Welcome to the Beijing Hour, live from the Chinese capital...

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapping up his visit to Minsk...

China, South Korea, and Japan sitting down for talks on a trilateral free trade agreement...

A massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolting Nepal in the wake of the devastating 8.1- magnitude quake that hit late last month...

Business: Analysts denying suggestions that China's interest rate cut is a move at quantitiave easing..

In Sports: Malaysia selecting Lee Chong-wei for the World Championships in August in Jakarta...

In Entertainment: A festival of Chinese cinema opening up in France...

Top NewsXi visits China-Belarus Industrial Park before leaving MinskChinese President Xi Jinping has visited the China-Belarus Industrial Park before leaving Minsk.

President Xi and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also witnessed the first group of companies being granted to conduct businesses in the park.

China and Belarus have agreed to build the industrial park into a model project for the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The park is the largest cooperative project between the two countries, and the largest foreign investment project of Belarus.

President Xi is now wrapping up his 3 nation visits to Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

China, S. Korea, Japan Sit for FTA TalksAnchor:

A new round of talks for a trilateral free trade agreement between China, South Korea and Japan is now underway in Seoul.

Chief negotiators from all three countries have gathered in the South Korean capital for a two-day event.

CRI's Xyee reports.

Reporter:

The seventh round of talks for the trilateral FTA, also known as the CJK FTA, kicked off on Tuesday.

Three chief negotiators are discussing key issues such as the basic guidelines for talks on market liberalization for goods and services.

Wang Shouwen, China's Assistant Minister of Commerce leads the Chinese delegation.

Wang says the FTA talks has benefits that go beyond the realm of economics.

"A FTA among three countries will serve as an important vehicle that would strengthen our existing relations not only by expanding trade and investment among us but also by providing a comprehensive and institutional framework in which a wide range of trilateral cooperation would involve. A CJK FTA would be regarded as a milestone in regional integration."As the world's economic center shifts to the Asia Pacific region, the wider East Asian economy has been leading global economic growth in recent years.

In 2012, the combined gross domestic product of the three countries exceeded 14 trillion US dollars, taking up about 20 percent of the world total and 70 percent of Asia's total.

Also in 2012, the three countries began their talks for an FTA, aimed at building a free trade zone having a total population of 1.5 billion, a quarter of the world population.

Kim Hak-do is South Korean Director General for FTA Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

As the chief negotiator with South Korean side, Kim says the three sides are willing to solve any possible difficulties.

"Since it is the trilateral FTA, there may be more difficulties compared to the bilateral FTA, but I do believe that three of us and our willingness and capacity to achieve the rare balance of the FTA."Zhao Jianglin, head of Department of International Economic Relations with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says the most difficult parts of the trilateral talks include both traditional and new economic sectors.

"Traditionally, as we know, Japan and S. Korea are unwilling to open farm trade, which will be a very tough sector. Meanwhile, we need to take some new sectors into consideration. This is a global trend regarding FTA talks. For example, TPP talks also include discussions about data exchanges, IPR protection, and interests of medium-sized and small enterprises."TPP is the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. According to Zhao Jianglin, the TPP talks between US and Japan is now hindered by farm trade talks, as Japan is reluctant to open its farm market to the US.

China has not participated in the TPP talks whereas South Korea and Japan are discussing possible entry into the agreement.

Zhao Jianglin says once the three Asian countries reach agreement over an FTA, it might provide an opportunity for China to be engaged in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

For CRI, I am Xyee.

Powerful 7.4-magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal, Airport ClosedA massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal on Tuesday following the devastating 8.1- magnitude tremor on April 25, which has killed more than 8,000.

At least five people have been confirmed dead in the new quake, which occurred at 12:50 p.m. local time near the town of Namche Bazaar, near Mount Qomalongma, also known as Mount Everest.

Some 300 people have been injured in the powerful tremor.

Two aftershocks, including a 6.3-magnitude one, followed the major quake.

Some local people are concerned about their safety and that of their families.

"Just now a big quake came and we all ran out of the building to keep ourselves safe. We are just trying to contact with our family members, whether they are okay or not. So in the hotel everything is safe.""I'm trying to call to my home but it is busy. It's not receiving. I'm worried for my family."The only international airport in Nepal, Tribhuwan International Airport, was closed immediately after the tremor.

The tremor was one of the strongest aftershocks of the April 25 quake.

It was also felt across northern and eastern India.

Earthquake Drills Held across ChinaAnchor:

Emergency drills have been held in several Chinese cities to mark the 7th National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day. This year's theme is to promote "Scientific Methods to Alleviate Disaster".

CRI's Huang Shan reports.

Reporter:

A series of activities have been carried out across China, to help people learn survival skills and practice evacuation methods.

In northwestern Ningxia Technical College, an emergency drill attracted around 4,000 students and teachers to take part in the activity.

During the drill, firefighters identify trapped students and then rescue them by using ladders and aerial ladder trucks.

Wang Guoen is the head of local public security fire brigade.

He explains the reason why they organized this kind of drill.

"The large number of student casualties in the Wenchuan Earthquake exposed our students' poor ability for self-rescue and to escape from danger, and their lack of relevant education. we conducted this drill after considering the earthquakes that have frequently happened in recent years. "This year's Disaster Prevention and Reduction day aims to apply scientific methods to disaster alleviation.

Zhang Yong is the leader of China's Blue Sky rescue team. He says such kind of activities is crucial in helping alleviating destruction during emergencies, such as an earthquake.

"China is among the countries that hit hardest by earthquakes. The country, with its vast territory, large population, and unbalanced economic development, is facing many barriers to disaster alleviation. For example, in some remote or underdeveloped regions, old buildings are fragile to earthquakes above a 7 magnitude. Drawing on the experience of previous major earthquakes, the government is now enhancing its earthquake early-warning system, and publicizing the knowledge of disaster avoidance. You can see that earthquake drills are held across China, and the amount of emergency supplies in the frequent earthquake areas is increasing. All of these things are very helpful."Tuesday also marks the 7th anniversary of China's Wenchuan Earthquake, which killed nearly 70 thousand people in the southwestern region.

The vice-chairman of International Emergency Management Association, Qu Guosheng, says China should put disaster alleviation into urban planning and draw on similar international experience to improve preparation for disasters.

"No matter in cities or mountainous areas, we should arrange helipads in an effective way. By these means, we can transfer rescue forces and relief materials to the site as soon as possible when disasters happen. In our country, many emergency shelters have been established. We also make sure that corresponding facilities, such as toilets, electricity, and water supply are in place. This preparation can facilitate rescue efforts and post-disaster reconstruction."Zhang Yong from the Blue Sky rescue team further gives some suggestions for disaster prevention and self-rescue.

"People should increase their consciousness of disaster prevention. In developed countries, many households have first-aid kits, and rescue tools. This is something we can learn from, especially for those who live in earthquake-prone regions. Meanwhile, when an earthquake suddenly occurs, people should get under furniture that can bear large weight on top. If they live in bungalows or on lower floors, they should run out to open areas."For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.

Indian woman finds her long-lost half-sister in ChinaAn Indian woman has found her long-lost half-sister from her father's first marriage.

This comes after CRI exposed her story yesterday.

62-year-old Jennifer An and her husband spoke to CRI last night in Beijing, trying to locate her elder sister, Roesai An.

Jennifer's husband Balaji says it's his father in law's wish to reunite with Roesai An.

"His last wish was to see his daughter, to get in touch with his daughter and meet up with his daughter, which he couldn't do. He couldn't fulfill his last wish. So that was also one reason when we got married, I said you see that was your father's last wish. Let me start. I will do it. "Roesai An, now 81 years old, is a retiree living in Beijing. CRI's Tamil department found her today.

Roesai An is the only surviving family member of her father's first marriage, which was broken up by the Japanese invasion of China. The father, An Chi Pong, was a Chinese Marine Engineer.During the war, the ship he was on ran into trouble while on a port-of-call in the then-Indian city of Bombay, now Mumbai.

As it was during the height of the war, An Chi Pong ended up settling in India, eventually moving to the city of Madras, now Chennai, and married a local.

An Chi Pong and his wife eventually had four children, including Jennifer.

But due to the travel restrictions at the time, it was virtually impossible for An Chi Pong and his family to return back to China, though Jennifer says this was always one of her father's desires.

An Chi Pong continued to hold Chinese citizenship until his death in 1982.

Road Safety Urged for Chinese Children before International Children's DayAnchor:

A new report compiled by China's Ministry of Public Security and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is suggesting more needs to be done to protect children in vehicles.

CRI's Luo Bin has more.

Reporter:

The report is the first of its kind in China, and is focused on child road safety.

It cites hospital sources as saying that in 2013, children who travel by car make up most road traffic injuries; also, most of their injuries took place on head and legs.

Road traffic injuries undoubtedly place an immense burden on the country's healthcare systems.

Liang Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explains the role of his center in building injury prevention plans.

"The center I currently work with has been dedicated to gathering the information on road traffic injuries involving school-age children. The center has already established a mechanism that collects information from hospitals and schools, respectively, to monitor the related injuries. Through our supervision, the center has set priorities in the prevention of road traffic accidents involving children. We have conducted a number of comprehensive programs advocating the safety for a child-pedestrian or a passenger. And these programs have mainly obtained support from international organs."Statistics in the inaugural report show that, in 2013, children between the ages of 15 and 17 made up the largest number of traffic deaths in China. There was greater number of male children who were hospitalized in China due to traffic accidents than their female peers in the same year.

The report was released at a high-profile seminar on child road safety, hosted by the Chinese government with support from UNICEF.

Liang says that government funding is urgently needed to create better research and policies to enhance road safety for children in China.

"Our center is proposing a new research program, which would expand the scale of monitoring child road injuries nationwide. So I urge the Ministry of Finance to support this program, and I also think we should rely more on our own domestic efforts than international organizations, which are decreasing their aid gradually."According to the London-based FIA Foundation for the Automobile & Society Research, every year, at least one million children around the world have to either suspend or halt their school year after injuries sustained in traffic accidents.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

Sustainable Development of Canteen Services to Seniors Anchor:

Businesses involved in a new scheme to help Beijing's senior citizens say they're starting to feel a financial squeeze because of growing cost pressures.

CRI's Li Ningjing reports.

Reporter:

The New Guangdian 302 Canteen, which is attached to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television in Beijing's Xicheng District, is a participant of the Seniors' Dining Table plan. Like other participating canteens and restaurants, the canteen offers seniors a variety of hot meals at a much cheaper price.

While queuing for her lunch at one of the food windows at the canteen, a Granny explained how The Seniors' Dining Table plan has made her and her husband's life much easier.

"This service saves us a lot of trouble. There're only the two of us at home. Two dishes will be enough. But for that, we have to do a lot of washing and cooking. Too troublesome for us."While this Gran couldn't be happier that the plan has solved her daily meal issue, at the back office, the one who runs the business is ruffling his hair over the sustainability of the plan.

Gu Xiaojie is the director of the New Guangdian 302 Canteen.

"Inflation has driven up the price for raw materials. Workers' wages and insurance are also rising, so are water and electricity fees. Our profit from this plan is marginal. Yet should we raise our meal prices, the seniors won't be able to afford. If it remains this way, I'm worried about how long we can carry on."The New Guangdian 302 Canteen is not the only participant restaurant trying to make the plan a good deal for both sides. Zhang Dai, manager of the Dongxinglou Restaurant in Dongcheng District, another participant of the Seniors' Dining Table Plan, is also worrying about the same thing.

"For a main course, the cost is around 6-7 yuan. With two side dishes, the cost amounts to ten yuan. It'll be 12 yuan if we add in the staple food. The remaining 3 yuan is barely able to cover water and electricity fees and workers' wages. So we are running at a loss. We have to cover this part of loss with revenues from our regular restaurant business".

Back in 2010, a Seniors' Dining Table Plan experimented by Tiantongyuan community in Changping District closed down just after a three-months trial run because of losses.

The reality for this plan is, on the one hand, there's a huge market demand for such services, on the other hand, the plan is challenged by a small profit margin or even financial loss.

Zheng Zhigang is a researcher from the Senior Population Research Center of Peking Universtiy. He analyzed the current situation of businesses catering to seniors' needs.

"China's service industry that caters to the needs of senior people is still in its primary stage. We lack large scale business operations. So the price couldn't go up. As a result, such businesses are typically operating at a high cost and a small margin of profits."Zheng Zhigang believes the government can still use more leverages such as financial support, price subsidy, and tax reduction and tax breaks, as well as venue leasing to support the senior care industry.

For CRI, I'm Li Ningjing.

Greek Starts Transfer 750m Euros to IMFThe Greek government has begun the transfer of some 800 million US dollars in debt interest owed to the International Monetary Fund.

The move took place just hours before the payment was due.

This comes as finance ministers from 19 countries in the Eurozone met in Brussels to negotiate the final bailout plan for Greece.

At the meeting, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble suggested that Greece should hold a referendum on the reforms.

However, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the country had no such plan as of now.

"A referendum is always available to the government and the President of the Republic in order to elicit the support of the Greek people when it comes to pivotal decisions that need to be made. There is no commitment to use it. It is a tool which is available to the Greek government. At the moment it's not something that is on the radar screen as far as we are concerned."Greece and its European creditors have been trying to agree on a list of reforms to secure a new round of financing worth around 8-billion US dollars.

====For more on the issue, CRI's John Artman earlier spoke with Luca Silipo, Managing Director and Chief Economist for Asia Pacific, Natixis.

That was Luca Silipo, Managing Director and Chief Economist for Asia Pacific, Natixis, speaking with CRI's John Artman.

EU urges UN to back effort to save migrant livesThe European Union has made a plea for more international help to deal with the massive influx of migrants attempting to enter Europe through the Mediterranean.

EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini has made the appeal at the United Nations.

The UN is currently debating a controversial European Union plan to use military force to try to stem the tide of refugees making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

The United Nations estimates some 18-hundred people have already died this year trying to make the journey from north Africa into European territory.

Under the proposed EU plan, European forces would be allowed to patrol in Libyan territorial waters to prevent migrant boats from making their voyage into European territory.

Human rights organizations are opposed to the plan, arguing attention should instead be focused on broadening the legal avenues for migrants to reach Europe.

U.S. Secretary of State meets Russian President over UkraineU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Sochi for a meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin over the situation in Ukraine.

Besides bilateral relations, the United States' State Department said issues concerning Iran's nuclear talks, as well as the Syrian crisis will also be on the table.

The crisis in Ukraine has caused a nosedive in the relationship between Washington and Moscow, with the United States and its Western allies slapping rounds of sanctions against Russia's annexation of Crimea and its alleged military involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Kerry is also expected to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

It is his first trip to the country in two years.

Then he will fly to Antalya, Turkey for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday.

King Salman's Change in Travel Plans not Related to Camp David Summit: White HouseThe White House is rebuffing suggestions the Saudis are snubbing the Obama administration ahead of a forthcoming summit.

The statement is in response to a decision by Saudi King Salman not to attend the summit of Gulf Cooperation Council leaders to be hosted by US President Barack Obama.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says his side has been told the Saudi King wants to stay in the region to monitor the situation in Yemen.

The rulers of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman are skipping the summit and instead sending lower ranking representatives.

The absence of King Salman has further sparked concerns about the effectiveness of the summit.

Political observers have been suggesting Salman's decision is meant to show discontent with the US position on the Iranian nuclear talks.

However, both Saudi and US officials have denied this.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 30.

Shanghai is clear tonight with a low of 17, tomorrow will be sunny, high of 30.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 20, overcast tomorrow with a high of 32.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will be overcast with a high of 30.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 17,Brisbane also sunny 26,Finally Perth will be sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsXi visits China-Belarus Industrial Park before leaving MinskChinese President Xi Jinping has visited the China-Belarus Industrial Park before leaving Minsk.

President Xi and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also witnessed the first group of companies being granted to conduct businesses in the park.

China and Belarus have agreed to build the industrial park into a model project for the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The park is the largest cooperative project between the two countries, and the largest foreign investment project of Belarus.

President Xi is now wrapping up his 3 nation visits to Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.

S. Korea, China, Japan discuss free trade agreementChina, Japan and South Korea have sat down for talks in Seoul to negotiate a proposed trilateral free trade agreement.

The 7th round of negotiations is slated to run until Wednesday.

South Korea says the China-Japan-Korea FTA should be a beneficial arrangement for all sides, one that will bring mutual benefits for all parties involved.

The rest of the two-day meeting will be focused on key remaining issues, such as basic guidelines for negotiations on market liberalization.

5 killed, 300 injured in latest Nepal quake5 people has been killed and over 300 others injured after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on Tuesday.

More than 90 percent of houses were destroyed in Dolakha, the epicenter of the latest quake.

The latest earthquake occurred at 12:50 p.m. local time, following the powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake 17 days ago, which has so far left over 8-thousand people dead.

The strong quake was also felt across northern and eastern India.

Nepal's only international airport, Tribhuwan airport, was closed following the latest quake.

John Kerry to visit ChinaUS Secretary of State John Kerry is set to visit China this weekend.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying has confirmed that the two sides will exchange views on Sino-US relations and other issues of common concern.

Meanwhile, the US State Department says Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned visit to the US in September will be on Kerry's agenda.

Officials of the two countries are also expected to make preparations for the next round of Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue scheduled to be held in Washington later next month.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

Turning now to our business news, but first let's have a look at the numbers from the Asian markets on this Tuesday evening.

Joining me on the desk is CRI's Luo Bin.

Reporter:

Thank you Spencer.

Chinese shares rallied on Tuesday as the central bank's rate cuts continued to boost market confidence.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.6 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.8 percent.

Sectors including the Internet, electricity, nuclear power, aircraft manufacturing and ship making sectors led the rise.

Shanghai Electric Group, a leading electrical equipment producer, surged 10 percent.

Startup companies remained robust.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, refreshed its record high this year, soaring 3.3 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index ended down 1.1 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Both the Japanese Nikkei and South Korea's Kospi ended flat.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index lost 0.8 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX 200 climbed 0.9 of a percent as iron ore prices increased.

Back to you Spencer.

Central bank's cutting interest rates is not "Chinese version of QE" or "strong stimulation"China's central bank is refuting claims that a recent interest cut is the country's version of a quantitative easing policy.

Researcher Lu Lei from the People's Bank of China also rejects the idea that the move is a form of economic stimulus.

"Interest rate cut serves as a traditional monetary policy tool. Using the tool means our overall policy is still workable. The outcome of this policy is clear: lowering the financing cost and improving the financial situation of the real economy. As for the saying of Chinese version of quantitative easing, it does not fit the real situation in China, for recent monetary policy in China does not fail to become ineffective."The PBoC began cutting the one-year deposit rate by 25 basis points on Monday.

The one-year lending rate is being set at 5.1-percent.

This is the third rate cut by the central bank since last November.

China tops U.S. as world's largest crude-oil importerOfficial customs data shows China imported 30 million tons of crude oil in April, or about 7.4 million barrels per day.

This means China's crude oil imports surpassed the US in April, making it the world's largest oil importer.

An analyst says China's oil imports surge was mainly caused by oil stockpiling due to low global oil prices.

The decline in U.S. oil imports is also partly due to its so-called shale revolution, which has boosted its domestic production of crude oil.

Professor Wang Zhen with the China University of Petroleum points out, the monthly data indicates China is not as efficient as the U.S. in terms energy usage.

"The overall demand for crude oil in China is decelerating. The growth is at a lower speed, but the demand is still growing. Fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. have been upgraded, so this lead to a decline in crude imports in the U.S. While monthly data does mean something, it does not necessarily mean that China will surpass the U.S. as the biggest crude oil importer on a yearly scale."China's crude oil imports have surged by 30 percent in the past five years, while those of the United States declined by 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the gains for Chinese imports contrasts with China's exports of crude oil, which fell 41% during April.

China auto sales contracted sharply in AprilAnchor:

The Chinese auto market has seen an overall downturn in April, with sales down some 11-percent month-on-month to 2 million units.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers is reporting sales volumes are down 0.5-percent year-on-year through April.

However, the downturn through last month appears to be an aberration, as passenger vehicle sales through the first 4-months of the year are up by some 8-percent compared to last year.

The sale of SUV's are up almost 50-percent so far this year.

For more on what's happening with the Chinese auto market, CRI's Paul James spoke with Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures.

Back anchor:

That was Gao Shang, analyst with Guantong Futures speaking with CRI's Paul James.

China's FDI up 11.1 pct in Jan.-AprilForeign direct investment on the Chinese mainland jumped 11 percent year on year in the first four months of 2015.

The Ministry of Commerce said that the total number settled at some 270 billion yuan or some 45 billion U.S. dollars.

The authority has not given further details.

On the contrast, total foreign trade posted a 7.6 percent decrease in the first four months of the year.

The foreign trade volume fell to 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars, with exports rising 1.6 percent and imports dropping more than 17 percent.

The commerce ministry projected on Sunday that China's foreign trade will pick up in the second half of this year due to structural improvements.

RMB treasury bonds to be issued in HKIt is being reported that China will issue renminbi treasury bonds worth 28 billion yuan or some 4.6 billion U.S. dollars in Hong Kong this year.

On Tuesday, China's Finance Ministry announced that the treasury bonds will be issued in two batches.

The first batch, worth some 14 billion yuan, goes on sale on May 20th to institutional investors, foreign central banks and regional monetary watchdogs.

The other half will be sold to institutional investors and Hong Kong residents later this year.

All of the RMB treasury bonds will be traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

China started issuing yuan-denominated treasury bonds in Hong Kong since 2009 to facilitate the globalization of the Chinese yuan.

SportsMalaysia favors Lee Chong-wei for World ChampionshipsMalaysia has selected Lee Chong-wei for the World Championships in August in Jakarta despite his low ranking.

Lee has mixed feelings about getting the chance at the expense of teammate Chong Wei Feng, who is higher-placed.

"I am a player, and I understand Chong Wei Feng must be very sad now. As for me, I will try my best to play in the World Championships. It's not easy to have this chance because my ranking is just the third in Malaysia, but anyway, I will give all my effort to fight for a good result in the men's singles event."Come-back kid Lee Chong-wei helped Malaysia win 3-2 against India and reached the quarterfinals at the Sudirman Cup in Dongguan.

Lee defeated Srikanth Kidambi 21-16, 21-15 with what he said was only "70 percent" of his best form.

President of Malaysia's Badminton Association Tengku Ariff said Lee Chong Wei was chosen as he still has the potential to win the championship.

Guangzhou Evergrande drop to 3rd in Asia club rankingsOver in football,Runners up in the Chinese Super League Guangzhou Evergrande have dropped from first to third place in club rankings in Asia.

They are at 96th place worldwide, according the latest update by footballdatabase.com after last week's game.

Guangzhou Evergrande suffered a 2-0 loss against Western Sydney Wanderers at the AFC Champions League, but massacred Shanghai Shenxin in the domestic league.

Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and South Korea's Jeonbuk are the top two in Asia.

For other Chinese clubs, Beijing Guo'an are 16th in Asia, up three places; and League leaders Shanghai SIPG are 61st.

Pep Guardiola won't leave Bayern, believes in hope in UEFA Champions LeagueAnchor:

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has spoken up about his rumored move to Manchester City, and Bayern's upcoming second leg against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semifinals.

CRI's Fu Yu with more.

Reporter:

Guardiola, finally fed up with the spiraling rumors, has down right denied that he is transferring to Manchester City next season, something that he had repeated time and again at Bayern headquarters.

"Oh, boys. At S?bener Street I have said 200 million times that I have a year left on my contract. I will be here next season and that 's all there is to it."Guardiola will not let that bother him at a time when his team is holding on to the last shred of hope in the UEFA Champions League.

After suffering a 3-0 loss against Barcelona in leg one, they have to win by at least four goals to reach the final in Berlin.

Guardiola believes his boys have the qualities to at least try to do that.

"I think these players have shown they want and they're able to do it. But I'm a coach and I have to be realistic. After 3-0 in Barcelona, the goal is quite huge but very stimulating. It's a huge challenge for me as coach, and of course for the players."It may not be impossible, after Bayern overturned a two-goal deficit in the quarterfinals and knocked out Porto.

Forward Thomas Mueller is convinced of their capabilities, but knows it won't be easy.

"We still believe in ourselves, we don't know if things will turn out the way they did against Porto, but that's our goal, because we need that."Bayern and Barcelona will fight for one of the spots in the final early tomorrow morning.

For CRI, im Fu Yu.

La Liga calls for meeting to solve stike issueSpain's La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for a meeting with the Spanish Soccer Federation and players' union to end threats to halt the football season.

Tebas said the exclusive meeting within the collective bargain must respect the legislation approved in cabinet.

He also called the strike illegal, after a meeting with heads of professional soccer clubs.

"It is an 'a la carte strike'. It is a strike to hurt La Liga and those kinds of strikes are forbidden. They are only aiming to hurt the league and hence we are complaining."The Soccer Federation earlier pledged to suspend matches over disputes with the government on new broadcasting rights.

The league is awaiting court rulings after they filed lawsuits against the Federation.

NBA playoffs: Atlanta, Golden State tie series 2-2In the NBA playoffs,The Atlanta Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 106-101 to level their series 2-2 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said their secret for winning was to be aggressive on defence.

Paul Millsap, who had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds for Atlanta, expressed his satisfaction with the victory.

"You know, 30 assists, the way we played defense, the way we stepped up, the way we helped each other, the way we moved the basketball, the way we set screens, we were more physical, we were more aggressive. And against a team like this, who strives off of being aggressive, it was good that we stepped up and matched that today."The series continues on Thursday morning Beijing time.

In the Western Conference,The Golden State Warriors also tied it at two games apiece with a 101-84 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

MVP Stephon Curry had 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Golden State will host Game 5 on Thursday morning Beijing time.

Michael Matthews wins Giro stage 3 in pinkFinally in cycling,Orica Green-edge's Michael Matthews won stage three at the Giro d'Italia in the leader's pink jersey and consolidated his overall lead.

It had been a great Giro for Matthews and Orica, who had kept pink in their grasp since winning the opening team time trial.

"It's been dream come true so far for this Giro d'Italia this year. We planned for the team's time trial win and this was another goal for us, this was stage three and, we reckoned it last week, so we knew what was coming and we knew what to expect. So, yes, from then on it was just try and, try and do as best as we could and yes, we pulled it off."The race had its first heavy casualty as Italian Domenico Pozzovivo was sent to the hospital following a high-speed crash.

Race doctor later described his condition serious but under control.

In the Tour of California,Mark Cavendish took another victory in stage two to extend his lead to eight seconds in the eight-day race.

EntertainmentFestival of Chinese cinema opens in FranceThe Festival of Chinese Cinema in France has opened in Paris, bringing ten latest Chinese films to French audiences.

The festival in its fifth edition was opened with a screening of Somewhere Only We Know directed by Xu Jinglei.

Attending the opening event, Chinese ambassador to France Zhai Jun said that China and France can learn more about each other by working together on film projects.

"In recent years, Chinese films have had a bigger market in France, especially last year. As part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, both countries co-produced 'Wolf Totem.' I believe there will be greater potential in such communication and cooperationFilms to be screened during the festival include The Ferry, The Great Hypnotist and Brotherhood of Blades.

The festival will be held in seven French cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg and Cannes from May 11 to June 30. The festival was founded in 2011 with an aim of bringing Chinese cinema to French audiences and creating opportunities between the two countries to work together on film projects.

Picasso painting sets world record for artwork at auctionA Picasso painting has set a world record for artwork at auction selling for almost $180 million dollars on Monday.

Picasso's Women of Algiers was among dozens of twentieth century masterpieces offered by Christie's auction house in a curated sale titled Looking Forward to the Past.

The buyer of the artwork has not been identified.

A sculpture by Alberto Giacometti set a record for the most expensive sculpture at $141 million.

Christie's Global president Jussi Pylkkanen said buyers came to the event from across the globe.

"Buyers are coming to Christie's from all over the globe. And, tonight, we saw huge amount of competition against American bidding from European buyers and also, as you saw, from Asian buyers."This comes just a week after three Chinese buyers spent a total of $116 million at an auction of western art at Sotheby's in New York.

American Idol show cancelledIt has been announced that the next series of American Idol will be the last.

January 2016 will mark the end of the singing contest which launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.

Fox announced Monday that the series will return for one final swan song with judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr and Keith Urban.

Nigel Lythgoe who was an executive producer on the series and helped bring the show to the US said he was sad but it was the right decision.

No, it's the right time and very brave I think of Fox to do this.' It's still doing very well in the ratings whatever anybody else has got to say it isn't doing the 35-million viewers but it's certainly doing 12 and a lot of other stations would like that sort of figure so you've got to say it's preserving the legacy I think of 'American Idol.'

American Idol first debuted in 2002 with original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.

Fox sets date for X Files returnAfter years of waiting for X Files fans, a date for the show's return has been set for January 2016.

US network Fox has announced that everyone's favourite detective duo Mulder and Scully will return to the small screen in a new six episode series which will premiere on January 24.

The show is focused around Mulder and Scully, FBI special agents who investigate unexplained cases known as the X files. Together the pair investigates hard hitting cases including paranormal cases putting their lives and careers at risk.

The show ran from 1992 until 2002 and fans have long been campaigning for the show's return. There were two movies since the show's end which left the storylines with several loose ends.

Cast of American Crime Story gather for Fox DebutThe cast of upcoming series American Crime Story have gathered as part of Fox's debut of their upcoming TV shows for advertisers.

American Crime Story is a true crime anthology series which sees the first series focus on the O.J Simpson trial.

John Travolta plays Simpson's attorney Robert Shapiro and says he still remembers where he was when O.J. Simpson was in the infamous high speed pursuit in 1994, before surrendering to police after his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman were killed, and he was charged with their murders.

"I had just gotten back from the Cannes Film Festival where we won the Palme d'Or for 'Pulp Fiction.'　I was on this kind of high with a new career and then this American tragedy was happening,"Other cast members include Cuba Gooding Junior, David Schwimmer and Sarah Paulson. The series is based on a book by Jeffrey Toobin who covered the trial extensively for The New Yorker.

American Crime Story will premiere on FX in 2016.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 30.

Shanghai is clear tonight with a low of 17, tomorrow will be sunny, high of 30.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 20, overcast tomorrow with a high of 32.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will be overcast with a high of 30.

Kabul, sunny, 26.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 17,Brisbane also sunny 26,Finally Perth will be sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius.

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour...

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapping up his visit to Minsk...

China, South Korea, and Japan sitting down for talks on a trilaterial free trade agreement...

A massive 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolting Nepal in the wake of the devastating 8.1- magnitude quake that hit late last month...

Business: Analysts denying suggestions that China's interest rate cut is a move at quantitive easing..

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Spencer Musick in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.