deal on Iran's nuclear program fail.
Iran suspended uranium enrichment in November after reaching an interim agreement with the P5+1 group.
That deal expires soon.
But it can be extended another six months if the bargaining that begins on Monday in Vienna fails to result in a final accord.
 
 
Interim Thai government by August: military leader
 
The head of the junta that took over power in Thailand last month says an interim government would be set up by August.
It's the first time General Prayuth Chan-ocha has given a clear date on delegating any sort of power in the country.
Prayuth also repeated that a temporary constitution would be drafted within three months. It would take at least a year until a new general election could take place.
 
 
S. Korea reshuffles cabinet to regain public confidence
 
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has reshuffled her cabinet to regain public confidence lost after the ferry sinking disaster.
Seven ministers out of a total of 17 have been replaced, including the ministers of finance, education and public administration.
It's the first major cabinet shake-up since Park took office in February last year.
 
 
14 prosecuted in N. Vietnam province following May riot
 
A total of 14 people have been prosecuted in Vietnam connected with the anti-China protests in May.
Police in the northern province of Thai Binh say the 14 are accused of taking advantage of the protests to steal assets of a China-invested steel firm.
In mid-May, a series of riots hit foreign companies in Vietnam, leaving four Chinese nationals brutally killed and over 300 others injured.
Some 20 foreign factories were burned down in the riots.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Global Times
"Elderly victims play the 'help' card"
A community in Harbin, Heilongjiang province has begun handing out "help" cards to the elderly that aim to encourage Good Samaritans who may be reluctant to aid them for fears of extortion.
Subdistrict office employees has distributed the cards that read "Please help me up" to residents aged 70 and above in the Aijian Street Community.
Elderly residents are encouraged to wear the cards, bearing their photo and personal information, that promise legal protection to those willing to help them in case of a fall or other accidents.
The program seeks to spur samaritanism among locals after a string of high-profile extortion cases involving the elderly have since scared off potential helping hands.
In a recent case, two high school students in Guangdong province were vindicated after they aided a fallen elderly man who attempted to extort them for medical expenses on November.
China News Service
"Curbing mainland visitors will lower HK's GDP: study"
A study shows if Hong Kong decides to curb tourists from the Chinese mainland, it might lose 40 billion Hong Kong dollars this year in the worst-case scenario.
A simulation by the ACE Business and Economics Research Center shows a decline in mainland visitors would cause Hong Kong's economy to dip by 1.4 percent from the current growth rate of 3.3 percent, led by a drop in the tourism industry.
But the study also says the effect may be "short-term" and won't spill over to other economic sectors.
Just last month, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying mentioned the possibility of cutting visitors from the Chinese mainland by 20 percent to protect the city's overloaded tourism industry.
The Telegraph
"Standing in meetings makes workers more creative"
Sitting for long periods of time at the office is known to cause bad backs and health problems, but researchers at Washington University have found it may also be stifling creativity.
Although chairs may seem like a good idea in lengthy meetings, it was found they actually make people territorial and lethargic.
In contrast, standing up was shown to stimulate employees both physically and mentally, keeping them alert and focused.
The study shows that even a small tweak to a physical space can alter how people work with one another.
It was found that teams who stood had greater physiological arousal and more willing to share their ideas.
Researchers suggest business should experiment with their office spaces by removing chairs and adding whiteboards to encourage brainstorming and collaboration.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
China National Energy Conservation Publicity Week Marked in Beijing
 
Anchor:
As China continues to mark National Energy Conservation Publicity Week, foreign experts are bringing their experience to the country.
CRI's Xu Fei has more.
Reporter:
This week marks the 24th such occasion and relevant activities will be held from June8th to 14th across China.
The capital city is taking a lead; a "Sweden Day" seminar is being held on Tuesday in Beijing, during which a total of 14 Swedish companies are showcasing their clean air and energy solutions to Beijing city planners.
Hong Jiyuan, commissioner with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, addresses the seminar.
"Beijing is working hard to tackle environmental issues, particularly in the fields of air pollution control, waste water treatment, garbage treatment and environmentally friendly rail traffic projects. The capital city is also seeking coordinated development with Tianjin municipality and neighboring Hebei Province. I think this is a significant opportunity for Swedish companies."
Peter Klyver is the managing director of Ostberg, a Swedish company that deals with indoor energy-efficient ventilation systems. He thinks bringing back blue skies and white clouds is a long-term, arduous task for China, but enabling its citizens to enjoy clean indoor air is an easy target to meet.
"We are today producing ventilation systems in Sweden, in China and in India. We are eager to contribute to a better life in China for individuals. We have not products for making improvement for all the top air in China, but we can provide products for clean indoor air in your home."
The half-day seminar provides an interactive opportunity for Swedish companies to showcase the extent to which they may help sustainable development in China.
In addition to government-organized activities, some non-governmental organizations also mark the publicity week.
A national strategic union on smog prevention and control, which is comprised of enterprises, scientific research institutions and social groups, has recently been launched.
The Beijing-based International Energy Conservation Environmental Protection Association is behind the initiative. Li Junyang, secretary-general of the association explains what the new union is obliged to do.
"We'll issue a professional smog-related report on a monthly basis. The report will be available on our official website, enabling citizens to understand the industries, relevant policies and technologies in relation to tackling smog."
Last but not least, an international energy conservation and environmental protection exhibition is also being held from June 8th to the 11th. The exhibition highlights the relevant technology on clean air, rather than a mere focus on saving energy, because of the severe air pollution choking many major cities in China.
For CRI, I'm Xu Fei.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Defending champions Spain play the Netherlands in rematch of South African final
 
From this morning's FIFA World Cup opener,
Hosts Brazil came from behind to open the tournaments with a 3-1 victory against Croatia in Sao Paulo.
Croatia took a shock lead early in the first half thanks to a history-making own goal from Brazil's defender Marcelo.
However, Brazil's poster boy Neymar leveled the score 11 minutes later.
Neymar then kicked in a penalty.
In injury time in the second half, Oscar scored the final goal of the match to secure the 3-1 victory and three points in Group A.
After the match, Croatian players and Media condemned the referee for a call they say was a game-changer.
It was the call that resulted in Neymar's penalty goal.
But one fan says his country has always had bad luck and it's better to look forward to the matches that are still coming.
"Croatia played a good game, the referee was a little bit bad on the side of Brazil but we lost what can you say. We have two games against Cameroon and Mexico we hope for the best."
There are three matches coming up early tomorrow morning.
At midnight Beijing time, Mexico will play Cameroon in another Group A match.
Three hours later, in Group B, defending champions Spain will take on the Netherlands in a rerun of the 2010 South African World Cup final.
And at 6 am, lowest seed Australia enters the tournament against South American dark horses Chile in the day's other Group B match.
 
 
Europe's "best young manager" Roberto Martinez signs new contract with Everton
 
Off the pitch in club football news,
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has signed a new five year contract with the English Premier League side.
The Spaniard joined Everton last summer and guided the team to a fifth-place finish this past season.
Everton's tally of 72 points was their highest ever in the Premier League as they secured a place in Europe for the first time since 2010.
Upon signing the new contract, Everton chairman Bill Kenwright called Martinez the best young manager in Europe.
Also in the EPL,
Chelsea has signed Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas for an undisclosed term.
27-year-old Fabregas had previously been with Premier League side Arsenal before going back to his home country three years ago.
 
 
San Antonio take a 3-1 lead in the finals as Tim Duncan break records to claim a double honour
 
Moving onto the NBA finals,
Kawhi Leonard continued his momentum, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to help the San Antonio Spurs rout the Miami Heat again, winning 107-86 at American Airlines Arena.
The 21 point slaughter has almost assured the Spurs of this year's championship as they now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
No team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals.
It was also a history making night for Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who had a double double, 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Duncan passed Magic Johnson for the most double-doubles in NBA Playoff history with 158.
He also played 31 minutes and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most playoff minutes played.
But the 38-year-old said he would rather celebrate his accomplishments after his team earns one more win.
"I can appreciate you saying the names and having passed them in anything. It's an honour to be in that position. Having won helps, obviously, but the focus is winning one more and once that one more is done then I can look back and say, 'Hey, that's truly an honour.'"
LeBron James led the Miami Heat with 28 points and 8 rebounds on the night.
The Spurs can win their fifth NBA championship with a victory at home in Game 5 on Sunday when court switches back to San Antonio.
 
 
Nadal bounces out by Dustin Brown in his first match at Gerry Weber Open
 
In tennis,
World No.1 Rafael Nadal has suffered a shock second round defeat, losing to local player Dustin Brown 6-4, 6-1 at the Gerry Weber Open in Germany.
Brown will next meet Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals.
Earlier, defending champion and six-time winner Roger Federer advanced to the next round after dispatching Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.
The Swiss player will next meet Chinese Taipei's Lu Yen-hsun in the quarterfinals.
Lu earlier knocked out Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6, 7-6 in the second round.
Over at the Aegon Championships in London, third seed Andy Murray suffered his first defeat on grass since the 2012 Wimbledon final with a 7-6, 6-2 upset to Radek Stepanek.
Top seed Stan Wawrinka is safely through, after rolling past American Sam Querry 6-2, 6-2.
Wawrinka has set up a quarter-final meeting with Australian Marinko Matosevic, who knocked out fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-4.
On the women's side in London,
China's Zhang Shuai has advanced to the quarter-finals at the Aegon classic with a 6-love, 7-6 win over Petra Cetkovska of the Cezch Republic.
Zhang will now face 3rd seeded American Sloane Stephens, who defeated compatriot Alison Riske 7-6, 2-6, 6-1.
Top seeded Ana Ivanovic is easily through to the last eight, making short work of American Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
"The Death Notice" premieres at Shanghai Television Festival
 
Suspense drama series "An Hei Zhe", or The Death Notice, has premiered at the 20th Shanghai Television Festival.
"An Hei Zhe" is produced by Tencent Video, and aires on its official website Monday through Thursday.
It tells the story of a detective with a dual personality cracking mysteries with several colleagues.
The show stars Guo Jingfei ,Li Qian and Gan Lu.
The drama is adopted from the book by Zhou Haohui, who also attended the premiere.
The book was published in 2009.
The author has praised the TV adaptation of the book, giving it high marks and saying it has been worth the wait.
 
 
Wanda invest in Hollywood movie "Southpaw"
 
Chinese company Wanda Media has announced it will become the only investor in the boxing drama "Southpaw".
The movie will begin production next Monday in Pittsburg.
It is the first time a Chinese company has fully funded an American film.
"Southpaw" centres on a left-handed boxer who wins the welterweight title and then suffers a tragedy, forcing him to put his life back together to earn his young daughter's respect.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams will take the leading roles.
Wanda Media says "Southpaw" can be categorized as an inspirational movie, the likes of which is rarely seen in China.
The film is expected to premiere in spring 2015.
 
 
"American Hustle" to hit Chinese cinemas on July 4
 
Last year's Oscar hit "American Hustle" will open in Chinese theatres on July 4.
The movie was directed by David O. Russell, and stared Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence.
Bale played a con artist who is forced to cooperate with an FBI officer played by Bradley Cooper to investigate a corruption case.
The movie was nominated in 10 categories at the 2013 Oscars, but didn't take home any trophies.
But it scored a rarely seen 8.2 on movie site IMDB.
Metacritic, a professional movie critic website, gave the movie 89 points, which was higher than "The Wolf of Wallstreet" and "Dallas Buyers Club".
 
 
Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce attend premiere of "The Rover"
 
Robert Pattinson has left his famous vampire character behind him.
Instead, he has put on dirty jeans, boots, and a T-shirt for the dark drama "The Rover".
He attended the premiere with co-star Guy Pearce in Los Angeles.
The story is set in the near future in the Australian desert.
Ten years after the collapse of the western economic system, Guy Pearce's character has left almost everything behind. His last possession is stolen by a gang of dangerous criminals.
Pattinson explains how his character gets involved in the film.
"The guy, Guy Pearce's character gets his car stolen and wants to get it back and my character's brother has stolen it. Guy kind of kidnaps me and we have this strange road trip to get his car back but on the way he is trying to make me into a different person and some ways he is trying to toughen me up and in other ways just trying to break me and in doing that he kind of breaks himself a little bit."
The British actor has starred in a number of films before and after "Twilight".
But neither Guy Pearce nor the director David Michod had watched any of the vampire franchise.
Yet both of them think this character is a good pick for Pattinson's career.
"The Rover" opens in limited cinemas in America next Friday.
 
 
Bon Jovi, Martina McBride perform at Songwriters Hall of Fame gala
 
A number of musicians have been awarded at the Songwriters Hall of Fame gala in New York's Times Square.
This year's recipients included Donovan, Graham Gouldman, Jim Weatherly, and Mark James.
Ray Davies was not able to attend the gala because of his sister's death.
He accepted the honour in a video, saying he was proud to be part of the 2014 class with other celebrated musicians.
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds received the Hal David Starlight award.
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
The Chinese military has released videos showing Japanese planes closely tailing a Chinese aircraft conducting a routine patrol.
The central government has launched a new six month campaign against online piracy.
and the US president acknowledges that Iraq needs help fighting militants who have seized key cities and a wide area of the Middle East country.
In business, Chinese industrial output is on the rise.