The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Shane Bigham with you this Tuesday, June 17th 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening.
The Chinese premier has arrived in the UK for his 3-day official visit and has already met with Queen Elizabeth II.
Vietnam has invited Chinese officials to visit, following recent tensions between the two countries.
The UN has set up shelters to help an estimated 300-thousand refugees in Iraq, as militants claim more territory in the country's north.
In business, Foreign Direct Investment in China in May was the lowest recorded in several months.
In sports, Russia and South Korea get ready for play at the World Cup.
In entertainment, more than 7 million tune in for the Game of Thrones season 4 finale.
Weather
Beijing will have thundershowers tonight with a low of 20 degrees Celsius. also thundershowers tomorrow with a high of 30 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be overcast tonight, with a low of 22, overcast tomorrow, with a high of 28.
Chongqing will be cloudy, 23 degrees the low, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 35.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 39.
Kabul, sunny, 31.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, high of 19.
Canberra, sunny, 14.
Brisbane, mostly sunny, 24.
And finally, Perth will have rain with a high of 18.
Top News
Chinese premier arrives in Britain for official visit
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with Queen Elizabeth II.
Li is on his first trip to the UK as premier and is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister David Cameron later today.
The Chinese Premier has said he hopes his three-day trip will help change "misperceptions and misgivings" about China.
The premier is leading a delegation of some 200-plus business leaders who are expected to sign deals worth more than 30-billion US dollars.
Infrastructure, high-speed rail, nuclear energy and finance, as well as London's role as an offshore yuan trading hub, are expected to be key areas under discussion.
The UK is China's third largest trading partner in the European Union. Two-way trade topped 70 billion dollars last year.
For more on Li Keqiang's tour, the Beijing Hour's Paul James earlier talked to Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures.
…
BACK ANCHOR: Gao Shang, analyst with Beijing-based Guantong Futures, talking to CRI's Paul James.
Chinese state councilor to visit Vietnam
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will meet with Vietnam's vice prime minister and foreign minister tomorrow.
The Chinese foreign ministry made the announcement today, saying Yang is crossing the border on the invitation of the Vietnamese government.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying:
"On this visit to Vietnam by State Councilor Yang as the leader of the delegation going to the Chinese-Vietnamese meetings on bilateral co-operation, the two sides will have a frank and deep exchange of views on issues of mutual concern. We hope that Vietnam keeps its eye on the broader picture, meets China halfway and appropriately resolves the present situation."
Yang will meet with other leaders in Vietnam as well, exchanging ideas on issues of common concern.
The meetings follow a dispute over oil drilling near the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea and related riots in Vietnam that targeted Chinese companies, interests, and people.
China and UN Secretary contemn recent terrorist attacks in Kenya
China is condemning the recent terrorist attacks in Kenya.
The latest incident, on Kenya's coast, left at least 10 people dead.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying.
"China resolutely opposes any form of terrorism and strongly condemns the recent terrorist attacks in Kenya. China conveys profound condolences to the deceased and sincere sympathy to their families and the injured. And China will continue to support Kenya in safeguarding national security and regional stability."
On Sunday, terrorists in eastern Kenya killed 48 people and wounded many more.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms" .
He reiterates the solidarity of the UN with the people and government of Kenya in their struggle against terrorism and offered condolences.
The radical Islamist group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the latest two incidents.
The group has called these attacks retaliations for Kenya's military incursion into Somalia.
UN set up shelters as 300,000 Iraqis fled
The United Nations refugee agency has set up temporary shelters for an estimated 300,000 Iraqis who have been forced to flee after sunni militants seized several towns and cities in the north of the country.
A thousand tents will be set up northwest of Mosul.
Valerie Amos, the U.N. under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs says the situation in Iraq is a major concern.
"In terms of the impact on aid to Syria right now, I think it's too soon to tell, of course one of the border crossings that we have been looking at as a possibility of getting aid from Iraq into Syria is one of the border crossings that is now controlled by ISIS as a result of the recent action so we would need to look at that. But at the moment we have a major concern about how we can deal with the huge amount of displacement that we have seen in the last few days just as a result of the fighting in Mosul."
The UN also says forces allied with the militants have almost certainly committed war crimes by executing hundreds of non-combatant men over the past five days.
Earlier, photos were posted online apparently showing summary executions of Iraqi soldiers.
There are reports that The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has now seized the strategic city of Tal Afar, located between the city of Mosul and the border with Syria.
Heavy fighting is also reported in Baquba in Iraq's northeast.
The militants have threatened to march on the capital Baghdad.
The US government expresses willingness of talking with Iran stop the insurgents in Iraq
The US government is expressing willingness to talk with Iran over ways to stop the insurgents known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
This comes after the US government announced the deployment of up to 275 troops to Iraq to protect the U.S. Embassy and to repel the rampant insurgency there.
US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"We're open to discussions if there's something constructive that can be contributed by Iran, if Iran is prepared to do something that is going to respect the integrity and sovereignty of Iraq and the ability of the government to reform."
Meanwhile, the US government says that the troops would remain in Iraq until the security situation improved but not necessarily thrust America into a new Iraq war.
But Kerry says the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is doing harm to the western world.
"Particularly Iraq and Syria and ISIS, they clearly are focused not just there, but they're focused on trying to do harm to Europe, to America and other people. And that's why we believe it is so important for us to be engaged and to be leading an effort to try to deal with this, and that's exactly what we're doing."
Kerry says they need to go step by step to stabilize the situation, and basically ruled out the possibility of military cooperation with Iran on the Iraq issue.
Iran is more focused on protecting Iraq's Shiite population.
Ukraine to reinforce defenses across border with Russia
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council says the government will reinforce and secure the nation's border with Russia.
The comment comes after Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko ordered troops to regain control of the frontier with Russia to pave the way for a truce and peace talks.
Andriy Parubiy is the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
"The Cabinet of Ukraine has ordered the unilateral demarcation of the Ukrainian-Russian border and with ensuring proper engineering and technical infrastructure at the border, taking into account the current level of threats to national security."
The authorities say the structures are intended to define the border more clearly on the Ukrainian side.
Kiev has accused Russia of supporting rebels by sending tanks and fighters across the border.
Russia denies the accusation.
Ukraine President Poroshenko does not say how long the truce should last, but says it can't start until the border is secure.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded Ukraine explain its intention to close the border with Russia.
Russia has already cut its gas supply to Ukraine after the two countries failed to reach a deal amid mounting tensions in the months-long crisis.
Search for abducted teenagers could drag on: Netanyahu
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it will take time to locate three teenagers who are believed to have been abducted by Palestinian militants on the West Bank.
Netanyahu says the focus is on brining the teenagers home safely.
"We are in the midst of a complex operation. We need to be prepared for the possibility that it will take time. It is a serious event that will have serious consequences. We are acting together in a reasonable, responsible and determined manner. We are focusing on one mission: bringing back our boys who were kidnapped."
The teenagers, including a U.S. citizen, are believed to have been abducted on Thursday night near the Palestinian city of Hebron.
Israeli forces have closed roads, searched homes, and rounded up dozens of Palestinians during the investigation.
A Palestinian group aligned with the Fatah movement has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.
Two smaller West Bank groups also claimed responsibility.
But neither of the earlier claims is considered credible by Israel.
Israeli authorities have accused the Islamic militant group Hamas of being behind the abductions.
Hamas has denied involvement.
Food safety law to be revised
Anchor:
China's top legislature is preparing to revise food safety laws in light of a crisis of confidence in the country's food industry.
This follows a series of incidents involving food security and human health in the past 8 years.
CRI's Xie Zhao has the details.
Reporter:
China's top legislature will review a draft revision of the food safety law later this month, at a bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
Lawmakers have not revealed in advance how food safety laws will be changed.
Wu Jingming, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, says a specific revision should be added to any amendment the NPC introduces.
"The first thing we should do about the food safety law is to include the achievements of institutional reform into the law, and clarify the position of the China Food and Drug Administration in the revised law. But so far this hasn't been done yet."
According to the State Council's institutional reform plan published last year, supervision responsibilities in the area of food safety were transferred from the State Administration of Industry and Commerce to the China Food and Drug Administration.
Liu Junhai, Director of the Business Law Center of Renmin University, says there are blind spots in the law when it comes to the supervision of food safety, and those spots need to be fixed.
"For instance, the administration of industry and commerce is responsible for advertisements. That is not to say that supervising any advertisements related to food is not their work any more. The key matter is that related departments should work together and cooperate in terms of supervision."
Wu Jingming adds that punishments for celebrities' endorsements of illegal products should be strengthened.
"The regulations governing celebrity endorsement are too vague and the punishments are too small, just civil punishments. I suggest a higher level of punishment should be carried out for those who endorse products that don't meet the standards of food safety laws. The supervising body should confiscate illegal endorsement income and issue fines. They won't be allowed to accept any other commercial endorsements for a certain period of time. They should also shoulder the responsibility should there be any violation of consumers' rights."
The Chinese State Council, the country's cabinet, issued a guideline in May to boost food safety in multiple sectors, especially the safety of baby formula and meat products.
Draft amendments to the Food Safety Law released last October say China will triple fines for severe food safety violations, and those jailed for such crimes will be banned for life from the food industry.
China releases Blue Book of World Energy 2014
The Chinese government's leading think tank has released a new paper on energy priorities.
The Blue Book of World Energy from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences is suggesting energy saving and clean energy technology are the keys to overcoming conflicting interests between economic development and environmental protection.
Huang Xiaoyong is the chief editor of the blue book.
"For China, the most important task is to increase the use of clean energy. This is crucial, as the amount of pollution our atmosphere can take is approaching its limit. Generally speaking, the use of coal will go down. Currently it accounts for around 67 to 68 percent of the energy use. But reducing reliance on coal depends not only on technology, but also other factors and interests. As a researcher, I think the best way is to increase the use of natural gas and nuclear energy."
The Blue Book says China needs to focus on developing a rational and efficient energy supply.
The report also suggests the authorities set up an energy cooperation chain by strengthening cooperation among China, central Asia, and Russia.
China is now the world's largest energy consumer.
60 percent of the oil and 30 percent of the natural gas used in this country is imported.
Biz Reports
Stocks
Anchor:
First off, a quick look at the closing numbers across Asia.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Asian stocks ended mixed Tuesday as investors remained cautious ahead of a meeting by the Federal Reserve that's expected to give an update on forecasts for the world's No. 1 economy.
China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost nearly 1 percent, ending a six-day rally, as investors took profits in heavily weighted sectors such as banking.
The Shenzhen Component Index lost over one percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng trimmed 0.4 percent.
Japan's Nikkei Average added 0.3 percent, rebounding from a sharp one percent drop the day before.
South Korea's KOSPI ganed 0.4 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index gave up half a percent.
Australia's ASX edged down 0.2 percent.
China's FDI inflows down 6.7 pct in May
Foreign investment in China fell in May to its lowest level in 16 months, partly due to slowing growth.
The Ministry of Commerce says foreign direct investment, or FDI into the Chinese mainland fell nearly 7 percent year on year to less than 9 billion U.S. dollars last month.
Cumulatively, China drew 49 billion dollars of FDI in the first five months, up less than 3 percent from a year earlier, also the worst showing in a year.
In the five month period, the top five investors in the Chinese mainland were Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
Investment from South Korea and the United Kingdom saw the biggest increases, up around 90 percent and 60 percent year on year, respectively.
FDI from Japan, however, slumped over 40 percent from a year ago.
Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang.
"But from a political perspective, the current continued cooling of political relations between the two countries will mean a worsening environment for economic cooperation between the two countries. It could also mean a decline in trade relations and could seriously affect the desire for business cooperation."
Shen also hit back at the US, asking it to stop its anti-dumping investigations into imported carbon and alloy steel wire from China.
FDI from the United States in China dropped nine percent.
China's non-financial ODI drops Jan-May
The combined outbound investment of Chinese companies has plunged in the first five months of this year.
The Ministry of Commerce says China's outbound direct investment, or ODI, in non-financial sectors slumped 10 percent year on year to 31 billion U.S. dollars in the January-May period.
Investment went to 146 countries and regions.
Investment to Hong Kong plummeted over 30 percent year on year.
While overall ODI is down, US investment from China soar 144 percent to 2 billion U.S. dollars.
Russia and Japan also saw gains of more than 100 percent, but that's mostly because ODI in the previous year was such a low number in those countries.
BP to sign $20 bln LNG supply deal with China's CNOOC
British Petroleum Chief Executive Bob Dudley says his company will sign a deal worth around 20 billion US dollars on Tuesday to supply China National Offshore Oil Corporation with liquefied natural gas.
The agreement will be signed in London, as British Prime Minister David Cameron is due to announce a series of trade deals to coincide with the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for a three-day visit.
Dudley reveals that "it is a 20-year supply agreement on LNG.
He calls it a "fair" deal for both sides and "a good bridge between the UK and China in terms of trade."
BP already supplies CNOOC with LNG from Indonesia.
Shell cuts its stake in Australia's Woodside in $5bn sale
Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is cutting its stake in Australia's Woodside in a share sale that will net it some five billion US dollars.
Shell will sell around 160 million shares, which represents 19 percent of Woodside's issued share capital.
Upon completion, the European firm's stake in Woodside will be reduced from its current 23 percent to less than five percent.
Shell has said in a statement it wants to focus its "Australian growth in directly owned assets."
Earlier this year Shell reported a 44 percent drop in first-quarter profits after it wrote down the value of refineries in Asia and Europe.
Airline companies charge passengers for seat selection 2'33
Anchor:
Recent decisions by Air China and Hainan Airlines to begin charging international passengers for seat selections is creating a lot of debate among Chinese air travellers.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
The airline's seat selection fee applies for those flying economy class, but does not apply to all international routes.
The fee ranges from 100 to 500 yuan per passenger. Travelers are required to pay 500 yuan if they want to sit in the first row of the cabin or next to the emergency exit.
Meanwhile, Spring Airlines, a China-based budget-airline company, which is the vanguard of seat selection fees in the country, will continue to carry on its policies.
For Shanshan, the seat selection fee sounds reasonable if it applies to international travel.
"You may be very tired if you are taking a long-international flight. The lack of space makes is really uncomfortable. I'm okay with paying extra money for seat selection if it's a really long journey."
But Zhang Na is not too happy about the added fee.
"I think the airline companies already distinguish first class, business and economic classes. The price difference already reveals the different quality of seats. It's totally unnecessary for the airlines to charge passengers for their preferences of seats in the same class."
Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, says it is a legal and market-oriented move to charge extra for seat selection, but needs more explanation to the public.
"This is a new fee, which intends to turn a previous 'free' service into a paid service; so the airline companies need to better explain to passengers why they want to do so. Seat selection fees can only increase airlines' revenues to a very limited extent. I think the purpose of adopting the fee is to try and partially resolve passenger disputes over seat selection via market move."
But the director of a law firm in Shanghai, Li Dongpin, argues, according to the law, price adjustments that affect the mass should follow certain procedures, like holding a hearing before implementation.
Zhang Qihuai, chief expert at the China Aviation Law Service Center, adds the seat selection fees are masking inflation. He says the cost of flying these air routes can be accurately counted. Not charging passengers for seat preference won't effectively result in additional costs. If the price of a specific seat should be increased, should the price of an unfavorable seat be reduced?
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Wal-Mart China to increase food safety spending to $48 million
The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, says it will increase its spending on food safety in China to 300 million yuan, or 48 million US dollars.
This is up from a previously-announced 100 million yuan.
The company says it will also increase DNA testing on meat products and supplier inspections, and test more of its stores with its two mobile safety labs.
Wal-Mart's reputation for food safety in China came under attack earlier this year after its "Five Spice" donkey meat was found to contain fox meat.
Greg Foran, then-president and CEO of Wal-Mart's China business, said at the time it was a good reminder to invest more in supplier management.
Headline News
Premier to meet Queen and PM in UK visit
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with Queen Elizabeth II.
Li is on his first trip to the UK as premier and is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister David Cameron later today.
The Chinese Premier has said he hopes his three-day trip will help change "misperceptions and misgivings" about China.
The premier is leading a delegation of some 200-plus business leaders who are expected to sign deals worth more than 30-billion US dollars.
The premier's European tour will also take him to Greece.
Clashes on approaches to Baghdad
Iraqi government forces have been engaged in heavy clashes with Sunni rebels who have made major advances in the past week.
Reports say parts of the city of Baquba - just 60km from Baghdad - have been taken over by the rebels.
At Tal Afar, a strategic city west of Mosul, there are reports that reinforcements have arrived to boost government forces trying to recapture the town from rebels.
The Iraqi air force is said to have been carrying out strikes in the area.
UK is set to re-open Iran embassy: report
Britain is expected to re-open its embassy in Iran's capital.
The BBC reports that Foreign Secretary William Hague will announce a plan later on Tuesday which will lead to the re-opening of the embassy in Tehran.
The UK cut its full diplomatic relations with Iran after attacks on the British embassy in 2011 in retaliation for London's support for sanctions against Tehran.
But correspondents say Hague's statement would not lead to the instant re-opening of the embassy and that it would be conditional on diplomatic progress being maintained.
Inmarsat: MH370 'hotspot' not yet searched
British satellite firm Inmarsat says the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is yet to target the most likely crash site, having been distracted by what is now believed to have been a bogus signal.
Inmarsat's scientists have told the BBC that they had calculated the plane's most likely flight path and a "hotspot" in the southern Indian Ocean in which it most likely came down.
Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield was sent to investigate but before reaching the likely site, it began to detect a signal it believed was coming from the plane's black box.
That ultimately turned out to be a dead end.
The hunt for the lost jet is currently taking a short break while ships map the Indian Ocean floor.
When the search resumes, the Inmarsat "hotspot" will be a key focus.
13 killed, 50 injured in road mishap in northern India
At least 13 tourists have been killed in a road crash in northern India. More than 50 others have been injured.
The accident happened late on Monday night in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Local police say a bus skidded off a road and plunged into a deep gorge.
130-thousand people die in road crashes in India on average each year.
Newspaper Picks
China Daily
"Survey shows excessive intake of aluminum"
Residents of northern China and those under the age of 14 may be ingesting more aluminum than healthy.
China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment has announced the results of a three-year survey.
The survey found excessive aluminum content in all 11 food items, including flour, steamed buns, youbing (deep-fried pancakes) and youtiao (deep-fried breadsticks), which are popular breakfast dishes in China.
The center said the aluminum in the food mainly came from additives, which are commonly used to aid dough fermentation and make food rise.
Researchers say people in the northern area have a much higher intake of aluminum than those in the south, as northern residents eat more flour products.
The survey also found that Chinese residents under the age of 14 ingested more aluminum.
It also showed more than 20 percent of the aluminum ingested by teenagers came from puffed snacks.
China Daily
"Beijing residents can 'expect 58 years in good health'"
Beijingers could live on average 58 years in full health, about 10 years fewer than the average in most industrialized countries.
Healthy life expectancy is a relative statistic that estimates the average number of years that a person can expect to live in full health.
Deng Ying, director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, says a comparison of the healthy life expectancy and the expected life span shows that "people are struggling with disabilities or diseases in later life.
The survey found local males average a healthy life expectancy of 61 years, longer than the 56 years for females.
Additionally, Beijingers in downtown areas have a slightly greater healthy life expectancy than their counterparts in the suburbs.
In 2013, the average life expectancy reached 81.5 years among Beijing residents.
Channel News Asia
"Almost half of Singaporeans are dissatisfied with their jobs: Survey"
Employees in Singapore ranked second from bottom in the Asia-Pacific in a global quarterly survey measuring job satisfaction.
According to the Q2 Randstad Workmonitor survey, almost half of employees in Singapore say they are not satisfied in their current job, only behind Japan.
Employees in India ranked the highest, with 80 per cent saying they are happy where they are.
Of the more than five-thousand employees surveyed in Singapore, 75 per cent say they view their job only as a way to make a living and nothing more. The majority also said they would not hesitate to change jobs if they could make more money (80 per cent), improve their career opportunities (78 per cent) or if they found a job that better matched their educational backgrounds (71 per cent).
The study was conducted via an online questionnaire of respondents aged 18-65. They work a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job, who are not self-employed.
The Telegraph
"Food labels 'fool us' into thinking products are healthy"
An academic has claimed shoppers are being misled by buzzwords such as "natural", "antioxidant" and "gluten-free" into believing that they are buying healthy foods.
Although consumers are increasingly aware of the need to choose healthier options at the supermarket, researchers found they are often lulled by marketing into thinking food is more nutritious than it is.
They discovered terms such as "wholegrain" tricked the brain into disregarding unhealthy ingredients.
Such buzzwords could even counteract warnings in nutrition fact boxes.
For example, Ribena advertises the antioxidant effect of vitamin C on its packaging, but the drink contains 10 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters.
Researchers randomly showed 318 volunteers images of food products either including health marketing words or with the words removed.
When one of the trigger words was present, they would rate the items as healthier.
Special Reports
1964 movie Stage Sisters restored with 4K resolution at the Shanghai International Film Festival
Anchor:
The organizing committee of the Shanghai International Film Festival has begun working with international movie laboratories to restore classic Chinese movies.
CRI's Liu Kun has more from Shanghai.
Reporter:
The classic Chinese film "Stage Sisters " got a make-over for its new global premiere. Having been restored in color and 4K resolution, this 1964 classic opened this year's Shanghai International Film Festival at the city's Daguangming Grand Theater, where the movie first wowed audiences about half a century ago.
The two sisters in the movie, Xie Fang and Cao Yindi, and one of the actors, Xu Caigen, now all around their 80s, are in attendance, taking the stage to meet their fans.
Cao Yindi, one of the sisters says, from watching a sample of the restoration, she feels excited and renewed.
"The color of the movie has been greatly improved. And the restored movie has a bigger resolution. The restored version just gave me a brand new experience of the movie. As one of the leading actresses, I am happy and excited to see that the movie has been restored to open this year's festival. And I think Director Xie Jin would be pleased to see this, too, if he was still with us."
The film is a masterpiece by the late director Xie Jin, who is one of the most influential Chinese filmmakers of the 20th century.
Under the coordination of the organizing committee of the film festival, it took six months of hard work for L'Immagine Ritrovata Film Restoration Laboratory in Bologna, Italy, to restore the movie.
Davide Pozzi, director of the laboratory, says they were careful to respect and keep the original flavor of the movie during the restoration process.
"The picture has some scratches and we have to fix everything. And then we did the correction and some restoration. At the same time, we did the restoration of the sounds."
Wu Jueren, a curator with the Shanghai Film Museum and one of the initiators of the restoration, explains that they wavered over the presentation of the movie's colors in the restoration process.
"We did a lot of research and we relied heavily on the memory of the original production team--then we set the color."
This is the first time ever that a movie restored with 4K resolution has been released on the Chinese mainland.
Alongside "Stage Sisters," the organizing committee of the festival has also introduced a number of other 4K restored classics from different countries and genres.
Among the list are the 1934 French classic "Les Misérables," the 1960 movie "Purple Noon," led by French actor Alain Delon, and American director Martin Scorsese's two masterpieces, "Taxi Driver" and "The Age of Innocence."
These 4K restorations are also screened in open air parks around the city during the festival.
BACK ANCHOR:
CRI's Liu Kun reporting from Shanghai.
Sports
South Korea train and talk ahead of WC opener against Russia
Russia and South Korea are set to open their World Cup Group H competition at 6 Wednesday morning Beijing time.
This will be the first match between the two since Russia defeated South Korea 2-1 in a friendly last November.
Russia's coach, famous Italian player Fabio Capello, had this to say about returning to the World Cup after his experience at the helm of the English squad four years ago:
"I didn't change them. It was finally FIFA that changed them. You saw the result yesterday (referring to the French). My team and I, England, were only penalised and everyone knows that going from 2-0 to 2-2, for those who understand football, there's a big difference. And to go to the break, having got back in the score (getting back to 2-2), but this served to bring in technology. But we paid the price for this technology."
South Korea is coming off a 4-0 loss to Ghana in a World Cup warm-up match earlier this month.
South Korea's coach, the country's esteemed former captain, Hong Myung-bo has deflected any criticism that his team is inexperienced, calling their youth an advantage.
"Our players are very young. We have a young team. So that's why they're very energetic. That is true. But compared to their youth, I think they don't make rash judgments, they make very wise judgments and decisions. Not only that, our players will lead the future of Korean soccer. They are the future."
The team has won its last three World Cup openers, beating Poland 1-0 in 2002, Togo 2-1 in 2006 and Greece 2-1 in 2010. It hopes to continue the streak.
Other matches coming up:
Hosts Brazil will face Mexico and Belgium will take on Algeria.
Three matches from this morning are now in the books.
Thomas Muller's hat-trick and Mats Hummels' header have helped Germany to smash a 10-man Portugal side 4-nil.
It is Germany's 100th match in World Cup finals and they become the first team to reach the landmark.
In other action,
The fastest goal so far and a late killer in the final minutes have awarded the United States 2-1 a win over their long-time rivals Ghana.
Captain Clint Dempsey scored only 32 seconds into the match to give the Americans the lead.
Nigeria and Iran have the first draw of the World Cup, managing a scoreless match in their Group F clash.
Southampton appoints former Dutch defender Ronald Koeman as their new manager
In football news, off the pitch:
English Premier League side Southampton has named Ronald Koeman its new manager, signing the Dutchman to a three-year-deal.
51-year-old Koeman left Feyenoord at the end of this season having steered it to second place in the Dutch league.
He'll replace Mauricio Pochettino who quit last month to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Koeman has brought his older brother Erwin, a former Dutch international, to be his assistant in Southampton.
The new coach played on the Dutch team that won the 1988 European Championships.
He has also managed other teams including Ajax, Benfica, and PSV Eindhoven.
Koeman won the European Cup with PSV as a player in 1988 before joining compatriot Johan Cruyff's Barcelona 'dream team' that won four successive Spanish league titles and the 1992 European Cup.
Indonesian badminton tournament kicks off in Jakarta
The Indonesia Open Super Series Premier badminton tournament has kicked off in Jakarta.
China's Olympic and world champion Lin Dan is absent from the tournament.
The 31-year-old Lin didn't not make the cut due to his low world ranking. He's ranked 34th after returning to competition in April following a lengthy break.
The tournament, with 750,000 U.S. dollars in prizes, has attracted more than 200 shuttlers from 27 countries and regions, including world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Chinese ace Li Xuerui.
Several other world class competitors from China are at the tournament, including Chen Long, Du Pengyu, Wang Shixian and Wang Yihan.
Top seeded Lee Chong Wei is hoping to win the Indonesia open for the fourth time.
China's women's doubles team of Cheng Shu/Bao Yixin and mixed doubles team of Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei won gold in the super series tournament last year.
Established in 1982, the Indonesia Open is one of five Super Series Premier events run by the BWF with the China Open, the All England Open, the Korea Open and the Denmark Open.
Players get ready for Women's US Open at Pinehurst
In golf,
Eleven year old Lucy Li will tee off in this week's U.S. Women's Open Championship at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
Li became the youngest person in history to qualify for the women's US Open when she won the sectional at Half Moon Bay in California by seven strokes in May.
Lexi Thompson held the previous mark when she qualified at the age of 12 in 2007.
Thompson says she is set to play a practice round with Li, and is looking forward to seeing the 11-year-old in action.
I was super excited when I made it at 12. It was more of a learning experience for me. Getting there, and just realizing that's where I wanted to be. Seeing all the top players in the world. Seeing where my game had to improve on. Lucy Li obviously is an amazing talent. And I think I'm actually playing with her tomorrow, in a practice round, I think I saw that when I registered. So I get to see her game."
Former child prodigy Michelle Wie, now 24, became the youngest person ever tp qualify for a USGA amateur championship in 2000 when she was just 10-years-old.
Wie is coming off a recent victory, the third of her professional career, having won the LPGA Lotte Championship in April.
After her practice round, Wie says she is pleased with her recent form, and plans to approach the tournament like any other.
Kings fans celebrate the second Stanley Cup in a parade
Thousands of Los Angeles Kings fans have lined a street in downtown Los Angeles to get a glimpse of the Stanley Cup champions, and the Stanley cup itself.
This is the team's second victory parade in three seasons.
Kings players, along with coaches and staff, celebrated aboard double-decker buses and a flat-bed truck that paraded down L.A.'s Figueroa street to Staples Center arena.
Some fans began were staking out locations along the parade route at 4:30 in the morning to ensure a prime viewing area.
"I think this is really great. Glad that the Kings were able to do it again. And they were able to win another Stanley Cup for L.A." .
"I'm in awe of the fact that this is the second cup in three years for these guys".
The Kings clinched the Cup on Friday when Alec Martinez scored 14 minutes, 43 seconds into the second overtime to defeat the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The goal ended the longest game in the Kings' 46 seasons of play.
Entertainment
'Game of Thrones' draws 7.1 million viewers for blood-filled finale
The finale of the fourth season of HBO's "Game of Thrones" has drawn over 7 million viewers, compared to 5.4 million for last season's finale.
Titled "The Children", the episode was full of blood and death, but also fate-changing decisions from the characters.
HBO says a gross of more than 9 million viewers watched the episode via different channels.
The show has surpassed "The Sopranos" to become HBO's most popular series ever.
"Game of Thrones" is a medieval epic based on best-selling books by George R.R. Martin.
The show was first aired in 2011.
"Tiny Times" holds press conference in Shanghai
The director and actors of "Tiny Times 3" have gathered in Shanghai to promote their latest movie.
The music video for the movie's theme song was released at the conference.
The song, named "Wan Hua Tong", was sang by pop star Jolin Tsai.
The video includes many scenes from the movie. It should have been the focus of the event but it seems the media was more interested in gossip regarding the actors.
Kai Ko was asked about his recent break up with singer Elva Hsiao, but the actor remained silent.
Guo Jingming, the director, tried to steer the reporters back on subject but it seems Guo's relationship with author Han Han was another distraction.
Han Han also directed a movie this year. It will be released just a week after Guo's.
When asked about Han Han's movie, Guo Jingming answered "I'm not familiar with him".
"Tiny Times" is adapted from Guo Jingming's best-selling books of same name.
The books depict four girls who are friends since high school defending their friendship after entering society.
The first two installments of the movie were released last summer, but received much criticism.
"Tiny Times 3" will open in Chinese theatres July 17.
China and Africa work together to promote media
China is to increase media cooperation with Africa.
Dozens of media ministers from Africa have met here in Beijing.
Cai Fuchao, the director of the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television says western media still dominates the world but China and Africa could soon have a greater impact:
"We believe that as long as media in China and Africa can treat each other with sincerity and equality, enhance trust and development, deepen cooperation, coordinate and support each other in the international spread of public opinion under the principle of fairness and justice, there will be a huge impact on the world pattern of public opinion."
Among the 19 cooperation agreements signed during the forum, Chinese TV programs have been authorized in Mali and Sudan, among others.
Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming says the relatively weak position of China and African countries in terms of world media means they are often misrepresented.
Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry to tour together this summer
Grammy-winning country singer Kacey Musgraves and Katy Perry have teamed up for the 50th episode of "CMT Crossroads".
The show combined the artists' catchy songs and their shared love of neon landscapes and sparkly outfits.
Musgraves says she is a big fan of Katy Perry.
The two stars will reunite in August when Musgraves opens for part of Perry's Prismatic World Tour.
Musgraves had a breakthrough year in 2013 with her debut album, "Same Trailer Different Park," which racked up numerous nominations and awards.
She's also opened doors in country music with her social commentary on songs like "Follow Your Arrow".
But Musgraves says she doesn't think of herself as a progressive country singer.
"Progressive is OK. I just think, the things I sing about aren't necessarily that progressive, especially in this day and age. I just would love to see a time in music where everyone is included in all different kinds, all different kinds of ideas and loves. So that's why I am kinda like, 'OK, I don't really think I am progressive,' I just maybe think equal."
The two will appear together on August 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Justin Bieber cleared of attempted robbery
Police have cleared pop star Justin Bieber of wrongdoing in a robbery case.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office says there is not enough evidence to back up claims against the singer.
Bieber was accused of trying to take a woman's mobile phone in May, after she was suspected of taking photos of him.
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
The Chinese premier has arrived in the UK for his 3-day official visit and has already met with Queen Elizabeth II.
Vietnam has invited Chinese officials to visit, following recent tensions between the two countries.
The UN has set up shelters to help an estimated 300-thousand refugees in Iraq, as militants claim more territory in the country's north.
In business, Foreign Direct Investment in China in May was the lowest recorded in several months.
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