新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/07/07

 
The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Monday, July 07th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
The Chinese president has marked the 77th anniversary of the beginning of the war with Japan at the site of the first Japanese attack near Beijing...
The Chinese and German governments have agreed to set up a high-level dialogue about the creation of an offshore RMB market in Frankfurt...
And one of the Candidates in Afghanistan's runoff election vows to reject the results...
In business, the Chinese logistics sector has been expanding...
In sports, one of the best rivalries in tennis lived up to its billing at Wimbledon...
In entertainment, The Way of the Dragons premiers in Beijing...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 24 degrees Celsius. It will be overcast tomorrow with a high of 34 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 24, tomorrow cloudy, with a high of 30.
Chongqing will be cloudy tonight, 26 degrees the low, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 34.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 39.
Kabul, sunny, 30.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, high of 15.
Canberra, cloudy,9.
Brisbane, sunny, 19.
And finally, Perth will have slight rain with a high of 14.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China marks 77th anniversary of start of anti-Japan war
 
Anchor:
Chinese President Xi Jinping has criticized denials of Japanese aggression in China.
President Xi was at the commemoration for the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
The fight began 77 years ago today.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a speech marking the 77th anniversary of the start of the war.
Around 1,000 people, including China's senior leaders, attended the ceremony at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression in Beijing.
Japan had occupied China's northeast since 1931.
But its full-scale invasion of China started on July 7th, 1937 after Japanese troops attacked Chinese soldiers near the Lugou Bridge in southwest Beijing.
In his speech, Xi Jinping says that despite what happened in the past, there are still people out there who want to defy or beautify what happened following the invasion.
"It's a pity that a small minority of people still ignore the iron-clad history and the fact that tens of millions of innocent people sacrificed their lives in the war nearly 70 years after the victory of the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world's anti- fascist war. This minority has repeatedly denied or even beautified history and the invasion, undermining mutual trust among states and creating regional tensions. Such behavior has been strongly condemned by the world's peace-loving people."
The Chinese President says that no one can change history or truth.
"History is history, truth is truth, and no one can change history or truth. The Chinese people who sacrificed too much will firmly defend the history written with our blood and lives. If someone wants to deny, bend or even glorify the history of aggression, the Chinese people and the people of the world will never tolerate this."
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping also stresses that throughout history all military aggression has been doomed to fail and China will firmly stick to the path of peaceful development.
At least 35 million Chinese people were killed during the eight years of war that ended in 1945, the largest Asian war in the 20th century.
Chinese forces managed to contain the threat from Japanese troops and are regarded as a key part of the world's war against fascism.
Earlier this year, China's National People's Congress set September 3rd as the date to commemorate the victory over Japan.
Last week, China's State Archives Bureau began publishing the handwritten confessions of 45 Japanese war criminals.
The confessions contain details of atrocities conducted by Japanese troops against Chinese nationals.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
Questions for Yang
 
For more on the issue, we spoke earlier with Yang Bojiang, head of the institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Back Anchor:
Yang Bojiang, head of the institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
 
 
Chinese archives releases fresh evidence of Japan invasion
 
Anchor:
A new batch of information about wartime atrocities committed by Japan during its agression of China has been unveiled here in China.
CRI's Yu Yang has more details.
Reporter:
The documents were released by China's Jilin Provincial Archives.
They contain about 45,000 letters, all written in Japanese.
The letters are dated between the initial Japanese aggression in 1931 and the Chinese victory in 1945.
Mu Zhanyi is deputy director of Jilin Provincial Archives.
"According to our initial study, these letters have fully reflected the atrocities committed by the Japanese troops during its invasion, such as burning, killing, raping, looting and violent bombardment. They constructed secret military projects and tortured Chinese laborers. They also carried out chemical and bacterial warfare."
According to the documents, the Japanese army secretly checked publications, letters, telegrams and phone conversations between Japanese servicemen, Japanese immigrants and other foreign nationals.
Then, any records about atrocities committed by the Japanese army would be sent to military commanders for seizure and deletion.
Through this supervision system, the Japanese army aimed to prevent soldiers and other citizens from disclosing military secrets and crimes committed by the Japanese army.
These newly-unveiled documents, which the Japanese army apparently didn't have time to destroy after it was defeated in the war, were reportedly buried underground.
Jiang Lifeng is the former director of the Department of Japanese Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"These authentic historical documents written by the Japanese themselves clearly reveal the atrocities committed by the Japanese army. Secondly, they serve to strongly refute the denials of Japan's aggression from the country's right wing politicians and citizens. Thirdly, the documents are educational to those Japanese citizens with confused knowledge of history."
The letters were found during construction work in Changchun in 1953.
For CRI, this is Yu Yang.
 
 
China and Germany agree to set up financial dialogue mechanism
 
China and Germany have agreed to launch a senior-level financial dialogue in a bid to boost the establishment of an off-shore RMB market in Frankfurt.
The announcement follows Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel here in Beijing.
"We have agreed to launch a top level financial dialogue mechanism as soon as possible. China has already appointed yhe Bank of China as the RMB clearance bank in Frankfurt. We will allot 80 billion yuan in RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors quota to Germany. It will help to boost the setup of off-shore RMB market in Frankfurt. "
The RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors program allows foreign investors to invest in Chinese onshore stock and bond markets with offshore RMB.
Meanwhile, Chinese and German companies including Air China and Lufthansa have signed a series of deals.
The two sides also agreed to establish a new manufacturing base for FAW-Volkswagen in China.
Merkel says the two countries are set to extend cooperation on a larger scope.
"The two governments have already established a profound cooperation framework. Now we can bring our cooperation to a wider field. Previously, our focuses were on trade and technology, and now we have included agriculture, food safety, environmental protection etc. China will be a partner country to join next year's CeBIT expo, it will kick off our cooperation in information and telecommunication. Apart from that, we will have a wider cooperation in other new areas including health care and urbanization."
China is Germany's second-largest export market outside Europe after the US.
The two countries have a bilateral trade volume of over 140 billion euros last year.
The German Chancellor is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later today.
This is Merkel's seventh visit to China since taking office in 2005.
She is accompanied by a large business delegation including over 20 CEOs from companies such as Siemens and Deutsche Bank.
 
 
Six Jewish Suspects Arrested in Murder of Palestinian teen
 
A closed-door hearing has been held for the six Jewish suspects arrested for the murder of a Palestinian teenager last week.
Adi Keidar, a lawyer representing the suspects, says the group claims they have no connection to Abu Khudair's murder.
"We do not yet know all the details, according to all the publications and what we have understood, it is difficult at this stage to understand if there is a connection between the suspects and this specific incident. It could be that the police and the General Security Service are stumbling in the dark."
The 16-year old's burnt body was discovered last Wednesday in an area near East Jerusalem where he was abducted just hours earlier.
Investigators have since determined he was burned alive.
It's believed Khudair's murder is retribution for the abduction and murder of three Jewish teens last month.
The killing of the three yeshiva students has led to a major Israeli crackdown on suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
Meanwhile at least four people were injured as Israel continued to carry out airstrikes on targets in the Gaza strip earlier today.
 
 
DPRK calls for ending confrontation, improving north-south ties
 
North Korea has put forward another call for an end to confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.
The call includes a four-point proposal clarifying its principles and stances on easing tensions on the peninsula and achieving "independent reunification."
The call comes just a day before the 20th anniversary of the death of former top leader Kim Il Sung.
This is the second time this month North Korea has put out an olive branch in an attempt to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The first proposal, which called on South Korea to end its annual war games with the United States, has been rejected by the South.
 
 
Afghan Candidates Rejects Partial Results
 
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has announced he's going to reject any election results released.
The Afghan election commission is due to release the preliminary results of last month's runoff later on today.
Abdullah has alleged that massive vote rigging took place during the runoff.
"What we are asking for is a thorough auditing before any announcement, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, or whatever. What we are asking for is thorough auditing and after the completion of the auditing the announcement of the preliminary results will be made."
The preliminary results were supposed to be released last week.
However, the Afghan Election Commission delayed the release to probe the allegations put forward by Abdullah.
Frontrunner Ashraf Ghani is demanding the immediate release of the preliminary results.
Meanwhile, the European Union is calling for a more extensive investigation into allegations of suspected ballot stuffing by supporters of Ghani.
The deadlock in the presidential election has emboldened the Taliban and other militant groups to wage armed attacks in several parts of the country
At least three army soldiers have been wounded after an explosion went off in Herat city, the provincial capital of western province of Herat.
Another suicide car bomb in the southern Zabul province has killed at least three.
 
 
Germany Calls for U.S. Explanation on Suspected 'double agent' Case
 
The German government is calling for a quick and clear explanation from Washington in connection with a report that US intelligence had been in contact with a German man arrested last week on suspicion of being a double agent.
The 31-year-old employee of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency has admitted passing documents to a U.S. contact.
Reports suggest the documents passed on include information about a parliamentary committee looking into allegations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden that Washington carried out wide-spread surveillance in Germany, including monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.
The White House and US State Department have so far declined to comment.
However, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has addressed the issue as part of her current book tour.
"We also have important security and intelligence relationships that should not be put at risk because they are important to the ultimate security of individuals. So let's find out what the facts are and then let's act appropriately but also try to be careful not to undermine the necessary cooperation which exists between us."
The US government has come under international scrutiny after Snowden leaked documents revealing a wide-ranging program of US international surveillance targeting high-level individuals such as Angela Merkel and others.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
First off, let's check numbers on some major Asian stocks.
Stocks on the Chinese mainland closed mixed on Monday.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended only slightly higher.
The Shenzhen Component indexes dropped 0.2 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended almost flat.
Elsewhere in the region.
Japan's Nikkei shed 0.4 percent.
South Korea's KOSPI fell 0.2 percent on worries about second-quarter earnings results.
Singapore's Straits Times Index picked up 0.6 percent.
Australia's ASX slashed 0.1 percent.
 
 
China logistics activity picks up last month
 
Logistics activity in China increased last month as the economy showed signs of stabilizing.
The logistics performance index for June came in at 56.7, up 1.5 points from a month earlier.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion.
Last week, official figures showed activity in China's manufacturing sector reached a six-month high in June.
China is due to release GDP data for the second quarter next week.
 
 
Q&A with Mike Securities regulator releases new rules for market exit
 
Anchor:
Securities regulators here in China have released a draft of potential new rules connected to delisting for domestic companies.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission says the refined delisting system will provide a range of options for companies that are voluntarily hoping to leave the equity markets.
The new rules, among other things, will also force companies found to be engaged in fraud to be kicked out of the market within a year.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
Back to Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
 
 
Samsung launches two new tablets in Shanghai
 
Samsung has launched two new tablets under the Galaxy Tab S series this afternoon in Shanghai, which will be available in China from mid-July.
The tablets will come in two screen sizes, 8.4 inches and 10.5 inches, and will be available in two color options, Titanium Bronze and White.
The two tablets are supposed to be the thinnest and lightest in this series.
Samsung held over one fifth of the global tablet market as of the first quarter of this year, just next to its main competitor Apple.
 
 
EU-based heating system manufacturer looks to tap into the south
 
An EU-based heating system manufacturer is now looking to localize its production here in China to tap into the growing business in the country's southern regions.
BDR Thermea, which exports more than one tenth of its products to China, typically cooperates with property developers in north China where existing homes usually have access to centralized heating.
But Southern China, which by law doesn't have central heating, is becoming an increasingly lucrative market as more people seek a comfortable life in winter.
BDR says the company can benefit from the rising living standard in the south as well as the government's efforts to fight pollution.
BDR's main export products here are water heaters and boilers run on natural gas, making them more environmentally friendly than their Chinese counterparts.
BDR said the company is currently looking for a greenfield project in China, but it is also open to acquisitions or joint ventures with Chinese companies.
 
 
Beijing authorities hands down largest pollution fine
 
The Beijing municipal environmental protection watchdog has handed down a 600,000 yuan fine to the Chinese branch of US energy company Babcock & Wilcox for air pollution.
The fine, roughly 97,000 U.S. dollars, is the largest-ever penalty for air pollution in the Chinese capital.
The Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company was fined 300,000 yuan in May for painting in the open air at its factory, releasing highly-toxic fumes into the air.
The bureau ordered the company to correct its unlawful act in May but follow-up examinations found the company had not complied and the bureau hence decided to double the penalty.
 
 
Mazda recalls in China over airbag issue
 
Japanese car-maker Mazda will recall over 42,000 cars produced in China due to issues over airbags.
China's quality watchdog says the airbag in the front passenger seat may fail to work and even lead to a fire in extreme cases.
The airbags in question were supplied by Takata, a firm which is at the heart of massive recalls globally involving Japanese, U.S. and European automakers.
Top Japanese car makers, including Toyota, have recalled over 10 million vehicles over the past five years because of the airbag made by Takata.
Mazda will check the affected vehicles and replace the defective parts free of charge.
 
 
Facebook leases office in Beijing
 
Facebook has leased space in downtown Beijing to open a China office.
Though currently not accessible in the Chinese mainland, Facebook has helped Chinese businesses reaching international users via its ads service.
Facebook expects the new office to further expand its ad business with Chinese customers.
Facebook has made 350 million dollars in Asia, or 14 percent of its revenue, in the first quarter of this year.
 
 
Lufthansa partners with Air China
 
Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa has signed a partnership deal with Air China as it seeks to improve its position in China.
Under the deal, the two airlines will set up a joint venture that will allow them to share revenue on certain routes by selling tickets for each other’s' flights.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China marks 77th anniversary of start of anti-Japan war
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has criticized denials of Japanese aggression in China.
President Xi was at the commemoration for the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
The fight began 77 years ago today.
In his speech, Xi Jinping says that no one can change history or truth, and the Chinese people and the people of the world will never tolerate this.
At least 35 million Chinese people were killed during the eight years of war that ended in 1945, the largest Asian war in the 20th century.
Chinese forces managed to contain the threat from Japanese troops and are regarded as a key part of the world's war against fascism.
 
 
China and Germany agree to set up financial dialogue mechanism
 
China and Germany have agreed to launch a senior-level financial dialogue in a bid to boost the establishment of an off-shore RMB market in Frankfurt.
The announcement follows Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel here in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Chinese and German companies including Air China and Lufthansa have signed a series of deals.
The two sides also agreed to establish a new manufacturing base for FAW-Volkswagen in China.
This is Merkel's seventh visit to China since taking office in 2005.
She is accompanied by a large business delegation including over 20 CEOs from companies such as Siemens and Deutsche Bank.
 
 
Afghan Candidates Rejects Partial Results
 
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has announced he's going to reject any election results released.
The Afghan election commission is due to release the preliminary results of last month's runoff later on today.
Abdullah has alleged that massive vote rigging took place during the runoff.
The preliminary results were supposed to be released last week.
However, the Afghan Election Commission delayed the release to probe the allegations put forward by Abdullah.
Meanwhile, the European Union is calling for a more extensive investigation into allegations of suspected ballot stuffing by supporters of Ghani.
The deadlock in the presidential election has emboldened the Taliban and other militant groups to wage armed attacks in several parts of the country
 
 
DPRK calls for ending confrontation, improving north-south ties
 
North Korea has put forward another call for an end to confrontation on the Korean Peninsula.
The call includes a four-point proposal clarifying its principles and stances on easing tensions on the peninsula and achieving "independent reunification."
The call comes just a day before the 20th anniversary of the death of former top leader Kim Il Sung.
This is the second time this month North Korea has put out an olive branch in an attempt to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The first proposal, which called on South Korea to end its annual war games with the United States, has been rejected by the South.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Shanghai Daily
Getting closer to nature with city zoo sleepover
Visitors will be able to have "a sleepover" in Shanghai Zoo from next year, viewing nocturnal creatures and being woken by the dawn chorus.
This is an extension of the "Magic Night Tour" at the Changning District zoo, running every weekend evening this month.
The new initiative, under which visitors will camp out for the night at the zoo, is currently being trialed.
Weak lights are used for night excursions and zoo staff and volunteers accompany visitors to ensure they don't startle the residents.
Zoo officials said they favor overnight camping as it can help children learn more about the animals, and then have the bonus of waking to the sound of birds.
Extra measures are being taken to ensure the safety of sleepover visitors, said the zoo.
--
China Daily
Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei to have integrated transportation card
It is reported that residents will be able to take any public transportation means in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei with one transportation card in the future.
This is a part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei transportation integration project which covers the aviation, port, expressway and other fields.
The integration of the transportation card is a part of the service integration project.
Transportation card was introduced in 1999 and now is widely used in over 250 cities and towns nationwide.
However, the system has been separated among different cities and one card can only be used in one city.
Authorities say it planned to fulfill the integration of the card in large and medium-sized cities till 2016.
--
BBC
Cruel trade in Asian elephants threatens survival – report
A report says that wild elephants are being held in horrific conditions in Myanmar by smugglers looking to resume a lucrative trade.
It claims the animals, mainly calves, are being brutally treated as they are "tamed" for tourist camps in Thailand.
Campaigners Traffic fear a resurgence in smuggling could seriously threaten the elephant's survival in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
They are calling on the Thai government to urgently tighten trafficking laws.
It is said that up to 81 live elephants were illegally captured for sale into the Thai tourist industry between 2011 and 2013.
The animals are mainly used to entertain foreign and domestic tourists at trekking camps.
As visitors prefer younger elephants, the value of calves has soared. The current market value is around 33-thousand US dollars for a healthy specimen.
--
Skynews Australia
Healthy mothers 'key to baby size'
Scientists have shown newborn babies born to healthy, well-nourished mothers are strikingly similar in size.
An international study found that they have a body length of around 50 centimeters on average.
Contrary to the previous assumption, the new research suggested the mothers' education, health, nutrition and antenatal care contributed much more to the babies' size than race and ethnicity.
Scientists looked at almost 60-thousand pregnancies altogether in urban areas of both developing and developed countries.
Small size at birth is associated with infant death and illness, as well as increased risks of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease in adult life.
The ultimate aim of the study is to provide international standards describing the ideal growth of a baby in the womb and from birth to five years of age.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Trial of digital waste recycling model in Chengdu
 
Anchor:
A trial program is underway in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, combining technology and recycling. And it gives locals a chance to earn rewards.
CRI's Ding Lulu explains.
Reporter:
Liang Xiuqing is a resident in the southwestern city.
Like many others in her residential community, as well as in many other Chinese cities, she classifies the daily garbage.
"What I mainly do is to divide the plastic wastes and aluminum tins from the wastes and put them in one bag. And then put the wasted paper plates in another bag. In dividing these wastes, it will be easier for the recycling center to classify them and also good for the environment."
But now there's another step to do before sending these bags to the garbage station.
She sticks one Quick Response code to each of these bags.
These QR coded stickers contain the residents’ personal information and will be converted to reward points to them once scanned at a garbage center.
The more finely the garbage is classified, the more reward points one can obtain.
Residents can then exchange the credits for groceries offered by recycling firms in their community.
Li Li is the deputy general manager of the Chengdu-based, waste recycling firm, Green Earth.
He says this model can encourage the residents to classify their garbage, as well as benefit the the recyclers.
"They (residents) can turn trash into treasure by separating the recyclable and the non-recyclable. We will give them back, in the form of gifts. Part of the money made from the sales of classified wastes goes to these gifts, and we use the other part to cover our operation expenses. It can thus be a sustainable model."
But to Liang Xiuqing who has conducted this practice for a while, the new mode has made gabage-classification more interesting.
"This kind of waste recycling is just like playing a game. The more efforts I put into it, the more reward points I will get. The greater the amount of reward points I get, the more motivated I am in waste recycling. I am excited to get what I need every time they (recycling firms) come for gift exchanges in the community, which gives me strong incentive to classify wastes."
The trial of this waste recycling model is now involving nearly 60,000 households in Chengdu.
And it is expected to expand to all the residential communities in the city by 2017.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Beijing, Oslo and Almaty announced by IOC as 2022 Winter Olympics candidates
 
Beijing has been announced as one of the three remaining cities in the running to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Alongside the Chinese capital the International Olympic Committee also announced Oslo in Norway and Almaty in Kazakhstan as possible candidates.
The cities must submit their detailed bid files to the IOC by next January.
The host city will be selected in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015.
The bid race began with six cities, but has been cut in half by the withdrawals of Stockholm; Krakow, Poland; and Lviv, Ukraine.
The future of Oslo's bid remains uncertain. The Norwegian government will decide in the autumn whether to back the project.
 
 
Novak Djokovic scores 'most special' victory over Roger Federer in Wimbledon final
 
Novak Djokovic claimed his second Wimbledon title this weekend in a thrilling match against his great rival Rodger Federer.
The Serbian was forced to dig deep against the Swiss ace as the pair produced one of the most exciting finals in the history of the competition with the match going to just shy of four hours (3 hours 56 minutes).
The 27-year-old world number one dropped the first set to his 32-year-old opponent, but soon shot back against Federer in the second set, but the world number three refused to let him gain any momentum and the match ended 6-7 6-4 7-6 5-7 6-4.
As well as the thrill for the spectators Novak Djokovic said this victory comes at a crucial time of his career:
"The most special grand slam final I've played and at the time of my career for this grand slam trophy to arrive is crucial, especially as I said after losing several grand slam finals in a row.　I started doubting a little bit and I need this win a lot and I'm going to try to use it in the best possible way and for my confidence to grow for the rest of the season and the rest of my career."
This victory sees the Djokovic claim his seventh singles grand slam title but that's still a far cry from Roger Federer's record of seventeen.
 
 
Lewis Hamilton claims crucial home F1 victory to keep title hopes alive
 
Lewis Hamilton has won his home Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend.
The British Formula One driver recovered from a terrible qualifying session on Saturday in which a misjudgment over the weather saw him begin sixth. But the 29-year-old 2008 world champion soon charged his way up the field.
Hamilton's season has been hampered by two DNF's (Did Not Finish) caused by his Mercedes racecar breaking down, this allowed his German Teammate Nico Rosberg to build a sizeable championship lead.
But at the British Grand Prix it was Rosberg who was forced to withdraw with technical problems meaning Hamilton closes the gap at the top of the leader board to within just four points.
The two Mercedes Drivers remain well ahead of the rest of the pack after dominating the season for the first nine of 19 races.
The race at Silverstone also saw one of the biggest crashes of the race so far as Ferrari driver Kimi Raikonnen hit a bump after going off the track sending him spinning head on into the barrier at around 240 kph.
That's a crash of 47G.
He limped away with bruising to his legs but is said to be OK, although it is not known whether he will be fit to take part in testing over the weekend.
 
 
Juan Pablo Montoya claims first IndyCar victory for 14 years
 
Over in the US. Former F1 and Nascar driver Juan Pablo Montoya has claimed his first IndyCar victory in almost 14 years.
The 38-year-old racer now jumps to fourth in the overall standings and is feeling positive about the season ahead.
"You know this is a huge win, I mean you could see every week was getting better and it's coming, you could see it coming but I never, I don't like to take things for granted, you know you hear people -- you're back, you're back -- I'm there but I still feel I can do a better job so it's nice."
The Colombian also set a new IndyCar series record for the fastest 500 miles (805 km). He managed an average speed of 325.734kph shattering the previous record of 318.642 kph.
 
 
Vincenzo Nibili claims yellow jersey on Tour de France second stage
 
In cycling,
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali has now has the yellow jersey claiming the overall lead on the Tour de France which this year started in Yorkshire in England.
A late attack earned the Astana rider victory in the second stage as he applied huge pressure about 2km from the finish line to break away from the peleton.
The Belgian Greg van Avermaet and Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski finished second and third respectively.
Earlier a steep and winding Sheffield residential street, Jenkin Road, gave a taste of what is to come.
Defending champion Chris Froome, sparred with several other riders, including former champion Alberto Contador. As he did last year he made a point of being the first to the top of the last climb.
Froome and Contador are currently two seconds off the pace, in fifth and eighth respectively.
 
 
Ukrain's Oleksandr claims first stage tour of Qinghai victory
 
Meanwhile the Tour of Qinghai Lake is under way here in China. The Ukrainian Rider Polivoda Oleksandr has taken the lead after the first stage claiming the yellow and green jersey.
In second place on the 121 kilometre circuit was Davidenok Ilya of Kazakhstan with Frenchman Goncalves Jose in third.
The event running from the 6th to the 19th of July is now in its 13th year and has attracted 22 teams from around the world.
It consists of 13 stages and visits three northwestern Chinese provinces: Qinghui, Gansu and Ningxia.
 
 
German coach Low says Brazil lack 'flair'
 
In the World Cup Germany are set to face hosts Brazil in the next semi-final match which will be at midnight tomorrow Beijing time.
The German coach Joachim low has criticized his rivals saying Brazil have little of the flair normally associated with the South American side.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's team have played a rough tournament so far committing 96 fouls and picking up 10 yellow cards.
Brazil will also be severely hampered in their next game having lost Neymar to injury, while captain Thiago Silva is suspended for this fixture after receiving a yellow card in the game against Colombia.
Brazil has a saying that they always have 'jeito', a stroke of luck or trick that helps them get through things. They'll certainly need all the luck they can get in this match.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
'Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon' Premiered in BJ
 
(OldBoys)
Chinese comedy film "Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon" has premiered in Beijing today.
Directed by Xiao Yang, who also stars in the film. Other actors include Wang Taili and Cu Jingjing. Wang and Xiao have long time been friends, establishing a band called "Chopstick Brothers" many years ago.
The film tells the story of two pops singers who dream of going to New York. Their dream comes true when they accidentally enter an American talent show. They head to New York and undergo a series of funny but dangerous events.
Stars of the film attended the premier, hoping it could reach 8000 million yuan in the box office.
The film is set to hit Chinese screens on July 10th.
 
 
Han Han: My New Film Is Nothing But a Road Movie
 
Chinese professional rally driver and best-selling author Han Han said his new film "Continent" was just a road movie.
Han added he didn't think about other things much.
All he cared about was the state of completeness and if the film was interesting or not.
He, together with film stars Feng Shaofeng and Chen Bolin from Taiwan attended a press conference for the film in Beijing today.
It's the first time that Han Han has directed a film. The film also stars Wang Luodan and Wallace Chung.
It tells stories of a several friends who grow up together set off for a somewhat reckless journey.
The film "Continent" is set to be released in China on July 24th.
 
 
Two new actors announced for new star wars movie
 
Two unknown actors have been cast in lead roles in the next Star Wars film, following open auditions.
(star wars)
Disney announced that American actress Crystal Clarke and British Actor Pip Anderson are the two new additions to Star Wars: Episode 7
The two were chosen from 37,000 hopefuls who attended casting calls in 11 cities across the UK and US. It has not yet been revealed what roles they will play in the epic space saga.
Little known actors have won parts in past Star Wars films through the traditional casting process. Dating back to the first Star Wars film in 1977, when the then unknown actor Mark Hamill secured the starring role as Luke Skywalker.
The announcement also contained an update regarding actor Harrison Ford, who is reportedly "doing well" after breaking his leg on set. Production has been halted for two weeks in august, a result of his injury.
Star Wars: Episode 7 is expected to hit cinemas on December 15th next year.
 
 
China and South Korea to launch documentary -filming
 
China and South Korea have joined together to produce two documentaries.
This comes after the two countries signed a pact to expand cooperation in broadcast and digital content.
The documentaries will be produced between China Central Television and South Korea's two largest TV channels, KBS and MBC.
The two sides will team up to create a documentary on the Japanese Invasion of Korea in the 16th century and another one about climate change in Northeast Asia.
They are scheduled to be debuted simultaneously in China and South Korea in 2015.
 
 
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" rules box office in 2nd weekend
 
(Transformers)
Transformers: Age of Extinction has held number one spot in the North American box office for the second week running, with over 36 million dollars in estimated ticket sales.
Even though it is still at the top the film dropped 64 percent in ticket sales since last weekend.
Melissa McCarthy's latest comedy "Tammy" debuted with over 21 million dollars from nearly 3,500 locations in North America, taking the second place.
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
The Chinese president has marked the 77th anniversary of the beginning of the war with Japan at the site of the first Japanese attack near Beijing...
The Chinese and German governments have agreed to set up a high-level dialogue about the creation of an offshore RMB market in Frankfurt...
And one of the Candidates in Afghanistan's runoff election vows to reject the results...
In business, the Chinese logistics sector has been expanding...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.