新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/07/28

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Monday, July 28th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
The UN Security Council has agreed upon a statement calling for a ceasefire extending from the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr...
Clashes between Ukrainian government troops and separatist rebels are interfering with the investigation into the downing of flight MH17...
And Renewed fighting in and around the airport in Tripoli, Libya's capital, has resulted in dozens of deaths...
In business, concerns over structural oversupply in the Chinese housing market...
In sports, Guangzhou Evergrande extends its lead in the Chinese Super league...
In entertainment, a look at the new Chinese film "Red Amnesia."
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 24 degrees Celsius. It will be cloudy tomorrow with a high of 33 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 27, tomorrow cloudy, with a high of 34.
Chongqing will be cloudy tonight, 29 degrees the low, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 38.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 34.
Kabul, cloudy, 33.
Over in Australia
Sydney, cloudy, high of 19.
Canberra, overcast,12.
Brisbane, sunny, 21.
And finally, Perth will be cloudy with a high of 18.
 
 
Top News
 
 
UN Security Council calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza
 
Anchor:
The U.N Security Council has agreed on a statement urging Israel and Palestine to start a humanitarian truce beyond the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The call comes after Israel and Hamas launched new attacks amid proposals for another temporary cease-fire.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter:
The UN Security Council calls for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire" in Gaza to allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance.
The statement, drafted by Jordan, also calls on parties to engage in efforts to achieve a durable ceasefire based on an Egyptian initiative.
Under the Egyptian proposal, a cease fire would lead to substantive talks including the opening of Gaza's border crossings.
Eugene-Richard Gasana is Rwanda's UN Ambassador and current President of the UN Security Council.
"The Security Council urges the parties and the international community to achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in Security Council resolution 1850."
The statement stresses that civilian and humanitarian facilities including those of the UN, must be respected and protected.
Last week, a mortar shell fired by Israeli troops hit a UN school in Gaza, killing at least 15 people.
All 15 council members have agreed on the statement.
Both the Palestinian and Israeli UN ambassadors have criticized the statement.
The Palestinians say the council should have adopted a legally binding resolution while the Israelis say the statement does not mention Israel's right to defend itself.
The Israeli security cabinet also met earlier today but it was debating proposals including for an escalation of the Gaza offensive.
Amid the tensions, Muslims in Gaza Strip began celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
But there was little holiday cheer in the Gaza Strip, where many Palestinian families are crammed into UN schools, fearing more airstrikes.
"I don't mind being in a school. We are suffering and will suffer, but we need our rights, our houses, our lands and our farms to return to us and we will not accept living a miserable life."
"How can the people who lost their homes and children celebrate Eid? How can we be in the mood to celebrate? I open my shop not because of Eid, we're open because we can be out for a change. That's why we are open, not because of Eid."
Despite initially agreeing on a 24-hour ceasefire, fighting in the area has not stopped.
Israel and Hamas are also accusing each other for breaking the truce.
So far, the 20-day Israeli offensive has killed over 1,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians.
Israel has lost 43 soldiers as well as two civilians and a Thai worker.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
 
 
Chinese Middle-east Envoy Calls for Immediate Ceasefire
 
Meanwhile China's special envoy to the Middle east Wu Sike is also calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Wu Sike made the remark after a recent trip to the region.
The official met with leaders from Israel and Hamas respectively.
He said both parties have voiced willingness to have a ceasefire, yet different opinions remain.
Thus, Wu Sike says the unconditional ceasefire proposed by Egypt can be accepted as a basis.
"All parties involved are paying much attention to the truce proposal from Egypt. I conveyed to all sides that China will stand behind the truce proposal. I have also stressed that the truce deal could serve as a very solid foundation. It can be inclusive and more consensuses can be established based on that."
Wu Sike has proposed that the United Nations can play a bigger role as a mediator for both sides.
"Under these circumstances, the UN is expected to play a more important role, to bring together different perspectives, to help reach a truce deal which is acceptable to both sides."
The special envoy also says that to reach a long-term peace in the middle-east, a resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel is crucial.
"In recent years, Palestine and Israel have been stuck in a vicious circle in regard to the Gaza issue. They have been going back and forth between confrontation and peace negotiations. Facts are out there that peace and security will never be achieved by using force."
The latest round of peace talk stalled about a year ago.
 
 
Gaza call-in
 
For more on the Gaza situation, CRI's Jonh Artman talked earlier with Xu Xing, professor and Director of the Institute of Jewish Studies of Nanking University.
Back anchor:
That was Xu Xing, professor and Director of the Institute of Jewish Studies of Nanking University.
 
 
Eid Al-Fitr celebrated in Southeast Asia
 
The annual Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, is being obeserved in a number of countries today.
Muslims who have been fasting for a month go to mosques and pray on Eid Al-Fitr to celebrate their most important holiday of the year.
The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.
The date for the celebration varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by location.
Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia have gathered at mosques on Monday to mark the festival.
At the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, worshipers are praying for the victims of two crashed Malaysia Airlines flights.
"To the family members of the victims on board the MH370 and MH17 (flights), I hope you can be patient, take it as a test from Allah. We hope that the victims are in a good place with Allah."
Over here in China, where the Muslim population is officially 20 million people, most Muslims celebrate Eid on the same day as Saudi Arabia.
This year, that country is celebrating on Tuesday.
 
 
Unrest hampers MH17 investigation in eastern Ukraine
 
Australian police says the MH17 crash site in Ukraine is still too dangerous for investigators to enter.
The comment comes after a team of Dutch and Australian police officers postponed a trip to the site amid intensifying unrest in eastern Ukraine.
Tony Negus is the Australian Federal Police Commissioner.
"In the area that we're interested in, absolutely, the fighting intensified overnight. Now, whether the intensification diminishes over coming days and creates a more permissive environment, it may be as early as today that we say that that fighting has diminished enough for us to go back in. But last night the fighting was intense."
Ukrainian troops increased their assaults on territory held by rebels on Sunday, in an attempt to gain control over the area where MH17 was downed.
The conflict is raging in at least five places.
13 people including two children have been killed in the fighting in the Donetsk region.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have called for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
Lavrov says the two countries agree it is important to start talks between the Ukraine government and rebels.
But the U.S and Russia keep blaming each other for hindering the investigation, and accusing each other of contributing to the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine.
The EU reached an agreement last week to impose further sanctions against Russia.
Russia, in response, is accusing the EU of curtailing bilateral cooperation.
Russia also says it has set up its own team of experts to investigate the plane crash.
So far, a total of 227 coffins containing the remains of the victims have been sent to the Netherlands for identification.
 
 
Benghazi clashes kill 36
 
At least 36 people have been killed in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi after troops loyal to the government clashed with Islamist militants over the weekend.
Most of the dead are civilians.
In the capital, Tripoli, 23 Egyptian workers were killed during the violent struggle for control of the main airport between rival militias.
A rocket also hit the city's largest fuel storage facility, located near the airport.
Firefighters are still trying to counter the fire in the oil tank, which contains some 6.6 million liters of fuel.
The Libyan government is asking for international assistance in putting out flames at the site.
It also says that more than 150 people have been killed in Tripoli and Benghazi in the past two weeks.
The violence has prompted the US, Turkish, UK and French governments to move their diplomatic staff out of the country into neighboring Tunisia.
 
 
Chinese special envoy stresses peaceful dialogues in Afghanistan
 
Anchor:
China's first special envoy to Afghanistan says China is willing to provide more support for the country's reconciliation and economic development.
Sun Yuxi made the comment after wrapping up a mediating visit in the country.
CRI's Min Rui has more.
Reporter:
At the press briefing in Islamabad, Sun Yuxi calls on both presidential candidates make effort to ensure peaceful development in the country.
"I have met with both candidates, Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and expressed the hope that they can reach an agreement on the election as soon as possible. The recount is now under the supervision of a U.N. commission."
Earlier, Abudullah has claimed that the election committee had conducted fraud and asked for a recount of the votes.
There are concerns the disputes between the two candidates could split the country.
Aside from the political disputes, Sun Yuxi also warns against the security concerns in the country.
As the US-led troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year, there are concerns that Afghan forces are not capable of dealing with the ongoing attacks from Taliban militants.
Sun Yuxi stresses that the most effective weapon against violence should be economic development.
"Our goal is to make the Taliban drop their weapons by themselves and cooperate with the government. We also want the Afghan government to be able to stand by itself and we would like to offer our help if they come across difficulties. However the reconciliation process should be dominated by the Afghan people themselves."
During his stay in Afghanistan, Sun also met with U.S. and European Union ambassadors to the country as well as the head of United Nations Assistance Mission.
The special envoy is now in Pakistan.
He calls for more cooperation with Islamabad in pushing the peace development in Afghanistan.
Sun Yuxi will later visit Russia, India and some other countries for the Afghan issues.
For CRI, this is Min Rui.
 
 
U.S. visa issuance system still experiencing technical problems
 
Anchor:
The US embassy in China has resumed its visa service this morning.
Since Thursday, the U.S. State Department's passport and visa issuance system had failed following a computer glitch, resulting in gobal delays in visa and passport processing
Li Dong has more details.
Reporter:
According to State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, as of today, the visa system is operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until a backlog of documents has been cleared.
"It is operating at limited capacity. We are working urgently to crack the problem and expect our system to be fully operational soon. The Bureau of Consular Affairs has been experiencing technical problems in our passport and visa system."
Harf says the US side will continue to post updates to travel.state.gov as more information becomes available. She describes the issue as a wide-ranging problem.
"This issue is worldwide and is not specific to any particular country. We do not believe there is any malicious action, there are anything untoward here. And this is a technical issue."
So far, it's still unknown how many document requests have been affected by the glitch. The Bureau of Consular Affairs processes millions of visa requests each year.
In 2013, the Bureau of Consular Affairs issued 9.1 million nonimmigrant visas and nearly 500,000 immigrant visas.
It's not the first time the US visa system has stopped working. It also broke down in September 2003 because of a computer virus attack.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
First off, a quick look at the business numbers across Asia.
Joinging me on the desk, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Asian stocks shrugged off a drop in Wall Street and hovered near three-year highs on Monday, with China taking the lead after data showed a robust jump in profits earned by industrial firms in the world's second-largest economy.
Chinese shares closed higher, with the bench market Shanghai Composite Index surging 2.4 percent, lifted by upbeat industrial economic data.
The Shenzhen Component Index jumped 3 percent.
The performance can be mainly attributed to an improving economy.
Profits earned by industrial firms rose 18 percent in June from a year earlier, compared with an 9-percent rise in May.
The rising industrial profits added to evidence that the worst of the slowdown that hit China's economy during the first quarter is over thanks to a series of targeted stimulus measures.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed up 0.9 percent.
Japan's Nikkei, which hit a six-month closing high Friday, was up half a percent.
South Korea's KOSPI rose 0.7 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index trimmed 0.1 percent.
Australia's ASX edged down less than 0.1 percent.
 
 
Property market to see price drop, turning point after 2020
 
A new report by a Chinese think thank says the Chinese property market is facing structural oversupply and price drop is unavoidable in the short term.
The report, published by the Academy of Social Sciences, says a downward trend emerged in many cities in the first half of 2014.
Many local governments are choosing to boost the market by lifting restrictions on home purchases.
Among 49 cities which introduced property policies, 30 have lifted restrictions.
Ni Pengfei, director of the Institute of City Competitiveness at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, says the government should not interfere too much with the market.
"Setting restrictions on purchases is an important Administrative measure. Now some cities have loosened restrictions. For those first and second tier cities, I don't think it's the right time to loosen or lift the restrictions. But in the third and fourth tier cities, even some second tier cities, housing price has dropped dramatically, so they can adopt different measures."
But the report predicts that the turning point for the housing market will not come until sometime between 2020 and 2035.
Doctor Zou Linhua is with the National Academy of Economic Strategy.
"Our housing market is still supported by large demand, so the market is not going to collapse. Right now, residents' needs are shifting from 'having a home' to 'having a nice home.' And the need in improving living conditions is still far from prostration. This is my prediction on the housing market in the long term, while in the short term, a short fall in supply will turn to structural excess. The housing price is inevitably going through a period of adjustment. "
New home prices in 55 of a sample of 70 major cities showed month-on-month drops last month, compared with 35 in May.
The average home price in the 70 cities slipped half a percent from the prior month, marking a 2nd consecutive monthly fall.
 
 
OSI Group probe finds standards at supplier unit below par
 
Anchor:
The parent company of scandal-hit food supplier Shanghai Husi says its on-going internal investigation has revealed that standards were below par.
The US based OSI group says that the company will make "sweeping changes" to its Chinese operations, including senior personnel changes.
The firm will also spend 10 million yuan over three years to launch a food safety education programme in Shanghai.
OSI said over the weekend it would "withdraw from the marketplace" all products made by Shanghai Husi.
Meanwhile, McDonald's is facing a shortage of products at its stores across northern and central China as a result of supplier changes.
Outlets in Beijing and Shanghai have stopped selling all or most of their meat products.
For more on the ongoing food scandal, CRI's Zheng Chengguang spoke earlier with Michiel Keyzer, Professor emeritus at Amsterdam's Vrije University and extraordinary professor at the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Back to Anchor:
Michiel Keyzer, Professor emeritus at Amsterdam's Vrije University and extraordinary professor at the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
 
 
China condemns U.S. anti-dumping duties on solar imports
 
China's Commerce Ministry strongly opposes the United States setting new import duties on Chinese solar products.
The Ministry said in a statement that Washington's actions risk damaging the industry in both countries.
On Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department placed anti-dumping duties as high as 165 percent on solar panels and cells from China.
The decision came after a preliminary finding that the products were being sold too cheaply in the U.S. market.
The move was the latest in a long-running solar industry trade spat between the world's two largest economies, and comes on top of anti-subsidy duties levied last month.
 
 
JD.com to sell Microsoft's Xbox One games console in China
 
JD.com will be accepting pre-orders for Microsoft's Xbox One games console in China starting now until Wednesday.
The pre-orders will be taken via Tencent's mobile social networks Mobile QQ and WeChat.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
UN Security Council urges humanitarian truce in Gaza
 
The UN Security Council has issued an urgent appeal to Israel and Hamas for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
More than 1,000 Palestinians and 43 Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in recent weeks.
The appeal was made in a presidential statement adopted by the 15-nation UN body at an emergency meeting.
It was the second late night session for the Security Council in recent weeks.
 
 
Unrest hampers MH17 investigation in eastern Ukraine
 
Australian police says the MH17 crash site in Ukraine is still too dangerous for investigators to enter.
The comment comes after a team of Dutch and Australian police officers postponed a trip to the site amid intensifying unrest in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops increased their assaults on territory held by rebels on Sunday, in an attempt to gain control over the area where MH17 was downed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have called for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
Lavrov says the two countries agree it is important to start talks between the Ukraine government and rebels.
So far, a total of 227 coffins containing the remains of the victims have been sent to the Netherlands for identification.
 
 
Benghazi clashes kill 36
 
More than 150 people have been killed in Libya's Tripoli and Benghazi in the past two weeks.
In the capital, a rocket also hit the city's largest fuel storage facility, located near the main airport.
Firefighters are still trying to counter the fire in the oil tank, which contains some 6.6 million liters of fuel.
The Libyan government is asking for international assistance in putting out flames at the site.
The violence has prompted the US, Turkish, UK and French governments to move their diplomatic staff out of the country into neighboring Tunisia.
 
 
Cross-Straits economic talks scheduled for Aug. 5
 
The sixth regular meeting of the cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Committee, or ECC is set to be held in Beijing on Tuesday next week.
The Chinese mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits made the announcement on Monday.
The decision was made under a wide-ranging cross-Straits economic pact signed in 2010, including trade in goods and services, bilateral investment, disputes settlement, industrial cooperation, and customs cooperation.
At the meeting, ECC members from the two sides will review the implementation of the pact, and make arrangements for future work.
The last regular meeting was held in December last year in the city of Taipei.
 
 
Chinese FM to attend SCO meeting
 
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tajikistan this week.
Wang Yi will also pay an official visit to Tajikistan, Egypt and the League of Arab States headquarters.
The entire trip will run from July 30 through August 4.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China Daily
TV shows about idioms examine the question of character
Experts say the popularity of TV programs that highlight the enduring appeal of Chinese characters will rekindle interest in traditional culture.
This comes after the success of Chinese Idiom Congress, a weekly TV quiz program featured Chinese characters and culture.
The event tests proficiency in Chinese idioms - four-character phrases that express sophisticated ideas.
A doctorate student who is a loyal follower of the Dictation Assembly of Chinese Characters, another popular show, says she pays more attention to writing Chinese characters after watching the program.
According to director of the idiom program, the program has made Chinese idioms a national phenomenon, with an increasing number of people showing an interest in learning about them.
--
Shanghai Daily
Building bans around Forbidden City
Beijing has banned universities and large hospitals from being built or expanded around the Forbidden City.
This is in an effort to decentralize the capital's functions and population.
Restrictions are also placed on hotels, office buildings, and exhibition halls being built in the core districts.
The manufacture of goods such as construction materials, paper and textiles, plus coal-fired power plants, regional logistics bases and specialized markets are banned or limited in all city districts.
Beijing struggles with over-population, traffic congestion, water shortages and poor air quality.
And the high consumption of resources by some industries in the city have led to concerns about their impact on the environmental.
Statistics show that the population of permanent residents in Beijing exceeded 21 million by the end of 2013.
--
Asia One (Singapore)
Plan for technology road map to tackle rubbish till 2050
Singapore is embarking on an ambitious project to develop a technology road map that can help it deal with its rubbish, all the way till 2050.
The National Environment Agency or NEA recently called for proposals to review how the country collects, sorts, separates, recycles and treats its waste.
With the population and economy growing, the country is expected to produce 12.3 million tonnes of rubbish in 2030, up 57 percent from last year.
The agency wants to look for and assess state-of-the-art technologies, including auto-sorting machines, that can dramatically boost the plants' manpower productivity.
There should also be recommendations to help people separate their dry and wet waste more easily, to meet the 2030 target that 70 percent of all rubbish should be recycled.
--
BBC
Fist bumps 'cleaner than handshakes'
Sweaty palms, vice-like grips or the insufferable limp hand may be the least of your hand-shaking worries.
Scientists in Wales have shown that a shake transfers more bacteria than other forms of hand-on-hand action.
They are calling for the widespread adoption of the fist bump instead, especially during flu outbreaks.
The findings showed a handshake transferred 10 times as many bacteria as a meeting of fists, while a palm-to-palm high-five was somewhere in-between.
It is thought the smaller area of contact and shorter duration in the bump reduced the spread of bacteria.
It is not the first time the argument has been raised. There have been calls to ban handshakes from hospitals.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Animation-Comic-Game convention underway in Hong Kong
 
Anchor:
The annual Animation-Comic-Game convention has opened in Hong Kong, with part of the focus this year on creating a new crop of talent.
CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more.
Report:
The Ani-Com show in Hong Kong is one of the biggest of its kind in Asia and is packed with teenagers. Some die-hard fans have even queued for three days to be first to buy limited edition toys and figures
"I am so excited. I have registered online but I didn't expect that I could get it. I was the first in line so I got it. It's worth the time I spent."
Hong Kong is the world's third biggest comic market after Japan and the US. Local comic artist Ma Wing-shing says the market is maturing as changes take place.
"Many publishers have various products and games derivative from comics. The industrial chain is no longer limited to cartoons."
But the fact is that local animation is still not in the mainstream at the convention, which is dominated by Japanese manga.
Comic Weekly featuring Hong Kong local works started its first edition earlier this year, but the sales are sluggish. The magazine CEO Fung Man-him says he is thinking of taking advantage of the internet to interact more with readers.
"We can publish the first ten chapters of a comic story online for free, and see if readers like it or not. The online feedback is helpful for publishers to decide which artists they are going to invest in."
At the same time, Kadokawa International Edutainment from Japan, a country known as the kingdom of comics and animation, is set to open vocational schools in Hong Kong next year to teach anime and comic production.
The company director Tetsuya Koga says Hong Kong artists can make unique stories as Hong Kong is not only a key financial hub in the region, but also boasts a unique culture.
"The declining sales of manga books and magazines are not only seen in Hong Kong, but no matter how the works fare in the market, artists should always be in the first place. So what we do is to cultivate the talents for better products."
Also at the exhibition, Sony is showcasing the Playstation 4 and much-anticipated racing game, 'Driveclub' while US rival Microsoft is promoting its Xbox One console.
The console is on sale in Hong Kong now and is set to launch in the Chinese mainland and Japan in September.
The exhibition is expected to draw some 700-thousand visitors before it closes on Tuesday.
For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Guangzhou Evergrande extend Super League Lead
 
Looking at this weekend's Super League soccer action, Guangzhou Evergrande have extended their lead at the top of the Chinese top division.
A late goal by Elkeson secured a one-nil victory over Henan Jianye putting them on 39 points, seven clear of closest rivals.
It was a small consolation for Evergrande fans who saw their side knocked out of the Chinese FA cup by the same team a day earlier.
Second placed Beijing Guoan are still in FA cup contention but only managed a single point after a two-all draw with Changchun Yatai.
Meanwhile Third place Guangzhou R&F are four points further back after suffering a painful 3-2 loss to Tianjin Teda on Saturday.
 
 
PSG in China for pre-season friendlies
 
French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain, or PSG, are currently in Hong Kong as part of their pre-season preparations.
Coach Laurent Blanc and some of his players attended a training camp for local children today (Monday 28th July) where they passed on some of their skills.
Tomorrow (29th July) PSG face Kitchee in a friendly at Hong Kong Stadium.
This coming Saturday the Ligue 1 champions will come here to the Chinese capital to take on Coupe de France winners Guingamp in the Champions Trophy at the Beijing Workers' Stadium.
 
 
Premiership team Liverpool sign Lovren
 
Over in the English top division,
Liverpool have just signed Southampton defender Dejan Lovren for a reported 20 million pounds ($33.95 million).
The Croatian internation expressed his joy at joining the squad and says he's looking forward to proving himself to the fans:
"I'm a player who will give 100 percent. I want to show to the crowd because they deserve it to see players who will give 100 percent so I know it's something special to play in front of them on Anfield. So, can't wait."
Liverpool let the Premiership title slip through their fingers last season finishing runners up to Manchester United in a closely fought battle which also included Chelsea.
They've been able to invest in a swathe of new talent after selling striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona for 81 million euros. (109 million USD.)
 
 
Commonwealth Games Latest
 
Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games over in the UK and up for grabs are 27 gold medals across 12 sports.
Elsewhere the world's fastest man Usain Bolt, who has been out of competition this year with a foot injury has confirmed he will compete at the Games later this week.
He'll be part of the Jamaican 4x100m relay team from when heats begin on Friday.
 
 
Formula One: Mercedes Admits Rethink on Team Orders
 
In Formula One Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull won the thrilling Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.
The rain affected race was packed full of incident and saw some controversy as Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton, who started from the pit lane, refused to follow team orders allow his team mate Nico Rosberg to pass as they were on different strategies.
In the end Hamilton finished third, a place ahead of his German team mate who had started from pole position. The Briton now closes the gap to just 11 points behind his title rival.
Mercedes admitted afterwards that they have to rethink how they plan to use team orders in the future.
Elsewhere it's been confirmed that Mexico will host a Formula One Grand Prix for the first time in 23 years next season. Also Azerbaijan will be a host for the first time in 2016 as the latest venue for the Grand prix of Europe.
 
 
Tim Clark snatches Canada Open victory from Jim Furyk
 
In Golf,
Tim Clark stormed home with five late birdies to overtake Jim Furyk and claim the Canadian Open by one stroke.
The South African recovered from a bogey at the opening hole to card a five-under-par 65 at Royal Montreal.
He finished with an overall 17-under 263, notching just his second victory on the PGA Tour in which he has been a 12-time runner up.
Third round leader Furyk shot 69 for second place on 16-under.
He missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the final hole, continuing a frustrating run of near-misses since his 16th and most recent tour victory nearly four years ago
 
 
Vincenzo Nibali wins Tour de France
 
In Cycling Vincenzo Nibali won the Tour de France this weekend the first since the late Marco Pantani back in 1998.
The 29-year-old beat two French riders into second and third. Jean-Christophe Peraud finished 7:37 behind and Thibaut Pinot was 8:15 off the pace.
With this feat Nibali, who led a dominating campaign throughout the tour, becomes the sixth man in history to win all three grand tours.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Wang Xiaoshuai First Touches upon Action in His Film 'Red Amnesia'
 
(RedAmnesia)
Chinese film director Wang Xiaoshuai said the first time he'd ever directed action scenes was during filming for his new film "Red Amesia."
"Puzzles are not solved till the end of the film. So there are such kinds of action scenes in the end. It's the first time that I have touched upon directing action scenes. It's rare that actions appear in my film. Action director and special staff in charge of wire joined the film at the end of shooting."
Wang attended a press conference for the film in Beijing, joined by a few stars of the film including Qin Hailu and Feng Yuanzheng.
The film tells the story of Lao Deng who receives several strange phone calls, in which the caller does not speak. This makes Lao Deng feel as if she knows the stranger who could be associated to mysterious murders in the area.
She decides to go back to southwestern China's Guiyang to find answers. But the trip brings back memories and regrets from when she worked there years ago.
The film will compete for the Golden Lion award at this year's Venice Film Festival. It will also make its North American debut at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
"Red Amnesia" will be released this year in China but the exact date has not been released.
 
 
Pompeii to be released in China
 
Historical disaster movie Pompeii is expected to be released in Chinese cinema in August.
(pompeii)
The 3D German-Canadian film stars Kit Harington, who's most famous for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, and Emily Browning.
Offering a glimpse of the Roman city of Pompeii right before it was destroyed and buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Slave turned gladiator Kit Harrington finds himself in a race against time to save his true love.
The film is essentially a love story but viewers do get to see epic gladiator battles.
With such a huge budget of over 100 million US dollars, Pompeii has only made just over 23 million US dollars since it was released worldwide in Feburary, that's around 140 million yuan.
Release date in China is scheduled for August 15th this year.
 
 
The 8th FIRST International Film Festival closes in Xining
 
The award ceremony of the 8th FIRST International Film Festival has been held in the western Chinese city of Xining.
The film "The Coffin in the Mountain" directed by Xin Yukun won the Best Feature Film.
The film is about a young man who struggles to get away from the power of his father.
The man accidentally killed a local ruffian in the same village, which forces him to run away.
But gradually he realizes that his destiny is tightly tied with his father.
Xin Yukun also won the Best Director for the film.
Rock and roll musician Cui Jian and actor-turned-director Deng Chao presented the awards.
The FIRST International Film Festival serves as a platform for filmmakers aged between 18 and 44 to showcase their talent.
FIRST is short for freedom, inspiration, renaissance, sharpness and truthfulness.
 
 
Lucy tops US Box Office
 
New movie 'Lucy' has topped the US domestic box office race.
(Lucy)
Staring Scarlett Johansson as a woman with a super powered brain, Lucy collected 44 million US dollars at the US box office in its first weekend, that's over 270 million yuan.
"Hercules," the American adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson came second, taking 29 million US dollars.
Both films exceeded expectations.
"Lucy" directed by French action film specialist Luc Besson, stars Johansson as a woman who can stop traffic and move objects with her mind, after a drug planted in her body caused her brain to work at abnormally high levels.
The special effects-laden film was made for a relatively inexpensive amount of 40 million US dollars, so the film has already made its money back in the first weekend.
 
 
Cheryl Cole Tops UK Singles Chart
 
UK singer Cheryl Cole has landed her fourth solo number one in the British singles charts.
(cherylcole)
Her latest chart topper means she has become the third British female in history to have more than three UK solo number ones.
The singers' success with her song "Crazy Stupid Love" puts her alongside Geri Halliwell and Rita Ora.
Cole achieved her first number one five years ago with her hit Fight For This Love.
She also had four number one singles with her group Girls Aloud.
Crazy Stupid Love achieved combined sales of nearly 120,000 copies, stopping Canadian act Magic! in their tracks at number two with their debut Rude, which is currently topping the US chart.
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
The UN Security Council has agreed upon a statement calling for a ceasefire extending from the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr...
Clashes between Ukrainian government troops and separatist rebels are interfering with the investigation into the downing of flight MH17...
And Renewed fighting in and around the airport in Tripoli, Libya's capital, has resulted in dozens of deaths...
In business, concerns over structural oversupply in the Chinese housing market...
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.