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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The premier of China and prime minister of India have met in Beijing, witnessing the signing of dozens of bilateral agreements...

Five people have been injured after shells fired by Myanmar's military landed on the Chinese side of the border in Yunnan...

And three bodies have been recovered near the wreckage of a US military helicopter in Nepal...

Business: Brazil releases details of billions of dollars of anticipated Chinese investment...

In Sports: LeBron James is going back to the eastern conference finals for the fifth time in five years...

In Entertainment: major recognition for a Chinese director at the Cannes Film Festival in France...

All of that coming up in just a moment, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour, find us on WeChat by searching "beijinghour", or email us directly at [email protected]. You can also visit english.cri.cn for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

TopModi-Li discussions in Beijing focus on enhancing economic and cultural corporationAnchor:

Premier Li keqiang met with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing during his second day of the China tour. The two leaders oversaw the signing of 24 bilateral agreements ranging from high-speed rail project to a yoga college in China.

They also promised to set a new course for relations between the two Asian giants.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reports.

Reporter:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Beijing early this morning and got down to business straightaway. After a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, premiers of the two countries held a closed-door meeting.

The two leaders later described their exchange as a "candid, constructive and friendly" one when they met the press.

Premier Li Keqiang says the rise of China and India will set the direction of growth for the entire region.

"The acceleration of modernization of China and India will produce a double-engine for Asia. The coming of a real century of Asia has to depend on whether China and India, the two most populous nations in the world, can overcome our difficulties and realize our targets of modernization and improve the lives of our peoples."Li says that the two countries have the political maturity to put aside their differences and work towards achieving common goals like crushing terrorism and enhancing regional stability.

"We do not deny the existence of differences between China and India. However, our common interests are far bigger than our differences. Both sides have enough political wisdom to manage and control the differences. We will not let the differences affect the development of our overall relationship."For his part, Prime Minister Modi says that the sides have agreed to intensify confidence-building measures on the border issue.

"On the boundary question, we agreed that we continue to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution. We both reiterated our strong commitment to make all efforts to maintain peace and tranquility in the border region."The Indian Prime minister received rousing applause when he addressed students at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

He also attended a demonstration of Yoga and Tai Chi along with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Temple of Heaven. This event was symbolic of the strong cultural exchange that has existed for thousands of years via the ancient Silk Road.

For CRI I'm Poornima Weerasekara.

Q&A on Modi's visit to ChinaIndia's Prime Minister continues his visit in China. Border issues between the countries have been sited by both sides as a concern. Earlier, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke with Ye Hailing, an expert on South Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

India to Open E-visas to ChinaAnchor:

India hopes to attract more Chinese tourists by offering electronic visa services to China.

Our reporter Xiao Yee brings more details.

Reporter:

Tourists from China will be able to apply for visas online without visiting the Indian mission. Once approved, the visitor will get an authorization letter which has to be produced during immigration.

India has granted this privilege to 44 countries already, and has plans to expand the service to China and four other countries.

Indian Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma says extending the visa-on-arrival program to China and the other countries will boost the Indian tourism industry immensely.

"Now with 44 countries as on, we have seen about 1200 percent of growth in this and we understand that if these five countries or more are added to this, we will able to reach around 62 per cent of the world tourism market. So, we understand the importance of this."Currently, Chinese tourists account for less than two percent of India's domestic tourism market.

In 2012, fewer than 170,000 Chinese tourists visited India. In 2013, the number barely increased, reaching 175,000.

India and China both have well-established visa-on-arrival programs, but the services had not been extended to each other.

Some experts believe that opening visa-on-arrival for Chinese tourists will have a massive impact on India's tourism industry. Subhash Goyal is President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

"Once that is done then tourism from China is going to grow and it is not only group tourism but now with a lot of wealth in the hands of people in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Beijing there are a lot rich Chinese who are also traveling."However, tourism experts acknowledge that India has much work to do in developing its tourism sector for Chinese travelers. For example, guides need to be trained in Mandarin, helplines for Chinese tourists need to be set up or expanded, and sanitation needs to be improved under the cleanliness drive already enacted by Prime Minister Modi.

The Indian government also needs to take steps to ensure the security of tourists, a particular concern for travelers from China.

As it stands right now, tourists arriving in India are given a list of "dos and don'ts" upon arrival at the immigration counter.

For CRI, this is Xyee.

Shells from Myanmar Fall in China, Five InjuredLocal authorities in southwestern Yunnan province have confirmed five people were injured after two shells fired from Myanmar fell on Chinese soil late yesterday.

The government of Lincang City says the shells hit a restaurant in Zhenkang County around 8:30 pm, injuring one Chinese person and four from Myanmar.　None of the injuries are life-threatening.

China has repeated demands for Myanmar to take steps to prevent fighting with rebels from spilling over the border.

On March 13, a Myanmar warplane dropped a bomb in Lincang City, leaving five Chinese dead and eight others injured.

An envoy of Myanmar's president apologized for the bombing during a later visit to Beijing, vowing efforts to prevent a repeat occurrence.

Industrial Cooperation High on Agenda of Chinese Premier's Upcoming Visit to BrazilAnchor:

Chinese and Brazilian observers are suggesting industrial cooperation is going to be high on the agenda of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Brazil.

CRI's Niu Honglin has more.

Reporter:

Many of the agreements likely to be signed during the premier's visit will include Chinese companies teaming up with Brazilian partners to shift production into Brazil.

Zhou Zhiwei, Director of the Institute of Latin American studies at the China Academy of Social Sciences, says more cooperation between the two sides is needed to increase industrial capacity.

"The relationship between China and Brazil enjoys a solid base and is developing rapidly. However, China's economic downturn and structural readjustments have brought down its needs for commodities, which have been the basis for most of China and Brazil's bilateral trade. So it is necessary to develop new growth points. Industrial capacity cooperation provides opportunities to further develop bilateral trade and will contribute to the transformation and upgrading of bilateral economic and trade relations."China's investment in Brazil, its largest trading partner in Latin America, hit some 19 billion U.S. dollars last year.

Brazil's Ambassador to China, Valdemar Carneiro Leao, says retooling the bilateral economic relationship won't be a quick process.

"The majority of products that Brazil has exported to China are raw materials, while China mainly exports industrial products to Brazil. This situation cannot be changed in short period of time. Of course, Brazil needs to improve its own product competitiveness. Both governments are working for this. However, there is a process in which governments should keep encouraging enterprises to work towards this goal."In recent years, the Brazilian government has launched a series of infrastructure projects with the help of foreign investment.

The Chinese government has been encouraging Chinese firms to bid for Brazil's new rail and energy projects.

China's ambassador to Brazil, Li Jinzhang, says a number of leading Chinese companies are teaming up with Brazilian counterparts in power generation.

"Apart from electricity transmission, many Chinese companies, including the Three Gorges Corporation and Gezhouba Group Corporation, are cooperating with local power companies in Brazil to develop hydropower projects. As part of Li Keqiang's visit to Brazil, the Three Gorges Corporation will sign a delivery contract for a wind power station in northeast Brazil. This marks a strategic shift by Chinese companies in Brazil to expand from solar, hydro and thermal power to wind power."Brazil is the first stop on Chinese Premier Li Keqing's 9-day trip through Latin America.

He is also due to make stops in Colombia, Peru and Chile.

For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

150 fugitives captured in "Fox Hunt 2015"Anchor:

150 economic fugitives have been returned to China from 32 countries since the beginning of the year, as authorities intensify efforts to curb economic crimes.

The Public Security Ministry says China will continue to work with other countries to repatriate economic-crime suspects and assist operation Skynet, launched by China's top anti-graft authority.

Our reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

Fox Hunt 2015 is part of Operation Skynet, which seeks to hunt down suspects who have fled to foreign countries with their ill-gotten gains.

Gao Feng with economic crimes bureau at the Public Security Ministry. He talks about the latest developments of the operation.

"Since the "Fox Hunt 2015" Campaign was launched, police departments from all over the country captured 150 economic fugitives from 32 countries. Eight of the suspects had been on the run for more than 10 years, and 44 of them were involved in cases relating to tens of millions of yuan. 3 suspects have been extradited from foreign countries. "The best known among the arrests is Dai Xuemin, the first to be captured from the list of 100 fugitives issued in late April.

Dai was the manager of a securities broker in Shanghai, before escaping overseas a decade ago.

He is suspected of embezzlement.

Police captured Dai after he sneaked back to China using a foreign passport.

Many of the suspects targeted by Skynet and Foxhunt are former officials of government departments and state-owned enterprises, accused of corruption.

Liu Dong is the deputy director of the economic crimes bureau at the Public Security Ministry.

"The anti-graft group of the CPC central committee launched the "Sky-net" campaign in April. Its main target is corrupt officials that fled to foreign countries. The "Fox hunt 2015" campaign is incorporated into the "Sky-net operation". And it not only targets economic crimes but also duty crimes and graft-related cases."Gao adds that authorities have intensified efforts in provinces with the most fugitives.

"Police departments in Guangdong province made huge efforts in preventing suspects from escaping overseas. They have arrested 25 fugitives. Police in Jiangsu province have made arrests and used persuasion to collar suspects. It has successfully persuaded 20 fugitives in Canada to come back to China."Authorities say they will further intensify the hunt.

The ministry also stressed its efforts in cracking down on domestic economic crime, which has risen sharply and caused enormous economic loss to people and various entities.

For CRI I'm Guo Yan.

Tibet reopens highway route for transporting aid supplies for NepalA vital transportation artery linking southern Tibet with neighboring Nepal has reopened.

The road linking Nyalam County and the border town of Zham in southwest China's Tibet region has been reopened after being shut down earlier this week.

Local road management official Zhao Chun says Tuesday's major aftershock in the area caused significant landslides.

"The 7.5 magnitude quake caused more than 30 landslide sites and around 100,000 cubic meters of obstruction on the road in Zham. Huge rocks made it hard for us to carry out our work."Liu Guorong, deputy commander of China's Armed Police Force in Tibet, says crews had a tough time clearing the rocks away from the road.

"There were more than 10 rocks weighing over 100 tons on the Zham section, and we had to use hammers and even dynamite to break them."The aftershock that struck on Tuesday, centred just 10 kilometers from the Chinese border, is blamed for nearly 120 deaths.

That quake has set back relief efforts in Nepal, which is still scrambling to try set up more temporary accommodations following last month's major earthquake, which killed over 8-thousand people.

The impending monsoon season in Nepal is another growing concern.

3 bodies recovered near wreckage of Missing U.S. chopperThe Nepalese government has confirmed that three bodies have been found near the wreckage of a US military chopper found in a forest in Dolakha district several days after radio contact was lost.

There were eight people on board the chopper including six US marines and two Nepalese soldiers.

Contact with the helicopter was lost on Tuesday during a rescue mission in one of the areas hardest hit by an earthquake that struck this week.

A search and rescue team from the Nepal Army has been mobilized.

The identities of the bodies found near the wreckage have not yet been confirmed.

Obama Pledges Unity with Gulf NationsUS President Barack Obama has reassured Persian Gulf nations that the United States is committed to helping protect their security.

"Because of the depth and breadth of our cooperation and our partnerships, we've been able to strengthen each other and work together to counter terrorism, to deal with issues like nuclear proliferation, to address the problems of conflict that are causing so much misery and hardship for so many people."Obama and leaders from six Gulf nations met on Thursday during a rare summit at Camp David in Maryland.

The leaders issued a joint statement saying that in the event of aggression, the US stands ready to work with the Arab nations to determine what action may be appropriate and might use military force for the defence of Gulf countries.

The joint statement also pledged cooperation on counter extremism, maritime security, cyber security and ballistic missile defence.

Obama's separate negotiations in recent months to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief have strained relations with many of the US's traditional partners in the region.

Gulf states fear that if Iran gets an influx of money when sanctions are lifted, it will embolden what they see as Tehran's aggression in the region.

Israel's New Gov't Sworn InIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his new cabinet to parliament almost two months after winning the election.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Netanyahu outlined his government's goals, which he says will include striving for peace with the Palestinians.

"We will establish a government in Israel, which will maintain the security, will thrive for peace, we will improve the economy, we will narrow the gaps in society, and we will do all of this for the benefit of all the citizens of Israel."The proceedings began late on Thursday after a two-hour delay, reportedly due to last-minute disputes over ministerial appointments.

It was the latest sign of the troubles Netanyahu faces as he begins a fourth term as Prime Minister.

Netanyahu's Likud Party captured 30 seats in the election in March, making it the largest party, but he struggled to cobble together a majority coalition in the 120-seat parliament.

It took him the full six weeks permitted by law to put together a coalition with just 61 seats, the slimmest majority possible.

Burundi Foils CoupA military official in Burundi has announced that the country foiled an attempted coup on Thursday.

Chief of Staff, General Prime Niyongabo, says combat took place at a public television station and a radio station.

"They had driven into the stations using a military tank and we burnt it. We killed 12, 35 were injured, 40 surrendered, we arrested nine and four of our soldiers were injured."Major General Godefroid Niyombare declared he was dismissing President Pierre Nkurunziza and his government on Wednesday when the latter was in Tanzania for a summit of African leaders.

But the president returned to Burundi a day later and called for calm among the public.

Nkurunziza has been criticized for his re-election bid, which critics say violates the constitution and a peace deal that ended an ethnically fuelled civil war in 2005.　　Nkurunziza justifies his bid by pointing to a constitutional court ruling which says his first term, when he was picked by parliament rather than by popular vote, did not count.

Protests over his re-election effort have lasted for weeks.

Pharm Companies in China and India Could Play A Key Role in Combating SuperbugAnchor:

In an interview on the development of new antibiotic drugs, former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill says pharmaceutical companies in China and India could play an important role in supporting global research on new categories of antibiotics. CRI's UK Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.

Reporter:

The special research team lead by Jim O'Neill has published its third report on Antimicrobial Resistance, with a focus on boosting commercial investment in the research of new antibiotic drugs.

The report, released in London on Thursday, gave three major recommendations, including setting up a global innovation fund and committing lump-sum payments to successful drug developers.

O'Neill completed a trip to China and India in late March. He says he and his team are happy to see more involvement from developing countries, as the fight against increasingly drug-resistant bacteria needs a global effort.

"Because we think it is a global problem requiring a global solution. We want to encourage environment where new pharmaceutical companies in the emerging markets to play their role in this. We meet some very impressive diagnostic companies in China and India, so when it comes to the next stage of our research where we make specific recommendations of state of the art technologies to improve the source of drugs that people use, we already think they can play a key role."He also expressed hope that the issue can be included in the discussions when China hosts the G20 Summit in 2016.

"We went to China in March for two main reasons, one was for us to learn about the many specific challenges, and the second reason was for me to meet with a number of Chinese policy makers particularly those involved in international economic policy to encourage them to explore the idea of treating antimicrobial resistance as a priority for when China hosts the G20 next year. And I have to also say we were very encouraged by the responses our suggestions got."O'Neill was appointed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron to chair the special mission to tackle antimicrobial resistance. The group's previous report warns that without action, drug-resistant superbugs will cause 10 million deaths every year by 2050, more than the total caused by all cancers combined.

In addition to immediate attention from governments and the pharmaceutical industry, Jim O'Neill also emphasizes the need to raise public awareness to prevent misuse of antibiotics.

"We are going to come up with some what might seem radical but specifically focused public campaign in different countries. Because I'm familiar with WeChat, so what China can do, different than in India, maybe a major campaign educating young people on the issue actively using WeChat."For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in LondonWeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 12, sunny tomorrow with a high of 29.

Shanghai, slight rain with a low of 18, then overcast with a high of 22.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 2, same skies tomorrow and a high of 26.

Elsewhere in Asia,Kathmandu will see some showers with a high of 27,Islamabad, sunny, 45,Kabul, cloudy, 32.

In Australia,Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19,Brisbane, cloudy, 24,Perth will be rainy with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChinese Premier says talks with India's Modi "meet expectations"Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing.

The two have discussed many issues, aiming to strengthen ties between China and India and to send a positive signal to the world.

The meeting on Friday follows one held the day before between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At that meeting in Xi'an, the Chinese leader's home city, Xi Jinping lauded the development of bilateral ties and made note of the cooperation in the railway sector and in the creation of industrial parks.

He also noted that the two countries have well managed the region along China and India's shared border.

Meanwhile, Modi says he wants closer cooperation with China in both the "Belt and Road" initiatives and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.

The 3-day tour is Modi's first visit to China since taking office.

He will travel to Shanghai on Saturday.

French FM meets Chinese premierChinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Beijing.

The two sides have signed a dozen contracts to strengthen partnerships in education and sport sectors.

Fabius is also expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to negotiate issues on climate change.

Shells from Myanmar Fall in China, Five InjuredLocal authorities in southwestern Yunnan province have confirmed five people were injured after two shells fired from Myanmar fell on Chinese soil late yesterday.

The government of Lincang City says the shells hit a restaurant in Zhenkang County around 8:30 pm, injuring one Chinese person and four from Myanmar.　None of the injuries are life-threatening.

China has repeated demands for Myanmar to take steps to prevent fighting with rebels from spilling over the border.

On March 13, a Myanmar warplane dropped a bomb in Lincang City, leaving five Chinese dead and eight others injured.

An envoy of Myanmar's president apologized for the bombing during a later visit to Beijing, vowing efforts to prevent a repeat occurrence.

30 killed as bus plunges into valley in Northwest China30 passengers have been killed after a tour bus overturned in Shaanxi Province.

The bus had 40 passengers when it rolled 30-meters down a slope near a forest park in Xianyang this afternoon.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

UK sees record level of terror arrestsBritish authorities say terror-related arrests in the country hit record levels last year.

Nearly 340 people were detained in England, Wales and Scotland through 2014 connected to terrorism.

This is up around one-third from the previous year.

Police say more than half of the arrests are related to Syria.

The British government says it believes more than 700 potential terror suspects have travelled to Syria from the UK.

About half of those are believed to have since returned to the UK.

Biz ReportsAnchor:

Turning now to our business news, starting with a look at the numbers from the Asian markets on this Friday evening.

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

Reporter:

Chinese shares mostly retreated amid worries over an impending withdrawal of liquidity and concerns about slowing growth in the country's economy.

Market sentiment was also dampened after China's central bank said large extra liquidity will not unleashed in the market under a program that lets commercial banks secure loans with local government debt.

At close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.6 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index lost 2.2 percent.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index closed nearly two percent higher.

Elsewhere in Asia,The benchmark Nikkei climed 0.8 percent.

South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.7 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index went up 0.2 percent.

And finally, Australia's ASX 200 edged up 0.7 percent.

MIIT Announces Targets for Internet Speed Improvement, Cost ReductionThe Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has announced plans to boost Internet speed and cut costs.

By the end of this year, the average broadband speed for users in major municipalities and provincial capitals in China will be increased to 20 megabytes per second (Mbps) from the current 9 Mbps.

In other urban areas the average broadband speed will be improved to 10 Mbps from the current 7 Mbps.

More than 1.3 million 4G base stations will be built in urban and rural areas by the year end.

MIIT's deputy minister Shang Bing offers more details on the plans:

"By the end of 2017, optical broadband speeds of 100 megabytes per second (Mbps) will be offered to almost all the urban families. Average broadband speed will reach 30 Mbps in major municipalities and provincial capitals. And average charges for mobile phone Internet and fixed broadband should be sharply decreased by at least 30 percent from the previous year by the year end."In line with the plans, three domestic carries, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, have each provided cost-cutting plans.

China Mobile is going to unveil twelve fee-reduction measures which will see mobile Internet fees cut by at least 35 percent by the end of this year.

China Unicom will offer free upgrades to the 4G network for 2G and 3G users and cut mobile Internet fees by around 20 percent.

China Telecom will improve broadband speed for its users nationwide free of charge.

China to Invest $50 bln in BrazilA Brazilian official says China is planning to invest 50 billion U.S. dollars in Brazil for new infrastructure projects.

Jose Graca Lima, Brazil's undersecretary of state, says banks from both sides are due to sign a deal during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Brazil next week.

Part of the fund will be used to build a railway link connecting Brazil's Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast of Peru.

It will also finance a joint venture to produce steel.

The investment is also set to cover car parts, energy, ports and hydroelectric power.

China has been Brazil's largest trade partner since 2009 and one of its main sources of foreign investment.

China's investment in Brazil reached close to 19 billion U.S. dollars by the end of last year.

Bilateral trade between the two countries jumped by a factor of 13 between 2001 and 2013, reaching over 83 billion U.S. dollars.

For more on the investment and related projects, CRI's Zhao Yang earlier spoke with Professor Liu Baocheng from the University of International Business and Economics.

China's Overseas Investment Surge 36 pct in January-AprilThe latest data shows non-financial investment in overseas markets from the Chinese mainland stands at more than 214 billion yuan or 35 billion U.S. dollars through the first four months of this year.

That represents growth of 36 percent year on year.

Outbound direct investment (ODI) during the period covered 2,800 overseas-based companies across 146 countries and regions.

Investment to the EU saw the fastest year-on-year increase, at 487 percent.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang says ODI into EU member Germany also witnessed strong growth during the period.

"The outbound direct investment into Germany surged 246 percent year-on-year in the first quarter to 210 million U.S. dollars. The substantial growth is supported by major projects between the two countries. It shows that China and Germany are two strongly complementary economies."A German report released last month stated that China was the country's largest greenfield investor last year with 190 projects.

Meanwhile, investment to nations along the Belt and Road, a China-proposed initiative to enhance international connections via construction of transport networks, exceeded 3.7 billion U.S. dollars.

This accounted for more than 10 percent of the country's total ODI during the period.

China Fiscal Revenue Grows at Low LevelNew stats show growth in China's fiscal revenue continues to slow, while that in expenditure quickened sharply.

Through the first 4-months of this year, fiscal revenue increased 5.1 percent to nearly 5-trillion yuan.

This is down from the 6.3-percent rise during the same period last year.

Lower global commodity prices and slowing industrial activity are being blamed.

Last month, the central government collected around 628 billion yuan in fiscal revenue, up 8.1 percent year on year.

In the same month, national fiscal spending expanded some 33 percent from a year ago to 1.25 trillion yuan.

This year, the Chinese government has plans to maintain spending.

Its budget deficit target has been set at 2.3 percent of GDP.

This is up from 2.1 percent last year.

SportsIndonesia beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 to reach semi-final at Sudirman CupIn Badminton action from the Sudirman Cup quarter finals in Dongguan.

Indonesia beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 on Friday to reach the semi-finals.

The pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan clinched a straight set win in just 28 minutes over Lee Sheng Mu and Tsai Chia Hsin in the men's doubles in the opening match of the tie.

Then, the world number four Tai Tzu Ying levels the tie for Chinese Taipei, beating Bellaetrix Manuputty in straight sets in women's singles.

In men's singles, Jonatan Christie then gave Indonesia 2-1 advantage in the tie as he beat Hsu Jen Hao 2-1.

In women's doubles,Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii defeated Hseih Pei Chen and Wu Ti Jung in straight games.

With the win, Indonesia beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 and will next clash against nine-time Sudirman Cup winners China in the semi-final on Saturday.

Bulls Fall to 94-73 Loss to Cavaliers in Game 6In hoops action from the NBA playoffs,The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 94-73 on Thursday to clinch their Eastern Conference semi-final series in six games.

This will be the first time the Cavaliers have advanced to the conference finals since 2009.

It also marks the fifth straight conference finals appearance for LeBron James.

James struggled to score in Game six, netting only 15 points for Cleveland.

He shot 7 of 23 from the field and missed all four 3-point attempts in the game.

After missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, Pau Gasol was back in the Chicago line-up and he helped the Bulls get off to a good start.

The Spaniard finished with eight points and five rebounds in 24 minutes.

The 34-year-old said he had tried his best to improve and to play in the game.

"I mean, they deserved to move on. We were banged up, unfortunately I had to miss the two previous games and I couldn't help my team, you know, and I tried my best to heal or improve to the point that I could play tonight and be out there but you know it wasn't enough."The Cavaliers will next face the winner of the series between Washington and Atlanta, which the Hawks lead 3-2.

In other action,The Houston Rockets overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to stun the Los Angeles Clippers 119-107 and force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Football: Barcelona Face Atletico Madrid, Sit 1 Win Away from La Liga TitleAnd with the cancellation of the La Liga strike, the weekend's big football match takes place.

Leaders Barcelona are one win away from the title, but Atletico Madrid stands in their way.

Trailing behind Barca by one point are Real Madrid, who will face lowly Espanyol.

In the Chinese Super League,Tonight, at 8.pm., Beijing time:

First-place Shanghai SIPG takes on second-place Guangzhou Evergrande.

On Saturday, No. 3 Beijing Guo'an will battle Liaoning.

In the UEFA Europa League:

La Liga squad Sevilla dumped Fiorentia 2-0 and Ukrainian side Dnipro beat Napoli 1-0.

The two victors will meet in the Europa finals.

And in the Women's Champions League Final:

FCC Frankfurt secured the Women's Champions League title for a record fourth time on Thursday, defeating French club Paris St-Germain 2-1.

All Professional Football Games Suspended in ArgentineIn other football news,The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has suspended all professional football games in the country after 21-year-old fourth division player Emanuel Ortega died on Thursday following a blow to the head he received during a game last week.

Ortega's death prompted the AFA to suspend all professional football matches that were scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

AFA president Luis Segura announced the decision.

"Our decision was to suspend the game date for the fourth division but coincidentally I already had a meeting scheduled with Sergio Marchi at 10 in the morning here and we were analyzing the situation, I consulted with several presidents [from football clubs] and we agreed to reschedule all divisions and that there would be no soccer this weekend."The fatal injury occurred when Emanuel Ortega collided into a cement wall as he fought to gain possession of the ball during a home match against Juventud Unida on May 4.

Andre Greipel Sprints to Victory in Stage SixIn Cycling,German rider Andre Greipel sprinted to a third career Giro d'Italia stage win on Thursday, the sixth stage of the 2015 race.

As the field approached the finish line, Greipel was led out by his Lotto Souda teammate Greg Henderson and powered to victory.

Matteo Pelucchi finished second and Sacha Modolo was third.

32-year-old Greipel says he is thankful for his teammates.

"This time I didn't go too early and I am really thankful for my team mates also for this victory."Just 300 meters away from the finish line, a crash occurred as Daniele Colli hit the camera lens of a spectator leaning over the barrier and went down, bringing half the peloton down with him.

Colli was immediately taken to a hospital and his CCC team confirmed he broke his arm.

Overall leader Alberto Contador also ended up hurt in the crash.

Elsewhere,Britain's Mark Cavendish raced to his third Tour of California stage victory on Thursday in the rainy fifth stage.

The Etixx-Quick Step rider won the 154-kilometer leg from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita in three hours, 51 minutes and 37 seconds.

EntertainmentCannes: Jia Zhangke Receives Carrosse d'Or PrizeThe French directors' society has honored Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke with the Carrosse d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The award was announced on mid-March and was given to Jia at the opening ceremony of the festival.

Jia has been a regular at the festival with films such as "Unknown Pleasures," "24 City," and "I Wish I Knew" in official competition.

He won Cannes' best screenplay award for "A Touch of Sin" in 2013.

The director's latest film "Mountains may depart" will compete at the Festival, along with at least 16 other films.

The Carrosse d'Or Prize has been awarded by the French filmmakers society since 2002.

The recipient is chosen from the international filmmaking community for the innovative qualities, courage and independent-mindedness of his or her work.

Chinese A-listers arrived at Cannes to promote their new film "The Ghouls"Actors Huang Bo, Chen Kun, Shu Qi, Angela Baby, and Xia Yu gathered at a hotel in Cannes to meet the press on Thursday.　Their new film "The Ghouls" is a fantasy adventure film about a group of tomb raiders, based on a popular Chinese novel.　Director Wuershan's previous supernatural film "Painted Skin: the Resurrection" prepared him well for this filming experience.　However Wu says this new film represents a brand new genre.

"This is a genre that we have not seen in Chinese language films.　So we're also going on an adventure.　We have to re-learn this genre, to study it, marinate it with the elements from the book, and turn it into a Chinese adventure story"To bring the adventure story to life, Wu enlisted the help of a star studded ensemble cast.　"The Ghouls" will be released in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland in December 2015.

Blues legend B.B. King has died in Las Vegas at age 89Blues legend BB King has died. It's been revealed that the musician died in his sleep on Thursday night at his home in Las Vegas.

The one-time farmhand brought new fans to the blues and influenced a generation of musicians with his heartfelt vocals and soaring guitar on songs such as "The Thrill Is Gone."King sold millions of records worldwide and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

King played a Gibson guitar that he affectionately called Lucille and was not only the undisputed king of the blues but a mentor to scores of guitarists including Eric Clapton.

He was awarded his 15th Grammy in 2009 in the traditional blues album category for "One Kind Favor."The Minions are back in new trailerThe Minions are back and cuter than ever in new trailer for a Despicable Me spinoffThe loveable Stuart, Kevin and Bob are on a whole new adventure in the trailer for the movie "Minions."The upcoming animated comedy follows the trio of squishy yellow creatures as they seek out a new master to serve.

Stuart, Kevin and Bob's journey brings them to a villain convention where they are confronted by the evil couple Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and Herb Overkill (Jon Hamm).

It is in London where the Minions stumble on a threat to the very existence of their species.

New additions to the animated franchise include Michael Keaton, Allison Janney and Steve Coogan, with Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda on board as co-directors.

Minions opens on July 10 in the US and June 26 in the UK.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 12, sunny tomorrow with a high of 29.

Shanghai, slight rain with a low of 18, then overcast with a high of 22.

Chongqing will be overcast with a low of 2, same skies tomorrow and a high of 26.

Elsewhere in Asia,Kathmandu will see some showers with a high of 27,Islamabad, sunny, 45,Kabul, cloudy, 32.

In Australia,Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19,Brisbane, cloudy, 24,Perth will be rainy with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

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

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

The premier of China and prime minister of India have met in Beijing, witnessing the signing of dozens of bilateral agreements...

Five people have been injured after shells fired by Myanmar's military landed on the Chinese side of the border in Yunnan...

And three bodies have been recovered near the wreckage of a US military helicopter in Nepal...

Business: Brazil releases details of billions of dollars of anticipated Chinese investment...

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.