新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/07/24

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
It's Paul James with you on this Thursday, July 24, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
At least 47 people are dead following a plane crash last night in Taiwan.
Shuttle diplomacy has been in high-gear as international figures, including a representative from China, push to try to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.
The first bodies from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands as the country mourns its dead.
In Business.... new analysis from Standard Chartered suggests this country's debt-to-GDP ratio has hit new heights.
In Sports... China's men's squad edging Serbia to open a Sino-European basketball event in Harbin.
In Entertainment... Director Zhang Yimou is suing a Hong Kong film company.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather....
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 33 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 25.
Shanghai will see slight rain during the daytime with a high of 33.
Overnight, it will see moderate rain with a low of 27.
In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 34.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will see moderate rain with a high of 35.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 34.
Over to North America.
New York will see slight rain today with a high of 31 degrees.
Washington will be overcast with a high of 32 degrees.
Honolulu, cloudy, 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 12.
And Rio de Janeiro will have moderate rain with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
47 dead, 11 injured in Taiwan plane crash
 
Anchor
47 people are dead following a plane crash last night in Taiwan. Bad weather may have caused landing failures. CRI's Qi Zhi has more.
Reporter
The TransAsia Airways flight crashed on the island of Penghu with 54 passengers and four crew members on board.
The aircraft was making a second attempt at landing after aboarting a first attempt at the airport on the western outlying island of Penghu when it hit a residential building in the village of Xixi.
Of the 58 onboard, 11 have survived.
Their conditions are unknown at this point.
TransAsia's president is Chooi Yee-choong.
"I am the president of TransAsia Airways. Firstly, I solemnly apologize to everyone. I apologize for this unfortunate event."
He says the airline is doing all it can to help the families of the victims and assist authorities in their investigation.
The airline is also chartering a flight this morning for the relatives who want to go to Penghu.
TransAsia Airways is Taiwan's first private airline, mainly focusing on the island's market and short trip overseas flights.
It is not immediately clear what led to the failed landing.
But initial indications are pointing to bad weather, as typhoon Matmo was rolling through the area at the time of the crash.
Liu Qinggui is an expert with China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology.
"Judging from the information we've got, and based on my own experience, I think it is quite possible that the plane encountered wind shear, thus dropping it out of the sky from a safe altitude."
The flight itself was delayed by well over an hour before taking off from Kaohsiung because of poor weather conditions.
Chinese leader Xi Jingping has expressed condolences for the victims.
For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.
 
 
China braces for Typhoon Matmo
 
Over 300-thousand people in eastern China have been evacuated now that tropical storm Matmo has made landfall on the mainland.
The storm, which rolled across central Taiwan yesterday, has now been downgraded to a tropical depression with winds of just 45-kilometers per hour, as it lost much of its power while crossing over Taiwan.
The storm is now tracking in a northerly direction, and is going to continue to burn itself out as it creeps its way toward the Shanghai area over the next day or so.
The storm was still strong enough last night to have cut power to around 350-thousand homes in certian parts of Fujian.
So far no casualties have been reported.
Forecasters are warning Matmo is still likely to bring heavy rains to parts of central China before it burns out.
 
 
UN moves forward to urge a ceasefire amid mounting conflicts in Gaza
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blasting a UN decision to launch a possible war crimes investigation in connection with the Israeli incursion into Gaza.
Describing the creation of an inquiry committee by UN's Human Rights Council as a "travesty," Netanyahu says the decision should be rejected by people everywhere.
At the same time, Netanyahu is calling on the UNHRC to investigate Hamas, claiming the Palestinian group has committed "a double war crime" by both firing rockets into Israel and using Palestinian civilians as human shields.
The UN is investigating potential war-crimes by Israeli forces through the killing of civilians and the shelling and shooting at residential homes and hospitals.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been holding talks with Jordanian leaders in an attempt to broker a ceasefire, which some reports have suggested, could be coming within hours.
"More than 600 people have been killed already, 3,600 people have been wounded, they are all Palestinian civilians, women and children. Every hour, at least one child has been killed during last two days, at least two days but much more, much more, and this is an unacceptable situation."
China's special envoy for Middle East affairs, Wu Sike, has been meeting with Arab League and Egyptian officials in Cairo to push for a ceasefire.
"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is also one of the core problems in the Middle East, should be resolved through peace talks. The sole way to solve the conflict is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, based on the 1967 border and with East Jerusalem as its capital. Then peace can be achieved between Palestine and Israel."
As the shuttle-diplomacy takes place, Hamas officials are suggesting a ceasefire agreement with Israel may be signed "in the next few hours."
 
 
MH 17: First bodies arrive in the Netherlands
 
The first group of bodies from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands.
Two military planes carrying the first 40 coffins landed in Eindhoven yesterday afternoon as the country marked a national day of mourning.
They were met by members of the Dutch royal family, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and hundreds of the victims' relatives.
The grim task of identifying the bodies is now underway.
At the same time, the plane's black boxes have arrived in Britain for analysis.
Investigators have found that the cockpit voice recorder has been damaged, but its memory is intact.
Officials say there are no signs of tampering.
On the ground in eastern Ukraine where the airliner came down, European monitors and Malaysian experts have visited part of the crash site, and say they've found what appeared to be "puncture marks" on parts of the fuselage.
Michael Bociurkiw is with the OSCE monitoring team.
"There were some parts that were looked at today by the Malaysians and I could say that these were parts of very great interest to them. We will report in our report tonight that some of the materials we saw and that we have photographed feature significant puncture marks to the fuselage, almost a piercing mark."
Bociurkiw also says a number of body parts are still scattered around the crash site.
 
 
Iraqi PM condemns IS for targeting Christians and Israel's bombardment of Gaza
 
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is accusing Arab countries and the international community of not reacting strongly enough to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"Hundreds of Palestinian people were either killed or wounded in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian districts, while the world states are witnessing and watching such acts with a reaction which doesn't reach a responsible level."
And at the same time, Maliki has also used a weekly televised address to blast the Sunni extremist group known as the Islamic State for targeting Iraqi Christians.
"The Christians have been exposed to violent acts that have never been witnessed before in Iraq as we live together as brothers. We, Muslims, Christians, Arabs Kurds, Turkmen, Sabians, Yezidis and Shebak, all of us have been living as brothers since ancient times in Iraq."
Thousands of Christians have fled northern Iraq after being given a deadline by the Sunny militants to convert to Islam, pay a tax or face death.
The militant, who controls large swaths of northern Iraq and eastern Syria, has been imposing Shariah law in the areas it controls.
The group's leader has declared the region a Caliphate.
 
 
China will be Cuba's good friend: Chinese President
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been decorated with Cuba's highest honour, the Jose Marti medal, as part of a meeting with Cuban leader Raul Castro.
Xi Jinping is promising long-term friendship and cooperation with Cuba as part of his state visit to the country.
"We are closely united by the same visions, ideals and goals. Today, China has started a deep integration in our reforms. Cuba is also finding itself in the process of updating its economic model. Both countries are facing historic missions of significance and difficulties. China is very confident about the future development between our country and Cuba."
Both sides have also agreed to boost trade and explore cooperation potential in healthcare and other service trades.
The Chinese President is also calling on Chinese companies to invest or open up businesses in Cuba.
For his part, Raul Castro says Cuba is willing to promote trade and widen cooperation in other areas such as mining, renewable energy, agriculture and biopharmacy.
 
 
Expert's view on China-Latin America ties
 
Anchor:
For more on the president's Latin American tour, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Professor Jiang Shixue, Vice Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science.
(bjh/report/0724 QA with Jiang Shixue-update 2'17)
Back Anchor:
Professor Jiang Shixue, Vice Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Chinese military conducts anti-missile experiment
 
Chinese military forces have announced they've conducted, what's being described as a "land-based anti-missile technology experiment."
The Defense Ministry says the test "achieved the desired objectives."
The military hasn't offered up any further details of the tests, which are believed to be part broader plans to build a missile shield to intercept incoming warheads.
A number of media outlets have reported this week that military maneuvers have led to a large number of commercial flights being cancelled or delayed at a dozen different airports in central and eastern China, including Shanghai.
Aviation officials have refused to confirm these reports.
 
 
China launches campaign to nab overseas suspects
 
The Ministry of Public Security's new campaign to apprehend suspects involved in economic crimes who have fled China is generating a lot of attention following its announcement this week.
The move is part of the government's broader anti-graft campaign.
Liu Dong is the deputy director of the Ministry's Economic Crime Department.
"The main targets of our overseas mission this time will include cracking down suspects involved in contract fraud, illegal fund-raising and dereliction of duty."
Official figures show that since 2008, more than 730 suspects involved in major economic crimes have been captured and brought back to China from 54 nations and regions.
Public Security officials haven't said how many suspects remain outstanding.
The campaign is going to run until the end of the year.
For more on the anti-graft campaign, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Yao Shujie, Professor of Economics and Chinese Sustainable Development with the University of Nottingham.
(Q&A with Shu)
Back Anchor
Yao Shujie, Professor of Economics and Chinese Sustainable Development with the University of Nottingham, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor
First off, a check on the closing numbers in the U.S and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.
Reporter
Stocks in the US ended mostly higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 closing at a record high on Apple's bullish results.
Apple has given one of the biggest lifts to the market, with its shares rising over two and half percent, as concerns faded about the iPhone maker's margins.
Data from Reuters is suggesting nealry 70 percent of the companies listed on the S&P 500 have reported earnings above expectations, topping the long-term average of 63 percent.
We'll have more on some of the names that helped move the market in just a moment.
At the close, the S&P 500 added a fraction of a percent.
The Nasdaq increased nearly half a percent, while the Dow dropped a fraction of a percent.
Over in Europe, both Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 added around a fraction of a percent, while the FTSE in London closed flat.
 
 
Q2 results update: Facebook, Boeing and GSK
 
On the earnings front,
Facebook's fast-growing mobile advertising business has helped drive an over 60 percent increase in revenue during the second quarter, beating "the street" and sending its shares to a record-high.
The world's largest online social network says it is witnessing increased interest from both advertisers and from users.
Facebook says its mobile advertising revenues made up over 60-percent of its overall ad revenues through last quarter.
This is up significantly from the 20-percent seen through the same period last year.
---------------------------------
Boeing says its Q2 profits have been boosted by "strong" commercial aircraft sales, with net profits rising over 50 percent from the same period last year.
The second quarter has seen Boeing deliver its first Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft, offsetting a fall in profits from its defense sector.
---------------------------------
Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline is reporting a 23 percent deline in its pre-tax profits.
Its sales here in China, where its dealing with bribery allegations, are down around 20 percent.
The group has also seen a 10 percent decline in its drug and vaccine sales in the US, largely due to intense competition from generic drugs.
 
 
China's debt soars to 250% of GDP
 
Standard Chartered now estimates China's total debt has soared to two and a half times its economic growth as of the end of last time.
The bank says China's total financial obligations have surged to over 250 percent of gross domestic product.
This is up from the 150 percent of GDP registered at the end of 2008.
In the last six months, Standard Chartered says China's debt-to-GDP ratio has grown by 17 percent.
By comparison, the United States debt-to-GDP ratio sits at around 260 percent, while Britain's ratio is around about 275 percent.
Japan has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio among industrialized countries at over 400 percent.
For more on this, we are joined live on the line by CRI's financial commentator Cao Can.
=talking points=
1. Should we be concerned about the high ratio of debts among emerging economies?
2. Economists are primarily concerned not that China has a high debt-to-GDP ratio, but that China's debt is rising so rapidly since financial turmoil usually follows such increases. Why is the debt rising so quickly? Any risks of a financial crisis?
3. Talking about corporate debt, Earlier this year China experienced its first corporate credit default in 17 years, any risks the incident could prompt a domino effect?
That was CRI's financial commentator Cao Can.
 
 
China vows to further ease financing costs for real economy
 
The Chinese government is promising more financing support for the real economy.
The decision has come from an executive meeting of the State Council, the Chinese cabinet.
As part of the pledge, the government says it will further help the development of medium and small financial institutions that mainly serve small businesses and the agriculture sector.
The idea of using small-scale financial instituitions to back small businesses is meant to support broader economic growth, while at the same time, trying to limit credit flowing into the property sector.
The central bank has already cut the reserve requirement ratio by half-a-percent banks engaged primarily in lending to the farming sector or small-and micro-sized businesses.
 
 
Chinese microcredit firms lend 61.8 bln yuan in H1
 
The latest figures are suggesting microcredit companies here in China have issued over 60 billion yuan worth of new loans in the first half of this year.
That's around 10 billion US dollars.
The People's Bank of China says outstanding loans by these companies has exceeded 880 billion yuan as of the end of June.
The Chinese government has been calling on micro-lenders increase their lending to small businesses, as the major banks here still remain hesitant to issue small-business loans.
 
 
Worst economic slowdown has ended in China: former Morgan Stanley chief economist
 
A former chief economist for Morgan Stanley says he believes China has lived through the worst of the current economic slowdown.
Stephen Roach is attributing the current improvement of the Chinese economy to the government's resolve in pushing ahead with economic reforms.
China's economic growth rebounded to 7.5 percent in the second quarter, with several other economic indicators showing the broader economy is gaining strength.
Roach is also suggesting the government maintain its momentum in pushing forward reforms, saying it will only benefit the economy in the long run.
 
 
IMF cuts US growth forecast to 1.7 percent
 
The International Monetary Fund has cut its US growth forecast for this year to 1.7 percent, down from its previous prediction of 2 percent.
The IMF is attributing its adjustment to weak US growth in the first quarter.
But at the same time, the IMF says US growth is expected to accelerate to a pace of 3 to 3.5 percent through the rest of this year.
However, this isn't going to be strong enough to offset the weakness in the US economy through the first quarter.
The US economy contracted nearly 3-percent in the first quarter, dragged down by a weak housing market, a slower pace of restocking by businesses and lower exports, on top of unseasonable weather.
The IMF is also recommending the US Federal Reserve keep its benchmark interest rates at zero beyond the middle of next year. 
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Dozens feared dead in Taiwan plane crash
 
48 people are dead following a plane crash last night in Taiwan.
The TransAsia flight hit a residential building while attempting to make a landing amid bad weather.
The plane was carrying 54 passengers and four crew members on a flight from Kaohsiung to the Penghu Islands of Taiwan's west coast when it crashed.
Ten onboard the plane have managed to survive, though the extent of their injuries remains unknown.
 
 
Israel PM calls UNHRC decision on war crimes "travesty"
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blasting a UN decision to launch a possible war crimes investigation in connection with the Israeli incursion into Gaza.
Describing the creation of an inquiry committee by UN's Human Rights Coucil as a "travesty," Netanyahu says the decision should be rejected by people everywhere.
At the same time, Netanyahu is calling on the UN council to investigate Hamas, claiming the Palestinian group has committed "a double war crime" by both firing rockets into Israel and using Palestinian civilians as human shields.
 
 
MH17: First bodies arrive in the Netherlands
 
The first group of bodies from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands.
Two military planes carrying the first 40 coffins landed in Eindhoven yesterday afternoon as the country marked a national day of mourning.
The grim task of identifying the bodies is now underway.
At the same time, the plane's black boxes have arrived in Britain for analysis.
In a separate development, two Ukrainian fighter jets have been shot down over the rebel-held territory, not far from where MH17 went down.
A Ukrainian official says the pilots did manage to eject.
Their fate remains unknown.
 
 
EU hails Cambodia's political agreement between rival parties
 
European officials are applauding a new political agreement reached in Cambodia.
The European Union is describing the agreement reached in Cambodia as "significant," saying it will help strengthen the democratic process in the country.
After boycotting parliament for over a year, Cambodia's main opposition party has agreed to begin working with the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
As part of the deal, the government has agreed to a number of electoral reforms, as well as a power sharing agreement within Parliament.
The opposition has also been granted a new television license.
The Cambodian opposition has been boycotting the parliament for the last year following the national elections, claiming fraud.
 
 
Italy's sunken ship towed away, more than two years after shipwrecking
 
After running aground some 2.5-years ago, the sunken Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia is finally being towed away from where it capsized, leaving 32-people dead.
After working on salvaging the cruise liner since April, crews finally managed to begin towing the Italian ship back to port in Genoa.
Once there, the ship will be dismantled.
The Costa Concordia hit rocks and capsized while passing along the Italian islsand of Giglio in January of 2012.
The captian of the vessel has been held ultimately responsible, as he abandoned the sinking ship before everyone else was evacuated.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China daily
headline
Beijing closes coal-fired power plant
summary
Municipal authorities here in the capital have closed a large coal-fired power plant, replacing it with a gas-fired one to cut pollution.
The 50-year-old Gaojing plant is the first of a number of coal-fired plants on the government's chopping block.
Three more are expected to be closed by the end of 2016.
Beijing News
Headline
Online office crackdown
summary
Beijing's municipal discipline inspection and supervision department has announced plans to run random checks on the work computers of civil servants in Pinggu District.
Employees caught chatting, buying things online or viewing illegal websites are going to be punished.
Shanghai daily
Headline
Bullet trains suspended
summary
Rail authorities in Shanghai canceled 22 bullet train services scheduled to depart from or pass through Shanghai Hongqiao station today due to a typhoon alert, which has since been relaxed.
To make up for yesterday's disruptions, six additional bullet train services will be put into service today from Shanghai.
Beijing Morning Post
Headline
New western development plan
summary
A seminar has been held at Tsinghua University to discuss the potential creation of a new economic development zone.
The zone, being dubbed the "Great Wall Golden Triangle", would connect the cities of Ulanqab in Xinjiang with, Datong and Zhangjiakou in Hebei.
The idea is to try to stretch an economic cooridor from the west to the east in northern China.
Beijing Times
Headline
Self-managed parking
summary
A new pilot program is being launched in Chaoyang Distrct in Beijing to let locals choose their own parking management scheme.
The idea is to try to streamline the system so that drivers avoid the temptation of parking illegally.
Beijing Business Today
Headline
Airborne Wifi
Summary
China Eastern Airlines has been testing its new Wifi services on a flight from Shanghai to Beijing.
The Wi-Fi itself is being provided by a telecommunications satellite.
Global Times
Headline
Blogger jailed
Summary
A district court in Yunnan's capital, Kunming, has sentenced a blogger to 6.5-years in jail for running an illegal operation and "provoking troubles."
The courts say the blogger defamed the government.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
The 12th International Linguistics Olympiad
 
Anchor
Over 160 people from around the world are gathered at Beijing Language and Culture University this week for the International Linguistics Olympiad.
CRI's Wu You has more.
[Report: Xstudio/bjh/reports/0723 Olympiad wy bjh] 2'19" --
Reporter
39 teams,representing 28 countries,including the US,Canada, Brasil,Russia and so on,are gathering in Beijing to test their minds against the world's toughest puzzles in language and linguistics.
Many of those young linguists have come to China for the first time and felt very excited to say hello in their own language.
According to the official website of the International Linguistics Olympiad, no prior knowledge of linguistics or languages is required for the competition. Even the hardest problems require only your logical ability, patient work, and willingness to think around corners.
A case in point would be the question topics from last year. In one of the tests, some words in Yidiny which is the language spoken by approx 150 people in the state of Queensland, Australia was provided, together with their English translation. Then the contestants are asked to translate a new Yidiny sentence into English based upon the above information.
Cao Qitong, a student from Nanjing Foreign Language School is with the Chinese team this year. He is quite confident on winning the competition.
"Actually, I'm very interested in linguistics. I started to learn linguistics by myself from elementary school. I think I gonna win."
The interest in linguistics is shared by other contestants.
For Alexander Babiak, who is from Ithaca High School, in New York State in the US, the competiton in Beijng provides him a window to know more about China and its culture.
"This is my first time in China.I really like the country a lot honestly.The American culture, it seems very empty sometimes.In China, it's nice culture.I like it."
Dubbed the mini-United Nations, the Beijing Language and Culture University is known for its teaching in diverse foreign languess to students from home and abroad.
Cao Zhiyun, Vice President of the University hopes the world's biggest competition in linguistics can help enhance the commmunication among the high school students around the world.
"I hope that after this event, more people in the world can have a better understanding of the knowledge of linguistics.I hope that this event will be a bridge of our friendship and communication, linking different cultures and ideas."
This year's competition lasts until this Friday.
For CRI, I'm Wuyou.
 
 
Sports
 
 
China Beat Serbia at Sino-European Men's Basketball Championship
 
In basketball,
Hosts China have downed Serbia 82-77 at the Sino-European Men's Basketball Championship in Harbin.
Center Wang Zhelin scored 15 points to help the Chinese squad clinch victory.
Liu Xiaoyu and Zhou Peng also had 13 points each for China.
Marelja Aleksandar grabbed a game-high 20 points in the loss for Serbia.
Team China will next face Germany later on this Thursday.
 
 
Mavericks Void Deal for Rashard Lewis, to Sign Jameer Nelson
 
In off-season NBA news,
The Dallas Mavericks have voided the contract of Rashard Lewis.
This is because it's since been determined the free agent forward needs surgery on his right knee.
Lewis signed a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.4 million dollars earlier this month.
He spent the past two seasons mostly coming off the bench in Miami.
Lewis was expected to back up Dirk Nowitzki at power forward.
Meanwhile, It's being reported the Mavericks are to sign point guard Jameer Nelson later on this Thursday.
Nelson spent last season with Orlando.
 
 
Joachim Loew to Stay On as Germany Coach Till Euro 2016
 
In European football news,
German coach Joachim Loew has confirmed that he will see out his contract and lead Germany into EURO 2016.
German media had been speculating that Loew would retire after steering Germany to their fourth World Cup title in Brazil.
He replaced Jurgen Klinsmann as Germany's head coach after the World Cup in 2006.
 
 
Reinaldo Rueda Replaced as Ecuador Coach
 
Ecuador has replaced Reinaldo Rueda following the country's failure to progress beyond the group stages at this year's World Cup.
The Columbian national's contract as coach ended with his team's elimination from the World Cup.
Ecuador's football federation has confirmed Rueda will be replaced by under-21 coach Sixto Vizuete on an interim basis until at least January.
 
 
NFL training camps getting underway
 
In North American football,
The National Football League's training camps are getting underway.
Ahead of the opening of their camp this weekend, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice has announced his retirement after an injury-filled career that has included issues with concussions.
Rice played seven seasons in the NFL and is retiring at age 27 with a Super Bowl ring, following the Seahawks victory last season.
--
Meanwhile, Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is giving up control of the team because of Alzheimer's disease.
The 70-year-old Bowlen will no longer be a part of the club's daily operations.
Team President Joe Ellis will now have the final say on all matters connected to the team.
Under Bowlen's guidance, the Broncos won six AFC titles and two Super Bowls.
 
 
Monaco, Bellucci Reach Swiss Open Quarter-finals
 
In tennis,
Juan Monaco of Argentina has reached his third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season after upsetting third seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Swiss Open.
Monaco will now face two-time champion Thomaz Bellucci for a place in the semi-finals.
Bellucci also pulled off an upset, edging fifth seed Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-4.
Second seed Marcel Granollers has opened his bid to reclaim the title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Swiss wild card Yann Marti.
In the quarter-finals, Granollers will face compatriot Pablo Andujar, who defeated Blaz Rola 6-3, 6-3.
----
At ATP's Croatia Open,
Defending champion Tommy Robredo has gotten past fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to reach the quarterfinals.
Third-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia has also advanced, beating Dutchman Igor Sijsling 7-5, 6-3.
Fifth-seeded Czech Lukas Rosol has also reached the quarterfinals, defeating Spaniard Pere Riba 7-6, 6-1.
Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta advanced after his opponent, eighth-seeded Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, withdrew because of an injury.
--
On the women's side,
Former champion Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia has returned to the Baku Cup quarterfinals after getting past Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-3, 6-1.
Jovanovski, the 2012 champ and seeded fifth, will meet surprise Japanese qualifier Misa Eguchi on Friday.
Eguchi, ranked 183rd, qualified for her first WTA main draw this week, then beat No. 3-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova and Urszula Radwanska in straight sets.
None of the world's elite women's players are taking part in this event in Azerbaijan.
 
 
Poland's Rafal Majka Wins Tour de France Stage 17
 
In cycling,
Polish rider Rafal Majka has taken the 17th Stage of the Tour de France, which is the shortest stage of the Tour.
The win is Majka's second stage victory this year, after prevailing on the 14th stage in the Alps.
It is also Tinkoff Saxo-Bank's second stage win in a row, after Australian Michael Rogers won Tuesday's 16th Stage.
Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali finished the stage in 3rd, extending his overall race lead to over 5-minutes.
Nibali now holds a 5:26 second advantage over Spain's Alejandro Valverde.
Riders are set to face a daunting 18th Stage later this Thursday, which features two steep climbs.
----
In other news,
Spanish rider Alberto Contador now says he will not be able to compete at the Vuelta a Espana next month.
Contador was forced out of the Tour de France after a crash in which he suffered a broken shin.
Contador won the Vuelta in 2008 and 2012.
He had hoped to be ready for his home-country race, but his pace of recovery hasn't been speedy enough.
 
 
Mexico Included in 2015 Formula 1 Calendar
 
In auto racing news,
It's been announced that Mexico will return to the Formula 1 calendar next season after a 23-year absence.
Formula One has announced plans for a race in Mexico City, which last hosted an F1 event in 1992.
Mexican organizers admit they have a lot of work to do before the race can be held.
"One of our main responsibilities will be complete remodelling of the Hermanos Rodriguez race track, under the standards of the International Automobile Federation. For achieving this, a complete change must be done to its facilities and the track itself."
The event in Mexico will likely go back-to-back with an F1 race set to be held in Austin, Texas next year.
As far as this year's F1 calendar is concerned, teams are preparing for the Hungarian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to run on Sunday.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Zhang Yimou Sues Film Company for 15 mln RMB
 
Renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou has filed a lawsuit against Hong Kong-based New Pictures Film Company, claiming he is owed 15 million yuan, or some 2.4 million U.S. dollars.
Zhang claims New Pictures never paid him money owed after both parties made a deal to equally share revenues minus promotional costs for the director's 2009 film, A Simple Noodle Story, according to the Beijing Dongcheng District People's Court.
Zhang said he signed an agreement with New Pictures in 2009.
According to media reports, Zhang and New Pictures ended their decade-long working relationship in 2012.
 
 
Fang Zhouzi's lawsuit against Cui Yongyuan held in open trial
 
Court proceedings began yestrday in the lawsuit anti-fraud campaigner Fang Zhouzi filed against former talk show host Cui Yongyuan for defamation of character concerning their genetically-modified food debate that took place on social media last September.
Fang alleges that Cui maliciously forwarded harmful posts via the former host's Tencent Weibo account, which damaged his reputation.
Fang is seeking 300-thousand yuan (just under 50-thousand U.S. dollars) in compensation for what the campaigner considers as "mental suffering."
Neither of the two appeared at the courthouse, located in Beijing's Hadian district.
 
 
Late Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman Remembered at Premiere for Final Movie
 
Late actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman was remembered by his cast mates Tuesday at the New York premiere of his last film, "A Most Wanted Man."
Actors Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright starred with him in the psychological thriller about terrorism.
McAdams spoke highly of her deceased co-star.
"I learned a lot, just from watching him work. I think he's one of the greatest actors that's ever lived, so it's a real loss to the world."
Wright shared the same feelings.
"He was one of our greats, incredible actor. We had worked together years ago on a little thing we did for HBO. And always wanted to immerse ourselves in something meaty, and we finally got to do it."
46-year-old Hoffman died earlier this year of an apparent drug overdose.
Directed by Anton Corbijn, the film centers on a Chechen-Russian immigrant on the run in Germany after 9/11. Hoffman plays a spy that believes the man he's looking for can help reel in bigger terrorists.　
Based on the novel by John Le Carre, "A Most Wanted Man" opens Friday in U.S. theaters.
 
 
UK Celebrity Peaches Geldof Death Result of Heroine Overdose
 
A British coroner has concluded that model and TV personality Peaches Geldof died from a heroin overdose.
Coroner Roger Hatch said Wednesday that Geldof had taken a fatal dose after a period of trying to come off the drug.
The 25-year-old daughter of Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof was found dead at her home south of London early April.
An inquest heard that Geldof was a heroin addict and had been taking the drug substitute methadone in the two and a half years before her death.
Her husband, Thomas Cohen, said Geldof had started using heroin again in February, and had hidden drugs in the loft of their home.
Inquests are held in Britain to determine the facts in sudden, violent or unexplained deaths.
 
 
Disney: "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" Sails into Theaters in 2017
 
It looks like Captain Jack Sparrow and crew will take to the seas once again.
Disney announced yesterday that "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" will sail into cinemas in 2017.
Initially, the franchise's fifth installment was on rocky waters, being delayed from its original summer 2015 release due to issues with the script.
At the same time, the film's producer Jerry Bruckheimer jumped ship from Disney and chose to crew with Paramount Studios instead.
The franchise's last film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," grossed about 1.4 billion globally, and just over 22 million dollars in China.
In total, the "Pirates" franchise has raked in over three-billion dollars of box-office booty worldwide.
 
 
"The Amazing Spider-Man 3" Date Pushed Back for "Sinister Six" Movie in 2016
 
Sony is pushing back the "Amazing Spider-Man 3" release date two years to 2018, announcing instead that it will boost the franchise with the 2016 release of the super-villain spin-off, "Sinister Six."
The studio is moving back the sequel in a bid to expand Spidey's big-screen universe and better compete against Disney's "Avengers" and Warner Brothers' "Justice League" franchises.
The "Sinister Six" is set to come out in November, 2016.
The "Sinister Six" super-villains made their first appearance in 1964 and consisted of Spider-Man's most formidable foes.
With Doctor Octopus as the leader, the group includes Electro, The Vulture, Sandman, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter.
To date, the five "Spider-Man" films have grossed nearly four-billion U.S. dollars worldwide, according to entertainment trade publication, Variety.
Sony has not revealed a specific date for "The Amazing Spiderman 3."
 
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
At least 47 people are dead following a plane crash last night in Taiwan.
Shuttle diplomacy has been in high-gear as international figures, including a representative from China, push to try to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.
The first bodies from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands as the country mourns its dead.
In Business.... new analysis from Standard Chartered suggests this country's debt-to-GDP ratio has hit new heights.
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.