The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Shane Bigham with you this Monday, July 21st, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
Super typhoon Rammasun has claimed over 100 lives across Asia, with nearly a quarter of the fatalities recorded in southern China..
Ukraine is offering to let the Netherlands take control of the investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Most of the passengers were Dutch.
and the UN security council is demanding an immediate ceasefire on the Gaza Strip...
In business, Gas and diesel prices in China are going down...
In sports, a rider from Khazakstan wins the 13th Tour of Qinghai Lake cycling race...
In entertainment, big gains at the box office for Chinese movie theatres...
Weather
We will start from the southern cities of Haikou and Guangzhou today, that are both affected by Typhoon Rammasun last week.
Haikou will be clear today and tomorrow with the temperatures ranging from 26 to 33 degrees Celsius.
Guangzhou will also be clear tonight with a low of 25.
Beijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 28 degrees Celsius. It will be overcast tomorrow with a high of 31 degrees.
Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 28, tomorrow sunny, with a high of 29.
Chongqing will be clear tonight, 28 degrees the low, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 37.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, cloudy with a high of 39.
Kabul, sunny, 33.
Over in Australia
Sydney, slight rain, high of 17.
Canberra, cloudy,12.
Brisbane, slight rain, 20.
And finally, Perth will be rainy with a high of 14.
Top News
Rammasun claims over 110 lives as death toll in China rises
Anchor:
Super Typhoon Rammasun has claimed 115 lives across Asia.
Twenty-six of them are reported in China.
CRI's Min Rui has more.
Reporter:
Four Chinese provinces have been battered by the storm, the strongest one to hit south China in four decades.
Along with the 26 confirmed deaths, it has affected over 8 million people in Hainan, Guangdong, Yunnan and Guangxi.
The super typhoon made landfall in the southern Hainan on Friday, packing winds of up to 134 kilometers per hour.
The provincial capital Haikou, has taken the worst hit, with widespread power outages and water shortages.
Over 1 million households are without electricity.
The super typhoon also destroyed almost every single traffic light across the city.
Local authorities say it will take three months to fix all the lights.
"The situation is quite severe. Almost all the traffic lights are out of order. It sometimes takes three or four hours to repair the lights."
Food prices in the city soared over the weekend as the disaster also affected local transportation.
Fu Mingquan, director of the local commerce department, says food deliveries have resumed as the typhoon weakened.
"By 8 am on Sunday, over 2000 tons of vegetable had been transported to stricken areas via 109 vehicles. Vegetable supply is now adequate."
Authorities estimate Rammasun has caused over 26 billion yuan in economic losses in the country.
The typhoon also left 11 people dead in neighboring Vietnam as it made landfall in the country on Saturday morning.
Rammasun struck the Philippines earlier last week, killing at least 77 people and displacing more than half a million.
Although now weakened, torrential rain triggered by the typhoon continues to hit the Chinese mainland, even to the northeast region.
Heavy rain in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has resulted in two deaths.
A third person is listed as missing.
Over 1,300 houses have been damaged and evacuation orders affect 5,100 people.
China's meteorological authority warns that the torrential rain will last until Tuesday.
Another typhoon, Matmo, is expected to hit Taiwan on Tuesday and make landfall in southeast China's Fujian Province.
For CRI, I'm Min Rui.
China, Venezuela to expand their cooperation
Leaders from China and Venezuela are pledging broader cooperation.
The pledge was made after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro.
"China has full confidence in the development of our bilateral ties. We're willing to make efforts, along with Venezuela, to always be friends, to have mutual trust and be excellent partners of mutual cooperation to move our relationship ahead constantly."
Xi Jinping says China is ready to expand satellite technology transfers to Venezuela.
He also encourages Chinese companies to participate in building Venezuela's special economic zones.
Cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and media are also expected, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says political trust between the two sides has been solid.
"Today, we've decided to elevate that path to a higher level and declare a comprehensive strategic association between China and Venezuela. So, as of today, we begin to construct a comprehensive alliance."
Xi Jinping is in Caracas for the third leg of his tour of Latin America, which will take him to Cuba.
China, Venezuela see a brighter future
Anchor:
Observers from both China and Venezuela are expressing optimism regarding ties between the countries.
They are also offering opinions on future cooperation opportunities.
For more on this, CRI' Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter:
Zhao Rongxian, Chinese ambassador to Venezuela, says the two sides have shared in some fruitful projects.
"Regarding the high-tech sector, we have jointly launched two satellites. We have seen vehicles made in China running on roads in Venezuela. China is also helping Venezuela build railways and houses. At the same time, Venezuela's oil imports are a key component in China's energy sector."
Last year saw some 19 billion U.S. dollars in investments between China and Venezuela, in areas including agriculture, infrastructure, high-tech, and oil.
During Xi Jinping's visit this time, more deals are expected to be inked in those areas, with others signed in the finance sector.
Ernesto Wong, a professor from the Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela, says he thinks Venezuela has a lot to learn from China, especially in sustainable development and clean energy.
"Speaking of the sustainable development in Venezuela, China has many experiences to share. We have seen China has achieved progress in eco-development, particularly in clean energies like wind power. Cooperating with China will really help Venezuela's development."
Wong adds bilateral cooperation are not only economic but also highly relevant to people's livelihoods.
Wong also forecasts the cooperation between the two sides will have a very promising future.
"The Chinese President's visit will further boost trade between China and Venezuela. In my opinion, a further step would be the founding of joint venture companies. Venezuela should release policies to facilitate Chinese investment in our markets. This is very important and a pre-condition of cooperation with China. "
The professor notes that China has provided training for staff members in Venezuela who work on satellite projects.
He also emphasizes the need for more cultural exchanges between China and Venezuela, saying the relationship between the countries will grow faster if people on each side have a better understanding of one another.
For CRI, This is Xie Zhao.
Kharhiv prepared to receive bodies; Putin pledge to end conflict
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyiuk says 272 bodies of the downed Malaysian airplane has been recovered.
He is offering to allow the Netherlands control of the investigation into the crash, which left 298 people dead.
"I underline once again that we are ready to pass the guidance and coordination of this investigation to the Netherlands as the country that suffered the most, with the involvement of the whole international community."
His comment comes after an international investigation team arrived in Kiev earlier today.
Meanwhile the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has inspected the crash site.
Michael Bociurkiw is the Spokesperson for the organization.
"We did have a look inside the (train) wagons. We are going to report that it was impossible to do an accurate (body) count due to circumstances and we mentioned the tagging, there seemed to be a tagging system. We received indications from the people that were there that those wagons will stay put until international representatives come there and then a decision will be taken and I think that's as far as we can go in terms of that answer."
For more on this, I spoke earlier with Vasyl Myroshnychenko, a Kiev based journalist.
As the international investigators have not entered the crash site, fightings between the government forces and the rebels in the region of Donesk have break out today.
Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his call for not using the crash as a political call, and pledged to help bring Ukrainian conflict to an end.
"For its part, Russia will do everything that we can so that the conflict in eastern Ukraine moves from today's military phase to a discussion phase at the negotiating table, (by) exclusively peaceful and diplomatic means."
For more on the Russian site, CRI's Xu Qinduo earlier spoke with Konstantin Shirpin, A Beijing-based Russian journalist.
That is Konstantin Shirpin, A Beijing-based Russian journalist speaking with CRI's Xu Qinduo.
UN Security Council demands ceasefire in Gaza
Anchor:
The United Nations Security Council has demanded an immediate end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip after an emergency meeting.
The meeting follows the deadliest day of fighting to date since the conflict flared up about two weeks ago, with over 113 people killed on Sunday.
CRI's Alexander Aucott has more.
Reporter:
Addressing the rising civilian death toll, the UN Security Council has called for an immediate cease-fire and the protection of civilians.
Eugene-Richard Gasana is the UN Ambassador of Rwanda and the rotating president of the Security Council.
"The members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of hostilities based on a return to the November 2012 cease-fire agreement. The members of the Security Council welcomed the efforts of Egypt to broker a cease-fire, as well as those of the Secretary-General."
The council met at the request of Jordan, which has proposed a more strongly worded draft resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
But the resolution was not discussed at the meeting, and the Security Council still backs Egypt's efforts to broker a cease-fire.
As a diplomatic effort to end the violence, UN chief Ban Ki-moon is now touring around Middle East nations to encourage a cease-fire.
Earlier, he called Israel's latest shelling in Gaza as "atrocious".
Chinese President Xi Jinping has also expressed concerns about the escalating conflict in Gaza, saying China will continue its efforts to ease tensions between Palestine and Israel.
China's special envoy Wu Sike is currently in Jordan for talks on the Gaza conflict.
He says China supports the cease-fire plan brokered by Egypt.
"China believes that military actions can not solve the problems in Palestine and the region. We have been affirming that political talks are the best way out of the current tension. I think Egypt's plan is in line with our stance."
The Egyptian plan asks both sides to cease fire without preconditions and to try to negotiate a new border deal easing the blockade of Gaza.
But Hamas has rejected the plan and is relying on governments in Qartar and Turkey for an alternative proposal.
Qatar is seen as a strategic player in brokering the cease-fire deal since Hamas's relationship with Egypt has soured following the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood.
As part of the international effort to reach a ceasefire, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also due to arrive in Egypt later today.
Amid the international call for truce, Israel continues airstrikes and ground operation in Gaza on Monday.
At least 20 Palestinians have been killed so far.
Israel also denies report that one of its soldiers has been captured by Hamas in overnight fighting.
The shelling comes after over 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza's Shujiayea neighborhood on Sunday.
Israeli forces say they are targeting a network of underground tunnels which Hamas fighters use to attack Israeli troops.
A total of 501 people have been killed and over 83,000 people have been displaced in the region since the latest conflict began earlier this month.
For CRI, I'm Alexander Aucott .
Biz Reports
Most Asian stock markets edged higher on Monday, as investors set aside geopolitical concerns for the moment to focus on the generally upbeat flow of U.S. corporate earnings ahead of a host of results due this week.
Chinese shares closed mixed on Monday.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.2 percent, while the Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.2 percent.
Hongkong's Hang Seng shed 0.3.
Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, dropped 0.3.
PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, was down 0.2 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei took a holiday.
South Korea's KOSPI shed 0.1 percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index advanced 0.1%.
Australia's SP&ASX 200 gained 0.1 percent.
Waning lock-up shares eligible for trade
According to data from China's two stock exchanges, the value of lock-up shares becoming eligible for trade on the stock market this week will dip from the previous week.
From Monday to Friday, 22 listed companies on the two bourses are being released to the market after lock-up agreements expire.
Shares of the listed companies are worth 23 billion yuan, or about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars.
The value represents a minor decline compared to 24.9 billion yuan the previous week.
Under China's market rules, major shareholders of non-tradable stocks are subject to a lock-up period of one or two years before they are permitted to sell their shares.
China Lowers Gasoline, Diesel Prices
China's top economic regulator has lowered gasoline and diesel prices starting from midnight Monday.
It is the biggest drop this year.
The National Development and Reform Commission said the price of gasoline will be lowered by 245 yuan per tonne, while the cost of diesel will drop by 235 yuan per tonne.
The adjustment means the benchmark retail price of No.90 gasoline will drop by 0.18 yuan per liter and that of diesel down by 0.2 yuan per liter.
China, Switzerland sign currency swap agreement
China's central bank has signed a currency swap agreement with the Swiss National Bank worth 150 billion yuan, or 24.4 billion U.S. dollars.
The People's Bank of China says the term of the swap agreement will be three years and can be extended if both parties agree.
The signing of the currency swap deal can help facilitate trade and investment between the two sides.
It also provides liquidity support for the development of the offshore yuan market in Switzerland.
The Swiss National Bank says it has also been granted an investment quota for the Chinese interbank bond market in the amount of 15 billion yuan.
Since 2009, China has set up bilateral currency swap lines with more than 20 countries and regions.
Is China's housing market facing "historical turning point"?
A Chinese think-tank affiliated to the country's cabinet is suggesting that China's real-estate market is facing a long adjustment period.
Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, says he believes the housing market is facing a "historical turning point."
New analysis is suggesting investments into the housing sector aren't likely to see annual growth of any more than 5 percent in the coming years.
The latest government figures show home prices here in China have continued on a downward trend through this past month.
New home prices in 55 of the 70 major cities monitored have shown a month-on-month drops through June, compared with 35 in May.
However, on a year-on-year basis, new home prices in most cities are still higher.
In response to the market slowdown, around 20 regions have either lifted or eased restrictions on home purchases.
For more on China's housing market, CRI's Paul James spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of International Business and Economics.
That was Mike Bastin, visiting professor at China's University of International Business and Economics, talking with CRI's Paul James.
Yum, McDonald's express concern in China food supplier safety scare
U.S. fast food chains McDonald's and KFC have expressed concern on their food supplier safety scare in China.
The two have promised to stop using a Shanghai meat supplier after Chinese regulators shut the firm down over food safety concerns.
The company, Shanghai Husi Food Co., Ltd, was reportedly reprocessed meat products that were beyond their expiration dates and re-sold them to the fast-food chains.
An official from the suspect company, a member of the U.S. OSI Group, says the firm is working with local authorities to investigate the matter, but declines to comment further.
According to its website, OSI has been supplying McDonald's in China since 1992 and Yum Brands, owner of KFC, since 2008.
Authorities say the questionable product was also sold to Pizza Hut.
The incident is a headache for Yum and McDonald's, since the pair were hit by a food safety scandal in China in 2012.
Headline News
Rammasun claims over 110 lives as death toll in China rises
The death toll from the Super Typhoon Rammasun here in China has rised to 33 by now.
The typhoon struck south Hainan Province late Friday after passing through the Philippines, where it killed at least 77 people.
It was said to be the strongest one to hit southern China in four decades.
After making several landing in the Chinese mainland, it weakened to torrential storm and landed in Vietnam.
The death toll there has stood at 11.
China, Venezuela to expand their cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro are pledging broader cooperation.
The two leaders also agreed to lift biliateral ties into comprehensive strategic relationships.
Xi Jinping says China is ready to expand satellite technology transfers to Venezuela.
He also encourages Chinese companies to participate in building Venezuela's special economic zones.
Cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and media are also expected, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Xi Jinping is in Caracas for the third leg of his tour of Latin America, which will take him to Cuba.
Kharhiv prepared to receive bodies; Putin pledge to end conflict
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyiuk says 272 bodies of the downed Malaysian airplane has been recovered.
He is offering to allow the Netherlands control of the investigation into the crash, which left 298 people dead.
His comment comes after an international investigation team arrived in Kiev earlier today.
Meanwhile fresh fighting between the government forces and the rebels in the region of Donesk has break out today.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his call for not using the crash as a political call, and pledged to help bring Ukrainian conflict to an end.
UN Security Council demands ceasefire in Gaza
The United Nations Security Council has demanded an immediate end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip after an emergency meeting.
As a diplomatic effort to end the violence, UN chief Ban Ki-moon is now touring around Middle East nations to encourage a cease-fire.
Hamas has so far rejected a ceasefire plan proposed by Egypt.
Amid the international call for truce, Israel continues airstrikes and ground operation in Gaza on Monday.
At least 509 Palestinians have been killed so far.
S. Korea, DPRK resume joint excavation of ancient palace: S. Korean official
Excavation of an ancient royal palace in North Korea is set to resume, following a three-year break.
The joint excavation involving experts from the North and the South stopped in 2011 following the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. It had begun in 2007.
Officials in the South have confirmed that a team of 13 experts will arrive in Kaesong on Tuesday, and will continue excavating the ruins of Manwoldae, the official royal palace of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Another 32 experts will head north next month.
The vast 10th-century royal palace is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Newspaper Picks
Shanghai Daily
Wider women's parking spaces drive sexism debate
The parking spaces outside a shopping mall in the northern port city of Dalian are distinctive: marked out in pink, stating "Respectfully reserved for women."
And there's also the fact that they're about 30 centimeters wider than normal.
The mall managers said they just wanted to make things easier for women, who make up most of our customers.
However, some members of the public were keen to link the initiative to stereotypes about women drivers.
Driving standards in China are often lamentable, regardless of which gender is at the wheel.
Latest figures show that 60-thousand people died on China's roads in 2012.
The parking initiative is not unprecedented — other countries have similar female-dedicated spaces, including South Korea and various European nations.
--
China News Service
Villagers turn to smartphones, blogs to promote harvest
Villagers in a section of Tianjin are turning to the modern grapevine to get word out on their produce.
506 families in the village Shuangjie got a smartphone from local government and promote their products on micro blogs and WeChat, a popular instant messaging platform.
Trainers from a micro blog platform launched a training program for villagers covering e-commerce, using smartphones and micro blogs and online transactions.
Local authorities say because the village's grape harvest is 20 days earlier than in other cities in North China, the produce is expected to sell outside Tianjin.
The village has established grape-related businesses, producing wine, grape juice and healthcare and beauty products.
--
BBC Latin America
Bolivia law allows 'self-employed children' aged 10 to work
Bolivia has lowered the legal working age to allow children to work from the age of 10 as long as they also attend school and are self-employed.
The law also permits 12-year-olds to be contracted to work for others. But they need parental authorization.
It also sets harsher punishment for violence against children.
The law sets a sentence of 30 years in jail for child homicide.
More than 500-thousand children already work to supplement the family income in Bolivia according to the United Nations Children's Fund.
The International Labor Organization says children under the age of 15 should not be allowed to work.
But it allows a minimum working age of 14 for developing countries.
The ILO says it is studying the legislation to decide whether it breaches international regulations on child labor.
--
Channel News Asia
UN's health agency worried about growing child obesity
The WHO has warned that the number of obese and overweight children in the world could balloon from 44 million in 2012 to 75 million in 2025.
This is faster than the growth rate from 1990, when the number was 31 million.
In Africa alone, the number of obese and overweight children expanded from four to 10 million over the same period.
Researchers say child obesity is one of the major health issues for tomorrow and today.
Overweight children are more likely to develop serious diseases like diabetes or cancer, and action now may prevent a heavy burden on health systems in the future.
Special Reports
Beijing Polls Public Opinion on Public Transportation Fare Hike
Anchor:
The window for offering your opinion on the potential increase in public transportation fares here in Beijing has now closed.
Municipal authorities are now expected to deliver a statement as to what we can expect as far as fee increases are concerned.
CRI's Sam Duckett has more.
Report:
Beijing municipal authorities began soliciting the public's opinion on public transport reform earlier in the month, seeking the opinions of the public on adjustments to the cost of transportation in China's capital.
The public can voice their opinions on the Beijing municipals governments website or via the use of the popular Chinese instant messaging service; wechat.
The current fare for subway services in Beijing is 2.0 RMB ($0.32). This includes transport to any destination in Beijing excluding the airport express line. The city's bus system charges 0.4 RMB for holders of the Beijing transportation smart card. These are some of the cheapest fares for public transportation in a tier 1 city in China.
Former Beijing traffic commentator Xiao Hang offered his opinions on this issue.
"There is a huge amount of pressure put on the public transportation system in Beijing. The pressure is placed on both the passengers and the management teams of the public transport services. Certain plans need to be put in place to stop this pressure before it becomes too much for the public transportation services to bear. Beijing could take on a similar system to Guangzhou or Shanghai Beijing actually originally used a pricing system based on distance. I personally feel that a system should be put in place that takes into consideration the needs of the market."
In comparison, bus services in shanghai are between 1 and 1.8 RMB for a standard service and 2 rmb for air conditioned buses. The subway prices in shanghai can vary between 2 and 9 rmb depending on the distance and number of transfers.
As cheap as these fares may seem, public transportation costs in Beijing have witnessed several increases throughout the service's history. After several minor increases in price, a standard fare of 0.5 RMB was established in 1991. This amount was increased to its current fare in 1995.
The Beijing municipal government originally subsidized transport costs in Beijing to avoid heavy congestion. Beijing is seen as the land of opportunity in the country with an annually increasing amount of job seekers and students residing in Beijing. This has now escalated to the point where the roads are still heavily congested despite public transportation fees.
In addition to heavily congested roads, the subway system in Beijing also faces similar problems. If the price of Subway fares was hiked much higher than that off buss fares it may relieve some of the pressure of the heavily congested subway system.
Transportation costs in China are relatively cheap, especially in comparison to modern Europe or the USA. Subway fairs in London average between 4.70 pounds and 5.70 pounds for single tickets. This equates to 49.96/60.60rmb.
Xiao Hang reflected on his experiences abroad.
"The difference between the price of public transportation between Beijing and the western world is huge. It would not be realistic for Beijing to charge the same prices as London because of the difference in incomes. The low price of the subway system in Beijing has however surpassed the expectation of consumers. The price adjustment of the public transportation in Beijing will need to also take into consideration the average level of income."
Inflation is a constant phenomenon which makes the rise in transportation costs inevitable for the citizens of Beijing. China has such high rates of growth in its economy, money supply, and prices, meaning that heavily subsiding transportation in Beijing is an ever-growing burden for the Chinese government.
BACK ANCHOR:
CRI's Sam Duckett reporting.
Sports
Davidenok wins 13th Tour of Qinghai Lake
Ilya Davidenok of Kazakhstan's Continental Team Astana won the 13th Tour of Qinghai Lake cycling race this weekend.
Davidenok managed to keep the yellow jersey for the leader of general individual classification from the fourth stage till the end and also claimed the blue jersey for best Asian rider.
The last stage of the tour was a 91 km five-lap circuit race in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province.
This year's Tour of Qinghai Lake saw the riders covering 3,591km and reaching a maximum altitude of 3,858 metres above sea level.
Draft Evergrande extend Superleague lead despite draw
In Football the Chinese top division is now back up and running.
Guangzhou Evergrande have extended their lead at the top of the Superleague and sit five points clear after a goalless draw against fourth place Shandong Luneng.
This is Evergrande's third draw in four matches but second placed Beijing Guoan's shock defeat against Henan Jianye allowed them to extend their lead by a point.
The other team from Guangzhou R&F now sit third after a three - two victory over Jiansu Sainty.
Abderrazak Hamdallah scored the winner in the 90th minute in that game.
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After the match, video replay shows that Evergrande's Italian striker Alessandro Diamanti showed stuck up his middle finger after he missed a free kick.
The video footage didn't show at whom Diamanti was aiming the gesture targeting at, but the Chinese Football Association decided such obscene gestures should be considered a serious offence.
The FA are set to convene on the issue on Tuesday.
Based on previous cases, Diamanti could face a four-match ban, together with an around 20,000 yuan fine for his offence.
Jeremy Lin Phoner Jordan Lee
In basketball LA Lakers Star Jeremy Lin is visiting the land of his parent's, Taiwan, right now. Where he's set to play a series of charity events and train with a few local basketballers.
The 25-year-old, who transferred from the Houston Rockets earlier last week, earlier spoke to CRI's Jordan Lee to give his advice on getting into the game:
That was CRI's Jordan Lee speaking to NBA star Jeremy Lin.
Rory McIlroy dedicates British Open win to mum
In Golf,
Rory McIlroy fought back tough competition from Sergio Garcia to claim the British Open this weekend.
Garcia managed to cut the Northern Irishman's lead from six strokes to two going in to the last day, but McIlroy handled the pressure well and pushed for the win.
McIlroy shot a 71 on Sunday to close with a 17-under-par total of 271.
With this victory he takes home prize money of 975,000 pounds (1.67 million USD) to become the third youngest player in history to capture three of the four majors, following Jack Nicklaus (23) and Tiger Woods (24).
Some might have put his new success down to his new relationship, but there was another lady in the crowd at Royal Liverpool who he wanted to impress.
"I have got a big team over there. My friends and family. This is actually the first major that my mother has been at that I have won so Mum, this one is for you. And I just can't wait to get back and defend this thing at St. Andrews next year. Thank you very much."
34-year-old Sergio Garcia, who has the unwelcome title of greatest player never to win one of the "Big Four" events, ended with 273 for a share of second with American Rickie Fowler.
Tiger Woods, who had looked back to his old self at some points ended with a disappointing six-over 294.
The former world number one was making only his second competitive appearance since undergoing a back operation in March.
Leonardo Mayer scores shock victory over David Ferrer at Hamburg Open
In Tennis,
Leonardo Mayer has won his fitst ATP title in a thrilling final against top seed David Ferrer at the Hamburg Open.
The Argentine player came from a set down against Ferrer, dropping down after a tense tie-breaker.
The world Number 46 showed some true quality in the second set however and thrashed the 32-year-old Spaniard 6-1.
The Argentine was then 5-4 in the third, only for Ferrer to force another tie-break, but this time Mayer got the best of it to claim the victory.
Entertainment
Han Han Will Be a Successful Film Director: Johnny To
Hong Kong film director Johnny To has said he believed Han Han would be a successful film director, at Han's recent film premiere for the "the Continent".
"I read Han Han's works, know he is a professional car racer, and I listen to his songs. How can there be such a talent and he was born in 1980s. This is rare."
To flied to Beijing and attended the premiere of Han Han's new film "the Continent" (Hou Hui Wu Qi). Though To said he hadn't seen the film yet, he still believed that Han would make it a success as he was quite successful in other areas.
To's appearance came as a surprise to Han, who was joined by actor's Feng Shaofeng, Bolin Chen, actress Wang Luodan, Yuan Quan and Joe Chen at the premiere.
To explained that he actually hated attending press conferences, even for his own films. But as he really admires Han Han's talent like writing, singing and car racing, he flew fom Hong Kong to Beijing to support him.
Han did not hide his feelings and said he was excited to see To. He explained further that he was inspired by To's film "All About Ah-lang" and decided to be a car racer.
Han's first film "the Continent" will hit Chinese screens on Thursday.
Chinese box office revenue up 25%
Chinese box office revenue has soared 25% from last year.
The state administration of Press, Publication, Radio Film and TV of China has released the statistics for the country's overall box office revenue for the first half of 2014.
For the first six months of the year, revenue reached just over 13 billion yuan, that's over two billion US dollars. Compared to the first half of 2013, where domestic films made roughly seven billion yuan.
The Monkey King, Where Are We Going, Dad?, The Man from Macau, My Old Classmate and Beijing Love Story were the five highest-grossing domestic films, while Transformers: Age of Extinction, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Godzilla topped the imported films list.
Studio Ghibli to stop animation production
Studio Ghibli is reportedly going to stop animation production due to financial pressure.
The studio will mainly focus on copyright management work in the future.
The studio has produced a variety of feature films, short films, television commercials and a television film.
Eight of Studio Ghibli's films are among the highest-grossing animation films made in Japan, with Spirited Away being the highest, grossing over 270 million US dollars worldwide.
Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of the studio and one of the most respected directors in animation is set to retire.
The president of Studio Ghibli once said that Miyazaki's project, The Wind Rises, would be his last film.
Monty Pythons perform last ever show together
Legendary comedy group Monty Python have performed their last ever show together, at London's O2 arena.
(Monty Python)
The pythons performed their show titled "Monty Python live: One down five to go" with a live orchestra and a chorus line of singing and dancing men and women.
As well being shown to a live audience, it was also broadcast live and played in more than 2,000 cinemas worldwide.
It was the last of a run of ten, for Jon Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Terry Jones.
Graham Chapman, the sixth Python who died in 1989, appeared on film clips, along with some of original television footage of Python sketches shown on a huge video display.
The popularity of the comedy series led to the pythons making a number of films, including "Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. In fact the show is so popular that tickets for the opening night of their latest performance sold out in just 44 seconds
Ed Sheeran tops UK Album Chart
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has topped the British album chart for the fourth week running.
(Sheeran)
According to the official charts company, Sheeran has set a record for the longest run in the top spot this year.
British sales of his full length album "X" reached almost 400,000 copies, as he held of the challenge of second place new entry "World Peace is None of Your Business" by Morrisy.
The4 rest of the album chart was unchanged from last week with Dolly Parton in third with her album "Blue Smoke". Sam Smith's "In the lonely" forth and "Wanted on Voyage" by George Ezra at five.
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
Super typhoon Rammasun has claimed over 100 lives across Asia, with nearly a quarter of the fatalities recorded in southern China..
Ukraine is offering to let the Netherlands take control of the investigation into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Most of the passengers were Dutch.
And the UN security council is demanding an immediate ceasefire on the Gaza Strip...
In business, Gas and deisel prices in China are going down...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Shane Bigham in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together. |