新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/07/17

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Thursday, July 17th, 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 pledged to advance his country's relationship with Brazil and promote a fair international order...
10 Chinese provinces and cities have been listed for inspection as central authorities go hunting for corrupt officials...
And a deadly typhoon continues on its path from the Philippines to southern China...
In business, an in-depth look at the importance of a Chinese company's court victory over the US government...
In sports, 11 stages down at the Tour de France...
In entertainment, Tiny Times 3 is now in Chinese theaters...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 24 degrees Celsius. It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 35 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 26, tomorrow cloudy, with a high of 34.
Chongqing will be cloudy tonight, 25 degrees the low, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 35.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, thundershowers with a high of 31.
Kabul, sunny, 29.
Over in Australia
Sydney, cloudy, high of 15.
Canberra, cloudy,7.
Brisbane, sunny, 17.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 18.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Xi Jinping pledges advanced ties with Brazil
 
Anchor:
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to further advance China's ties with Brazil so as to promote a fairer international order.
Xi Jinping made the comment while delivering a speech at the National Congress of Brazil.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
During the speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping hails the solid ties between China and Brazil.
"We are happy to see that the bilateral ties are grown stronger and more mature after 40 years. Brazil is China's first strategic partner among developing countries, and also the first Latin American nation to forge a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. We are important partners and the development of our bilateral ties has set a good example for South –South Cooperation."
He put forwarded a three-point proposal to bolster the partnership between China and Brazil. To further boost ties, the Chinese President calls on the two countries to boost coordination on macroeconomic policies and speed up the implementation of the ten-year cooperation plan.
China and Brazil upgraded bilateral ties to that of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012. The two sides then signed a ten-year cooperation plan to promote trade and cultural exchanges. China is now Brazil's largest trade partner.
The Chinese President also calls for the two countries to continue to deepen trust and support each other on major issues such as sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
He also proposes the two countries to shoulder more international responsibilities.
"We should promote the idea of seeking common development of all people. A nation should address other country's rational concerns while protecting its own interests. We should strengthen our cooperation within the UN, WTO, G20 and BRICS, actively participate in global governance and strive for more rights to speak for developing countries."
The BRICS bloc has already agreed to set up a development bank worth 100 billion US dollars in a bid to support developing countries. Currently, developing countries including the BRICS nations only hold 35 percent of the voting rights in the International Monetary Fund.
For his part, Brazilian Senate President Renan Calheiros says Brazil is willing to enhance friendly cooperation with China and jointly pursue world peace and prosperity.
Brazil is the first leg of Xi Jinping's ongoing Latin America tour, which will also take him to Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
China-Latin America ties are dynamic
 
Anchor:
As the Chinese President continues his Latin America tour, experts on both sides express optimism on the development of bilateral ties.
CRI's Ding Lulu has more.
reporter:
Official numbers show that trade volume between China and Latin American countries has soared over 20 times in the past decade.
But even with the massive gains already recorded, Diego Guelar, the former Argentine ambassador to the US, believes there is still room for further trade expansion.
"I think in recent years, the relationship between China and the Latin America countries has been very dynamic. We can say that the development speed and importance of this relationship has surpassed that of other trade partners of the Latin America region. The bilateral trade cooperation is very complementary. The huge population and market in China needs agricultural products from Latin America, and we also need large investment. So there are a lot of opportunities for both sides. In the coming decades, China-Latin America ties will be the core issue of diplomatic relations for the region."
China has become Latin America's second largest trading partner and third largest source of investment.
And Latin America has also become a major energy and resource supplier to China, as well as an investment destinations of Chinese enterprises developing their "going global" strategies.
Take Argentina as an example.
Since the two sides established diplomatic relations in 2004, the number of Chinese companies registered in the country has increased from single digit to around two dozen.
Retail businesses run by Chinese nationals have also been booming in the country.
Sergio Césarin is a professor from the National University of Tres De Febrero in Buenos Aires.
He says Chinese companies and businesses have brought benefits to Argentinians.
"In recent years the general public in Argentina has had a very positive evaluation of Chinese companies and businessman in our country. As Argentina was experiencing an economic downturn, they have become an important pillar of local economies. For example there are a lot of supermarkets run by Chinese nationals that provide goods at reasonable price and good quality. It not only brings convenience to the locals, but also help alleviate living pressures for some low-income people."
Besides economic and trade relations, China and Latin American nations are also involved in nearly 100 science and technology cooperation projects each year, with focus on aerospace, astronomy and bio-technology fields.
Dr. Yang Zhimin is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He believes closer ties between China and the Latin America region can infuse fresh vigor into the region, which is transforming from the "backyard" of the United States to a vanguard in global development.
During the Chinese President's visit, Xi Jinping has also called for joint efforts with Latin American and Caribbean nations to bolster the forum between China and the CELAC, and foster a partnership featuring equality, mutual benefit and common development.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
Next round of anti-corruption inspection under preparation
 
Ten provinces and cities have been listed in the next round of the Chinese government's anti-corruption inspection.
Inspectors will be sent out to look over works of local governments and officials.
Three organizations and enterprises are also on the list, including the General Administration of Sport, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the First Automobile Works.
The coming inspections are said to be focusing on "Naked officials," a term referring to officials whose family members are all living abroad.
All 14 reports from the last round of inspections were released earlier this week.
The reports pointed out problems involving local officials and departments including misconduct in land transfer and construction projects, as well as the appointment and promotion of local officials.
In the first five months of the year, 63-thousand officials were sanctioned, up 34.7 percent over the same period last year.
For more on China's anti-corruption campaign, CRI's Zheng Chenguang earlier spoke to Victor Gao, director of China National Association of International Studies.
Back Anchor:
That was Victor Gao, director of China National Association of International Studies.
 
 
Death toll in SW China mudslide rises
 
The death toll in a mudslide in southwest China's Yunnan Province has climbed to nine, with eight people still missing.
Local authorities say by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, rescuers had retrieved nine bodies from the mudslide in Shawa Village, Fugong County.
The natural disaster struck a silicon mining site at around 3 a.m. last Wednesday.
Yunnan is prone to mudslides as more than 90 percent of the province is mountainous.
Countinuous heavy downpours in the past week have led to 34 death in eight southern provinces, while 21 people are still listed as missing.
400 thousand people have been relocated.
 
 
Typhoon death toll climbs to 38 in Philippines
 
The death toll from typhoon Rammasun has risen at least to 38.
Ten people were injured while eight others have been declared missing.
Of the 1 million people affected by the typhoon, and more than half a million are currently housed in evacuation centers.
Residents of the capital Manila have begun clearing debris and reconnecting power after the typhoon across the country.
Typhoon Rammasun is heading towards China after cutting a path across the main island of Luzon, shutting down the Manila and knocking down trees and power lines, causing widespread blackouts.
 
 
Gaza temporary truce starts
 
A five-hour cease-fire has started between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
The cease-fire comes after the two sides agreed to a UN appeal which calls for humanitarian relief in the enclave.
Thousands of Gaza residents have ventured out from their homes to get supplies while traffic on the roads is building up.
Fighting continued until the cease-fire came into effect at 10 AM local time.
Israel says eight Palestinians were killed as a dozen Palestinian fighters tried to infiltrate southern Israel through tunnels in Gaza.
The army also conducted 37 raids overnight on Gaza, while seven rockets were fired from the Strip.
So far, Hamas rocket attacks have killed one Israeli over the past nine days.
Israeli raids have left 227 Palestinians dead, including four children who were killed while playing on a beach near Gaza.
Mouin Ghaffir is a local resident.
"This is not a life we are living now. At any moment we could be targeted, at any moment they could demolish the house on top of us. They demolished a home with the people inside. They had done nothing. What have we done?"
Ghaffir says although the Israeli army sends warnings though calls, text messages and leaflets dropped from planes before airstrikes, he and his family have nowhere to go.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and top Hamas leaders are currently holding talks about a permanent cease-fire in Egypt.
Hamas has presented a list of prerequisites for a 10-year truce with Israel.
It is reported the demands include the easing of the economic blockade on Gaza and an end to Israeli strikes on the territory.
 
 
Putin says further U.S. sanctions to push relations to "dead end"
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says an expansion of U.S. sanctions will push U.S.-Russian relations to a "dead end."
The newly escalated sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis targets firms in Russia's financial, energy and arms sectors.
The sanctions also involve individuals Washington has accused of undermining Ukraine's sovereignty or misappropriating Ukrainian property.
The decision comes along with an expanded sanctions from the EU against Russia.
A detailed list is to be discussed among EU countries later.
Western countries have steadily escalated sanctions against Russia over what they say is Moscow's backing of the rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow denies the claim.
 
 
Taliban attacks Kabul airport, all attackers killed
 
The group of Taliban militants that attacked the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan has been killed.
Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayub Salangi
"Four attackers were killed, without any casualties to our forces. Two RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenade), one machine gun, and two AK47s were left in the area from the attackers. The operation ended successfully; thank God there were no casualties to civilian and military forces."
Shortly after the attack, a purported Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack.
This is the third attack and the heaviest one at the military section of Kabul airport over the past couple of weeks.
The attack comes at a time of great uncertainty for Afghanistan as votes from the second round of a presidential election are to be recounted.
The poll is meant to mark Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
First off, a quick look at the closing numbers across Asia.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Asian stocks erased early gains to end mostly lower on Thursday as concerns that the Federal Reserve may have to begin raising interest rates sooner offset positive U.S. earnings and economic news.
Chinese shares fell, dragged down by automakers and property developers ahead of home price data due on Friday.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.6 percent.
Shenzhen Component Index lost 0.9 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended on a flat note.
Japanese shares gave up earlier gains, weighed down by a strengthening yen.
The Nikkei average rose earlier in the day before reversing direction to end down less than 0.1 percent.
South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.4 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times index moved down 0.1 percent.
Australia's ASX closed up 0.1 percent.
 
 
Live call-in on Sany's "historic victory" over dispute with Obama
 
Anchor:
Chinese machinery manufacturer Sany Heavy Industry has won a lawsuit against the US government connected to its attempt to purchase a wind farm in the United States.
A US federal appeals court in Washington has ruled the US government violated the rights of Ralls Corporation, which is affiliated with Sany Heavy Industry, when it rejected the company's bid to purchase the wind-farm in Oregon.
Xiang Wenbo, president of Sany Heavy Industry, is describing the ruling as an "historic victory."
Lawyer Xia Tingkang represented Sany in the case.
"The ruling clearly tells the US government that while conducting reviews of foreign investment, you have to be able to present evidence explaining official decisions to the parties involved, so that we, the investors, can have the opportunity to clarify and confirm that evidence."
The three-judge panel has ruled "the presidential order deprived Ralls of significant property interests," constituting a clear constitutional violation.
The appeals court has now sent the case back to the lower courts, and has ordered that Ralls be provided the unclassified evidence the president relied on and be given an opportunity to respond to it.
For more on this, we are joined live with CRI's financial commentator, Cao Can.
Back to Anchor:
CRI's financial commentator, Cao Can.
 
 
Government vehicle reform reduce cost by half
 
Experts say the central authority's new guidelines on the supply and use of official government vehicles could reduce expenditures by 150 billion yuan per year.
According to the guideline, officials losing their government-supplied vehicles could receive monthly traffic subsidies of 1,300 yuan, 800 yuan or 500 yuan, depending on their rankings.
The guideline also urge authorities to make proper arrangements for drivers or other staff affected during the reform, and sell spare vehicles to avoid losses of State-owned assets.
Experts estimate that this round of reform will reduce the cost of government vehicles by half and affect 800 thousand government vehicles nationwide.
 
 
China SOE Regulator's Plan Suggests Reform Progress:Fitch
 
Credit rating agency Fitch says a recent announcement by Chinese regulators reflects progress on efforts to reform China's state-owned enterprises, or SOEs.
China has identified six large state-owned enterprises for a pilot programme to attract private investment and improve corporate governance.
Data from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission shows that SOEs administered by China's central authority witnessed slower growth in operating revenue and profits in the first half of 2014.
The growth in total profits of the enterprises decelerated from 18.2 percent a year ago to 5.5 percent in the January-June period.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Chinese president expects stronger ties with Brazil, L. America
 
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed his hope that China's relations with Brazil and Latin America can be further strengthened.
Xi Jinping made the appeal in a speech delivered at the National Congress of Brazil during his state visit to the Latin American country.
The President said that China stands ready to make joint efforts with Brazil as well as other Latin American and Caribbean nations to bolster the forum between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and foster a partnership featuring equality, mutual benefit and common development.
Brazil is the first leg of President Xi's ongoing Latin America tour, which will later take him to Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.
 
 
Typhoon Rammasun to land in south China
 
Typhoon Rammasun is expected to make landfall in south China's island province of Hainan or coastal area of Guangdong Province on Friday.
The Hainan provincial meteorological station says Rammasun will probably land with a maximum wind speed of more than 140 km per hour.
Trains destined for Hainan on Friday and Saturday will instead stop at Guangzhou, while the operations of Hainan's high-speed railway, which connects the provincial capital of Haikou and Sanya City, has been suspended since Thursday noon.
Ships serving Weizhou Island, a tourism resort of Beihai City, in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, were suspended on Thursday afternoon.
 
 
Cease-fire between Hamas, Israel starts in Gaza
 
A five-hour cease-fire requested by the UN became valid on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. local time between Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
The cease-fire will enable humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave.
Hamas said that after consulting with the Palestinian factions and political powers, it was agreed to accept the UN request for a five-hour cease-fire.
It is the first pause in the fighting since July 8th, when Israel and Hamas engaged in fierce cross-border violence.
 
 
Putin says further U.S. sanctions to push relations to "dead end"
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin says an expansion of U.S. sanctions will push U.S.-Russian relations to a "dead end."
The newly escalated sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis targets firms in Russia's financial, energy and arms sectors.
The sanctions also involve individuals Washington has accused of undermining Ukraine's sovereignty or misappropriating Ukrainian property.
The decision comes along with expanded sanctions from the EU against Russia.
Western countries have steadily escalated sanctions against Russia over what they say is Moscow's backing of the rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow denies the claim.
 
 
Yingluck Shinawatra allowed to take European tour
 
Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been allowed to leave the country for an European tour from the upcoming Sunday until early next month.
The National Council for Peace and Order, the official title of the military junta that staged the May 22 coup to depose the Yingluck government, made the announcement on Thursday.
It said that the former leader has been granted permission from top ruler Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha to leave on private tours to European states.
Accompanying Yingluck on her European tour is her son, who may be looking to advance his studies at a European college.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Xinhua
Shaolin plans kung fu on call
The ancient martial art of kung fu might become as easy as a tap on the screen of your smart phone soon.
China's 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple is looking to develop a game app to teach users martial arts on cell phones.
Shaolin was the first temple in China to digitalize its business and now has nine subsidiary companies including martial arts studies, calligraphy, medicine, food and movies.
The temple first applied for its own domain name in 1996, before even Alibaba.
After 2001, it started its e-commerce business on Taobao, a popular retail platform, where it sells meditation costumes, candles, tee-shirts.
In 2012, it opened accounts on the Weibo social media website, where it has 60-thousand followers.
The whole office area of the temple has wifi, and almost all the young monks use smart phones.
--
China News Service
Pretty hurts? Cosmetic surgery hot summer trend among students
It is reported that a cosmetic surgery hospital in Shaanxi Province, last week received more than 400 clients daily since the beginning of July, double the amount of the pre-holiday period.
Students account for over 80 percent of the total.
Parents said that students should focus on studying, and that cosmetic surgery is risky and a distortion of values.
Experts have also pointed out the risks associated with cosmetic surgery.
Experts say that the low threshold in the cosmetic surgery market has created substandard agencies in the industry that try to siphon money from students, and that the safety of their operations is a big concern.
Experts also suggest that confidence comes from within, and that a sense of low self-esteem will make people feel inferior despite great looks.
--
Sky News
Bed sharing risk for young babies
US research has revealed that bed-sharing is largest risk for sudden infant death
Bed-sharing is the largest risk factor for sudden infant death, particularly among very young babies.
The report shows that sixty-nine percent of babies who died suddenly were sharing a sleeping space with another person when they died.
The findings were based on government data regarding 8207 sleep-related infant deaths from 24 states from 2004-2012.
Younger infants who died were more likely to have been bed-sharing.
Bed-sharing was defined as sleeping on an adult's bed either near or on another person.
Babies should also be placed on their backs to go to sleep. Pillows, blankets and toys should be kept out of the baby's bed, the academy says.
--
Daily Mail
Eating just one serving of nuts every day can help cut heart risk by a third
A new research shows that a daily serving of nuts can slash the risk of heart disease by nearly a third.
Snacking on peanuts, cashews and Brazil nuts instead of sugary or fatty treats cut the chances of life-threatening heart problems by around 30 percent.
It also reduced the number of deaths from all causes by about 17 percent.
The latest research is the latest in a long line of studies highlighting the substantial health benefits of including nuts as part of the daily diet.
Last year, researchers found that nuts significantly curbed premature deaths rates from heart disease and also lowered the chances of dying from cancer by 11 percent.
Nuts contain a rich combination of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
These work together to lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation in the body.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Made-in-China Products on the World cup
 
Anchor:
The FIFA World Cup in Brazil has been the center of the world's attention for the past month.
Although the Chinese national team wasn't at the fierce competition, a lot of Chinese manufacturors have become world players and their products made it into Brazilian football arenas.
CRI's Liu Xiangwei has more.
Reporter:
An online picture showing the bottom of the FIFA World Cup trophy showing a little sign reading "Made in China" has become viral on the Internet. Despite the doubt on the authenticity of the picture, one thing is real: a lot of important large-scale equipment in the Brazil??? are made in China.
"We provide the security inspection device for all the nine football fields."
"We provide air conditioning equipment for the arenas."
"We provide subway trains for Rio."
"We provide clean-energy buses for Curitiba in southern Brazil."
Those are the presidents of some of the Chinese manufacturers that participated in the Brazil World Cup project.
Cui Dianguo, Chairman of China CNR Corporation, says there's huge demand on railway transportation equipment in Brazil. That's why they are bringing their skills and products here.
"Brazil is one of the BRICS countries. It's also a developing country. The fast development yields a great demand on traffic. In addition, the country has a vast land. All in all, the Brazilian market needs us."
However, it's not an easy process. The company conquered many difficulties to meet the requirements of Rio, a vastly different place from Chinese cities.
"First, the weather in Brazil is hot, which raise up high the temperature standard for the train. Second, the train track in Brazil is different from ours. It's broader. We have to adjust to that. Last but not least, the Brazilian people have different standards for different parts of one project. For example, they apply American standard to the train body, British standard to jointing, and French standard for the mode of connection. So we have to be very experienced and highly skilled to meet all these standards at the same time."
Good news is many Chinese enterprises have already passed the high standards required for not only the Brazilian projects, but also those which are highly anticipated all over the world.
Dong Mingzhu, a renowned entrepreneur in China whose company produces air conditioners and other home appliances, voices her belief on how to succeed in the international manufacturing industry.
"We should not target on making some products and making money or what. But instead we should focus on designing unique products with our own intellectual rights. That will change people's lives. And that's our goal."
However, experts say there are still problems on Chinese companies going abroad. One of the major problems is the price war between Chinese companies who compete for one bid.
Cui Dianguo says Chinese companies should band together more in this regard, instead of fighting with each other.
"We should learn from the German National Team. They may not win the most championships, but they always perform well. The secret is they play as a team. We should build more team spirit, too."
The enterprises also say they are preparing and looking forward to participating in the next World Cup in Russia. They hope the opportunity they get in Brazil this time will bring more opportunities to more Chinese enterprises in the future.
BACK ANCHOR:
That is CRI's Liu Xiangwei reporting.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Tony Gallopin wins Tour de France stage 8
 
Two days after wearing the yellow jersey, France's Tony Gallopin claimed the 11th stage of the Tour de France thanks to late attacks in a nervous finale on Wednesday.
　　
German John Degenkolb was second and Italian Matteo Trentin took third place at the end of a 187.5km ride from Besancon.
　　
Italian Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall leader's yellow jersey after staying safe by the front of the bunch in the final descent.
Gallopin was exctatic following his in:
"It's unbelievable. I wouldn't have imagined it. I was already happy. I was there in the final with the best in Sheffield, in Nancy, fifth place, third place, I could feel that I wasn't far behind, but I came up against people who were faster so today I just said I won't wait for the sprint even though I knew there could be 30 or 40 of us for the sprint and then I knew about this little climb which wasn't on anyone's radar and I said to myself 'I'll try my luck and we'll see'."
 
 
Mattia Gavazzi wins 11th stage of Tour de Qinghai Lake
 
Meanwhile here in China at the Tour of Qinghai Lake,
Mattia Gavazzi of Ukraine's Amore & Vita-Selle SMP (AMO) has won the 131 kilometre stage 11.
Second and third place went to Jon Izaga Aberasturi and Jonathan Cantwell of Australia's Drapac Professional Cycling (DPC).
Ilya Davidenok retains his yellow and blue jerseys, which represent the overall leader and best Asian rider respectively.
 
 
Livescore 5th Asia Cup China vs Singapore
 
In basketball at the 5th Fiba Asia Cup China, China have just started their playoff game against Singapore.
That game is currently... Livescore
In their last game China came from 12 points behind at half time to thrash Japan 79-66.
The young Chinese side has always started hesitantly holding back and pouncing later on in the game.
The Fiba Asia Cup is being held in Wuhan China and will conclude on Saturday (July 19).
 
 
Germany tops latest FIFA world rankings
 
Germany are now the best national football team in the world according to Fifa's latest football world rankings.
The winners of this year's world cup rise one place and top the list while the runners up Argentina are now second.
The biggest climbers are the Netherlands who've gained TWELVE positions and are now third.
Colombia, Belgium and Uruguay are 4th 5th and 6th, while Brazil have tumbled down FOUR places now to seventh.
Rounding off the top ten are Spain, Switzerland and France.
The Chinese national side has just risen into the top 100, sitting 94th of 208 teams.
 
 
Toni Kroos joins Real Madrid from Bayern Munich
 
In the latest European football transfer news,
Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos has joined Real Madrid on a six year deal for an undisclosed sum.
The 24-year-old was a key player in Germany's World Cup winning team scoring two goals during the competition in Brazil.
Kroos had been with the Bayern since he was 16-years-old making 176 appearances in which the German giants won three Bundesliga titles and three German cups in four seasons.
Real Madrid narrowly missed out on last year's La Liga title, finishing three points from the top behind rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
 
 
Real Madrid top Forbes most valuable team list for second year
 
Real Madrid have maintained their position as the world's most valuable sports team however, that's according to a list released by Forbes on Wednesday.
The top three are all soccer teams with Real, the European Champions, valued at 3.44 billion US dollars topping the list for the second year running.
In Second place are their La Liga rivals Barcelona at 3.2 billion USD while English premiere league side Manchester United still stay high despite a disastrous season. They're third with a value of 2.3 billion US dollars.
Elsewhere Major League Baseball's New York Yankees are fourth on 2.5 billion and the NFL's the Dallas cowboys are fifth on 2.3 billion.
Rounding off the top 10 were the MLBs LA Dodgers, Bayern Munich football team are sixth, and then the NFL sides of the New England patriots, Washington Redskins and New York Giants in eight, nine and ten respectively.
 
 
Young Beijing Footballers Train in Argentina
 
Sixty young Chinese football players from Beijing are now in Buenos Aires to train with the Boca Juniors in the Argentine capital.
The initiative, sponsored by the Chinese drink Jiaduobao, is aimed at improving the skill levels of young players from Beijing's junior division.
BOCA JUNIORS PRESIDENT, DANIEL ANGELICI, said this is just the beginning of a long term partnership:
"We would like to give an official welcome on behalf of Boca Juniors.　It's been a few days now that these guys have been living and training at our Training Camp. Yesterday morning I went to see them and I saw them playing with our junior team and this made me very happy because Boca always tries to be a pioneer in questions of exchanges"
The 60 Chinese players, who will arrive in three groups, will play a series of friendly matches in addition to receiving training practice while in the soccer -obsessed South American country.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Tiny Times 3 released in Chinese Cinema
 
Tiny Times 3 is released in Chinese Cinema today.
(Tiny Times 3)
It's the latest installment of the highly criticized but immensely popular film series, about a group of wealthy Shanghai youngsters, who start out as college students and later becoming young professionals. The film follows their friendships and struggles growing up.
Though the adventures of the four young women continue along the same path as the first two films, there are some surprises in Tiny Times 3, which mixes romance with Thriller.
It's been one year since the first two films in the series were released, just two months apart.
Together the films earned a total of 800 million yuan in the box office last year, just over 128 million US dollars.
Director, Guo Jingming laid out great expectations for Tiny Times 3 at the premiere in Beijing, predicting ticket sales will surpass 500 million yuan, that's around 80 million dollars.
 
 
New cast of the The Lost Tomb film exposed
 
An updated cast of the highly anticipated film, "The Lost Tomb," has been revealed online.
Besides the earlier confirmed leading role by Li Yifeng, other actors like Yang Yang, William Chan and Yang Mi are also said to star in the film.
"The Lost Tomb" was released as a novel by Nan Pai San Shu, eight years ago, and has since won great popularity.
The mysterious novel topped the reading list on the web with tens of millions of fans, its adapted film version has been a hot spot.
The film is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2016.
 
 
Zhou Xun married Archie Kao.
 
Chinese actress Zhou Xun has married Chinese-American actor Archie Kao.
The couple made a surprise announcement at a charity event for children named "One Night" at Huanglong Sports Centre of Hangzhou, capital city of Zheijiang province.
Xun said she was delighted to finally tie the knot.
"We are really happy tonight to be in such a love-filled atmosphere. My husband and I would like to share our love with everyone. I've starred in films where I played the bride, but tonight is Zhou Xun's own story of romance."
The 40-year-old actress has won endless awards over the past years. In contrast with her career success, her love life hasn't gone so smoothly.
But now it appears the actress has finally found luck in love.
 
 
Big Changes to New Season of Game of Thrones
 
Filming for the new season of Game of Thrones is to start with big changes.
Many of the directors responsible for creating some of the most iconic characters from the previous series' will not return, including Neil Marshal who is behind season two's "Blackwater", as well as Michelle MacLaren and Alan Taylor.
There are five directors in series five, and each one is responsible for two episodes. Back in the mix this year is David Nutter, who directed "The Rains of Castamere" episode, also known as the The Red Wedding in season three. Nutter returns for next year's ever-crucial ninth episode and the season five finale.
Fans of the HBO fantasy series shouldn't worry too much about the changes as David Benioff and D.B. Weis are returning as show-runners, making sure the new series doesn't stray too far from the previous seasons.
 
 
Independent music labels sign fair deal streaming pact
 
Over 750 independent music labels worldwide have formed a pact seeking fair treatment for artists signing deals with streaming services.
The move comes after "indefensible terms" were set out by YouTube's music streaming services, where labels not accepting the conditions were told their content would be blocked.
The declaration by the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) is a bid to protect musicians from poor returns for the digital distribution of their work.
In the declaration WIN stated that the coalition of music labels will secure for artists a "good-faith pro-rata share" of revenue from music streaming services.
WIN also expressed concern over the practice of major streaming services paying lump sums of money, which fail to offer good value to artists.
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
the Chinese president has pledged to advance his country's relationship with Brazil and promote a fair international order...
10 Chinese provinces and cities have been listed for inspection as central authorities go hunting for corrupt officials...
And a deadly typhoon continues on its path from the Philippines to southern China...
In business, an in-depth look at the importance of a Chinese company's court victory over the US government...
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.