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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
It's Paul James with you on this Monday, July 14, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese president Xi Jinping has made a stop-over in Greece on his way to Brazil to start a 4-nation tour of Latin America.
Little headway is being reported from a series of talks being held in Vienna connected to Iran's nuclear program.
Thousands are fleeing northern Gaza ahead of a planned assault into the region by the Israeli military.
In Business.... we'll hear from an expert about Chinese plans to create an Asian Infrastructure Bank.
In Sports... Germany takes home this year's World Cup.
In Entertainment... a new cooking show by a Hong Kong actor has aired here on the mainland.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather....
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 36 degrees Celsius.
Overnight it will be cloudy and temperatures should drop down to around 24.
Shanghai will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 30.
It will see moderate rain tonight with a low of 25.
In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 31.
Overnight showers and lows are expected to be around 24.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,
Islamabad will have slight rain with a high of 37.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 32.
Over to North America,
New York will see slight rain today with a high of 30 degrees.
Washington, slight rain with a high of 37 degrees.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 28.
Toronto, Canada, will see moderate rain with a high of 26 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will have moderate rain with a high of 20.
And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.
Top News
China, Greece agree to enhance comprehensive strategic partnership
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping is vowing to further enhance China's comprehensive strategic partnership with Greece.
He has made the comments while meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, promising to continue to support Greece on its sovereign debt issues and economic recovery.
Papoulias is promising Greek support for Chinese initiatives, including a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
The Chinese president is making a stopover in Greece on his way to Latin America, where he is set to visit Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.
During his time in Brazil, Xi Jinping will attend a BRICS Summit and a China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit.
Brazil Looking forward to Xi's Visit: President
Brazil's president says she's looking forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit.
In an interview with China Central Television, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country wants to be engaged with China through a strategic partnership.
"We think more and more mature Sino-Brazilian ties will greatly boost trade between the two states. I believe there are many investment opportunities in Brazil, such as in infrastructure, railways, agriculture and commerce."
Rousseff also says her administration is looking toward China for more involvement in her country's infrastructure construction.
"We really want China to join in Brazil's railway construction projects. China has successful experience and mature technology in railway construction. We hope China can help with railway construction in Brazil's agricultural and mining areas as well as to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans."
President Xi Jinping's time in Brazil is going to be the first leg of a 4-nation Latin American tour, which will also see him make stops in Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.
Establishment of Development Bank Expected at BRICS Summit
Anchor
Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to Brazil to attend a BRICS Leaders' Summit, which gets underway tomorrow.
The meeting is expected to help accelerate the establishment of new financing channels among the 5 emerging economies.
CRI's Tu Yun has more.
Reporter
Leaders from the BRICS nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, are considering setting up a development bank and emergency reserve fund.
The initial plan is for the countries to pool an initial 50 billion U.S. dollars for the bank, with each country contributing an equal amount.
The idea is to create an alternative source of funding beyond the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
BRICS countries will also set up a 100-billion-U.S.-dollar contingency reserve fund as early as next year to help the member-states if there is a sudden reduction of foreign capital reserves.
Mark Weisbrot is an economic researcher in Washington, D.C.
"This is something we haven't had before. The whole post-World War II order has been shaped by the IMF and the World Bank. And now BRICS is proposing an alternative to both of those, one 100-billion-dollar fund and another 50-billion-dollar fund. And I think those would be very, very important."
South African professor, Dr. Ross Anthony, suggests this will be a big step forward for the BRICS' grouping.
"I think this is really important in the sense that, without a bank, without something material, without something solid, that backs up the rhetoric of these five economies grouping together, BRICS will remain more of a talking club than something more substantial than that. So I think that this is on every one's mind. Judging from what various dignitaries of respective countries have said, it looks like the bank will be announced this time around."
On top of creating material support for the BRICS countries, observers also suggest the new development bank might also help China find a stronger voice on the international stage.
Kim Van der Borght is a Professor of economic law at the Free University of Brussels.
"It's a strategy for China has a double advantage, namely confidence building within the BRICS countries that would support China in its new role. And that new role means also repositioning China itself, in, for example, the United Nation, and to help the other BRICS countries in the international strategy to reposition themselves in the global governing systems."
As part of this week's BRICS summit, Xi Jinping, together with the leaders of the other member states, will also map out a blueprint for future cooperation among BRICS countries.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.
No breakthrough in talks on Iran nuclear program
Talks connected to Iran's nuclear program this weekend in Vienna have seen no breakthroughs being made.
However, the key players involved in the talks say they will continue until the July 20th deadline.
German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier says the ball is in "Iran's court now".
"It is now up to Iran to decide whether to take the path of cooperation with the international community or if it wants to stay in isolation. I hope that the days left until July 20 will be used for further reflection in Teheran and that will lead to the signing of the comprehensive agreement but the ball is in Iran's court."
China is being represented at the talks by Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong.
"Of course we have some difficulties, some hurdles so that is why we have to work together and in the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect so we urge all the parties to show their flexibility and a political will to reach an agreement as soon as possible and also we have hope, and hopefully that we can achieve that."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"I will commit to everything and anything that would provide credible assurances for the international community that Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons, because we are not. We don't see any benefit in Iran developing a nuclear weapon."
There is growing speculation the July 20th deadline for an agreement will need to be extended.
The 20th is when a six-month interim deal will come to an end.
The parties are aiming for a deal that will limit the scope of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for a full end to nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.
Thousands flee Gaza after Israel's incursion warnings
Anchor
Thousands of people have been fleeing Gaza ahead of a planned incursion into the strip by the Israeli military this week.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
The Israeli military sent out leaflets on Sunday, urging people in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes, as the army prepares to bomb the region.
A senior Israeli official is being quoted as saying the "area will be wiped out."
Also on Sunday, a series of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Tel Aviv, sending thousands scrambling into shelters.
Since the start of Operation Protective Edge last Tuesday, close to 170 Palestinians have been killed, while close to 800 others have been injured.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants, but the United Nations estimates around 80-percent of the casualties are civilians.
(Female Arabic Tair) Jordan Gaza Injured
"We were having Suhoor. After that we went to pray, some of my children went to a party and suddenly a rocket hit our house. We were all blown away in and outside the apartment."
On the other side, Israelis like Gal Yarden say it is not fair to blame the current crisis on Israel.
"When you're strong, it's hard to get the message through, because we come out in the world as the strong people that want to hurt the weak people. The truth is it's not really that, that's not the way it is."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked the United Nations for international protection following a meeting with UN chief Ban Ki-moon's envoy to the Middle East.
Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defending Israel's actions.
Speaking on US broadcaster CBS on Sunday, Netanyahu is accusing Hamas of hiding rockets behind civilians.
"You know here's the difference between us, we're using missile defence to protect our civilians and they're using their civilians to protect their missiles. That's basically the difference."
Addressing his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning the operation may take a long time, vowing to pound Hamas sites until the rocket fire into Israel stops.
On the diplomatic front, foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, who have been meeting to discuss the Iranian nuclear situation, are also expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue in Vienna.
The Security Council issued a statement on Saturday, calling for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks between the two sides.
China's Middle East envoy, Wu Sike, is also calling for an immediate ceasefire.
"It would only further complicate the situation and exacerbate mutual hostility and hatred by fighting violence with violence. Everything should be resolved through talks: it will not only serve their common interests, but also meet expectations of China and the rest of the international community."
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to travel to the region later on this Monday.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
Heavy fighting near Libya's Tripoli airport leaves seven dead
The Libyan government is condemning the outbreak of violence among rival militias near Tripoli's airport that has left 7 dead 36 injured.
Explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire engulfed the area for most of the day on Sunday.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Abdulllah al-Thani has read a statement, denouncing the attacks.
"Within the suburbs of Tripoli, there are military operations currently being led by field commanders who belong to battalions and forces loyal to particular areas in Libya. These forces are exercising without any orders, or legitimate cover (from the government), and from multiple locations, are bombarding and conducting military operations that threaten everyone. Particularly the civilians in their homes."
The fighting comes amid growing tension in Libya, where the government has failed to control the militias that were instrumental in toppling the regieme of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
"The government has given orders to both the ministry of interior and the army to secure the capital's streets and neighbourhoods, as well as vital locations and installations. The government has also declared a state-of-emergency within all hospitals and healthcare facilities."
An aircraft belonging to Libyan Airlines, as well as a transport aircraft, have been badly damaged.
The uptick in violence comes ahead of the release of the parliamentary election results.
Cerar wins power in Slovenia
Exit polls show the newly-founded Slovenian party headed by Miro Cerar has won that country's parliamentary elections.
The SMC, founded just last month, has taken around 37 percent of the vote.
Cerar has indicated he would rewrite a reform package agreed with the European Union to fix the euro zone member's depleted finances.
"Slovenia will remain a credible member of the European Union and all other international integrations. In that respect, it is essential that as a member of the European Union it follows the fundamental values of the EU and that it respects and acknowledges EU's recommendations in accepting all further measures and reforms for ending the financial, economic, and social crisis. However, within those recommendations, Slovenia as a country will seek its own ways to achieve those fundamental goals in the best way."
The Slovenian Democrats have garnered around 20 percent of the vote.
The snap election took place following the resignation of Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek in early May.
Afghan's Election Commission Ready to Audit all Votes
Afghanistan's election commission is welcoming an agreement between presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to audit all the votes from the June 14th election.
Commission chief Ahmad Nouristani says his group is ready to start auditing all eight million votes cast as soon as possible.
"In three weeks time the auditing will be completed and the results will be announced. As the two candidates agreed, these results must be accepted by both candidates."
The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan is Jan Kubis.
"IEC (Independent Election Commission) will follow the rules and regulations of the IEC. That will be done in a very, very massive domestic and international observation, with participation of both presidential candidates' campaigns, their agents, their observers to insure the fullest credibility and integrity of this audit."
Preliminary results show former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani has won the runoff.
But Abdullah contends Ghani's supporters stuffed the ballot box.
Both contenders have agreed to respect the results of the following meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend.
93 killed in western Uganda's tribal attacks: police
Ugandan police are reporting that over 90 people have been killed in a tribal attack which took place earlier this month.
Authorities say a tribal group in the country's western region attacked an army barracks back on July 5th, leaving a total of 93 people dead.
Ten security officers are among the dead.
Over 120 people are in custody.
Ugandan police have not revealed a motive for the attack, or why its taken them so long to report the incident.
Eduard Shevardnadze buried with state funeral
Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has been buried following a state funeral.
Georgian government leaders and delegates from nearly 30 countries attended the funeral in Tblisi.
Shevardnadze served as the defacto head of Georgia from 1992 to 1995, and was then elected as Georgia's 2nd president post-soviet independence from 1995 to 2003.
But Shevardnadze is probably best known as being the last foreign minister of the Soviet Union.
Despite being a top official in the Soviet Union, Shevardnadze is widely credited with helping steer Georgia along a pro-European track.
Cargo rocket carries supplies to Int'l Space Station
A fresh delivery is on its way to the International Space Station.
Orbital Sciences Corporation has launched a cargo ship from its launch facilities along the coast of Virginia.
The unmanned capsule contains more than 3-thousand pounds of supplies, including food, mini-satellites, science samples and experimental exercise outfits.
NASA says the new type of clothing is resistant to bacteria and odor buildup.
Saturday marked the 5-thousandth day of continuous human habitation in orbit.
Biz Reports
Anchor
Let's get a preview of what we can expect on the markets this week.
Here's Fei Fei.
---
This week marks the start of another earnings season.
Over 50 companies from the S&P 500 are due to report their quarterly earnings.
Companies from both tech and financial sectors will be in the spotlight.
The tech sector has had the highest growth rate on the S&P 500 for the second quarter, at over 12-percent.
Big names like Intel and Yahoo are scheduled to report their earnings on Tuesday.
eBay will report on Wednesday, followed by Google on Thursday.
On the financials side, earnings reports from major banks are due this week as well.
JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are set to report on Tuesday.
Bank of America will release its figures on Wednesday, while Morgan Stanley will report on Thursday.
In addition to earnings, the markets are going to keep a close watch on what Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is going to say when she testifies in front of congress this week.
Yellen will appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday and the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.
The sixth BRICS summit is also taking place this week in Brazil, running from Tuesday to Wednesday.
The impending creation of a BRICS development bank and emergency reserve fund is likely to emerge from that Summit.
Some key indicators are also due this week.
The UK is going to publish its June CPI figures on Tuesday, followed by its unemployment figures on Wednesday.
Tuesday will see the US release its June retail sales data.
Asia Infrastructure Development Bank
Anchor
On top of being involved in the planned BRICS development bank, the Chinese government is also considering creating an Asia Infrastructure Development Bank.
The bank would be designed to finance large infrastructure projects in the Asia Pacific.
For more on the plans, CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King spoke earlier with Huang Wei, a senior research fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
(Q&A AIIB)
Back Anchor
Huang Wei, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, speaking with CRI's Nathan Wakelin-King.
Brazil's Embraer to sell 25 planes to China
Brazilian authorities are reportedly going to announce the sale of 25 planes made by Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer to a number of Chinese airlines this week.
The announcement is expected to be overseen by Chinese president Xi Jinping as part of his visit to the country.
Apart from the sale of airplanes, plans of Chinese cooperation in infrastructure projects in Brazil are also to be unveiled during the President's time there.
Chinese prosecutors detain CCTV business news anchor
Rui Chenggang, an anchor of financial news program on China Central Television, has reportedly been detained by the authorities in connection with a bribery investigation.
He was taken into custody shortly before his broadcast on Friday, according to a China Daily report.
Rui's detention, along with the channel's vice director, comes a month after officials launched an investigation into suspected bribery by the director of the channel and a producer.
Rui is one of China's most prominent business journalists.
He also gained headlines for lamenting Starbucks being located in the Forbidden City, saying the company's presence there was an affront to traditional Chinese culture.
GSK China's private-eye agents indicted in Shanghai
Authorities in Shanghai are preparing to prosecute a foreign couple for illegally obtaining the private information of Chinese citizens.
The couple, Peter William Humphrey, a 58-year-old British national, and his wife Yu Yingzeng, a 61-year old American, were arrested last August.
They were hired by GlaxoSmithKline as private eyes last year.
Prosecutors allege the couple illegally trafficked a huge amount of personal information about Chinese citizens for profit.
The personal information traded by the couple includes household registration details, the background of family members, real estate, vehicles, call logs and exit-entry records.
The couple then compiled the information and sold it at high prices to their clients, most of whom are China-based multinationals.
China-Europe yuan settlement grows fast in May
The Bank of China says the amount of transactions being settled in the renminbi in Britian, Germany, Luxembourg and France has spiked significantly in recent weeks.
New stats from the bank show that in May, total cross-border yuan settlement in the four countries amounted to some 600 billion yuan, or nearly 100 billion US dollars. That's up some 50-percent year on year.
Last month, China's central bank appointed clearing banks for yuan business in London and Frankfurt, and signed two memorandums of understanding for renminbi clearing with Luxembourg and France.
China-Europe yuan settlement current makes up around 8-percent of all cross-border yuan business.
Pizza Express sold to Chinese firm Hony Capital for 9 bln yuan
UK restaurant chain Pizza Express has been sold to a Chinese firm Hony Capital for around 1.5 billion US dollars.
Hony Capital now owns Pizza Express, along with its 500 restaurants worldwide, including 22 in China.
Pizza Express opened its first location in China here in Beijing earlier this year.
Hony Capital is the latest Chinese firm to buy into the British market.
Last year, Dalian Wanda Group completed a deal to buy luxury yacht maker Sunseeker.
In 2012, Chinese Bright Food bought a 60-percent stake in Weetabix, which owns the breakfast cereal brand.
Headline News
China, Greece agree to enhance comprehensive strategic partnership
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping is vowing to further enhance China's comprehensive strategic partnership with Greece.
He has made the comments while meeting with Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, promising to continue to support Greece on its sovereign debt issues and economic recovery.
Papoulias is promising Greek support for Chinese initiatives, including a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
The Chinese president is making a stopover in Greece on his way to Latin America, where he is set to visit Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.
During his time in Brazil, Xi Jinping will attend a BRICS Summit and a China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit.
Guangdong police to reward terror informants up to half million RMB
Police in Guangdong offering rewards up to half a million yuan for those who give over information about terrorism.
The size of the reward will depend the value of the information.
Police in Guangdong have arrested three fugitives and confiscated terrorist materials based on public tips.
The move comes after a series of terrorist attacks in China in recent months.
The deadliest one occurred on May 22 when 39 people were killed in a bombing in Urumqi, capital of the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
Rockets barrage targets Tel Aviv, northern Israel
A series of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip toward Tel Aviv, sending thousands scrambling into shelters.
The rockets, fired from the northern Gaza Strip, come ahead of a planned incursion into the region by the Israeli military this week.
The Israeli military has sent out leaflets on Sunday, urging people in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes, as the army prepares to bomb the region.
A senior Israeli official is being quoted saying the "area will be wiped out."
Since the start of Operation Protective Edge last Tuesday, close to 170 Palestinians have been killed, while close to 800 others have been injured.
The UN estimates around 80-percent of the casualties are civilians.
Russia warns Ukraine after shell across border kills one
Russia is threatening Ukraine with "irreversible consequences."
This, after a Russian man was killed by a shell fired across the border.
This is believed to be the first Russian fatality on the other side of the border since the three-month conflict in eastern Ukraine began.
Both the Ukrainian government and the rebels have denied responsibility.
Newly-founded Slovenian party wins general elections: exit polls
Exit polls show the newly-founded Slovenian party headed by Miro Cerar has won that country's parliamentary elections.
The SMC, founded just last month, has taken around 37 percent of the vote.
The Slovenian Democrats have garnered around 20 percent of the vote.
The snap election took place following the resignation of Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek in early May.
Newspaper Picks
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Government to buy more green cars
Summary
Government agencies across the country are now being required to purchase more "green" cars.
Under the plan drawn up by five central government ministries and departments, at least 30 percent of all cars purchased for official use in the 2014-16 period must be new-energy.
New-energy vehicles include electric, plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell and solar-powered models.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Police crackdown on fake IDs
Summary
Police across China say they've managed to confiscate over 270-thousand fake or duplicate ID's through the first half of this year.
The Ministry of Public Security says cases connected to officials and Communist Party of China members having two or more ID's or household registrations will also be reported to the party for additional sanctions.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Beijing to use of low-sulfur coal
Summary
Municipal authorities are going to crackdown on manufactures who aren't using low-sulfur coal in an attempt to tackle the air pollution problem in this city.
Beijing has pushing steelmakers and power plants to buy higher-quality raw materials to meet tougher pollution targets.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Shanghai judicial system reform
Summary
Under a new set of guidelines, the number of prosecutors and judges in Shanghai is to be increased in an effort to improve the efficiency of the city's judicial system.
Another change involves the development of a tailored salary system for the judiciary.
Judges and prosecutors are paid under the same scheme as other civil servants.
SOUTH CHINA METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Guangdong terror rewards
Summary
Police in Guangdong are going to offer rewards up to half a million yuan for those who give information about terrorist attacks, terror suspects and their funding activities.
The move is part of a nation-wide crackdown on terrorism.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Internet good faith
Summary
China's Internet association has issued a proposal on credit building and good faith in cyberspace.
The proposal is calling on Internet businesses and netizens to use the Internet and operate their websites in accordance with law, honestly and in good faith, while at the same time, avoid fabricating and the spreading of false information, libel, fraud, piracy and other online mischief.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Going green gains
Summary
Shanghai's Public Sanitation Bureau is conducting a trial allowing residents to trade in points earned on green accounts through separating domestic trash in exchange for park tickets.
Officials say points will also be able to be exchanged for credit on prepaid cards to use in supermarkets.
Special Reports
China Farmer Transformer Robot
Anchor
The buzz surrounding the Hollywood hit "Transformers: Age of Extinction" here in China has inspired a group of villagers to give up their day-jobs to create robots.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter
In Xiaoye Village, a small town in east China's Shandong province, Wang Shizun stands on a ladder to put the finishing touches on a sculpture. It's one of his team's latest creations.
But this isn't a classical figure study or even a piece of abstract art - it's a three-meter tall futuristic robot inspired by movies such as Transformers.
Wang guides a paint sprayer around the robot's chest, adding bursts of color to the metal form. It's the last stage in a process that begins with a careful plotting of the robot's features.
"Once we have the structure, all the parts are welded and assembled by piece according to the blueprint. Later, we will clean up the sculptures so that they are ready for painting. The paint colors are selected and mixed by ourselves and are rust-proof."
Movies like the "Transformers" series have been huge hits in China. The latest movie in the series, Transformers: Age of Extinction, opened in China to a record box-office weekend haul of over 600 million yuan, that's almost $97 million USD.
As a result, the workers' robot sculptures are in hot demand across China. This 16-meter tall creation stands outside the Dreamport Mall in suburban Beijing.
People stop to stare and take photos of the huge figure. Children and teenagers pose in front of it for photos that they will post for their friends to see on Chinese social media websites.
Yin Xuecheng is one of those stopping to check out the enormous robot.
"I've never seen models like these before. I've seen a few smaller sculptures but I've never seen something as tall as these. This is the very first time for me to see such big ones. I like them very much and took a picture for my girlfriend with these models just now," says Yin.
The biggest robots can cost as much as 100,000 yuan or $ 16,000 USD and take a month or more to make, but the team has no shortage of clients. They've already sold more than 100 of the sculptures.
Most buyers are commercial firms or property developers. They like to put the robots in public areas or new developments, like the mall in Beijing. It's a way to attract interest and attention.
This group of robots is ready to go to a buyer in Shanghai. It's a 15 hour drive from the village. Once they arrive, they will join the team's collection of the robots that have found new homes all across China.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
Germany Beats Argentina 1-0 to Win World Cup Champion
Germany has won the World Cup, with a 1-0 victory over Argentina.
For a recap of this morning's final, we're joined by Mark Dreyer, founder of the China sports insider website.
Mark Dreyer, founder of teh China Sports insider website.
Justin Rose wins Scottish Open
In golf,
China's Feng Shanshan came up just short of winning her first major title at the Women's British Open.
The Guangzhou native failed to make birdie puts on both the par-5 17th and 18th holes at Royal Birkdale, finishing tied for 2nd after a final-round plus-three.
Feng finished the tournament tied for second at even par with Norway's Suzanne Peterson.
Her failure to convert on critical puts allowed American Mo Martin to win by one stroke.
Martin, who is one of the smallest hitters on the LPGA tour, hit the pin with her 3-wood with her second shot on the par-5 18th, leaving her just 6-feet from the cup.
Martin later converted the Eagle to finish the tournament at minus-1, which was good enough for victory.
China's Lin Xiyu, who had been in contention to challenge for a top spot, saw her game collapse on Sunday.
She fired a 9-over-80 on the final day to end her tournament tied for 62nd at plus-16.
---
On the men's side,
Justin Rose of England has taken this year's Scottish Open.
Rose took the victory with a final round 6-under 65.
Back-to-back victories on both sides of the Atlantic has seen Rose rise to third in the world rankings.
Kristoffer Broberg of Sweden finished second on 14-under.
This has earned him a spot in this week's British Open.
Home favorite Marc Warren came in third on 11-under par.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson finished in 11th place.
Roberto Bautista-Agut wins the Mercedes Cup
In tennis,
Spanish third seed Roberto Bautista Agut outdueled Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart in Germany.
With the win, Bautista Agut will break into the world top 20 for the first time when the rankings are released later on this Monday.
----
Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay defeated fifth-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-2, 6-1 in the Swedish Open final.
The win is Cuevas' first ATP tournament title.
----
On the women's side,
Top-seeded Simona Halep of Romania overpowered Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-3 to win the Bucharest Open final.
This is Halep's eighth career WTA title.
Halep is close to overtaking Li Na in 2nd place in the WTA world rankings.
----
In Austria,
Fourth seed Andrea Petkovic of Germany has taken the WTA Gastein title after defeating American Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-3.
Knicks re-sign All-Star Carmelo Anthony
In off-season NBA news,
Seven-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony has decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks.
Terms of the deal have not been revealed.
Under NBA salary cap rules, Anthony could sign a five-year contract for nearly 130 million dollars.
But he may have chosen to take less in order to give the Knicks more budget room to shop for other free agents.
Anthony averaged 26.4 points last season for the Knicks.
He was the biggest free agent on the market following Friday's decision by LeBron James to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
--
Jeremy Lin is now a member of the LA Lakers, following a trade with the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets, who also gave up first and second-round draft picks for next year, get the rights to European centre Sergei Lishchuk.
Lin is due to make about 15 million dollars this season in the last year of his current contract.
Lin averaged 12.5 points and 4.1 assists last season, but lost his starting job because coach Kevin McHale preferred Patrick Beverley's defensive play.
Lin was born in Los Angeles and figures to be popular with the region's large Asian community.
Frenchman takes control of yellow jacket in the Tour de France
At the Tour de France,
German rider Tony Martin has shown he has climbing skills to go with his speed.
Martin easily won the hilly 9th stage of the race on Sunday.
At the same time, Frenchman Tony Gallopin has taken the yellow jersey from Vincenzo Nibali of Italy.
Entertainment
Actor Nicholas Tse's Cooking Show Airs in China
(Chef Nic trailer)
Hong Kong singer and actor Nicholas Tse's food travelogue reality program, "Chef Nic," made its debut on Zhejiang Satellite TV last night.
Each of the programs 12 episodes are shot in a different country. As the show's on-camera chef, Tse will prepare a local dish for a celebrity guest in each episode.
The actor will explore the stories behind each dish and share his passion for food with audiences.
Tse has reportedly had on actresses Vicki Zhao, Fan Bingbing and Gwei Lun Mei as guests of the show. Rumor has it that Tse's ex-girlfriend, Faye Wong, will also appear on an episode of "Chef Nic."
The program is jointly invested and produced by Zhejiang Satellite TV and the Hong Kong Emperor Entertainment Group.
Italy's 1st Cinema-Themed Amusement Park to Open Outside Rome
Italy's first amusement park dedicated to the world of cinema is about to open outside Rome.
Cinecitta World, named after the renowned Italian film studio, is designed by three-time Oscar winner Dante Ferretti and master film composer Ennio Morricone. The park comes complete with set recreations and soundtracks loosely based on famous film genres.
President of Cinecitta Parks, Emmanuel Gout, boasts of the spirit behind the park's attractions.
"The idea is that people will also enter not only set, but the confusion of a place where we are shooting movie. Everything will be illusion because it's cinema; so we have to be close to illusion, but the idea is that, just after the gate, you will find a world, which is totally different."
Dante Ferretti, who has worked with the studio for most of his career, says the theme park has a direct link to the robust history of Italian cinema.
"Yes, it's mythical, Cinecitta is Italian cinema. And Italian cinema is Cinecitta. Cinecitta World is an extension of Italian cinema."
Cinecitta World mixes heart-stopping roller coasters with the pleasure of cinematic recreation, with attractions like the Erawan elephant drop tower, the space-ship themed Altair corkscrew roller coaster, and the ancient Rome water coaster.
The park will open on July 24th.
New "Planet of the Apes" Swings into Opening Weekend Success
People are going bananas for the new "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which has raked in over 70-million U.S. dollars over the past weekend.
With over 30 million U.S. dollars of "Dawn's" global gross coming from international markets, the new "Planet of the Apes" has both critics and audiences applauding.
"Dawn's" strong box-office showing stateside has made its producer, "20th Century Fox" the first studio to earn over one billion U.S. dollars stateside. Among its string of hits in 2014 is the globally successful "X-Men: Days of Future's Past," which earned over 128 million U.S. dollars globally during its opening weekend in June.
The film also hit South Korea and Australia, along with a string of smaller markets in 24 other territories outside the U.S.
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" will roll out the rest of its international dates following the end of the World Cup.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese president Xi Jinping has made a stop-over in Greece on his way to Brazil to start a 4-nation tour of Latin America.
Little headway is being reported from a series of talks being held in Vienna connected to Iran's nuclear program.
Thousands are fleeing northern Gaza ahead of a planned assault into the region by the Israeli military.
In Business.... we'll hear from an expert about Chinese plans to create an Asian Infrastructure Bank.
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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