The Beijing Hour
Morning Edition
It's Paul James with you on this Tuesday, July 8, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken time to blast those who would white-wash Japan's aggression during its invasion of China 77 years ago.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel here in Beijing.
People in both Gaza and Israel are struggling to deal with the significant escalation of tensions in the region.
In Business.... new analysis from the banking sector suggests inflation here in China is remaining steady.
In Sports... Beijing is still in the running for a shot a hosting the Winter Olympics in 2022.
In Entertainment... fashion week has kicked off in Hong Kong.
First, let's check in with what's happening with the weather....
Weather
Beijing will be sunny today with a high of 34 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 24.
Shanghai will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 30.
Overnight, it will be cloudy with a low of 25.
In Chongqing, it will be cloudy with a high of 36.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 26.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will be cloudy with a high of 41.
Kabul will be sunny with a high of 31.
Over to North America.
New York will be cloudy today with a high of 28 degrees.
Washington will be cloudy with a high of 36 degrees.
Honolulu, cloudy, 31.
Toronto, Canada, will see slight rain with a high of 23 degrees.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 12.
And Rio de Janeiro will have slight rain with a high of 23 degrees Celsius.
Top News
China marks 77th anniversary of start of anti-Japan war
Anchor
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken the opportunity to criticize those in Japan who would white-wash the history of Japanese agression during its invasion of China.
The President's comments have been made at a ceremony commemorating the start of the full-scale Japanese invasion of China 77-years ago.
CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.
Reporter
Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a speech marking the 77th anniversary of the start of the war.
Around 1,000 people, including China's senior leaders, attended the ceremony at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression in Beijing.
Japan had occupied China's northeast since 1931.
But its full-scale invasion of China started on July 7th, 1937 after Japanese troops attacked Chinese soldiers near the Lugou Bridge in southwest Beijing.
In his speech, Xi Jinping says that despite what happened in the past, there are still people out there who want to defy or beautify what happened following the invasion.
"It's a pity that a small minority of people still ignore the iron-clad history and the fact that tens of millions of innocent people sacrificed their lives in the war nearly 70 years after the victory of the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world's anti- fascist war. This minority has repeatedly denied or even beautified history and the invasion, undermining mutual trust among states and creating regional tensions. Such behavior has been strongly condemned by the world's peace-loving people."
The Chinese President says that no one can change history or truth.
"History is history, truth is truth, and no one can change history or truth. The Chinese people who sacrificed too much will firmly defend the history written with our blood and lives. If someone wants to deny, bend or even glorify the history of aggression, the Chinese people and the people of the world will never tolerate this."
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping also stresses that throughout history all military aggression has been doomed to fail and China will firmly stick to the path of peaceful development.
At least 35 million Chinese people were killed during the eight years of war that ended in 1945, the largest Asian war in the 20th century.
Chinese forces managed to contain the threat from Japanese troops and are regarded as a key part of the world's war against fascism.
Earlier this year, China's National People's Congress set September 3rd as the date to commemorate the victory over Japan.
Last week, China's State Archives Bureau began publishing the handwritten confessions of 45 Japanese war criminals.
The confessions contain details of atrocities conducted by Japanese troops against Chinese nationals.
For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.
Questions for Yang
Anchor:
For more on the issue, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Yang Bojiang, head of the institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
(callin with Yang)
Yang Bojiang, head of the institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
Original video of Japan's surrender shown to public for first time in China
A memorial hall in Hunan has, for the first time, released a clip of the original footage showing Japan signing the surrender to end its occupation of China in 1945.
The file footage, running around a minute-and-a-half, has been released to mark the 77th anniversary of the start of the War of Resistance Against Japanese aggression.
The film was made on August 21st, 1945.
Wu Jianhong is the curator of the Memorial Hall in Hunan.
"This is one of the shots taken when the Japanese representative, Yoshio Hashijima, was trying to wipe away his nervous sweat. This is the shot when the Japanese representatives were handing over their diagrams of troop deployments. It is the diagram showing the deployment of the entire 1.09 million Japanese armed forces in China. It was a very important moment and serves as a testimony of the history of the Japanese unconditional surrender to China."
The more than-20-minute-long film was taken by the U.S. representatives who attended the event on behalf of the Allies.
The full version of the film is expected to be released in September.
China, Germany pledge to expand practical cooperation
Anchor
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel have overseen the signing of a number of business deals as part of her time here in Beijing.
CRI's Luo Wen has the details.
----
Reporter
Following talks between Li Keqiang and Angela Merkel, the two have announced that China will allow Germans to invest up to 80 billion yuan, or some 13 billion US dollars, in China's stock exchanges through the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme.
The move is meant to help bolster the struggling stock markets and further internationalize the renminbi.
Premier Li Keqiang says the two sides have also agreed to enter into senior-level financial talks.
"We have agreed to launch a top level financial dialogue mechanism as soon as possible. China has already appointed yhe Bank of China as the RMB clearance bank in Frankfurt. We will allot 80 billion yuan in RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors quota to Germany. It will help to boost the set up of off-shore RMB market in Frankfurt. "
For her part, Angela Merkel says she wants to expand cooperation on a larger scale.
"The two governments have already established a profound cooperation framework. Now we can bring our cooperation to a wider field. Previously, our focuses were on trade and technology, and now we have included agriculture, food safety, environmental protection etc. China will be a partner country to join next year's CeBIT expo, it will kick off our cooperation in information and telecommunication. Apart from that, we will have a wider cooperation in other new areas including health care and urbanization."
As part of their meeting, the two have also overseen the signing of a number of business deals.
Among them, three Chinese aviation firms have signed deals with Airbus to purchase 123 helicopters.
German auto giant Volkswagen has also announced it is going to build two new plants in the coastal cities of Qingdao and Tianjin, in a deal worth some 2-billion euros.
The two sides have also agreed to work together on building an "ecopark" in Qingdao that will showcase energy-efficient buildings.
Qingdao used to be a German concession port in the early 20th century.
For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.
China, Germany pledge to boost cooperation, cement partnership
Following her meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, Chancellor Merkel has also met with President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders exchanged ideas on governance and regional and international issues.
Xi Jinping says he welcomes Germany's enthusiasm for his Silk Road Economic Belt plan, as well as German companies in the Chinese market.
He also suggests the two sides increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
For her part, Angela Merkel has told Xi Jinping the German side hopes to increase inter-governmental consultations and increase bilateral ties.
China, U.S. likely to progress on BIT talks in annual dialogue: Official
A leading Chinese official is suggesting China and the United States are likely to make progress on Bilateral Investment Treaty as part of their annual talks set for this week in Beijing.
The Strategic and Economic Dialogue, along with the High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, is going to be held in Beijing starting tomorrow.
As part of the economic discussions, Chinese vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao says there will be three major topics to discuss.
"The first one is the macro economy and the reform of China's economic structure. The second is to discuss deepening trade and investment cooperation. The third is the reform and opening up of the financial sector and transnational regulations."
The Chinese foreign ministry also says the strategic sessions should provide an opportunity to deal with areas of concern, such as maritime disputes and cyber security.
The US delegation is going to be led by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.
The Chinese side will be headed by vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
China asks ships to stay away from Typhoon Neoguri
A warning to shipping has gone out for Chinese vessels plying the East China Sea.
Super Typhoon Neoguri is going to roll through the region along the east coast of China over the next 48-hours.
The typhoon is currently packing winds of 185 kilometers per hour.
While it's not expected to make landfall in China, forecasters are advising shipping in the region to change their course to avoid the storm.
Forecasters are warning the massive typhoon is going to generate waves of as high as 12-meters in the fishing grounds off the coast of Fujian.
Neoguri is currently about 700-kilometers east of Taiwan and is tracking due north.
It's expected to make a turn into the Japanese home islands later this week.
Tension Escalates near Ukraine's Donetsk
Fighting between Ukraine government forces and separatists in eastern Ukraine is escalating.
Three bridges leading to Donetsk have been blown up.
Ukrainian media is reporting the bridges have been destroyed by the rebels in an attemp to slow down Ukrainian government forces.
Ukraine government forces have been on a major offensive, after regaining control of 4 cities in eastern Ukraine over the weekend.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Heletey.
"Let us raise the Ukrainian flag. The president wants the raising of the flag. He congratulates the soldiers. Mr. President, we have cleaned out all entrances to the town of Artemivsk that were mined."
The Ukraine government brought an end to a 10-day ceasefire last week.
Battles between Ukrainian government forces and the separatists have left over 400 people dead.
People Suffer as Israel-Gaza Tensions to Escalate
Anchor
With tensions at a boiling point between Israel and the Gaza Strip, ordinary people from both sides are struggling to cope with the situation.
CRI's Qizhi has more.
Reporter
Standing in her home in Sderot, a city in southern Israel, Alice recalls the rocket which hit her apartment last week.
"It happened last Wednesday, one thirty in the morning. We didn't make it to the safety room and there was an explosion and the house was filled with smoke. All of the windows were shattered. The girls were crying and screaming. Now they don't want to go out any more."
Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza.
Rockets fired from Gaza can reach the city within 15 seconds.
Amid the heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions, hundreds of rockets and mortars have been launched from Gaza into southern Israel.
The situation became even worse after nine Palestinians were killed Sunday night in Israeli air strikes.
Over 100 rockets were launched from Gaza on Monday alone.
Israeli Defense Forces are adding more troops into southern Israel, though the Israeli security cabinet has announced it isn't planning a ground offensive into Hamas-controlled Gaza.
However, the Israeli side says it is going to step up its air strikes.
Mukhaimar Abu Saada, a university professor in Gaza, says he believes Hamas is using the situation for its own ends.
"Maybe they are calculating their cards and they believe that a new cycle of violence with Israel will improve the situation right now politically and at all level in Gaza."
The escalation of violence is putting a lot of pressure on the people living in Gaza.
Adnan Abu Hanse is with the UN's Relief and Works Agency in Gaza.
He says a ceasefire is what's needed.
"The situation in Gaza is very bad and deteriorating hour after hour. Now the people here in Gaza are in a great panic. They think that the war is coming very soon. "
However, Doctor Uri Rosset, an Israeli expert in Mideast affairs, says brokering a ceasefire will depends on a number of things.
"First, whether Hamas decides to have a ceasefire. Second, whether the smaller organization will obey the orders from Hamas. And third, if they don't obey, whether Hamas will put pressure on them to obey. And also it depends on the retaliation of Israel. "
Israeli strikes on Monday have left 9 Hamas members dead.
This has prompted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to call on Israel to stop its strikes in Gaza.
For CRI, I'm Qizhi.
U.S. declines to comment on the arrest of an employee of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expresssing concern over reports about a German inteligence officer being caught working as a double agent for the United States.
Merkel says the incident could damage ties between two countries.
"On the question of a German man working as a double agent for U.S. intelligence department, we have already opened an investigation. If the reports are correct it would be a serious case. If the allegations are true, it would be for me a clear contradiction to what I consider to be a trustful cooperation between agencies and partners."
A German intelligence officer has been arrested for allegedly selling information connected to a German parliamentary investigation into the U.S. National Security Agency's tapping of Merkel's cell phone.
The White House is limiting its comments connected to the arrest.
Spokesperson John Earnest.
"The reason I can't comment on this particular matter is that it involves two things: the first is a pending German law enforcement investigation. I would not want to get ahead of that or interfere in that investigation. In addition, it obviously goes to purportedly direct intelligence matters related to the United States. And that's not something that I frequently comment from the podium here."
The US side does say it is going to work closely with the Merkel administration to resolve the situation.
The case risks further straining Berlin's ties with Washington, which are already being tested by revelations last year of large-scale snooping on Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency.
Biz Reports
Anchor
First off, a check on the closing numbers in the U.S and Europe.
Joining me on the desk, CRI's Fei Fei
Reporter
U.S. stocks pulled back on Monday, as investors took a breather after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 set record highs last week.
At the close, both the S&P 500 and the Dow lost around a third of a percent.
The Nasdaq ended down over three quarters of a percent.
Over in Europe,
Britain's FTSE 100 lost over half a percent.
France's CAC 40 closed down nearly one and a half percent.
Germany's DAX closed down over one-percent.
China's inflation growth forecast to drop
Analysis by a number of Chinese banks is suggesting the consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation, may have dropped slightly through June.
Analysis shows the CPI for last month is going to come down just slightly from May to around 2.4-percent.
Whole-year inflation is expected to come in below 2.5-percent.
Given that inflation remains under control, obsevers are suggesting this should allow the Chinese government room to further ease its monetary policies in the coming months.
Official government data for June's inflation, as well as the producer price index, is due out tomorrow.
China urges US to respect WTO rulings
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is calling on the US to respect the WTO's latest ruling against its countervailing and anti-dumping measures on certain Chinese products.
A WTO panel has concluded the US side has acted inconsistently with WTO rules in applying duties on some 7-billion US dollars worth of Chinese products.
The WTO appeals panel has concluded the US Commerce Department didn't adjust any of its policies to avoid applying double duties in some 25 different countervailing and anti-dumping investigations from 2006 to 2012.
The Chinese government initially launched the complaint two years ago.
China supports creation of BRICS development bank and CRA
The Chinese government is signaling its support behind the plan to create a BRICS Development Bank and contingency reserve.
The comments come ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance at a BRICS summit in Brazil next week.
Brazil proposed the establishment of a BRICS contingency reserve in 2012 as a way to ease short-term liquidity pressure and strengthen financial stability in a currency crisis.
The central banks of the BRICS countries are currently working on creating the operational aspects of the program.
BRICS is the acronym for five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Call-in with Gao Shang EU-based heating system manufacturer looks to tap into the south
Anchor:
An EU-based heating system manufacturer is now looking to localize its production here in China to tap into the growing business in the country's southern regions.
BDR Thermea, which exports more than one tenth of its products to China, typically cooperates with property developers in northern China, where existing homes usually have access to centralized heating.
But in southern China, which - by law - doesn't have central heating, is becoming an increasingly lucrative market, as more and more home-owners look for a more comfortable life in winter.
For more on heating here in China, we are joined on the line by Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.
1, How much viable potential is there for a company like BDR in Southern China?
2, How much of a strain would winter heating in southern China have on the natural gas supplies here in China?
3, When it comes to natural gas prices in China, what is the pricing scheme like? How much does the government subsidize the sector? And what are global prices like at the moment?
back anchor:
Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.
Eurogroup agrees to reduce tax burden on labor in members
Eurogroup finance ministers are now being tasked with reducing the high tax burden on laborers in the Euro area.
This comes following the monthly Eurogroup meeting in Brussels this week.
The finance ministers of Spain, Italy and the Netherlands have already put forward plans to increase the amount of take-home pay workers will get.
A number of euro-area governments brought in tax increases over the past few years to try to reduce their budget deficits.
But now that conditions are improving, there are new calls being put out for cutting taxes.
EFSF approves 1 bln euros disbursement to Greece
The Board of Directors of the European Financial Stability Facility has approved the disbursement of 1 billion euros to Greece.
This is the second tranche of a total of 8.3 billion euros approved by the Eurogroup.
So far the Eurogroup has pumped nearly 141-billion euros into Greece.
At the same time, 600 million euros has also been approved by the EFSF board to Cyprus.
Chinese Firm among Fortune Global 500 Top Three
For the first time ever, a Chinese company has made it into the top three of Fortune Magazine's Global 500 list.
Chinese oil giant Sinopec Group is now into the third spot, behind only US retailing giant Wal-Mart and Royal Dutch Shell.
At the same time, the number of Chinese companies on the list has grown by six to 100.
The Chinese companies on the list have combined revenues of some 5.8 trillion US dollars.
The United States still has the most companies on the Fortune 500 list, with a combined 8.6 trillion in revenues.
Audi sets new half-year sales record
German automaker Audi has announced its sold over 200-thousand automobiles in China through the first half of this year.
This represents an increase of some 20-percent year-on-year for Audi in the Chinese market.
Audi has also had its best first half-year sales worldwide, selling over 800-thousand vehicles.
Audi last month delivered over 150-thousand vehicles worldwide.
Cadillacs recalled over faulty key design
General Motors in Shanghai is recalling nearly 15-thousand imported Cadillac's.
Chinese authorities say the recall is due to a faulty ignition key design.
Accessories on the ignition key could lead to an unexpected key rotation, posing safety hazards.
Cadillac's SRX sport utility vehicles and CTS sedans are involved in the recall, which will begin next month.
Headline News
China marks 77th anniversary of start of anti-Japan war
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken the opportunity to criticize those in Japan who would white-wash the history of Japanese aggression during its invasion of China.
The President's comments have been made at a ceremony commemorating the start of the full-scale Japanese invasion of
As part of his speech yesterday, Xi Jinping says that despite what happened in the past, there are still people out there who want to defy or beautify what happened following the invasion.
Xi Jinping led a ceremony at the Marco Polo bridge in southwest China to commorate the 77th anniversary of the start of the War Against Japanese Aggression.
Japan's full-scale assault into China began on July 7th, 1937 following a shooting incident at the Marco Polo Bridge.
China, Germany pledge to expand practical cooperation
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel have overseen the signing of a number of business deals as part of her time here in Beijing.
Following their talks, the two have announced that China will allow Germans to invest up to 80 billion yuan, or some 13 billion US dollars, in China's stock exchanges through the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme.
The move is meant to help bolster the struggling stock markets and further internationalize the renminbi.
Other deals include three Chinese aviation firms to purchase 123 Airbus helicopters.
German auto giant Volkswagen has also announced it is going to build two new plants in China in a deal worth some 2-billion euros.
Israel to escalate Gaza air raids, refrain from large-scale operation
The Israeli security cabinet has decided it will not be launching large-scale military operations into Gaza.
But the Israeli airforce is going to up the number of air strikes it's been launching into the Hamas-controlled enclave.
The decision by the security cabinet comes amid a growing number of rocket launches from Gaza into southern Israel.
Aside from the decision to increase air strikes, Israeli forces are also going to deploy more anti-missile batteries in the so-called Iron Dome, along with calling up an additional 15-hundred reservists.
Tensions have been running high in the region following the abduction and murder of three Israeli teens last month, followed by the abduction and murder of a Palestinian teen this past week.
Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai takes lead as Afghan Election Commission announces preliminary results
Afghanistan's election commission has released the preliminary results of the presidential runoff election, showing Ashraf Ghani has won.
Preliminary results show Ghani has taken over 56-percent of the vote.
His challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abudullah has garnered just under 44-percent.
The final results of the June vote are expected to be released next month.
Abdullah is alleging Ghani supporters stuffed the ballot boxes, and is rejecting the results as unacceptable.
Mexico earthquake kills at least one
At least one person is dead following a strong earthquake in Mexico on Monday.
The 6.9 magnitude quake hit along the southwest coast of the country shortly after 6am local time.
The quake hit at a relatively deep depth of some 60-kilometers, which has limited the surface shaking.
So far damage appears to be confined to the immediate region around the epicenter, with cracks appearing in local homes.
Newspaper Picks
THE BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Xi Jinping to attend BRICS
Summary
The Chinese government has announced Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a BRICS summit in Brazil and visit three other Latin American countries later this month.
CHINA DAILY
Headline
Victims of WWII Chongqing bombings identified
Summary
Chinese historians have identified 26-hundred-60 victims of Japanese bombings in Chongqing.
Air strikes on the city from 1939 to 1941, left more than 30,000 people dead or injured in Chongqing, which was the "wartime capital" established by the Kuomintang government.
PEOPLE'S DAILY
Headline
Flooding fatalities
Summary
The Ministry of Civil Affairs says fifteen people have been killed and eight others are missing amid heavy rains and flooding in parts of southern China.
Over 60-thousand have been displaced.
Direct economic losses are being pegged at 3.4 billion yuan.
BEIJING YOUTH DAILY
Headline
Reward for informants
Summary
Police have posted a picture of the suspected arsonist behind a bus fire in Hangzhou over the weekend.
The young man is in hospital after allegedly lighting paint thinner on fire on a packed public transit bus on Saturday.
Close to 30 people were hospitalized following the blaze.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Hunan railroad sabotaged
Summary
A high-speed rail line in Hunan has been sabotaged for the second time in a month.
The perpetrators placed triangle-shaped metal objects on the rail line, apparently with the plan to derail trains on the line.
So far no suspects have been identified.
SHANGHAI DAILY
Headline
Anti-graft report on Fudan
Summary
Central disciplinary inspectors are critiziging Fudan University for mismanaging scientific research funds and school-run companies.
Inspectors also say that many hospitals affiliated to Fudan have complicated ownership problems.
Special Reports
Protective Masks Setting New Trend at Hong Kong Fashion Week
Anchor
This year's Hong Kong fashion week is underway, with the latest spring and summer collections on display.
One of the collections inspired by Beijing is designed to try to make breathing cleaner air more trendy.
CRI's Alexander Aucott explains.
Reporter
"I have been making a collection that is inspired by Beijing and so i wanted to incorporate the masks as at the moment pollution is something that everyone is tacking. And so i approached a company called Vog mask as I wanted to put a nice mask into the designs I didn't just sew in some mask from some supermarket or something like that."
Nina Griffee is a Hong Kong based fashion designer and artist who spent five years living in the Chinese capital.
Inspired by the city where she believes that people are not reticent to try something new, she came up with the idea to renovate the concept of masks.
"If Anything it's like wearing a hat or a scarf or a pear of earrings. You know a lot of people say to me 'isn't it terrible having to wear a mask?' and I say well it's like with everything if you choose to enjoy it you know it can be fine. You can wear you clothes to match it and look like a ninja sometimes."
Some of her designs are quite simple with patterns such as snake fangs, or a gas mask drawn on the front.
Others might attach into other garments such as ponchos or shawls to make more of a simple and subtle fashion statement and help you create an outfit based on the garment
While other designs are pure art and a bit off the wall but should create a lot of buzz around the collection.
It's all good and well having the designs looking great but how well do they actually function?
Chris Dobbing, Vog Masks representative in Beijing, certainly has his confidence on that.
"A lot of people will buy a mask because they like the look of it without actually doing the research to make sure it functions well. We filter out 99.87 percent of particles down to PM 1. So we filter a very high percentage of a very very small particle and it works very very effectively."
The masks are already for sale in some hospitals and international schools here in Beijing.
And if interested, you can try them on at the Hong Kong Fashion Week.
And just as Linda Li, who has been working with Nina says, the collection is about more than just fashion.
"Beijing I think is a place where you can experiment with a lot of things and a place where you can make statements as well. This is not just about fashion it's also a health statement so if being healthy is fashionable then why not make that a fashion statement?"
For CRI I'm Alexander Aucott.
Sports
Beijing, Oslo and Almaty declared 2022 Winter Olympics candidates
Beijing has been declared as one of the three cities left in the running to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee has also tapped cities in Norway and Kazakhstan as the other contenders.
IOC President Thomas Bach.
"Taking into consideration the results of the expert working group, the IOC executive board has selected the cities of Oslo, Almaty and Beijing as candidate cities for the Olympic Winter Games 2022."
The bid began with six cities.
However, Stockholm, Sweden and Krakow, Poland pulled out, citing economic concerns.
The Ukrainian city of Lviv is going to concentrate on a prospective 2026 bid due to the current turbulence in the country.
And the race could come down to a straight choice between Almaty and Beijing, as the future of Oslo's bid remains uncertain.
The Norwegian government will decide in this November whether to back the project.
The Beijing proposal would see the Games co-hosted by Zhangjiakou in neighboring Hebei.
Beijing would host the ice events, while Zhangjiakou would be home to the alpine sports.
Yang Xiaochao is with the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games bid committee.
"Holding the Games in Beijing would make a lot of sense. As you know, this is a co-bid between Beijing and Zhangiakou. The two cities complement each other, as Beijing has a lot of advantages in ice sports, while Zhangiakou has a natural environment for snow sports."
The bid cities will have to submit their detailed bids to the IOC by next January.
The host city will be selected next summer.
World Cup: FIFA defends referees; Silva suspension upheld
Football's governing body FIFA is rejecting claims that referees at the World Cup have been instructed to be lenient with fouls to provide a more entertaining tournament.
A report in a German newspaper claims the referees have been directed not to give out many red or yellow cards.
FIFA spokesperson Walter de Gregorio.
"But I just want to make it clear - this is affecting our core business. We have to protect the players, they are the main actors and if - coming back to the Neymar case - if Neymar is not playing the semi final and the final, it is not good for us too. I mean we would love to see him playing - so how can you say this is intentionally made by FIFA to let the entertainment take his own path?"
So far, the tournament has seen 168 yellow cards issued through 60 matches - an average of 2.8 per match.
An average of 3.8 yellows were handed out per game in South Africa four years ago.
In other World Cup news:
Brazil Defender Thiago Silva will miss Tuesday's semi-final against Germany after the hosts failed in their bid to have his yellow card overturned.
The Brazil captain was booked in Friday's win against Colombia, which is his second yellow of the tournament.
Brazil is already without its star forward Neymar for the rest of the World Cup after he fractured a vertebra against Colombia.
Both Neymar and the Brazilian football confederation have denied media reports that the striker could undergo special treatment to try to play in the World Cup final if Brazil makes it that far.
Real Madrid legend Di Stefano dies
Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has died.
The 88-year-old, the club's honorary president, has passed away after suffering a heart attack over the weekend.
Di Stefano won five straight European Cups, scoring in each final between 1956 and 1960.
The Argentinian-born forward also won eight Spanish league titles and was voted European player of the year in 1957 and 1959.
He left Real Madrid in 1964 at the age of 38, having scored more than 300 goals across 11 seasons.
Di Stefano then came back as the club's manager in 1982 for a couple of years.
He became honorary Real Madrid president in 2000.
Kittel wins stage 3 of Tour de France
In cycling,
German Marcel Kittel used a late sprint to win the 3rd stage of the Tour de France.
Stage three, the final stage in the UK, ran from Cambridge to London.
Kittel, riding for Giant-Shimano, has won two of the three stages in this year's race.
Slovakia's Peter Sagan finished second, ahead of Australia's Mark Renshaw in third.
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali has retained the overall race lead.
Kimi Raikkonen out of Silverstone test after crash
In Formula 1,
Ferrari has announced its going to rest Kimi Raikkonen at this week's test session at Silverstone.
The decision follows a high-speed crash he was involved in at the British Grand Prix this weekend.
The 34-year-old Finn bruised his legs in the crash, which saw him slam into a barrier at more than 240km per hour on the first lap of Sunday's race.
The 2007 world champion managed to walk away with just bruising.
Ferrari says it expects Raikkonen to be available for the German Grand Prix on July 20th.
Li Na retains 2nd place world ranking
This week's Women's Tennis Association rankings are out.
Chinese ace Li Na has retained her 2nd place ranking in the world, despite her relatively early exit from Wimbledon.
However, she's now running the risk of dropping in the world rankings, as 3rd ranked Simona Halep of Romania, who made it to the semi-finals at the All England Club, is quickly approaching her in the points ratings.
Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic has moved up 2 spots to 4th.
Rising Canadian star Euginie Bouchard has seen the biggest rankings jump this week.
The 20-year old, who lost to Kvitova in the final at Wimbledon, has moved up 6 spots from 13th to 7th in the world.
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On the men's side,
Novak Djokovic has regained his world number-1 ranking thanks to his victory at Wimbledon, surpassing Spain's Raphael Nadal.
Switzerland's Roger Federer and Stan Warwrinka sit 3rd and 4th respectively.
Czech Thomas Berdych rounds out the top-5.
Entertainment
HONG KONG FASHION WEEK KICKS OFF
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer kicked off on Tuesday(7 JULY 2014).
Three Indonesian designer brands - Ika Butoni, Clara Tan and ZeevanCo by Meggie - showed their upcoming spring and summer threads.
Featuring light-weight, ethereal womenswear and smart men's designs, Clara Tan made her collection more everyday-wearable rather than runway pieces, in order to tap into the booming China market.
"I think from my collection I have like ready-to-wear. The ready-to-wear, I think, the China market can afford, like to medium (price range), yes. And the couture, because I have the couture line as well, so maybe like a high end target, something like that," she explained.
Ika Butoni, whose brand is based in Hong Kong, played with bright colors and indigenous patterns from her native Indonesia in her new collection.
Butoni feels that designers wanting to enter the Hong Kong market are struggling to strike a balance between maintaining a unique style and meeting buyers' expectations.
Another brand featured in the opening show, ZeevanCo by Meggie, from designer Meggie Hadiyanto, brought spring blossoms to the stage with evening dresses in pastel colors.
Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring/Summer runs from July 7 to July 10 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Wulong Park to officially sue Transformers' producing companies
As the blockbuster film "Transformers: Age of Extinction" dominates box-offices around the world, the film's production companies are facing legal troubles in China.
The Wulong Karst National Park in southwest China's Chongqing municipality has confirmed it is suing Paramount Pictures and the the U.S. studio's Chinese partners, who jointly produced the new "Transformers."
As a UNESCO World Heritage site in Chongqing, the Wulong Park was reported to invest at least one-million dollars to be promoted in the film.
However, the site was not clearly identified with text when it appeared in the movie.
Paramount and its partners in China claim that Wulong Park defaulted on its payment for five months, delaying the film's production cycle.
Being that the two sides could not come to an agreement on the matter, Wulong Park officially filed a legal suit against the two production companies for incurred losses.
The "Transformers" movies have a huge fan base in China. The first three films in the franchise saw huge success at domestic box offices. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" earned some one-billion yuan in 2011.
As of Monday, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" has raked in over 212 million US dollars in China, encroaching on "Avatar's" 217.7 million-US-dollar record set in 2010.
Russia Tops Asian Wheelchair Dance Tournament in Beijing
The Asian Wheelchair Dance Invitational Tournament has concluded in Beijing as Russia scooped five gold medals across seven competition events.
A total of 116 contestants from eight countries, including China, Russia, South Korea and Japan, participated in the Beijing tournament.
Russia grabbed five golds out of the seven competitive events, with the other two golds going to Slovakia and South Korea, respectively.
Shi Ke, a 55-year-old Chinese competitor, says she has been practicing her dance moves for five years since she got involved in the sport at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
"The wheelchair dance not only prompts us to do physical exercise, but also entertains us mentally. It also allows me to meet many friends, and it integrates rehabilitation for the disabled. All my dance partners are able-bodied and have volunteered to coach us, while serving as our partners."
The tournament started on July 4.
PINK FLOYD TO RELEASE FIRST ALBUM IN TWO DECADES
Pink Floyd are set to release their first album in 20 years.
The new record, called "The Endless River," is due for release in October 2014.
According to a statement released by the band, "The Endless River" will be an album of mainly ambient and instrumental music based on the 1993-1994 Division Bell Sessions with David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright.
No further details have been provided.
Pink Floyd - which has sold 250 million albums - achieved worldwide fame in the 1970s and 1980s with albums including "The Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."
After numerous line-up changes over the years, founding members David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright reunited in 2005 to perform at Live 8 in London's Hyde Park.
"COSMOS" NETS BIGGEST GLOBAL AUDIENCE EVER FOR NAT-GEO
"Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" has become the most-watched series of all time for National Geographic Channel International.
National Geographic announced on Wednesday that around 135 million people in 180 countries have viewed at least a portion of the 13-episode science series since its March 3rd premiere in the U.S.
Using a unified scheduling approach that calls for each episode to be aired within one week of its U.S. debut, "Cosmos" became the most-watched show for the network by midseason.
"Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" is the recent iteration of the 1980s series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" with astronomer, Carl Sagan.
The new "Cosmos" is hosted by American astrophysicist and renowned science advocate, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
The show has likewise earned critical acclaim around the world.
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken time to blast those who would white-wash Japan's agression during its invasion of China 77 years ago.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel here in Beijing.
People in both Gaza and Israel are struggling to deal with the significant escallation of tensions in the region.
In Business.... new analysis from the banking sector suggests inflation here in China is remaining steady.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together. |