新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/07/15

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
 
It's Paul James with you on this Tuesday, July 15, 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 arrived in Brazil for the start of a Latin American tour, which will include his attendance at a BRICS summit in Brazil.
The UN Security Council has decided to bypass Damascus in getting aide to Syrians caught up in rebel-controlled areas in the east of the country.
The foreign minister of the UK has been shuffled out of his cabinet position.
In Business.... Securities regulators have given the green-light for 10 more IPO's here in China.
In Sports... China sitting at the top of its group in the Asian Cup basketball tournament.
In Entertainment... AMC to produce a series connected to a famous Chinese story..
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather....
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be sunny in the morning, but expected to thundershowers in the afternoon with a high of 35 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 24.
Shanghai will see heavy rain during the daytime with a high of 27.
Overnight, it will have slight rain with a low of 24.
In Chongqing, it will see heavy rain with a high of 29.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will see moderate rain with a high of 36.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 32.
Over to North America.
New York will see heavy rain today with a high of 28 degrees.
Washington will have moderate rain with a high of 31 degrees.
Honolulu, slight rain, 27.
Toronto, Canada, will be cloudy with a high of 23 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 20.
And Rio de Janeiro will be sunny with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Chinese president arrives in Brazil for BRICS summit
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is now in Brazil for a summit of the BRICS countries.
Speaking after his arrival, the Chinese President says he's looking forward to having in-depth discussions with his fellow BRICS leaders on pushing forward world economic growth and improving global economic governance.
This year's summit is being hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
It will also include Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Xi Jinping is also in Brazil to help commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
The two sides are expected to sign a series of cooperative agreements in areas such as trade, investment, finance, infrastructure, science and technology, as well as education.
 
 
Brazil, Russia vow to boost commerce
 
Leaders from Brazil and Russia have announced their intention to double their bilateral trade to 10 billion US dollars next year.
This is part of new agreements signed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the forthcoming BRICS summit.
The agreement covers areas such as education, energy, military and defense cooperation.
Meanwhile, preparations are now underway for the BRICS summit, with security used for the now-concluded World Cup being shifted to cover the leaders of the developing world.
"We can see that there is more security in place now, but we don't know if it is just because of the World Cup, if it is going to go back to normal now or if it will stay like this."
Around 100-thousand public security officers and 50-thousand soldiers were activated to ensure security during the World Cup.
 
 
Interview on the influence of the BRICS Bank
 
Anchor
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Brazil to attend this year's BRICS summit.
This session is expected to outline the details of a long-discussed BRICS development bank.
Its expected the bank will have an initial capital infusion of 50 billion US dollars, with each country contributing 10 billion.
The summit is also expected to green-light the creation of a contingency reserve for the grouping worth some 100-billion US dollars to cushion the BRICS countries from a possible liquidity crunch on the global markets.
For more on this, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Professor He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.
(callin with He)
That was Professor He Weiwen, a senior fellow at Renmin University, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
U.N. authorizes cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians
 
The UN Security Council has approved cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians in rebel-held areas, who are said to be in desperate need of food and medicine, without government approval.
Currently most of the aid for Syria goes through the capital, Damascus.
However the Security Council has now authorized UN agencies and aid organizations to use routes through four border crossings in Turkey, Iraq and Jordan.
The United States' Ambassador to the UN is Samantha Power.
"If implemented fully, this resolution will allow critical aid to reach up to two million Syrians who have been denied adequate assistance for the past year and suffered immeasurably as a result."
The Russian government has also supported the Security Council Resolution.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
"We were able to support this decision after co-sponsors took into account our top priorities. Here the need to follow the UN guiding principles for the provision of emergency humanitarian aid are reflected, as well as a firm commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, and it is underscored that humanitarian aid cannot be politically motivated."
Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi says China also supports the efforts by the international community, especially by the UN, to ease Syria's humanitarian situation.
 
 
Israel-Gaza Tensions Continue with More Casualties
 
Anchor
It's been a week since the Israeli military began its Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip.
The large-scale assault on the region has already left more than 170 Palestinians dead and over 12-hundred others injured.
It's also creating internal refugee problems.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
Israel's intensive strikes have forced thousands of Palestinians to flee the northern Gaza Strip and seek refuge in UN facilities.
Adnan Abu Hanse with the UN's Relief and Works Agency in Gaza says their facilities in the region, which can play host to around 35-thousand people, are starting to fill up quickly.
"The number of people who fled the northern area is about 17,000 people. We opened 20 shelters in our schools for them. If there would be a ground operation, I'm sure the number will be increasing. They are very disappointed, very frustrated and very angry. They don't know what to do. They left everything behind them and they came inside the city. It looks like being refugees again for all the time. It's very horrible."
At the same time, rockets continue to be launched from Gaza into Israel.
Over a thousand rockets have been fired into Israel this past week, forcing Israelis to be on constant watch.
Ravit Lowe lives in southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, 7 kilometers from Gaza.
She says she simply wants the violence to end as soon as possible.
"We know it's not the people of Gaza who are our enemies. They are held hostage just like all of us here. Children should not grow up like this anywhere, and mothers should not have to calm their children all the time and worry about the next time this comes along."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been calling for the United Nations to put the state of Palestine under "international protection."
The Palestinians and other Arab states are planning to call for a UN Security Council vote this week on a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to plan new operations.
Spokesperson Peter Lerner says this may also include the use of ground forces in Gaza.
"And the ground force operation, which will be the last necessity, will be utilized only if absolutely required. There is no time limit to our operation. The IDF is operating under the understanding that it is a gradual mission and the pressure on Hamas will increase every day."
The last time Israeli ground forces entered Gaza was 2012.
That only ended after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was put in-place.
The new Egyptian government has also put out a proposal for a ceasefire this time.
It's unclear at this point whether either side will heed the call.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
Ukraine military plane shot down as fighting rages
 
A Ukrainian military transport aircraft has been shot down amid the fighting with separatist rebels in the country's east.
Reports say the 8 crew members on board survived.
Ukrainian officials say the An-26 was targeted with a more powerful projectile than a shoulder-fired missile.
This has the Ukranian side hinting, once-again, of Russian involvement.
Andriy Lysenko is a spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council.
"Several times a day there are attempts of Russian fighters and columns of armoured vehicles to break into the Ukrainian territory. Those attempts are happening with active help of Russian border guards. Positions of the anti-terrorist forces were fired at from the Russian territory. Ukraine has all material evidence of those facts for an adequate international reaction."
Moscow denies supporting and arming Ukraine's rebels.
The Russian government has invited officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to monitor its border with Ukraine.
 
 
Armed clashes paralyze Libya int'l airport
 
The main airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, has come under renewed attack amid running battles among militias and Islamist fighters.
The renewed fighting follows on the heels of the outbreak of the violence on Sunday which has left a number of fighters dead and injured.
So far 9 have been killed and over 30 others injured.
The fighting is said to involve both militias and Islamist fighters loyal to the central government in Tripoli.
The Libyan government has been unable to control the militias which were instrumental in the fall of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
 
 
William Hague quits as foreign secretary in cabinet reshuffle
 
As part of a significant cabinet reshuffle, UK foreign secretary William Hague is being moved out.
Hague, who is not going to stand for re-election next year, will stay on in David Cameron's cabinet as Leader of the Commons.
So far there's been no announcement as to who is going to replace Hague as foreign secretary.
At the same time, veteran conservative MP Ken Clarke has also stepped down from the cabinet.
Clarke, who also held top cabinet posts under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, is also planning to end his political career next year.
 
 
South African Nobel Prize Winner Nadine Gordimer Dies at 90
 
South African Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer has died.
Her family says she died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Johannesburg.
She was 90.
Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991 for her novels exploring the cost of the racial conflict in apartheid-era South Africa.
She talked about her work during an interview last year.
"I am a born writer, but a writer who lives in the actuality of a certain place and a certain time. And if one doesn't respond to that and that of course implies politically, the political side comes from being a human being."
Gordimer was an anti-apartheid crusader who fought for the release of Nelson Mandela as a leading member of the African National Congress.
The author wrote 15 novels and a large amount of other works, which have been published in 40 different languages around the world.
 
 
Three Former high-ranking Officials under Investigation
 
Chinese prosecutors are now investigating three former high-ranking Chinese officials for bribery.
The three include Jiang Jiemin, the former head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Li Dongsheng, former vice minister of public security and Wang Yongchun, former vice general manager of the China National Petroleum Corporation.
The exact nature of the investigations has not been revealed.
 
 
China tunnel collapse traps 15, rescue continues
 
A mass rescue operation is underway in southern Yunnan Province following the collapse of a rail tunnel which has left 15 workers trapped behind tonnes of rocks.
A section of tunnel about 4-kilometers from the enterance collapsed yesterday afternoon.
Officials on the scene say its unclear if any of the 15 workers have survived.
More than 400 people have been dispatched to the site of the collapse in Funning county, which is located on Yunnan's southeast border with Guangxi.
The tunnel itself is part of a 700-kilometer rail line linking Yunnan's capital, Kunming, with Guangxi's capital, Nanning.
Construction of the line began in 2009, and was due to be finished in 2016.
 
 
Mudflows trap thousands on China-Pakistan highway
 
Several thousand people ended up being trapped for a time yesterday afternoon on the China-Pakistan highway in Xinjiang.
Mud flows triggered by continued rain and melting snow blocked a remote section of the highway, stranding around 300 vehicles.
Local armed forces and soldiers managed to clear the road after around a 2-hour delay.
No one was hurt.
The China-Pakistan highway is a key route linking China with both Pakistan and neighboring Tajikistan.
 
 
Chinese Premiere encourages enterprises to reform and innovate
 
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has put out a new rallying call for Chinese businesses to become more innovative to help keep the economy moving forward.
Li Keqiang's comments have been made at a symposium attended by this country's top business leaders.
The Premier is calling on companies to adopt new technology and transform their business models.
"Businesses should not be afraid to reform and innovate to enhance their competitiveness. Reform and innovation are inherent. Innovation refers not only to technology, but also to business models. Companies need to have the courage to compete. They should want to grow bigger and stronger by perfecting the quality of their products and improving management."
The Chinese government has been trying to re-tool the development model toward a more value-added design, rather than relying on low-end manufacturing.
As part of that broad-based plan, the Premier has told the symposium the government is going to continue streamlining its administrative procedures and costs to make it easier for businesses to become more innovative.
 
 
Chinese company builds largest solar power rooftop in Beijing
 
A Chinese company has finished construction of a massive solar power rooftop on a building here in Beijing.
The solar power roof covers an area of 170-thousand square metres.
Liu Jidong, chair of the China Electronic Technology Group, says the project has both economic and environmental benefits.
"According to the statistics, the solar rooftop can generate 16 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. How large the scale does this number suggest? If calculated by the consumption of standard coal, it means more than 5,000 tons of standard coal will be saved and 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced."
The project is also expected to lower electricity costs for people in the building.
Last year, the Chinese government put out a series of measures to promote the development of the photovoltaic industry.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the closing numbers in the U.S and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Fei Fei.
Reporter
U.S. stocks closed higher Monday to kick off a busy week of corporate earnings.
Both the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones added over half a percent.
The S&P 500 picked up a little less than half a percent.
Over in Europe, stocks there also rose as investors look forward to corporate earnings this week.
Both Britain's FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 gained just less than one percent.
and Germany's DAX advanced by over one percent.
 
 
Chinese securities authorities approve 12 companies for IPO
 
The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved the IPO's of 12 more companies.
Six of them file in Shanghai, while the other 6 will list in Shenzhen.
At least 28 more companies are still waiting for approvals.
Chinese regulators re-opened the IPO pipeline this year after delays of almost 2-years.
 
 
WTO rules US imposed unfairly priced duties to Chinese, Indian products
 
The World Trade Organization says the US has broken its rules in imposing hefty duties on Chinese steel products, solar panels and a range of other goods.
The case is worth some 7 billion US dollars.
The WTO panel found that the U.S. had overstepped the mark in justifying the so-called countervailing duties it imposed as a response to alleged subsidies to exporting firms by China's government.
The panel says that Washington had produced insufficient evidence for this, and was also at fault in its calculations of the value of the subsidies to Chinese firms producing items like kitchen shelving, grass cutters and even citric acid.
China's Ministry of Commerce welcomed the ruling and urged the U.S. to stop abusively using trade remedy measures
The United States said it was weighing its options.
Another panel of the organization also rules the U.S. tariff on steel products from India is also unfairly priced.
 
 
China Requires 30% of Government Cars to Be Electric
 
Anchor:
China's A-Share market was given a boost yesterday after the government announced new plans to speed up the purchase of energy-efficient vehicles.
The central government's "green vehicle" initiative is requiring government agencies to have energy-efficient vehicles make up at least 30-percent of their fleets in the next 2-years.
The announcment of the plan sent shares prices up in companies which produce both charging stations and lithium batteries.
At the same time, the government is going to exempt new-energy vehicles from the 10-percent purchase tax as of September 1st.
For more on the push toward energy-efficient vehicles, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Professor Lin Boqiang, Director of the China Center for Energy Economic Research at Xiamen University.
(Q&A Lin)
Professor Lin Boqiang, Director of the China Center for Energy Economic Research at Xiamen University, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Citi to pay $7 bln to settle US mortgage probe
 
Citigroup has agreed to pay 7-billion US dollars to settle a US federal investigation into risky sub-prime mortgages.
The US banking giant is among a number of US financial institutions accused of creating, what the US Justice Department describes as, "fraudulent securities backed by toxic loans" which triggered the financial crisis at the end of 2007.
US Attorney General Eric Holder.
"The bank's activities shattered lives and livelihoods throughout the country and also around the world. It contributed mightily to the financial crisis that devastated our economy in 2008."
Citigroup and a number of other banks created so-called Collateralized Debt Obligations, or CDO's, which securitized sub-prime mortgages in confusing packages traders then sold to investors.
A lack of government oversite of the CDO's eventually led to many of them failing, leading to insurance companies being unable to pay off their obligations.
This then triggered a systemic shut-down of the US markets not seen since the market crash of 1929.
With the fine, Citigroup has seen its second quarter net income drop by some 96-percent to less than 200 million US dollars.
 
 
U.S. SEC charges Ernst & Young with violating auditor independence rules
 
Professional service firm Ernst & Young has agreed to pay over 4-million US dollars for violating auditor independence rules.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has determined one of the company's units lobbied congressional staffers on behalf of its auditing clients.
In levelling the fine, the SEC also notes Ernst & Young has not provided its staff enough training when it comes to the rules surrounding auditing independence.
Ernst & Young has since released a statement, saying it's happy to put the matter behind it, and auditor independence is of "paramount importance" to the firm.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Chinese president arrives in Brazil for BRICS summit
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is now in Brazil for a summit of the BRICS countries.
Speaking after his arrival, the Chinese President says he's looking forward to having in-depth discussions with his fellow BRICS leaders on pushing forward world economic growth and improving global economic governance.
This year's summit is being hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
It will also include Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
 
Egyptian initiative demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza
 
The Egyptian government has put forward a proposal to try to bring an end to the fighting between the Israelis and Palestinians.
The proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire by both sides.
The Egyptian proposal also calls on the opening of all border crossings to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
Since the escallation of violence this past month, the Israeli side has significantly restricted Palestinian movements in the region.
It was an Egyptian-brokered initiative which eventually brought the last Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip to an end in 2012.
But it's unclear how either side will respond to the proposal put forward by the new government of Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
 
 
UN mission welcomes agreement to break election impasse in Afghanistan: spokesman
 
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is welcoming a new agreement reached by the two rival presidential candidates on breaking the electoral impasse in the country.
The agreement, facilitated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, involves a complete audit of the results of the presidential run-off.
Both candidates have committed to abide by the result of the audit.
The two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, have agreed to the audit amid allegations of ballot stuffing.
Preliminary results show Ghani took the run-off with 54-percent of the vote.
 
 
Courts hear appeal of gang leaders
 
Courts in central China's Hubei Province have heard the appeals of former mining tycoon Liu Han and his brother, Liu Wei, who were sentenced to death after their first trial.
The brothers and 34 others were convicted of organizing, leading or participating in a mafia-style gang as well as murder in May.
It was the largest criminal group of its kind to go on trial in China in recent years.
Liu Han was board chairman of the Hanlong Group, the biggest private enterprise in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
 
 
S. China metropolis sets up anti-terrorism police force
 
China's southern city of Guangzhou has set up a special anti-terrorism police force, as authorities describe the city's anti-terrorism work as severe and complicated.
Six people were wounded in a knife attack at the city's train station back in May. It followed a deadly train station attack in Kunming that left 20 civilians dead in March.
Guangzhou has stepped up efforts to crack down on violence and terrorism ever since.
The city authorities are also promising substantial rewards for those who give information on terrorist attacks.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Billions in gambling assets seized
Summary
The Ministry of Public Security says its arrested a total of 108 people in connection with gambling on the just-concluded Football World Cup.
They've also seized close to 3-billion yuan worth of gambling slips.
Authorities are still offering rewards for tips leading to gambling busts.
THE BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Gang leader appeal
Summary
A court in Hubei has heard the appeals of a former mining tycoon, Liu Han, and his brother, Liu Wei, who were sentenced to death after their first trial.
The Liu brothers and 34 others were convicted of murder and other gang-related activities in May.
Authorities say it is the largest criminal group of its kind to go on trial in China in recent years.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
No gifts for teachers
Summary
The Ministry of Education is banning teachers from accepting monetary gifts from students or their parents.
Under the new rules, teachers are also prohibited from attending banquets arranged by students' families.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
University prof punished for molesting students
Summary
A Xiamen University professor accused of molesting and raping female students has been stripped of his position.
The move comes after a complaint against him went viral on the Internet over the weekend.
The university has formed a team to look into the case.
THE BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Professor astray
Summary
A missing professor from Beijing Normal University has been found.
The professor, who suffers from severe dementia, was lost for five days.
He was eventually found by a cleaner at the school, who is going to be given a reward of 50-thousand yuan for finding the man.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Bus crash compensation
Summary
The families of the children killed in a bus accident last week have agreed compensation terms.
An overloaded kindergarten minibus plunged into a pond in Hunan on Thursday, leaving 8 children, 2 teachers and the driver dead.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
West-coast Economic New Area Develops
 
Anchor
China's cabinet, the State Council, is promising to adopt a number of creative methods to develop this country's new economic zone in the eastern port city of Qingdao in Shandong.
CRI's Chi Huiguang has more.
Reporter
In the exhibition hall of Qingdao Bright Moon Seaweed Group, technicians are demonstrating the magical functions of the alginate viscose. The substance will generate a kind of gel after being put into the imitation of a human being's body fluid. Thus, it is able to stop bleeding, sterilize and help the healing process of wound's as well as being used as medical dressings.
According to Li Kechang, the Vice President of the group, a subsidiary has been qualified to produce this kind of marine biological medical material. The Bright Moon group is a native West-coast company. Relying on the industrial chain of marine productions, the group has become the largest seaweed biological products enterprise in the world. He says:
"The anchor point of the West-coast new area is the ocean. And the marine production is one of the most important ones. We have to invest to develop the new productions. The payback period of research and innovation investment is relatively long. The policy of development strengthens our determination of investment and innovation. The plan of the West-coast new area will definitely promote the rapid development of marine productions."
Among all the important tasks in the development of the new area, "promoting the innovation of marine technologies" is the most important.
Though the New Area produces almost one-third of the city's GDP, in the eyes of Wang Zhijun, president of Qingdao West Coast Development Group, there's still room for the New Area to improve.
"The primary sector is relatively large in the west coast new area. And there is not very high proportion of industrialization; the proportion of tertiary industry is not that great. Qingdao trestle bridge represents the history, Laoshan represents the nature, and this place is a representative of the modern and culture. It will become the highlight of the city's communication with the globe."
Qingdao is a coastal city that has been prosperous because of its port. In the general plan of the west-coast new area, port is likely to be a key word that appears frequently. Jiao Guangjun, president of Qingdao Port International Coperation, expresses that Qingdao's port and the new area are inter-related and will promote each other.
"After the new area being approved, the policies for the new area will support the development of the port. And with the development of the local economy in the new area, more and more productions will be transported through the port."
Promoting the urbanization and construction of a beautiful coastal city is one of the main tasks listed in the new area development plan. Villagers in Lingshan Bay Film and Television Industry Area will move into new buildings in 3 years. Plus, there will be schools, kindergarten and hospital as well as a citizen center with a park and a playground in the community. A local, Mr. Qiu lives nearby and he is welcoming the changes.
"The environment is good. And I hope it will be better. Now the government approved to establish the new area, which means our citizens will get more benefits."
Before Qingdao, there were 8 national new areas that had been approved by the State Council, including Shanghai Pudong in east China and Tianjin Binhai in the north. New areas of Pudong and Binhai have successfully helped Shanghai and Tianjin boom. Qingdao is also expecting to gain from the great improvement the developing west-coast new area will bring.
BACK ANCHOR:
CRI's Chi Huiguang reporting.
 
 
Sports
 
 
5th FIBA Asia Cup: China Beat Japan 79-66
 
In the FIBA Asia Cup men's basketball tournament being held in central Wuhan city here in China.
China has put itself in position to top Group A with a 79-66 victory last night over Japan.
With the win, China finishes the preliminary round-robin with a record of 3-1.
The preliminary round in Group A will wrap up today, with India taking on Iran, while Japan will battle Indonesia.
India and Iran both have a 2-1 record.
Japan is 1-2 on the tournament, while Indonesia has yet to win a match.
--
In Group B,
The Philippines remain at the top of the table with a record of 2-0.
Chinese Taipei and Jordan have 1-1 records, while Singapore is winless so far.
 
 
Jeremy Lin Continues China Tour after Signing with Lakers
 
The newest addition to the LA Lakers line-up admits he was surprised to be dealt to California.
Jeremy Lin, speaking in Shanghai yesterday as part of a promotional tour he's on here in China, says he didn't expect Houston to move him to the Lakers.
"I thought I was transferred to the 76ers or New York myself. I never heard about LA even once since May. When he told me, I was very surprised."
At the same time, Lin says he's looking forward to spending time working with veteran point guard Steve Nash.
"He's not the fastest one nor the one who jumps the highest. But his basketball skills are so proficient. He's very smart. He knows how to pass the ball and how to create opportunities for his teammates. I think everytime I play against him, I learn a lot from him."
Jeremy Lin was traded by Houston to the Lakers, along with a pair of draft picks, for the rights to European center Sergei Lischuck.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have also signed their first-round draft pick to a contract.
Julius Randle was taken 7th overall by LA after entering the draft following his freshman year at the University of Kentucky.
 
 
Germans Kamke, Brown Win Hamburg Openers
 
In tennis,
In the first round of the German Open in Hamburg,
Hamburg native Tobias Kamke has defeated Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Kamke's compatriot, Dustin Brown earned a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.
Brown is next up agianst another Spaniard, ninth-seeded Fernando Verdasco.
In other action,
Benoit Paire of France defeated Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 1-6, 6-1, 7-6.
Paire next faces 11th seed Santiago Giraldo of Colombia.
Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin easily dispatched Turkish qualifier Marsel Ilhan 6-2, 6-2.
Kukushkin will next face top seed David Ferrer.
----
In the WTA's Swedish Open,
American Grace Min has upset second-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-4.
Jana Cepelova from Slovakia defeated Swedish wild card Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 6-4.
Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa also made it through after beating Mariana Duque Marino of Colombia, 6-3, 6-4.
Scheepers moved into the main draw after top-seeded Serena Williams announced she would not appear in the tournament this year due to viral illness.
 
 
Contador out after crash; Nibali regains yellow jersey
 
At the Tour de France,
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali has recaptured the Yellow Jersey after winning the tenth stage on Monday.
Nibali has regained a 2:23 lead over second-placed Richie Porte of Team Sky, who finished 25 seconds behind in yesterday's stage.
France's Alejandro Valverde is currently sitting in third.
But the big news of the day has seen two-time champion Alberto Contador abandon this year's Tour de France following a crash.
Contador began the day in 9th, but sustained a fractured tibia in the crash, bringing his race to an end.
Today is a rest day.
Stage 11 on Wednesday starts the climb through the Alps.
 
 
Gatlin Extends Unbeaten Streak in 100 Meters
 
In track and field,
American sprinter Justin Gatlin has stretched his season's unbeaten streak in the 100 meters to 10 races at an event in Austria.
Gatlin has clocked a time of 9.82 seconds, scraping 0.12 seconds off the meet record.
Second-place at the event went to American Mike Rodgers, who finished a tenth of a second behind Gatlin.
Ryan Bailey took third for an American sweep of the podium.
In the women's 100 meters event in Austria, Carina Horn of South Africa and Carrie Russel of Germany shared victory in a time of 11.21 seconds.
American Shalonda Solomon finished third.
 
 
Blatter gives Brazil World Cup 9.25 rating
 
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has rated Brazil's organization of the World Cup as 9.25 out of 10.
Blatter revealed the body had used social media to gauge the tournament's success.
But he admitted that more needed to be done to combat prejudice.
According to media reports, some fans suffered from racism and homophobic slurs.
Blatter also said he had been surprised by the decision to award Lionel Messi the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player.
Earlier Argentina legend Diego Maradona described the decision as a "marketing" move.
 
 
FIFA partner boss Ray Whelan surrenders in Brazil
 
The head of FIFA partner firm being investigated over alleged illegal World Cup ticket sales has surrendered to a judge in Brazil.
Police had tried to arrest Ray Whelan, a British national, but he was not at his exclusive Rio de Janeiro hotel.
Whelan, director of Switzerland-based Match Hospitality, denies any wrongdoing.
He has been indicted with 11 other people.
It's part of an investigation into an international gang suspected of acting at as many as four World Cups, earning about 90 million US dollars per tournament.
The gang is believed to have made money by acquiring and illegally selling on VIP tickets and hospitality packages.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
AMC to Produce Series Based on "Journey to the West"
 
The AMC cable network in the U.S. has given a straight-to-series order to "Badlands", a martial arts drama based loosely on the Chinese classic novel, "Journey to the West".
"Badlands" will be created by the two producers of "Smallville," Miles Millar and Al Gough.
They will also executive produce the drama with renowned Hong Kong martial arts filmmakers Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung.
The ancient Chinese tale takes place during the Tang dynasty and revolves around a monk named Xuan Zang, who goes on a pilgrimage to find Buddhist scriptures in ancient India with three disciples, who possessed varied supernatural powers.
AMC plans to piece the story into six hour-long episodes.
The drama is slated for a late 2015 or early 2016 premiere.
"Badlands" will be the network's third series to get a straight-to-series order, after "The Walking Dead" and next year's "Breaking Bad" prequel, "Better Call Saul."
 
 
Israel's Entertainment Biz in Bind Amid Tensions
 
Tensions between Israel and Palestine are putting a big strain on the country's recent entertainment prospects.
The Jerusalem Film Festival felt the effects, when its planned outdoor screenings were pushed back a week. With security concerns in the city heightened, the rescheduled outdoor screenings, which will take place on Thursday, will most likely have to be held inside, according to trade publication Variety.
The news outlet also reports that the 'Fest is seeing a 20-percent drop in attendance. During the start of the event last week, audiences were first told where the bomb shelters at the venue are located.
The effects of the fighting have impacted Israel's small-screen productions, as well.
Anticipated American drama, "Dig," which is being filmed in Jerusalem, is on a pre-scheduled hiatus.
The show's creator, Gideon Raff, said at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills on Monday that the conflict caught his team off-guard and that he and his team are "looking at all options" if tensions escalate.
On Israeli television, producers of the reality show, "Big Brother," had to alert cast-members to the rising conflict after air-raid sirens sounded in the neighbourhood where show's house is located. "Big Brother" typically maintains a total media blackout among its cast-members during filming.
 
 
UK Pop Star Cheryl Cole Reveals She's Married
 
(Crazy Stupid Love)
British pop star Cheryl Cole has revealed she married her French boyfriend a week ago.
In a statement on her official website, the former Girls Aloud singer and 'The X Factor' judge says she has tied the knot with Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.
The 31-year-old posted a close-up picture of her wedding ring alongside the statement.
Fernandez-Versini is a 33-year-old French restaurateur, whom Cole is said to have been dating for just three months.
The singer had previously been married to British soccer player Ashley Cole, but they divorced in 2010.
 
 
21st Century Fox Sells Stake in China's Bona Film Group
 
21st Century Fox is selling its stake in the Chinese movie studio and distributor, Bona Film Group, one of the largest in the country.
Bona's CEO Yu Dong is buying back Fox's entire stake of around 19 percent in the company for over 70 million U.S. dollars, upping the exec's overall ownership of Bona to about 32 percent.
The change will not affect the five film co-productions currently in the works between Fox and Bona.
This includes the Chinese-language remake of Fox's 2009 Ann Hathaway Kate Hudson-led comedy "Bride Wars," which began shooting on the mainland last month.
At the same time, Hong Kong-based conglomerate, Fosun International is purchasing a 13-percent stake in Bona, on top of the 7.5 percent it bought last year.
These new shares are being purchased directly from the holdings of Bona's CEO.
 
 
Giant Blue Dead Parrot Honors "Pythons" Last Show
 
A giant blue dead parrot made its way across London on Monday on the back of a lorry and found itself lying on its back outside London's iconic Tower Bridge.
The dead parrot is a homage to the 'Norwegian Blue' parrot of the famous Monty Python sketch, which was first screened 45 years ago and was recently voted Monty Python's funniest sketch.
The giant dead parrot was unveiled to mark the screening of Monty Python's final show of their ten day residency at London's O2 Arena, which is perhaps the last time the 'Pythons' will perform together.
he 'Norwegian Blue' parrot, which measures 15 metres from head to tail, was commissioned by UKTV's Gold channel, which is broadcasting the final Monty Python show live on Sunday.
 
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Brazil for the start of a Latin American tour, which will include his attendance at a BRICS summit in Brazil.
The UN Security Council has decided to bypass Damascus in getting aide to Syrians caught up in rebel-controlled areas in the east of the country.
The foreign minister of the UK has been shuffled out of his cabinet position.
In Business.... Securities regulators have given the green-light for 10 more IPO's here in China.
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.