新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/07/25

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition
 
It's Paul James with you on this Friday, July 25, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon expressing outrage following an Israeli attack on a UN-run school in the Gaza Strip.
Mass casualties are once-again feared following yet another plane crash, this time in northwestern Africa.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling for quality economic growth as part of an inspection tour in the province of Shandong.
In Business.... McDonalds switching to another supplier amid a food scandal at its previous meat supplier in Shanghai.
In Sports... another major signing for Major League Soccer from Europe.
In Entertainment... a Chinese film is going to compete for the top award at this year's Venice Film Festival.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather....
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be cloudy today with a high of 32 degree Celsius. Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 23.
Shanghai will see slight rain during the daytime with a high of 31.
Overnight, it will see slight rain with a low of 27.
In Chongqing, it will be overcast with a high of 35.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be overcast with a high of 32.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 34.
Over to North America.
New York will be cloudy today with a high of 29 degrees.
Washington will be cloudy with a high of 31 degrees.
Honolulu, cloudy, 27.
Toronto, Canada, will be overcast with a high of 27 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 21 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
UN school shelter in Gaza hit by Israel, "killing 15"
 
A UN-run school in northern Gaza has come under Israeli attack.
Palestinian authorities say Israeli forces have shelled a shelter at the school, killing at least 15 people, with over 200 others injured.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he's appalled by the attack.
"I stress again to all sides that they must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect, to respect the sanctity of civilian life, the inviolability of UN premises and to honour their obligations to humanitarian workers."
Jordan's King Abdullah is calling on the international community to do more to protect civilians in Gaza and bring an end to the conflict.
He's made the call during a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The over 2-week-long assault by Israeli forces into the Gaza Strip has left close to 800 people dead, including over 750 Palestinians.
 
 
Li Guofu on Mid East Situation
 
Anchor:
For more on the broader situation in the Middle East region, CRI's Xu Qinduo spoke earlier with Professor Li Guofu, Senior Research Fellow with the China Institute of International Studies.
Professor Li Guofu, Senior Research Fellow with China Institute of International Studies, speaking with CRI's Xu Qinduo
 
 
Reuven Rivlin sworn in as Israeli President
 
Israeli lawmaker Reuven Rivlin has been sworn in as the tenth president of Israel.
Rivlin takes over for Shimon Peres, who is retiring from politics after spending 7-years as Israel's head of state.
Speaking in parliament after being sworn-in, Rivlin has talked about the need for an Israel which is based on civil rights for all its citizens.
On the current situation in Gaza Strip, Rivlin says Israel must remain a strong democracy.
75-year old Rivlin is considered a center-right politician who has a long political history of advocating civil rights for people living in Israel, including Palestinians.
The role of president in Israel is largely a ceremonial position, and lasts for a single term of seven years.
 
 
Algeria airliner feared crashed on flight from Burkina Faso
 
Anchor
There's been another potentially-deadly plane crash, this time in northwest Africa.
A passenger plane carrying 116 people has gone down on a flight from Burkina Faso to the Algerian capital Algiers.
The details from CRI's Qi Zhi.
Reporter
Contact with Air Algerie Flight AH 5017 was lost less than an hour after take-off from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.
The President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Kéita, says the plane's wreckage has been spotted in the northern part of the country, in the border zone between Mali and Algeria.
Its unknown at this time if there are any survivors.
The MD-83 is a private charter belonging to Spanish airline Swiftair.
Over half of those onboard are French nationals, as well as passengers from up to 14 countries including Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Algeria, Canada and Germany.
The six crew members are Spanish.
There are few indications of what may have happened to the plane.
Burkina Faso's military Chief of Staff is Gilbert Diedjire.
"The plane expressly asked to change itinerary because of the bad weather. That may be a reason. Now there may be other hypotheses, linked to other conditions, but we cannot, at this time, venture in that direction."
French President Francois Hollande has cancelled a planned overseas trip.
He says all French military means on the ground in Mali will be used to locate the aircraft.
"We cannot establish the causes of what happened, we will have to. We will find out the truth of everything that happened. Until then, all our capabilities will be mobilized in order to find this plane and in order to provide families with information they are asking for."
French forces are located in the area where the plane has gone down.
They've been there since last year, after France led an international coalition to oust al-Qaeda-linked rebel fighters from control of northern Mali.
However, reaching the crash site is going to be complex task, as the area is vast, with few roads, and the threat of rebel attacks still exist.
For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.
 
 
MH17: More bodies arrive in the Netherlands
 
More bodies and remains of those killed on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the Netherlands.
Two planes have transported 51 bags containing bodies or body parts from eastern Ukraine.
This is the 2nd set of remains to arrive in the Netherlands, after Dutch authorities received 40 bodies on Wednesday.
On the ground in eastern Ukraine, human remains continue to be found a full week after the plane went down, underlining concerns about the chaotic recovery effort at the crash site controlled by Ukrainian rebels.
OSCE spokesperson Michael Bociurkiw says European observers at the crash site have found what appears to be "machine gun type" punctures on the plane's fuselage.
"It did, even probably to an untrained eye, it did strike us that these were holes or almost machine gun type of holes, if I can put it that way, but very invasive, that bent metal that we haven't seen anywhere else."
In another development, Ukraine and the Netherlands have worked out a new agreement connected to the investigation into the downing of flight MH17.
Ukraine is handing over the leading role in the investigation to Dutch authorities.
Dutch and Australian officials have also been trying to work out a way to secure the crash site, which is controlled by rebel forces.
 
 
EU ambassadors to debate on further sanctions against Russia
 
Anchor
European Union ambassadors are set to debate proposals on restricting Russian access to Europe's capital and energy markets.
Ambassadors from the 28 EU nations are expected to agree to add the names of certian Russian companies to the bloc's sanctions list.
At the same time, its being reported a number of Russian businessmen have been moving assets out of London and other European centers ahead of the planned sanctions.
The proposal for new sanctions in Europe against Russia comes amid allegations Russia has been backing the rebels with weapons and training in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow has steadfastly denied this.
For more on all this, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke ealrier with Dr. Shen Dingli, professor of International Relations at Fudan University.
(Q&A with Shen)
Shen Dingli, professor of International Relations at Fudan University, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
32 bodies in Taiwan plane crash confirmed, probe underway
 
Authorities in Taiwan say they've managed to identify 32 of the 48 people killed in Wednesday's plane crash off the west coast of the island.
Among the ten survivors, one has since been release, suffering only minor injuries.
The other nine remain hospitalized.
Head of Taiwan's aviation safety council Wang Hsing-chung says they're now trying to extract information from the plane's black boxes, said to have been heavily damaged, to figure out exactly what went wrong.
"We have completed different interviews in the afternoon and recorded the files on flight path and weather condition. As to recorders, in addition to black boxes, we also brought back other devices on the plane to investigate."
The twin-engine commuter plane slammed into a residential building while trying to make a second landing at the main airport on Penghu Island.
The first landing failed amid bad weather conditions brought on by Typhoon Matmo.
 
 
Typhoon Matmo continues to lash China
 
Tropical storm Matmo is set to roll into Shandong later on this Friday.
The storm, which hit Fujian on Wednesday, has been rolling through central China over the past 24-hours, bringing rains and flooding to certain areas.
So far only one death has been officially connected to Matmo in Fujian.
But the storm has created millions of yuan in property and crop damage.
Matmo crossed over Taiwan before hitting the mainland.
The storm is believed to have been a factor in the crash of a TransAsia Airlines flight off Taiwan's west coast on Wednesday night which left 48-people dead.
The remains of Matmo are due to roll though Shandong later on today as it burns itself out along the coast of Liaoning in northeast China.
Despite the storm weakening, summer tourism in Shandong is being affected, with officials shutting down the Laoshan scenic area as a precaution.
 
 
Chinese Premier vows for quality growth
 
Chinese Preimer Li Keqiang is promising to try to create quality growth for the country's economy for the rest of this year.
Li Keqiang says the key to fine-tuning the Chinese economy is allowing the market to playe a bigger role.
"To inject power into the market is to streamline the government's administrative procedures to provide more opportunities for individuals to start up their own businesses. Only by doing so can we allow companies to have fairer competition in the market. At the same time, the government should increase its investment to provide more public services. Such investment should not only rely on government funding, but should also involve more private capital."
Speaking on an inspection tour of eastern Shandong Province, Li Keqiang says the government's plan is to create more quality growth to generate more jobs and increase average incomes.
He's also calling on financial institutions to provide more support for small and medium-sized companies in the country's western regions.
Economic growth here in China is currently just short of the government's full-year growth target of 7.5-percent.
Most economic observers expect the Chinese economy to hit that target by year's end, provided the economy continues to rebound from the slowdown through the first-quarter.
 
 
Norway says received imminent terror threat
 
Norway's intelligence service says its received information about an imminent "concrete threat" against Norwegian targets from fighters connected to the conflict in Syria.
Benedicte Bjoernland is the head of Norwegian security service PST.
"The PST receives this kind of information from time to time from our partners, but turns out not be true, after we investigate to confirm or dismiss the information. In our initial investigations in this particular case, the credibility was strengthened."
Bjoernland says they don't have any specifics about what may be targeted.
"We also have information that indicates a terror act will be conducted in Norway soon, probably within the next few days. We have no information on who, how, or what target and in which way a possible attack could be carried out"
A PST's assessment last month has suggested around 50 people have traveled to Syria from Norway as foreign fighters, half of whom have now returned to Norway.
 
 
European Court rules Poland violated human rights in CIA case
 
Europe's top human rights court has ruled Poland violated the rights of two terror suspects by allowing the CIA to secretly imprison them on Polish soil from 2002 to 2003.
The Polish government is also being accused of facilitating the conditions leading to their alleged torture.
Leszek Miller, Poland's former prime minister, is slamming the court's decision.
"The judgment of the Strasbourg Court is unfair and immoral. Unfair because it is based on rumour, speculation and slander. Material from Polish authorities was rejected and unchecked by the Court. Immoral, as the Court put the rights of murderers and terrorists over the rights of their victims. Quite bizarrely it is expecting that Poland will pay the murderers millions of zlotys."
The court has also determined Poland violated the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to stop the "torture and inhuman or degrading treatment" of two suspects imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The Polish government has yet to decided whether to appeal the ruling.
The lawyers for both terror suspects are hailing the decision.
The ruling by the European Court marks the first time any court has passed judgment on the "rendition programs" launched by the administration of US President George W. Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
 
 
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
U.S. stocks ended a quiet session on Thursday as economic data and corporate earnings came out mixed.
On the earnings front, a number of major mixed results as well.
We'll have more on some of the bigger names posting results on Thursday in just a moment.
All three major indexes in the US closed little changed on Thursday.
Over in Europe, major markets have been driven up by positive economic data.
Germany's DAX rose nearly half-a-percent. France's CAC40 closed almost 0.8 percent higher while the FTSE in London also added over 0.3 percent.
 
 
Q2 results update: GM, Ford, Amazon, Starbucks
 
On the earnings front,
General Motors is reporting a much lower second-quarter profit due to numerous recalls, with net profits falling 85 percent from the same period last year.
The carmaker has recalled nearly 29 million vehicles so far this year, mostly due to faulty ignition switches.
Its Shanghai division has just announced it will recall close to 20-thousand Cadillac and Chevrolet Camero's sold in China due to defective seats.
The cost of recall-related repairs for GM currently sits at 1.2 billion US dollars, with another 400 million put aside for compensation payments.
------------------------------
Meantime, GM's smaller U.S. rival, Ford, has posted a higher-than-expected profit on strong results in North America and Europe.
The carmaker has surprised the market by posting a profit in Europe, its first on the continent in three years.
Ford's net income in China has also increased by around 10 percent.
------------------------------
Amazon is reporting a much larger-than-expected loss of over 120 million US dollars in the second quarter.
Amazon's rapid pace of investment in areas such as digital content and consumer electronics has offset a 23 percent jump in revenues.
The company has invested heavily in several new business lines, including a subscription book service and digital video content.
Amazon is also investing in a TV streaming-box and a new smartphone line as well.
------------------------------
Starbucks says its quarterly sales in the Americas have come-in at somewhat stronger-than-expected 6 percent, including a 7 percent rise in sales in the US.
But Starbucks' sales have not even come close to that of US food manufacturer Chipotle, which has posted an eye-popping 17 percent rise in sales.
 
 
McDonald's China switches to another subsidiary of scandal-hit OSI
 
McDonald's China division has decided to use another subsidiary of US-based OSI Group to replace its original supplier, which is bogged down in a food safety scandal.
McDonald's says it will terminate its business relationship with Shanghai Husi, and use Henan Husi as its new supplier.
Local authorities in Shanghai have detained five people from Husi, after investigations revealed the company sold stale meat to fast food chains including McDonald's, and Yum Brands' KFC and Pizza Hut.
Yum has already terminated its purchase agreements with Shanghai Husi.
Meanwhile, the chair of OSI Group, Sheldon Lavin, has issued an apology, saying the company will "bear the responsibility of the misstep."
 
 
"Iron Tower" to open to private capital
 
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says the so-called "Iron Tower" firm established by China's three main state-owned telecom companies will be opened for private capital.
The Ministry says the move is meant to try to ensure the company doesn't become a monopoly.
The "Iron Tower," known officially as China Communications Facilities Services, was established last week as a joint venture to build 4G base stations.
The deal has China Mobile controlling 40-percent of the new company, while China Telecom and China Unicom currently control the rest.
Zhang Feng with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology says "Iron Tower" will eventually open to the private sector.
"So far, there are three companies holding stocks, but I think this situation is temporary. Mixed ownership is the direction of its development. According to our knowledge, the three telecom companies are prepared for mixed ownership at the Iron Tower in terms of their establishment."
The "Iron Tower" concept marks a departure from the earlier practice of separate base stations for each telecom company.
The earlier practice has led to disputes in certain locations, as the carriers have selected the same location for some of their communications towers.
 
 
IMF cuts global growth forecast for 2014
 
The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global economic growth this year, from 3.7 percent down to 3.4 percent.
CRI's Su Yi has more.
Reporter
IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard says global growth is likely to be weaker than first anticipated a few months ago.
"The recovery continues but it remains a weak recovery. Indeed a bit weaker than we had forecast in April."
Blanchard is attributing the downgrade to a weak first quarter, particularly in the United States, and a less optimistic outlook for several emerging markets.
"What I want to insist on is that this downward revision makes things look worse than they really are. To a large extent, it reflects something that has already happened, which is the negative growth rate in the first quarter in the US. But that's the past, to a large extent, looking forward from here, things look better."
The IMF has cut its US growth forecast for this year to 1.7 percent, down from its previous prediction of 2 percent.
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 also estimates emerging markets will grow by 4.6 percent this year, which is 0.2 percent lower than its previous estimate.
The IMF is now predicting China's economy is expected to slow to 7.4 percent through this year.
But the fund still expects the growth of the world's economy to accelerate a bit to 4 percent in 2015.
The IMF suggests that governments push ahead with economic reforms to increase their growth potential.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
 
 
US jobless claims hit eight-year low, home sales tumble
 
The number of US citizens filing new claims for unemployment benefits has fallen to the lowest level in nearly 8-and-half years.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits has declined by 19-thousand, reaching the lowest level of US unemployment since February 2006.
Employment growth has also topped 200-thousand in each of the last five months, a stretch not seen since the late 1990s.
But at the same time, new home sales in the US have dropped over 8 percent in June, the biggest decline since July of last year.
The decline is at odds with other data released this week showing existing home sales, which represent the lion's share of the market, hitting an eight-month high in June.
Observers say the Federal Reserve will look at the unemployment claims stats favorably as it considers when to raise interest rates.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen is on-record saying the central bank could raise rates sooner and more rapidly if the labor market continues to improve faster than anticipated.
 
 
US auto sales seen 9% rise in July
 
Auto industry consultancy LMC is predicting U.S. auto sales this month are set to grow at a rate of 9-percent on an annualized basis.
This would be the strongest month for US auto sales since 2006.
LMC has also raised its full-year forecast for new auto sales in the US by 100-thousand to 16.3 million.
Last year's total vehicle sales in the US hit 15.6 million.
LMC says the recovery in the auto industry is continuing to outpace that of the broader U.S. economy.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
U.N. shelter in Gaza hit, 16 dead
 
At least 16 people have been killed and more than 200 injured when a UN-run school used as a shelter in Gaza came under fire.
The Israeli military said it could have been a rocket fired from Gaza that fell short of Israel and exploded.
But medics and witnesses say Israeli army tanks stationed north of Beit Hanoun fired four shells directly at the school
Palestinian families were in the school in Beit Hanoun, fleeing Israel's offensive against Hamas militants.
It is the fourth time in as many days that a UN facility has been hit, since Israel launched its military offensive on July 8.
 
 
Algeria passenger plane wreckage 'found in Mali'
 
Officials in Mali say the wreckage of a plane that disappeared with 116 people on board on a flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers has been found in Mali.
The plane has gone down in the Kidal mountainous border area between Mali and Algeria.
The Associated Press quotes a Burkina Faso army general as saying that searchers had found human remains and burnt and scattered plane wreckage.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane early on Thursday after pilots reported severe storms.
The passengers included 51 French citizens.
The MD-83 had been chartered from Spanish airline Swiftair.
 
 
UN sends first Syria aid without government consent
 
The United Nations has sent its first aid convoy into Syria without the consent of the government in Damascus.
It comes a week after the UN adopted a resolution allowing aid deliveries without the Syrian government's approval.
Nine trucks carrying food and sanitation supplies entered Syria from Turkey on Thursday.
Officials say it would take some time for the aid to reach the intended towns.
The UN says nearly 11 million Syrians are in need of aid after more than three years of brutal civil war.
 
 
Ukrainian PM announces resignation
 
The Prime Minister of Ukraine has announced his resignation from his position.
Arseny Yatsenyuk's decision comes after two parties in the ruling coalition withdrew from government.
He says the break-up of the coalition means the parliament will be unable to pass the legislation needed for the normal functioning of the Ukrainian economy.
Yatsenuk's announced resignation still has to be accepted by parliament.
If that happens, it could lead to the dissolution of the government.
In that case, President Petro Poroshenko can call a snap election, with the cabinet remaining in-place for 2-months.
Ukrainian lawmakers have been at-odds over budget amendments, energy policies and a funding increase for the Ukrainian military.
 
 
Foreign tourist shot dead in Kenya's Mombasa
 
A foreign tourist has been shot and killed in the coastal Kenyan city of Mombassa.
Local police say the woman was gunned down while inside a local tourist site.
No suspects have been arrested at this time.
The killing has taken place just a few meters away from where a Russian tourist was shot and killed last month.
Kenyan authorities have not said whether terrorism is a factor.
However, al-Shabaab militants from Somalia have threatened to disrupt Kenya's tourism sector as part of their dispute with the Kenyan government.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Beijing Morning Post
Headline
Smoking ban expansion
summary
The health committe of the National People's Congress is adding new areas of society where smoking will be restricted.
These areas include venues connected to sports, education, maternity and child care.
Smoking is also going to be outlawed for people standing in queues.
Beijing Business Today
Headline
TCM legislation
summary
The State Council has issued draft on traditional Chinese medicine for public review.
As part of the proposed changes, authorities are going to encourage private capital to invest in building up the TCM system.
Beijing News
Headline
Roaming charge elimination
summary
As part of the broader plans to integrate Beijing-Tianjin and Hebei, authorities are planning to eliminate long-distance cellular roaming charges in the region.
Officials contend the roaming fees have had a negative impact on the broader integration process of the region.
Shanghai Daily
Headline
2nd hand plates to be auctioned
summary
Second-hand car plates are set to be included in the city's license plate auction system.
In some instances, people are paying almost 50-thousand more than they would for a new license plate.
License plate bidders in Shanghai currently have a 1 in 20 chance of getting a plate each month, leading many to spend a lot of extra money to purchase a plate 2nd hand.
Beijing Times
Headline
New parking fees in Shenzhen
summary
In an attempt to try to ease traffic congestion in the southern city of Shenzhen, authorities are bringing in a new parking fee structure which will depend on the time, region and traffic congestion in any particular area of the city.
The idea is to keep vehicles off the roads during heavy traffic times.
Xinhua
Headline
Dangerous scorpions in the mail
summary
Provincial mail authorities in Zhejiang have discovered a package containing dangerous scorpions sent to China from the Philippines.
The small package, which was labelled as souvenirs without commercial value, was found to contain ten live scorpions.
The scorpions themselves are potentially deadly.
Global Times
Headline
Cult members charged with murder
summary
Prosecutors have announced five cult members have been charged with intentional homicide as part of a grizzly attack on a woman at a fast-food restaurant in the city of Zhaoyuan in Shandong.
The group walked into a restaurant and beat the woman to death in-front of horrified customers on May 28th.
The suspects are all affiliated with the cult which calls itself the "Church of Almighty God."
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Grow up in a Wallless Orphanage
 
Anchor
A charity project called "The Orphanage without Gate and Wall" is taking ten parentless teens on an educational tour of Beijing.
The details from CRI's Xiong Siqi.
Reporter
The Orphanage without Gate and Wall project was first launched in Hubei in 2002, with an aim to help local children who lost both parents grow up and cultivate an optimistic outlook in them to deal with their loss properly.
You Xiongxin, a sophomore majored in accounting in Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering, began to benefit from this project in 2010. She is among the ten youngsters who arrived in Beijing.
"In the past, we had no such opportunities as to tour around. The program enables us to go outside of the hometown and broaden our horizon."
Having lived with her grandparents, You Xiongxin's family has long been facing financial difficulties. It's already a big burden for the elderly to afford You schooling, let alone a trip outside their hometown.
According to Pan Zhaofei, a volunteer who began to work in the project in 2010, this Beijing tour would be the first-ever travel experience for You Xiongxin and nine other college students.
Pan also discloses among these youngsters, there are some who started to receive donations from this project as early as around six years old, an age for a Chinese child to enter primary school. Constant help would be provided since then with the evidence from a piece of record that describes their specific conditions.
"We began to pay a home visit to the aided students one by one in 2002 in an effort to well understand their situation. We've set up a record paper for each aided student to track down the details as they gradually grow up over the past a dozen of years. Based on their profile, we've given them help they need and arranged them to join different activities according to their respective characteristics."
The Orphanage without Gate and Wall Project was set up by the China Charity Federation and the China Children and Teenager's Fund. The Amway Charity Foundation in China has been a supporter of this project for 12 years.
Pan Zhaofei says according to the previous practices of his company, Amway China Corporation donations would usually come to an end upon students entering college. But this project is an exception.
"We continue to pay attention following their college graduation. For instance, they may confront some challenges in seeking a job. That way, we'll arrange lectures, letting tutors guide them to build their career. This way, our program helps them stand up, walk till they could walk stably on their own."
Together, more than 1.4 million yuan has been raised for the project in June of this year.
This means that more than 460 orphans like You Xiongxin have a brighter future through education, and are given the chance to fulfill their dreams.
FOr CRI, this is Xiong Siqi.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Frank Lampard Joins New York City FC of MLS
 
In football news,
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has signed a 2-year deal with New York City in North America's Major League Soccer league.
Lampard has become New York's second major signing, following the arrival of ex-Barcelona forward David Villa.
Lampard left Chelsea in June after 13 years with the London club.
"It is a very, very exciting challenge for me in life terms. I had a fantastic 13 years with Chelsea that I can look back with immense pride. I've seen a real long-term plan from everyone involved in the club and I wanted to be part of that. I want to test myself. I want to carry on challenging myself and be a leader. I want to be that person and not just on the pitch here but someone off the pitch that can help these things happen."
Lampard also says he hasn't decided yet what to do between now and the start of the 2015 season.
New York City is an MLS expansion franchise, and will begin playing when the 2015 season gets underway in February.
 
 
Suarez Could Make Barcelona Debut against Madrid
 
The Spanish football league has announced its schedule for the forthcoming season.
The Spanish season will open in the 3rd week of August, with Barcelona hosting Elche and Real Madrid hosting Cordoba.
Defending champion Atletico Madrid will visit Rayo Vallecano.
The first leg of the Spanish Super Cup between Atletico and Real Madrid will be held on August 19th, with the return match three-days later on the 22nd.
The first "clasico" matchup between Barcelona and Real Madrid is due to take place on the weekend starting October 25th.
Should the game be played on October 26th, Luis Suarez could make his Barcelona debut when his four-month ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup ends on the same day.
 
 
Beijing Guo'an Enter Chinese FA Cup Final 8
 
In football news here in China,
In last night's action in the Chinese FA Cup,
Guangzhou Evergrande has been handed a rare loss, going down to Henan Jianye 2-1.
Alberto Gilardino has made his debut for Guangzhou Evergrande, scoring the club's lone goal in the first half.
In other actions,
Beijing Guo'an has entered the final eight after crushing Shangdong Luneng 3-nil.
And it was Shanghai Shenxin over Suzhou Jinfu 2-1.
 
 
Golf roundup
 
In golf,
This week's PGA stop is in Canada for the RBC Canadian Open.
American Michael Putnam has the first round lead, firing a 6-under-64 for a one-stroke lead over fellow American Kyle Stanley at the event in Montreal.
---
On the women's side, this weekend is the International Crown competition.
This pits players from different countires and regions against one-another.
Chinese Taipei has the early lead in the tournament with 4-points on two victories in the match play, with Kandie Kung and Teresa Lu finishing 4-and-3 in a decisive victory over American's Paula Creamer and Kristie Kerry.
And in the other matchup between the Americans and Chinese Taipei, it was Tseng Yani and Phoebe Yao sqeeking out a final hole victory, finishing one-up over Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson.
Chinese Taipei now leads group A with 4-points.
A total of 8 teams are competing in the tournament.
----
On the European Tour,
England's David Horsey fired a blistering seven-under-65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Russian Open.
He is looking to claim his third European Tour title, following victories at the BMW International Open in 2010 and the Trophee Hassan event 2011.
--
On the Senior's tour,
Germany's Bernhard Langer has an early two-shot lead over American Bob Tway after the first round of the Senior Open Championship in Wales.
Langer firing a 6-under-par 65 to open the tournament.
Defending champion Mark Wiebe struggled through round one, firing a five-over-76.
American Tom Watson hit a 74.
 
 
Titleholder Youzhny Advances at Swiss Open
 
In tennis,
Top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny has begun his Swiss Open title defense by beating Kenny De Schepper of France 6-3, 6-4 in a second-round match.
In the quarterfinals later on this Friday, Youzhny will face Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
Seventh-seeded Haase had a tougher time getting through, going three-sets with wildcard Henri Laaksonen.
Viktor Troicki of Serbia ahs eased into the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan.
Troicki next plays the winner between fourth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
Their match was tied at 3-6, 6-3, 1-1 when rain suspended play.
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AT the ATP's Croatia Open,
Top seed Fabio Fognini has progressed into the Quarterfinals after getting past Albert Montanes of Spain 7-6, 6-0.
Two seeds fell in Thursday's second-round action.
Fourth seed Joao Sousa lost to Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili in just under two hours.
Sixth seed Andreas Seppi also bowed out against Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-1.
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And on the women's side in Baku, Azerbaijan,
A significant upset, with top-seed Sorana Cristea of Romania has gone down to Switzerland's Stefanie Vogele in dramatic fashion, 6-1, 6-1.
In other action from Thursday, it was Italy's Francesca Schiavone downing Julia Glushko of Israel, 6-2, 7-6.
2nd seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina made quick work of Spain's Silvia Soler in straigh-sets.
 
 
Vincenzo Nibali Wins Tour de France Stage 18
 
In cycling,
Italian rider Vincenzo Nibali has tightened his grip on the Yellow Jacket at the Tour de France, winning Stage 18.
With the victory, Nibali has increased his overall lead in the Tour to more than 7-minutes.
It's the Astana rider's fourth stage victory of the Tour.
"For me it was important to win the stage and the team did a great job. It was very difficult, very hard. And it was good to get a victory in the Pyrenees and it was extremely important for me and for the Tour and for the spectators and it was big."
French rider Thibaut Pinot has taken over 2nd place overall, 7:10 behind Nibali.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde, who had been holding in 2nd behind Nibali for much of the Tour, has slipped to fourth overall, 7:25 behind Nibali.
Stage 19 will start later on this Friday in southwestern France.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Red Amnesia Up for Golden Lion Award at 71st Venice Film Festival
 
Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai's thriller, "Red Amnesia" is up for the Golden Lion award at the 71st Venice Film Festival.
Festival's organizers announced this on Thursday.
"Red Amnesia" is Wang's first attempt at helming a thriller. The film stars award-winning actors Feng Yuanzheng and Qin Hailu.
Other movies vying for the award include Mexican director Alejandro Inarritu's "Birdman" and Andrew Niccol's "Good Kill."
Ann Hui's "Golden Age" has been chosen as the festival's closing film. Peter Chan's new work, "Dearest," will also screen during the event.
The Venice Film Festival runs from August 27th to September 6th.
 
 
China Telecom to Exclusively Offer Xbox One on Chinese Mainland
 
China Telecom has announced it will be the exclusive carrier of Microsoft's video game console, Xbox One, the first of its kind to launch in the Chinese mainland.
The console will be sold in China Telecom's sales outlets starting September.
China lifted a 14-year ban to permit foreign-invested companies to make game consoles in the Shanghai pilot Free Trade Zone last September, spearheaded by a game-industry joint venture between Chinese Internet television company BesTV and Microsoft with investment of about 80 million U.S. dollars.
 
 
First Trailer for "Fifty Shades of Grey" Released
 
Universal Studios has unveiled the first trailer for "50 Shades of Grey," the widely anticipated movie based on author E.L. James' best-selling novels.
The film stars Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan as the dominating lover and male lead character, Christian Grey, while American actress Dakota Johnson stars as his novice paramour, Anastasia Steele.
(50 Shades of Grey" Trailer)
The trailer features a remix of singer Beyonce's smash hit, "Crazy in Love".
While starting off quite innocently, the ending of the two-and-a-half-minute feature teases at the more intimate side of the story, which gained the series its global fandom.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" comes to theaters on Valentine's Day of next year.
 
 
COMIC-CON OPENS WITH LINE FOR CUMBERBATCH, BATMAN 75TH ANNIVERSARY
 
Like Batman responding to a beaming Bat-signal in the sky, more than 150-thousand fans are streaming to San Diego for the 45th annual Comic-Con pop culture extravaganza, which went into full force on Thursday.
The four-day festival celebrates film, TV, videogames, costumes and, of course, comic books.
But it was British actor Benedict Cumberbatch that had fans camping overnight to catch his first Con appearance on behalf of the "Penguins of Madagascar" movie, where he has a voice role.
Sandra Licea of Tijuana, Mexico, was the first in line.
"We're here at Comic-Con waiting in line for Hall H for the DreamWorks panel waiting for Benedict Cumberbatch. We've been here since 7 am this morning."
DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio was also in attendance, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Batman -- but said he was glad to see the convention transcend comics.
"To see this level of evolution, to be as big as it is and to really be this mecca for pop culture and entertainment is exciting."
A Comic-Con appearance from the new Batman, actor Ben Affleck, also remains a possibility at Saturday's Warner Bros panel.
Comic-Con runs through Sunday.
 
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon expressing outrage following an Israeli attack on a UN-run school in the Gaza Strip.
Mass casualties are once-again feared following yet another plane crash, this time in northwestern Africa.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling for quality economic growth as part of an inspection tour in the province of Shandong.
In Business.... McDonalds switching to another supplier amid a food scandal at its previous meat supplier in Shanghai.
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.