The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Shane Bigham with you this Friday, June 20th 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 Greece following his stop in the UK, and is suggesting greater maritime cooperation with the Mediterranean country should be a priority.
Japan is upset with South Korea over live-fire military drills taking place near disputed territory.
and fighting between government forces and militants continues near Iraq's largest oil refinery.
In business, many Chinese companies are choosing Hong Kong over New York.
In sports, England is on the brink of elimination at the World Cup.
In entertainment, Transformers 4 debuts in Hong Kong.
Weather
Beijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 19 degrees Celsius. Thundershowers tomorrow with a high of 28 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will have moderate rain tonight, with a low of 23, heavy rain tomorrow, with a high of 25.
Chongqing will have moderate rain, 20 degrees the low, the rain will continue tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, mostly sunny with a high of 39.
Kabul, sunny, 32.
Over in Australia
Sydney, mostly cloudy, high of 22.
Canberra, partly cloudy, 14.
Brisbane, mostly sunny, 25.
And finally, Perth will have rain with a high of 18.
Top News
Chinese, Greek PMs meet to enhance ties, cooperation 2'36
Anchor:
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is now in Greece following a three-day visit to the UK.
He has already met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
Li Keqiang has also suggested China and Greece can work together to explore new economic opportunities, particularly in maritime cooperation.
"Certainly the global economic recovery still has many uncertainties and faces many challenges. I agree with Mr. Samaras that the two sides can make joint efforts to make the port of Piraeus a transportation hub. Such cooperation will be beneficial for Chinese-Greek relations and Chinese-European relations, and of course benefit the global economic recovery."
Part of his schedule in Greece is to hold the first-ever maritime cooperation forum between the two countries.
The Premier has witnessed the signing of more than 20 new deals, mostly covering investment, trade and finance.
For more Sino-Greek ties, CRI's Zheng Chengguang spoke earlier with Professor Pantelis Sklias, head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Peloponnese in Greece.
…
Professor Pantelis Sklias, head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Peloponnese, talking to CRI's Zheng Chenguang.
Japan protests SKorea's live firing drills near disputed islands
Japan is condemning a live-fire military drill by South Korea near islands claimed by both nations.
Japanese Defence Minister, Itsunori Onodera.
"We cannot accept a situation such as this (South Korea conducting military drill near the disputed islands) and this is very regrettable. We will lodge strong complaints via the diplomatic route."
The South Korean government has rejected Japan's request to cancel the drill.
Wee Yong-sub is the Deputy Spokesperson of the South Korean Defence Ministry.
"Military drills for the self-defence of the Republic of Korea are not a subject of any demand or interference, and thus the drill is underway as scheduled."
On the disputed islands, South Korea has stationed a small contingent of police officers in a show of control, but Japan maintains that the islets are its territory.
The disputed islands, now under South Korean control, are called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese.
Japan lowers voting age to 18, eyes amending war-renouncing constitution
Japan's minimum voting age has been lowered to 18 from 20 as a revised national referendum law took effect on Friday.
This is seen by many as an effort by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to amend the country's pacifist constitution.
According to Japanese law, a revision of the constitution must be endorsed by a majority of voters in a referendum.
And this latest move has raised concerns of neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, which suffered from Japan's wartime aggression.
Evacuation plans made for Chinese workers in Iraq
China is preparing evacuation plans for workers in Iraq as the situation in the country deteriorates.
At least 15 Chinese companies are operating in Iraq, most of them in the energy, construction and telecommunications sectors, employing more than 10,000 Chinese workers.
Most of the workers are in safe areas of the country. But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says a small number of them in unsafe parts will be evacuated soon.
She says the Chinese embassy in Iraq and those in neighboring countries are requesting help on entry and exit formalities.
Fights continued in Baiji refinery
Fierce fighting has been reported around Iraq's largest oil refinery as government forces try to hold off militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Earlier, a government spokesman said troops had taken complete control of the site, but militants still controlled the surrounding town.
The refinery, 200 km north of Baghdad, was shut down after it was attacked.
It is also reported that militants have seized most of Tal Afar airport in the northern part of the country.
The clashes come after U.S. President Barack Obama said he would send 300 military advisers to help train and support Iraqi forces in their fight against the militants.
But he insisted that US troops will not be back to fight in Iraq.
"American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq, but we will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people in the region and American interests as well."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to head to the Middle East to discuss the issue with US allies.
"At the President's request I will take next step in that diplomatic effort traveling to Europe and the Middle East next week to consult with our partners face to face. Make no mistake, ISIL is a threat to Iraq and the entire region. The United States is responding to that threat. But our efforts will only be successful if Iraqi leaders rise above their differences."
Anti-war groups in Los Angeles have already announced plans to stage a nationwide anti-war rally during the weekend to stop a possible new U.S. military intervention in Iraq.
The Iraqi government has made a public request for US air strikes.
But the US is urging the Iraqi government to reach out to Sunnis, who have been complaining about being left out by the Shia parties that dominated elections.
Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli troops in search operation
Anchor: Israeli troops have killed a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces continue to search for three teenagers missing for more than a week. CRI's Tu Yun has more.
Reporter:
15 year old Mohammed Dudin was killed in the village of Dura, near Hebron in the southern West Bank, close to where the three Israeli teenagers went missing eight days ago.
Hamam Hantash is a witness.
"At dawn, the army began to withdraw. They walked through people's homes, there were more that 50 heavily armed soldiers. Mohammed was standing there, he was posing no danger to them or their lives. They shot him with three bullets, he was shot in the chest and he died on the spot."
Dudin is the second Palestinian killed since Israel began its operation across the West Bank a week ago.
The three teenagers disappeared on Thursday last week while hitchhiking home from Jewish seminaries in the West Bank.
Israeli government has blamed the Islamic militants Hamas for the abduction, a claim Hamas denies.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he wishes the three Israeli teenagers will be returned.
"And it recently happened, the issue of the kidnapping of the three Israeli kids or youths. Israel saw this as an opportunity to carry out or spread corrupt practices on the ground. And for that, you see what you see in our territories. And it's all in aid of the search of these youths. We hope that they find them alive. Because we are people and we have humanity. We don't shoot in cold blood, just like that."
The crisis has escalated already heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinian government.
About 280 Palestinians including 200 members of Hamas have been arrested in the search.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.
Malaysia MH370 jet hunt will move south: Australia
Australia says the next phase of the hunt for missing Malaysian jet MH370 will move hundreds of miles south.
The search will focus on an area 1,800km off the city of Perth, according to Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief Martin Dolan.
Nearby areas were previously surveyed from the air, but the undersea hunt was directed north after pings were detected.
But after weeks of searching the ocean floor, it was concluded that the noises were unrelated to the plane.
Search teams have now returned to the initial satellite data to frame the new search area.
Injured researcher rescued from cave after 11 days underground
An injured German cave researcher stuck underground for nearly two weeks has been rescued by a multi-national team.
The rescuers hauled 52-year-old Johann Westhauser up through the labyrinth of Germany's deepest cavern in the Alps near the Austrian border.
Norbert Heiland is the chairman of the Mountain Rescue Service of Bavaria.
"I don't want to be too dramatic now, but I think one can say that over the last 12 days, a new chapter of 'Alpine Rescue Stories' was written here at Untersberg, comparable to other famous rescue actions, like for example the famous Corti drama of 1957, when for the first time a person was rescued alive from the north face of the Eiger."
Westhauser was nearly 1,000 metres underground in the Riesending cave system, where he sustained head injuries in a rock fall on June 8.
He was safely brought up to the surface by rescuers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Croatia.
China launches crackdown on online terrorist material
China has launched a campaign to rid the Internet of audio and video materials that promote terrorism and violence.
The move is aimed at safeguarding social stability in the western region of Xinjiang which has seen a number of terrorist attacks recently.
An attack on an open market in the capital Urumqi on May 22 killed 39 people.
Police say most of the suspects seized in those cases had learned how to make explosives through online tutorials.
Hong Kong election referendum illegal: State Council
The Central Authorities have rejected proposals for a referendum on how Hong Kong's chief executive is elected.
Lawmakers in Beijing say the idea does not have any constitutional footing and therefore would be illegal and invalid.
A group in Hong Kong launched a campaign for the referendum earlier today.
But the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council issued a statement saying the proposed election method is not in line with the universal suffrage method determined by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the National People's Congress Standing Committee.
Hong Kong making efforts to be a shark fin free city
Anchor:
Hong Kong, the world's shark fin capital, is making efforts to reduce consumption of the delicacy, thanks to growing awareness of the need for shark protection among government, environmentalists, and the public.
CRI's Li Jing reports from Hong Kong.
Report:
About half of the world's trade in fins currently happens in Hong Kong.
Christine Loh, Under Secretary for Environment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, says the government has pledged to exclude shark fins from menus at official receptions.
"We've sent an internal circular around to pinpoint three items, shark fin, blue tuna and black moss, what we will not serve if we are playing host. It also says that if we are guest, that we want to tell people in advance if they are hosting a Chinese banquet, what we will not eat. It could also be brought to the public sector, maybe this is what the NGOs can work on. "
Shark fin sales from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland are down 90 percent because of pressure from environmental groups and the government campaign against extravagance.
Adam Koo is the CEO of World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong.
"We were delighted to witness the size of consumption drop in Hong Kong shark fin, importing and exporting in 2013 compared in 2012. This is just the beginning for further progress as there is still a huge shark fin trade globally every year. WWF is working closely with many other NGOs, caters and corporations on the journey to make Hong Kong a truly shark fin free city. "
Shark fin soup has been the food of the rich for hundreds of years in China.
But Asia Pacific Director of Wildaid John Lu says positive change is happening in the country.
"We went Shanghai recently to run a campaign that involved more than 200 volunteers congregating in Shanghai from 18 locations in China. Last year in China alone, we received 164 US million dollars worth of donation through media. 65 percent of the respondent survey say that they stop eating shark fins because of awareness campaign."
The practice of shark finning has caused the near extinction of a number of shark species worldwide.
Many countries have thus enacted legislation to ban the sale or possession of shark fins.
A number of businesses including airlines, shipping lines, eateries and hotels, have also banned the shark fin trade.
For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.
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 were little changed, after reports showed fewer Americans are claiming jobless benefits as consumer confidence grows.
Chinese shares closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index also rose 0.2 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.1 percent.
Japan's Nikkei ended 0.1 percent lower after touching a fresh five-month peak.
South Korean's KOSPI fell 1.2 percent, as foreign investors sold shares.
Singapore's Straits Times Index lost 0.3 percent.
Australia's ASX gave up 0.8 percent.
Corporate news of the week
Anchor:
Let's check out some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Several Chinese gaming companies are choosing to list in Hong Kong instead of New York.
Among them, Online game developer and operator Giant Interactive is currently in the process of delisting from the New York Stock Exchange to list on the Hong Kong exchange next year.
Meanwhile, the mobile messaging service LINE, based in Japan, plans a major push in China this year, to set up locally-based teams, to compete with WeChat and WhatsApp in the mobile messaging service market.
For more on this, CRI's Paul James spoke with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Back to Anchor:
That was Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
Audit shows mismanagement at SOEs, 190 punished
China's top auditing body says that a total of 190 people at 11 state-owned enterprises have been punished for policy breaches or mismanagement.
The misdeeds were discovered during an audit launched last year.
According to reports released by the National Audit Office, investment projects run by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Resources did not follow procedures.
Irregularities were also found in the companies' financial management and internal regulation, including hefty spending on building golf courses, exaggerating material costs and buying shopping cards for employees.
Despite the irregularities, the NAO says the audited enterprises have made improvements to their regulations, and managed to retrieve and avoid losses amounting to 3.3 billion yuan, or nearly 550 million US dollars.
Friday's reports are based on the auditing of the balance sheets and income statements of the 11 SOEs for the year 2012.
Youku teams with Shanghai to build film production center
China's online video service provider Youku is teaming up with the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV to build a production center to create more micro movies and online series.
Gu Yongqiang, CEO of Youku Tudou, says the idea behind the center is to create a base to produce outstanding original content in a variety of formats.
They will also fund and nurture emerging filmmakers.
With more than 400 million users, Youku Tudou has invested in and produced many homegrown movies such as "Old Boys" and Ann Hui's "The Golden Era."
Beijing to Start First Lottery for Affordable Housing
The Beijing housing authority will reportedly launch a pilot lottery scheme on Monday, to allocate affordable apartments to eligible families.
Developer will offer nearly two-thousand apartments for the lottery, while around 130,000 households will be qualified to enter the pool.
The average price per square meter is limited to 22,000 yuan, or about 3,500 dolalrs, which is about half of that for commercial flats at the same location.
Siemens and Mitsubishi up Alstom bid
Siemens and Mitsubishi have upped their offer to buy the energy business of France's Alstom, in the latest move by competing bidders.
They have increased the cash component of their bid by 1.2bn to 8.2bn euros, or about 11 billion US dollars.
The improved offer raises the valuation of Alstom's energy business by 400 million euros to 14.6 billion euros.
The move by Siemens and Mitsubishi comes just a day after rival bidder General Electric sweetened its offer.
On Thursday, GE offered to create a joint venture with the firm's nuclear and energy businesses and to sell its profitable rail signalling business to Alstom.
But it did not increase its 17 billion dollar bid.
Alstom, which also makes the high-speed TGV train, is seen as one of France's key industrial firms.
Headline News
Chinese, Greek PMs meet to enhance ties, cooperation 2'36
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is now in Greece following a three-day visit to the UK. He has already met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
Li has suggested China and Greece can work together to explore new economic opportunities, particularly in maritime cooperation.
Part of his schedule in Greece is to hold the first-ever maritime cooperation forum between the two countries.
The Premier has witnessed the signing of more than 20 new deals, mostly covering investment, trade and finance.
Fierce battles for Baiji and Tal Afar in Iraq
Iraqi government forces and Islamist-led militants have been engaged in fierce battles for the Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq.
Baiji, Iraq's biggest refinery, is surrounded by the rebels, who say they have seized most of Tal Afar airport.
The fighting comes a day after the US said it would send some 300 military advisers to help the fight against the insurgents.
President Barack Obama stressed that US troops would not fight in Iraq.
He is also sending Secretary of State John Kerry to the region this weekend to consult with allies.
Blast kills 34 in Syria's Hama
A powerful car bombing in a government-held village in central Syria has killed at least 34 people and wounded more than 50 others.
State media say the explosion went off in Horrah village near the city of Hama.
Rebel forces have claimed responsibility, saying there were targeting local armed forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
On Thursday evening, a car bomb exploded near a school in the same region, killing three people and wounding nine.
South Korea Sewol ferry chief goes on trial
The trial has begun for the head of the company that operated the South Korean ferry that capsized and killed hundreds.
73-year-old Kim Han-sik and four employees are charged with negligence over claims that the company routinely overloaded the ferry.
A separate trial of the captain and 14 crew members started last week.
The ferry company's owner, Yoo Byung-eun, is still on the run.
370,000-plus affected in central China downpours
Heavy rain in central China's Hunan Province is affecting hundreds of thousands of people. At least 4 locals have been reported missing.
The authorities say more than 9 thousand people have been forced to relocate and over 200 homes have collapsed.
Rain and pooling water has blocked railways, highways and country roads alike. The downpour has also damaged electricity, communications, water facilities, and crops.
Forecasters say the rain will continue for another three days.
4 killed in China school building collapse
A family of four has been killed after a school building collapsed in east China's Jiangxi Province.
The victims are a 57-year-old teacher, his wife, and two grandsons, aged six and eight.
The four were sleeping in the two-story village school in Yihuang County when a rain-triggered mud-rock flow flattened it.
School sources say the teacher was taking his turn to tend the school and slept in the building with his family members.
Newspaper Picks
China News Service
"Beijing has most Fortune 500 headquarters in the world"
Beijing is home to a total of 48 Fortune Global 500 company headquarters.
The China Headquarters Economy Development Report has been released by the Social Sciences Academic Press.
Zhao Hong, deputy director at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, says China had 95 companies listed among the Fortune Global 500 last year, second only to the US.
Bloomberg reported the International Monetary Fund's managing director Christine Lagarde said in London this month that the IMF's headquarters may one day leave Washington for Beijing, aligning with China's growing influence on the world economy.
China Daily
"Brazil to help China develop soccer"
World Cup host Brazil is offering to help China achieve the goal of developing soccer into a truly national sport.
The Head of Brazil's Sports Ministry, Aldo Rebelo, says Brazil is willing to provide all kinds of support for China to help it get into the World Cup finals and even win the tournament one day.
Rebelo says that a key to developing soccer in China is to cultivate interest among the population and make the sport part of daily life.
He notes this may take time, but the first thing to do is to provide facilities for children to play soccer, regardless of whether they are in cities or villages.
Rebelo adds each country that wants to develop soccer needs to train talented players from a very early age.
The Telegraph
"Forcing children to play sports and do homework may be bad for them"
A new study says competitive parents should stop making children take piano lessons and play sport. The study believes turfing them out into the garden for unstructured play makes children better at achieving goals.
The research, conducted by the University of Colorado, found that playing outside and going on sightseeing trips can boost the chances of educational success of children.
But children who spend more time in structured activities such as football practice, piano lessons and homework had poorer ability to set and reach goals.
Researchers say executive function is extremely important for children. It helps them in all kinds of ways throughout their daily lives, from flexibly switching between different activities rather than getting stuck on one thing, to stopping themselves from yelling when angry, to delaying gratification.
Executive function during childhood also predicts important outcomes, like academic performance, health, wealth and criminality, years and even decades later.
India Express
"No health risk from cell phone radiation"
Experts have said radiations emitted by mobile phones and towers do not cause any health hazard.
Experts were speaking at a panel discussion on "Mobile network and public health" organised by the COAI, a leading mobile communications association.
R.V. Hosur at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research says ionising radiation causes damages to the molecules – they break the chemical bonds and can cause health hazards. But non-ionising radiation from mobile tower and antenna do not cause the breakage of bonds and do not cause damage to the molecules.
He adds a number of research and studies have been conducted around the globe to ascertain if there is any relationship between the radiation emission from the mobile phone and cancer. But there is no enough evidence proving mobile phones causes cancer in humans.
Special Reports
Americans want to escape suburbs for city life
Anchor:
After some 60 years of migrating to the suburbs, many Americans are now returning to neighborhoods closer to the city centre.
CRI's Li Dong explains.
Reporter:
Spencer McCallie lives near a beautiful lake far from town. He enjoys the cozy life, but he is thinking about moving back to the city.
"Gosh, I would drive 45 minutes to get there and then 45 minutes back."
McCallie is part of a growing group of Americans choosing cityscapes over cul-de-sacs. Heather Gustafson from CMK Realty, a housing agency in Chicago, Illinois, is noticing the trend:
"We're certainly finding that buyers want to be in walking distance to what cities have to offer."
Both empty nesters and new families are driving the demand for urban living. And that means higher prices.
Historically, Americans bought homes worth about three times their income. But now, the typical new home tops 320-thousand dollars - six times the average household income in the United States.
According to Josh Boak, Associated Press Economics Writer, that's partly down to business decisions made by home builders.
"Developers have made a conscious choice to build fewer homes, but charge higher prices in order to maintain their profit margins."
That's led to developers breaking ground on terrace housing developments like Basecamp River North in Chicago, where units start at half a million dollars.
Gustafson says, despite the price tag, there are people who think the benefits of urban living outweigh the cost.
"Shorter commutes to work; greater accessibility to restaurants, shopping and to public transportation."
A new poll by the American Planning Association says roughly 40 percent of the country still lives in suburbs, but just seven percent of those surveyed hope to stay there.
Boak says that's because, for decades, communities were designed in ways many people no longer want to live.
Act English Male
"The problem is we've had sixty years of suburban based construction that is focused on the car, so we have a mismatch in terms of what people want and between what the market is providing."
McCallie says adjusting to city life has been easy. Backyard strolls are being replaced by short trips to see local performances.
Act English Male
"It was great fun. And then after that we left with six other people and then ate at one of our favourite restaurants and came home. Would not have done any of that had we lived the 28 miles out."
That's all part of a dramatic shift towards downtown living.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
Sports
England is on brink of early exit
Still in the world cup,
Luis Suarez has put England on the brink of an early exit after scoring twice to give Uruguay a 2-1 victory.
In theory, England still has a chance to advance at the World Cup.
England' fans are still supporting their team.
"Unfortunately the results have not worked our way, you know. It's a little bit of a toothless performance tonight. I think they needed a bit more urgency but I'm at a World Cup, I'm in Brazil. What is there to be sad about?"
"I go to Rio now, back to Rio. I'm going to the game in Belo Horizonte. I still want to follow England."
If Italy tops the group with three wins, and England beat Costa Rica in its remaining group match, England, Uruguay, and Costa Rica will be tied with three points from three matches.
Among those three, the team with the best goal differential will advance.
In other action,
Colombia has booked a berth in the knockout stage after beating Cote d'Ivoire 2-1.
And Japan, despite numerous quality scoring chances, was held to a scoreless draw by Greece.
Preview of three World Cup fixtures on Saturday morning
In the World Cup,
The match between France and Switzerland is set to kick off at 3' o'clock in the morning Beijing time.
Both sides won their opening World Cup games.
France beat Honduras 3-0 and coach Didier Deschamps says he hopes his team's form will continue in Salvador, where there has been a goal fest.
"I hope we have a great game for the public that comes to the stadium as they want to see as many goals as possible. You can never promise anything, of course. It depends on what is going on, on the pitch. You may have very good goalless draws, but it is better if you score, everybody tries to score. Sometimes you have five goals but with the two matches that have been played in Salvador the spectacle was great and I hope we will do the same thing tomorrow."
Deschamps adds he has a full squad for the match now that midfielder Yohan Cabaye has recovered from a groin injury, but he's not offering any hints as to how he is going to line-up his side.
The last three head-to-head clashes between France and Switzerland have ended in draws and yielded a paltry two goals in the process.
In other action,
Italy is due to take on Costa Rica at midnight.
The Azzuri beat England 2-1 in their opening match, while Costa Rica beat Uruguay 3-1, so they are not to be underestimated.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli believes that Costa Rica offers plenty of attack and shouldn't be taken lightly.
"Our main issues regarding the opposite team is that they probably knows us very well, have studied closely our players performances, and have 3 forwards of great quality."
The 2006 World Cup winners suffered a group stage exit in 2010, and will be hoping for a win that will make their progress to the final 16 a virtual certainty.
At 6 am, Honduras will meet Ecuador.
Russia hosts a presentation for right to hold Euro 2020 matches in St Petersburg
Russia has presented its bid to host UEFA Euro 2020 matches in St Petersburg.
The UEFA Euro tournament will be staged in 13 cities across Europe in 2020, following a decision taken by the UEFA Executive Committee early last year.
This will be the first time the European championships have been held in more than two countries, with only one city from each country allowed to bid.
Board member of St Petersburg Football Association Dimitri Schneider has revealed that as part of the tournament's new format, tickets will act as a form of visa for fans to facilitate ease of travel.
"Our focus continues to be on the fans, just as it has been for the 2018 World Cup," said Schneider, "that is why the government signed an additional guarantee providing visa-free entrance in to the country for all ticket holders from the countries of Europe and beyond."
The U.S.S.R. was the first champion of the European Championship in 1960.
UEFA has received final bids from 19 member associations, the results of which will be announced in September.
Stacy Lewis takes lead at US Women's Open with a 67
In golf,
The PGA Tour's Travelers Championship has teed off at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.
Brendan Steele shot an 8-under 62 for a one-shot lead after the first round of play.
Americans Chad Campbell, Joe Durant, Jeff Maggert, Scott Langley and Eric Axley have carded 64s while 2010 winner and reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson has opened with a 67.
Steele won his only PGA Tour title at the 2011 Texas Open.
American world number five Matt Kuchar has opened with a 66 while compatriot Ken Duke, who won last year's Travelers Championship in a playoff with Chris Stroud, has returned a 65.
Australian Oliver Goss, one of four players in the field making their professional debuts this week, has carded a 70.
On the women's side,
World number one Stacy Lewis has taken a one-shot lead in the U.S. Women's Open first round at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
Bidding for a third major title, Lewis has birdied the 14th, 16th and the eighth after starting her round at the par-five 10th.
She finished one ahead of American Michelle Wie, who birdied four of her last nine holes late in the day.
Reigning champion Park Inbee of South Korea made a faltering start to her title defence, piling up four bogeys, two doubles and just two birdies to shoot a 76.
Lewis won her second major crown at last year's Women's British Open and has made the grand slam events her number one priority.
Entertainment
Drama series "Ten Years of Love" to launch on Tencent Video
Drama series "Ten Years of Love", or "Xiang Ai Shi Nian",(相爱十年) will go online on Tencent Video next Monday.
Starring Deng Chao, Dong Jie, Gao Hu and Wang Dazhi, the drama tells the story of three roommates in college who pursue fortune and love after graduation, encountering many ups and downs along the way.
The three young men go to Shenzhen in the south, at the forefront of China's Opening Up.
Their friendship and love gets tested as they succeed in fortune and social status.
The show was adapted from the best-selling book by Murong Xuecun, (慕容雪村) "Tiantang Xiang Zuo, Shenzhen Wang You".(天堂向左 深圳往右)
"Transformers 4" holds world premiere in HK
The stars of "Transformers: Age of Extinction" have attended the film's world premiere in Hong Kong.
Director Michael Bay was joined on the red carpet by new leading man Mark Wahlberg and cast members Li Bingbing, Stanley Tucci, and Kelsey Grammer.
Wahlberg is happy to join the "Transformers" family since he is a fan of the franchise.
The filmmaker praised him as a real leading man.
Chinese actress Li Bingbing has an important role in the film, playing a CEO of a biotech company which produces robots based on the metal Transformers are made of.
Hong Kong was a key location in this blockbuster.
But the movie's production was disrupted by two extortion attempts.
Director Michael Bay was reportedly hit in the head with an air conditioning unit.
The incident did not change Bay's positive opinion of the city though.
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" will open on the Chinese mainland next Friday.
"Maleficent", "Grace of Monaco" take on Chinese screens
Staying in films.
There are two Hollywood films out in the Chinese mainland today.
Firstly it's Angelina Jolie's latest film "Maleficent", the modern retelling of the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.
Another film out today is "Grace of Monaco".
The Biopic of the former Hollywood star Grace Kelly sees Nicole Kidman in the title role and Tim Roth as her husband Prince Rainier III.
Grace Kelly of course gave up her acting career to marry the Prince of Monaco but this story takes place at a time where she is trying to fight convention by accepting a role in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Another key moment is the growing tension between the ruling family of Monaco and French President Charles de Gaulle over the territory's tax status.
This film opened the Cannes film festival but was widely panned by critics.
But anyway from today, cinema goers in China will be able to make up their own mind.
"Dad, Where do we go?" second season premiere tonight
The second season of hit reality show "Dad, Where do we go?" is going to premiere tonight on Hunan Television.
The second season will follow the pattern of the previous one, featuring five dads and their children, but new ideas are brought into the show.
This season will see actors Francis Ng Chun Yu, Huang Lei and Lu Yi, singer Gary Tsao and former national gymnastics athlete Yang Wei.
The first episode of the show took inspiration from the ongoing World Cup.
Fathers took on a football match in a mud pool.
The defeated side will bear the punishment.
The first season of the show caused sensational effects last year, causing hot debate on father-child relationships in China.
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
The Chinese premier has arrived in Greece following his stop in the UK, and is suggesting greater maritime cooperation with the Mediterranean country should be a priority.
Japan is upset with South Korea over live-fire military drills taking place near disputed territory.
and fighting between government forces and militants continues near Iraq's largest oil refinery.
In business, many Chinese companies are choosing Hong Kong over New York.
In sports, England is on the brink of elimination at the World Cup.
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