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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
Paul James with you on this Friday, June 20, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has held meetings with his Greek counterpart after arriving in Athens yesterday.
US President Barack Obama has announced he's sending 300 "military advisors" to help deal with the situation in northern Iraq.
The Ukrainian government is preparing to sign a new collaboration agreement with the European Union next week.
In Business... the Bank of China has been anointed as the clearing bank for the renminbi in Frankfurt.
In sports... England on the verge of being eliminated from this year's World Cup.
In entertainment... a pair of new Hollywood films is hitting Chinese screens today.
Weather
Beijing will be overcast today with a high of 28 degrees Celsius.
Overnight it will be overcast and temperatures should drop down to around 19.
Shanghai will have showers during the daytime with a high of 28.
It will see slight rain tonight with a low of 23.
In Chongqing, it will be rainy with a high of 25.
Overnight heavy rain and lows are expected to be around 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 42.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 28.
Over to North America,
New York will be cloudy today with a high of 25 degrees.
Washington will be overcast with a high of 29 degrees.
Honolulu, cloudy, 30.
Toronto, Canada, will be overcast with a high of 25 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 17.
And Rio de Janeiro will have slight rain with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.
Top News
Chinese, Greek PMs meet to enhance ties, cooperation
Anchor:
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is now in Greece following a three-day visit to the UK.
He has already met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to discuss bilateral ties.
Li Keqiang has also suggested China and Greece can work together in exploring new economic growth points, particularly in maritime cooperation.
"Certainly the global economic recovery still has many uncertainties and faces many challenges. I agree with Mr. Samaras that the two sides can make joint efforts to make the port of Piraeus a transportation hub. Such cooperation will be beneficial for Chinese-Greek relations and Chinese-European relations, and of course benefit the global economic recovery."
Part of his schedule in Greece is to hold the first-ever maritime cooperation forum between the two countries.
The Premier is expected to oversee the signing of more than 20 new deals, mostly covering investment, trade and finance.
For more Sino-Greek ties, CRI's Zheng Chengguang spoke earlier with Professor Pantelis Sklias, head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Peloponnese in Greece.
Professor Pantelis Sklias, head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Peloponnese, talking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
U.S. ready to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq: Obama
US President Barack Obama has announced he's sending 300 "military advisers" to help train and support Iraqi forces in their fight against the massive Sunni insurgency which has engulfed the north of the country.
But in making the announcement, Obama says US forces are not going to be fighting again in Iraq.
"American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq, but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people in the region and American interests as well."
The United States officially pulled out of Iraq at the end of 2011.
Obama does say the US military is ready to undertake "targeted" and "precise" military action when its required in Iraq.
The US President has made the determination after meeting with his national security team.
Obama says the US doesn't have the ability to solve the problem in northern Iraq by sending tens-of-thousands of troops back into Iraq.
At the same time, Obama says Iran has a role to play in helping to stabilize the situation in Iraq.
"Our view is that Iran can play a constructive role if it is helping to send the same message to the Iraqi government that we're sending which is Iraq only holds together if it's inclusive and that if the interests of Sunni, Shia and Kurd are all respected."
However, Obama also says if Iran enters the conflict solely as an armed force to back the Shiite-led government, its involvement will probably worsen the situation.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been making huge gains in northern Iraq, seizing a number of key cities and towns.
The Sunni group is said to be rallying for a possible assault on the capital, Baghdad.
The Iraqi government has already made and official plea for US help in repelling the insurgency.
44 foreign hostages released in Iraq
A group of 44 foreign nationals who were kidnapped earlier this week by tribal groups in northern Iraq have been released.
The 44 are construction workers who were taken hostage when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant raided their work site at a hospital near the city of Kirkuk.
The workers are from countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Turkmenistan and Turkey.
Turkey has already advised all its citizens to leave the country, after 80 Turkish nationals were taken hostage last week following the overrun of Mosul by the Sunni militants.
At the same time, the Chinese government is repeating its call for the Iraqi government to protect Chinese interests in Iraq.
A pair of Chinese companies operating in Iraq are said to be facing a potentially grave security situation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
"Over 10,000 Chinese nationals working for Chinese companies in Iraq are generally located in safe areas. For those who are currently living in relatively dangerously areas, we will help them to be evacuated to safer areas as soon as possible."
The Chinese government has so-far ruled out a mass evacuation of Chinese nationals from Iraq.
Most Chinese citizens in Iraq are working in the oil and gas sectors.
Ukraine to sign EU deal this month
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced plans to sign an association agreement with the European Union next week.
"On June 27, I will sign the Association Agreement and the procedure of signing the Association Agreement will be finished. That's what we have been waiting for so long, what millions of Ukrainians wished to achieve and what they have been fighting for the last half of the year."
Ukraine's new president is also going to send his new foreign minister to Luxembourg next week to lay out a peace plan for EU ministers.
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany has been approved by parliament as the new Ukrainian Foreign Minister.
Poroshenko has made the move after the former Foreign Minister was caught on video making personally disparaging remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Proroshenko has also replaced other two senior officials, including the chief prosecutor and the head of the country's central bank.
Meanwhile, government troops and rebels have been locked in fierce fighting in the east of Ukraine through yesterday.
Government forces say heavy fighting broke out after rebels rejected a call to lay down their arms in line with a peace plan proposed by Poroshenko.
A limited truce is being observed in Luhansk, where both sides have been exchanging the remains of their dead.
Japan's ruling bloc postpones approval of collective defense rights
The Japanese government has confirmed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to change the country's pacifist constitution will not be approved during the current cabinet session, which ends on Sunday.
Members of the ruling coalition say the plan still needs more discussion.
Abe is hoping to change the constitution to allow Japanese troops to be deployed overseas to assist the country's allies.
Under Japan's current post-war constitution, Japan isn't allowed to maintain an offensive military.
The potential change has raised concerns among Japan's neighbors, particularly China, given Japan's aggressive military history.
Missing Teens Afflict Israelis and Palestinians
Anchor:
It’s been over a week since three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped while on their way home from their yeshiva school.
The subsequent military crackdown has been taking its toll on both Palestinians and Israelis.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter:
On the door of a dormitory at the Yeshiva school where the teens attend classes in the city of Hebron in the West Bank, a sign in Hebrew reads "Eyal, we are waiting for your return."
Eyal Yifrach, a 19-year-old student at the yeshiva, is one of the three Israeli teens who went missing from a hitchhiking area in the West Bank last Thursday.
The other two are Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel, who are both 16 years old.
The Israeli government still contends the three were kidnapped by Hamas, even though Hamas has consistently denied the accusation.
Dovi Wiess, director of the yeshiva, says while it's been a very difficult time, they have received a lot of support.
"Some Rabbis from all over the country actually showed up here and spoke with the boys a few times already. They came here to be united, to be together, to give us strength. We need patience now to give the army and the police the time to do whatever they need to do, and we all hope that it's going to be over soon."
Micky Zivan, Eyal's classmate, says all they can do now is continue on with their lives and wait for Eyal's return.
"Right now we miss him a lot, but we'll continue on. Whatever message that those who took him and Gilad and Naftali, it's obvious they failed. We'll only get stronger, because of the strength, all around Israel, the unity, the love."
Israel Defense Forces, together with the Israel internal Security Agency Shin Bet, along with the Israeli police, have fanned out across the West Bank, particularly around the city of Hebron, in the search for the three.
Israeli military spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, says they are operating under the assumption that the boys are alive.
"Our concern is that we are able to bring them home, and to send a clear message to Hamas that there is a price to be involved in this type of terrorist activities. Hamas cannot continue to operate as normal while these boys are abducted. The mission is not bound by time."
Lerner says they are trying to carry out their mission with a minimal impact on civilian life.
However, Murad Amro a Palestinian human rights activist in Hebron, says the security crackdown is having a dramatic impact on people's lives.
"Now we are under siege. We are not allowed to go outside Hebron. We can't live normal life. They invade the houses, terrifying the kids. They conduct random arrests. They don't just target Hamas. They are targeting everyone. They are humiliating us. It's not our mistake as civil people. We don't hide anyone. We don't support violence."
Around 300 Palestinians have already been arrested in the massive sweep.
Security at border crossings has also been increased significantly.
The Israeli military has also been launching strikes on suspected Hamas training areas in the West Bank.
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott.
Durg use a rising concern in Beijing
Anchor:
Authorities here in Beijing are warning drug use is a rising concern in the capital, particularly among young women.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter:
The authorities say the problem is getting worse.
Jiang Liangdong is the deputy director general of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
"The number of drug addicts here in Beijing has been increasing by 10 percent annually over the past few years, and the problem shows no signs of slowing down. As of May, the number of registered drug addicts reached 25 thousand. More than 5000 suspected drug dealers have been arrested in the last three years, with the number of arrests increasing by more than 5 percent year on year."
Sun Li, vice dean of the Beijing Higher People's Court, says the internet now plays a key role in the drug trade, connecting dealers and users and teaching people how to produce drugs.
He blames that for the rising number of young people and women who have become hooked on drugs.
"It is becoming more common to use the Internet to spread information on how to produce drugs, along with information about using and dealing drugs. An increasing number of suspects are using Wechat or QQ to make appointments, using international credit card to pay for the drugs and to facilitate express delivery. 318 suspects under the age of 25 were recently found to be involved in drug crimes, 20 percent of all the suspects arrested over the past three years. The number of women suspects rose to 290, an increase of 26 percent."
The authorities have launched a number of new measures to crack down on online drug dealing.
Jiang Liangdong adds the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau has identified over 80 online drug dealing cases with these new methods.
That represents an increase of more than 60 percent over what would have been expected without the new technology.
For CRI, this is Xie Zhao.
Biz Reports
U.S. stocks closed mixed after a seesaw session Thursday, with the S&P 500 touching a record intraday high.
The S&P finished trading up 0.1-percent.
The Dow also climbed 0.1-percent.
The Nasdaq finished down 0.1-percent.
On the economic front, the Conference Board, a leading economic index in the United States, increased 0.5 percent in May.
However, that is still slightly short of market consensus.
On the commodities front, oil prices rose Thursday amid market concern about the conflict in Iraq disrupting supplies.
Iraq is the 2nd largest producer in OPEC.
The U.S. dollar also extended losses against other major currencies.
The European markets finished in the green.
London's FTSE 100 closed up 0.4 percent.
Both Germany DAX and France's CAC 40 gained 0.7 percent.
BOC hits first in Eurozone
The People's Bank of China has appointed the Bank of China's Frankfurt branch as the first yuan clearing bank in the eurozone.
This follows a March agreement between the German and Chinese central banks to cooperate in the clearing and settlement of yuan transactions.
Bank of China is also the clearing bank for the yuan in Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei.
A clearing bank in an offshore market allows commercial bank operating in the region to more easily settle offshore yuan accounts more efficiently than going through the People's Bank of China directly.
SOEs post 6.9% profit increase
China's state-owned enterprises have posted a nearly 7-percent rise in profits through the first 5-months of the year.
Total profits of this country's SOE's have come in at just under 943-billion through May.
Centrally-administered SOE's have recorded profits of over 716-billion yuan.
Locally-controlled state companies have pulled in over 226-billion.
Total revenues for both local and central SOE's are up over 5-percent so far this year.
Chinese investment in Britain sees rapid growth
New data released in the UK is suggesting Chinese investment in Britain came in 33-times higher in 2012 than it did in 1999.
The UK's Office for National Statistics says the average annual growth rate of foreign direct investment from Chinese companies was 31 percent over the period.
The proportion of FDI in the UK from Asian and African firms is also increasing.
China's $575B Sovereign Fund Vows to Improve After Audit Finds Mismanagement
This country's sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation, says it is improving how it manages overseas investments.
This, after state auditors says over a billion dollars’ worth of its investments overseas have been mismanaged.
CIC says it has drafted plans to rectify issues identified by the National Audit Office.
The fund also says its employees found responsible for bad overseas investments have been dealt with.
Live call-in with Doug Young on corporate news of the week
Anchor:
Let's check out some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young is associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Story 1
Chinese game companies going to HK to list instead of NY
Online game developer and operator, Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA), which is currently in the process of delisting from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), plans to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange next year.
Giant chairman Shi Yuzhu has already reached preliminary agreements with the company's institutional shareholders to re-list in Hong Kong no earlier than next year according to insider.
Meanwhile, Game Developer Ourgame files for HK IPO to raise up to 750 Mln Yuan.
The Ourgame International commences IPO one day earlier than its schedule on June 18.
Story 2
Line to open Chinese market
The mobile messaging service Line, based in Japan, plans major push in China this year, to set up locally-based team, to compete with WeChat and WhatsApp in the mobile messaging service market.
Back to Anchor:
Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Berry results top forecasts, fueling recovery hopes
BlackBerry has posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss.
BlackBerry shares have surged more than 10 percent on the news.
The Canadian-based company says it spent less than most expected in its fiscal first-quarter.
BlackBerry says its low-cost Z3 smartphone is selling well in Indonesia.
And its services business has also won back some of its customers.
BlackBerry is still hoping to remain a competitor in the smartphone market, though its turning more toward services.
Harley-Davidson introduces electric motorcycle
Harley-Davidson has introduced its first electric motorcycle.
The sleek, futuristic bike is said to sound a jet airplane taking off.
It can reportedly go from 0-to-60 in less than four seconds.
The bike isn't in production yet.
However, a demonstration model is going to be on display at an invitation-only event on Monday in New York.
Harley-Davidson is going to allow a select number of people to ride the bike, and then use the feed-back to help refine the new electric model.
The venture is considered a risk for Harley-Davidson, as there's currently almost no market for full-size electric motorcycles in the United States.
Harley-Davidson is best known for putting out high-powered, teeth-rattling, gas guzzling motorcycles.
Rolls-Royce returns 1 billion pounds to shareholders
Rolls-Royce has announced its going to provide a shareholder dividend worth around a billion pounds.
The idea is to try to restore investor confidence in the British engine maker.
The company's shares climbed 7.4 percent following the announcement yesterday.
However, Rolls-Royce shares have lost around 17-percent in value since the start of the year.
Investors' confidence in Rolls-Royce has been shaken by an acquisition attempt, on top of quarterly profit warnings release earlier this year.
Most observers still expect Rolls-Royce to post pretax profit of 1.7-billion pounds through this year.
Headline News
Chinese, Greek PMs meet to enhance ties, cooperation
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is now in Greece following a three-day visit to the UK.
He has already met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to discuss bilateral ties.
Li Keqiang has also suggested China and Greece can work together in exploring new economic growth points, particularly in maritime cooperation.
Part of his schedule in Greece is to hold the first-ever maritime cooperation forum between the two countries.
The Premier is expected to oversee the signing of more than 20 new deals, mostly covering investment, trade and finance.
U.S. ready to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq: Obama
US President Barack Obama has announced he's sending 300 "military advisers" to help train and support Iraqi forces in their fight against the massive Sunni insurgency which has engulfed the north of the country.
But in making the announcement, Obama says US forces are not going to be fighting again in Iraq.
Obama does say the US military is ready to undertake "targeted" and "precise" military action when its required in Iraq.
At the same time, Obama says Iran has a role to play in helping to stabilize the situation by supporting an inclusive Iraqi government.
Ukraine to sign EU deal this month
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced plans to sign an association agreement with the European Union next week.
Poroshenko is also going to send his new foreign minister to Luxembourg next week to lay out a peace plan for EU ministers.
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany has been approved by parliament as the new Ukrainian Foreign Minister.
Meanwhile, government forces say heavy fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine after rebels rejected a call to lay down their arms in line with a peace plan proposed by Poroshenko
3 killed, 6 injured in suicide attack in Pakistan's Peshawar
At least three people are dead and 6 others seriously hurt following a suicide attack in a home in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.
Local authorities say the attacker entered into the drawing room of the home and then blew himself up.
All of those in attendance were said to be there to meet a so-called "Peace Committee" chief.
So far no group has claimed responsibility.
Record 95,000 civilians seeking shelter at UN sites in South Sudan
The United Nations says a record number of people are now converging on UN sites across South Sudan in an attempt to avoid the sectarian fighting which is still taking place.
Over 95-thousand people are now taking shelter under the UN flag across the embattled country.
Despite the signing of a peace agreement this past week, fighting among factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and his ousted former deputy, Riek Machar, is still said to be taking place in different parts of the country.
U.S. House Republicans elect McCarthy majority leader
U.S. House Republicans have elected Kevin McCarthy as new majority leader.
The 49-year old representative from California takes over from Eric Cantor, who lost a shocking primary to an unknown Tea Party candidate.
McCarthy had been the Republican whip.
Cantor's defeat in his primary in Virginia is being seen as a sign tht any plans for immigration reform in the style the White House had been hoping for is unlikely to go ahead.
Newspaper Picks
THE BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Social stability officer murdered
Summary
An officer in charge of maintaining social stability in Sichuan has been shot dead.
Local authorities say the suspect is on the run.
Police say the murder is premeditated and motivated by revenge.
However, they haven't offered a motivation for the revenge.
THE BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Death sentence for family planning killer
Summary
A court in Guangxi has sentenced a man to death for the murder of two government officials in a dispute over family planning.
The local family planning bureau refused to register his fourth child with a "hukou," leading to the outburst.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Man detained for illegal hunting
Summary
A man in Guangdong has been detained for the illegal slaughter of wildlife.
Police have recovered dead geckos and birds at the man's home.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Food and drug case stats
Summary
Chinese authorities say they've managed to wrap up more than 52-thousand criminal food safety cases and 28-thousand fake medicine cases.
Authorities also say they've shut down a large number of underground workshops and factories manufacturing "poisonous and harmful" food and medicine.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Senior officials under graft probe
Summary
China's anti-graft authorities have announced two senior officials in Shanxi are being investigated on suspicion of corruption.
The officials are the vice-Chair of the Provincial advisory body and the vice-Governor.
Details of the allegations have not been revealed.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Passenger jet skids off airport runway
Summary
A China Eastern Airlines flight skidded off the runway while landing at an airport in Shanxi.
No one was hurt, and the plane didn't sustain any damage.
The airline is still investigating.
Special Reports
Americans want to escape suburbs for city life
Anchor:
After some 60 years of migrating toward the suburbs, a larger share of Americans are now beginning to return back toward neighborhoods closer toward the central core of cities.
CRI's Li Dong explains.
Reporter:
Spencer McCallie lives near a beautiful lake far from town. He enjoys the cozy life, but he is thinking about moving back to the city.
"Gosh, I would drive 45 minutes to get there and then 45 minutes back."
McCallie is part of a growing group of Americans choosing cityscapes over cul-de-sacs. Heather Gustafson from CMK Realty, a housing agency in Chicago, Illinois, is noticing the trend:
"We're certainly finding that buyers want to be in walking distance to what cities have to offer."
Both empty nesters and new families are driving the demand for urban living. And that means higher prices.
Historically, Americans bought homes worth about three times their income. But now, the typical new home tops 320-thousand dollars - six times the average household income in the United States.
According to Josh Boak, Associated Press Economics Writer, that's partly down to business decisions made by home builders.
"Developers have made a conscious choice to build fewer homes, but charge higher prices in order to maintain their profit margins."
That's led to developers breaking ground on terrace housing developments like Basecamp River North in Chicago, where units start at half a million dollars.
Gustafson says, despite the price tag, there are people who think the benefits of urban living outweigh the cost.
"Shorter commutes to work; greater accessibility to restaurants, shopping and to public transportation."
A new poll by the American Planning Association says roughly 40 percent of the country still lives in suburbs, but just seven percent of those surveyed hope to stay there.
Boak says that's because, for decades, communities were designed in ways many people no longer want to live.
"The problem is we've had sixty years of suburban based construction that is focused on the car, so we have a mismatch in terms of what people want and between what the market is providing."
McCallie says adjusting to city life has been easy. Backyard strolls are being replaced by short trips to see local performances.
"It was great fun. And then after that we left with six other people and then ate at one of our favourite restaurants and came home. Would not have done any of that had we lived the 28 miles out."
That's all part of a dramatic shift towards downtown living.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
FIFA World Cup: Uruguay vs. England 2-1; Colombia vs. Cote d'Ivoire 2-1
Starting off with the FIFA World Cup this morning,
Japan is playing against Greece in their Group C meeting.
[UPDATES]
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Earlier this morning,
Luis Suarez scored twice to help Uruguay all but dash England's hope of moving on in the World Cup with a 2-1 victory this morning.
Suarez, who was making his debut after recovering from knee surgery and missing the opener against Costa Rica, opened the scoring in the first half.
Wayne Rooney then equalized in the 75th minute.
But then 10-minutes later, Suarez capitalized on a tipped header from mid-field to lead Uruguay to the victory.
The loss is England's 2nd, and leaves them at the mercy of all three clubs ahead of them.
----
In the opening match of the day,
It was Colombia edging Cote d'Ivoire 2-1 in their Group C encounter.
Colombia is now 2-and-0 after defeating Greece 3-nil in their opening match, and are all but assured of making it into the knock-out stages.
11-year-old Lucy Li fires 78 at US Open
In golf,
Stacy Lewis has a 2-stroke lead after the first round of the US Women's Open at Pinehurst.
Lewis fired a 3-under-67 to hold the lead over 7-others at minus-1.
Taiwan's Candie Kung sits tied for 8th at even par.
Guangzhou's Feng Shanshan struggled a bit, finishing at plus-5.
Tseng Yani from Taiwan finished her first round at plus-7.
Meanwhile, 11-year-old Lucy Li fired an eight-over-par 78 in the first round of the US women's Open.
Li says she's more concerned about her performance than the results.
"I just want to go out there and have fun and play the best I can and I really don't care about the outcome, I just want to have fun."
The sixth-grader is the youngest qualifier in U.S. Women's Open history after qualifying in the sectionals last month.
----
On the men's side,
Finland's Mikko Ilonen fired a 7-under-par-64 to take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the Irish Open.
Rory McIlroy struggled, firing athree-over-par-74.
Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington are in a large group who ended the day at two-under.
Gasquet, Wozniacki reach semis at Eastbourne
In tennis,
Top seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet has eased into the Aegon International semi-finals in England after downing Slovakia's Martin Klizan 6-3, 6-4.
Gasquet will play Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the final four.
Istomin overcame Gasquet's compatriot Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6, 6-2.
American Sam Querrey is also into the semi's at the Aegon after defeating France's Julien Benneteau 7-6, 6-4.
Querrey will be up against the winner of the match between defending champion Feliciano Lopez and Jeremy Chardy.
----
In the women's competition,
Caroline Wozniacki is through to the semi-finals after a hard-fought 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi of Italy.
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova was forced to withdraw from her match with British wildcard Heather Watson due to a right hamstring injury.
Kvitova still expects to play in Wimbledon next week.
----
At the Topshelf Open in the Netherlands,
China's Zheng Jie entered the semi-finals after cruising past Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-0.
Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova has also progressed into the last four with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over German Annika Beck.
----
In the men's draw,
Qualifier Joao Sousa has reached the semis after brushing aside Thiemo de Bakker 6-4, 6-2.
He will now face Germany's Benjamin Becker, who came back from a set down to beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.
Chen survives scare, Wang Yihan toppled at Indonesia Open
In badminton, at the Indonesia Open,
Chinese second seed Chen Long had to come from behind to beat Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand 23-25, 21-16, 22-20.
Chen is now set for a quarter-final clash with compatriot Chen Yuekun.
Meantime, top seed and defending champion Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia has effortlessly dispatched France's Brice Leverdez 21-4, 21-16.
Fourth seeded Kenichi Tago of Japan is also through after rolling past Malaysia's Chong Wei Feng 21-18, 21-15 to set up a quarter-final clash with Hong Kong's Hu Yun.
----
In the women's draw
Reigning champion, China's Li Xuerui, is through to the next round after dumping Indonesia's Adrianti Firdasari 21-12, 21-19.
Chinese second seed Wang Shixian rolled through Spain's Carolina Marin 21-17, 21-13.
Chinese third seed Wang Yihan has suffered a shocking defeat, going down 21-18, 18-21, 21-13 to Thailand's Nichaon Jindapon.
----
In the women's doubles competition,
Chinese twin sisters Luo Ying and Luo Yu have booked a place in the quarter-finals after beating an Indonesian duo in straight sets.
Judge rejects Shelly Sterling bid for injunction
In basketball news,
A judge has rejected a motion by Shelly Sterling's attorneys, who had been demanding her ex-husband Donald Sterling and his lawyers to stop harassing her legal team and doctors in their dispute over the planned sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The decision is the latest development leading up to a July 7th hearing that is likely to determine the ownership of the Clippers.
Shelly Sterling contends her ex-husband has been making threatening phone calls and sent a letter through his lawyer to two doctors who declared him mentally incapacitated.
Next month's hearing is meant to determine whether Donald Sterling is mentally capable of making decisions about his estate.
It will also determine whether Donald Sterling was properly removed as an administrator under the terms of the family trust, which will give Shelly authority to sell the LA Clippers.
She's already agreed to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for 2-billion US dollars.
Entertainment
Maleficent to cast her spell on Chinese cinemas
There are two Hollywood films out in the Chinese mainland today:
Firstly is Angelina Jolie's latest film Maleficent, the modern retelling of the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.
(Maleficent)
It tells the story of the title character, showing her as a beautiful pure hearted young woman living an idyllic life growing up in a peaceful forest kingdom.
That is until an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to become the forest's fiercest protector but then she suffers a ruthless betrayal which turns her pure heart to stone.
Now bent on revenge she faces a battle with the invading king's successor and places a curse on his newborn infant Aurora.
Grace of Monaco crashes onto Chinese cinema screens
(Grace of Monaco)
Another film out on the Friday is Grace of Monaco.
The Biopic of the former Hollywood star Grace Kelly sees Nicole Kidman in the title role and Tim Roth as her husband Prince Rainier III.
Grace Kelly of course gave up her acting career to marry the Prince of Monaco but this story takes place at a time where she is trying to fight convention by accepting a role in an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Another key moment is the growing tension between the ruling family of Monaco and French President Charles de Gaulle over the territory's tax status.
This film opened the Cannes film festival but was widely panned by critics. But anyway from today, cinema goers in China will be able to make up their own mind.
Chinese government pledges support for film industry
China's filmmakers have received a boost after the government yesterday announced support for the industry.
The measures include an annual budget of 1 billion yuan (163 million U.S. dollars) to support production of five to ten movies.
The cultural development fund will promote movie-making technology, help exports of Chinese films, invest in commercial productions and build film websites.
Sales of copies, copyright, distribution and venues in rural areas, will be exempt from value-added tax for five years.
Banks will also be encouraged to lend to the sector and production companies encouraged to raise capital through IPOs.
China's box office revenue totaled 21.8 billion yuan (3.53 billion U.S. dollars) in 2013, up 27.5 percent. Domestic films led the annual box office charts, reversing the trend of 2012.
Jay Chou named anti-drug ambassador
Chinese pop singer Jay Chou has been named as an anti-drug using ambassador.
He was given the title by the ministry of public security, ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on next Thursday.
In receiving the title, Jay says people should be brave and should stand up to those who might push drugs upon them.
This is the theme of his song 'Coward'
(Coward)
The International Day Against Drug Abuse will be marked by a number of events aimed at educating people about the dangers of using narcotics
Harrison Ford Broke Leg On Star Wars Set
It's reported that Harrison Ford broke his leg in the accident last week on the set of the new Star Wars movie.
It was previously believed he had injured his ankle after a door fell on him on the set at Pinewood studios in the UK.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has held meetings with his Greek counterpart after arriving in Athens yesterday.
US President Barack Obama has announced he's sending 300 "military advisors" to help deal with the situation in northern Iraq.
The Ukranian government is preparing to sign a new collaboration agreement with the European Union next week.
In Business... the Bank of China has been anointed as the clearing bank for the renminbi in Frankfurt.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.
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