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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang now in Chile for the final leg of his Latin American tour....

Chinese authorities busting some 181 separate terrorist cells in Xinjiang...

Prayers being offered for victims of the deadly Napal earthquake one month after the disaster struck...

Business: investors in China's A-share markets seeting great returns in the first four months of 2015...

In Sports: a recap of last night's Chinese Super League Action...

In Entertainment: this year's Cannes film festival drawing to a close...

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.

Top NewsChinese premier arrives in Chile for official visitAnchor:

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Chile's capital Santiago as part of his official trip to South America aimed at boosting trade and investment.

CRI's Luo Bin reports.

Reporter:

Chile is the first South American country to sign a Free Trade Agreement with China.

The Premier arrived at a time when China and Chile mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties this year.

Upon arrival, premier Li Keqiang said the main goal of his visit is to consolidate traditional friendship, deepen mutual trust, and promote bilateral cooperation in various fields such as free trade areas, finance, manufacturing and infrastructure construction.

Heraldo Munoz, Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs, says the visit is of great importance to both countries.

"This is a visit of enormous importance to strengthen the political, economic, social and cultural bonds between these two countries."He also highlighted the use of Chinese Renminbi as a trade currency in global transactions.

"The use of the renminbi, the Chinese currency, where our country is going to play a gravitating role in the region so the Chinese currency can become a trade currency of common use in international transactions."During his stay, premier Li is expected to meet with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to sign agreements in mining and infrastructure, among others.

They will also attend an economic and trade conference.

For CRI, I am Luo Bin.

Premier Li's visit to speed up transformation and upgrade of China-LatAm cooperationAnchor:

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is set to deliver a speech at a meeting of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The speech in Santiago, Chile is the last stop on the Chinese Premier's 4-nation Latin American tour.

CRI's Yu Yang reports.

Reporter:

Premier Li Keqiang's speech is going to focus on China's policy toward Latin America.

Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC, says transformation and upgrading of Chinese and Latin America ties is urgently needed.

"Premier Li Keqiang's visit conveys two important signals: One is China is enhancing the quality of its investment into Latin America; the other is China is changing the investment direction. While stabilizing its investment to energy industry, China has started to promote cooperation with Latin America in industrial capacity and increased investment into infrastructure."Barcena notes economic development in Latin America has slowed in recent years.

She says the region needs a large amount of foreign investment to help it emerge from its economic downturn.

But in saying this, the head of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean says unfocused investments will do little good for either side.

As such, Barcena says Li Keqiang's tour of the region is helping play an important role in reducing investment risks.

"Through this visit, both sides will have better understanding of each other's needs. We can have a better knowledge of which areas China is interested in, and China will know more about which areas we give priority to. This will to a large extent promote diversification of China's investment in Latin America, and ensure efficient investment as much as possible."Barcena also says that as China's economy is undergoing a transformation, the two sides can make strategic adjustment in their trade structures.

"China has a population of 1.4 billion and is experiencing rapid development of urbanization, which bring challenges to China's food safety. Latin American has great advantages in production of grain and other agricultural products. For example, China needs more beef and milk, then we can increase the export of beef and milk. We can also cooperate with Chinese enterprises for co-production of agricultural products. This is an important way of adjusting trade structure of both sides."Chile is the last leg of the Chinese Premier's 4-nation tour to Latin America.

Li Keqiang has also made stops in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

Pakistani Taliban Associated Organization Releases Video of Kidnapped Chinese TouristA Chinese tourist has reportedly been kidnapped by an armed group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban.

The news comes after a video clip was released by the group to the Associated Press.

The video purportedly showed a kidnaped Chinese tourist, called upon the Chinese government to pay a ransom for his release.

The amount of the ransom is not mentioned in the video.

According to AP, the kidnapped man looks similar to a Chinese tourist named Hong Xudong.

Hong Xudong is from China's Hubei Province, and reportedly lost contact in Pakistan last May.

AP also indicates that the authenticity of the video is still yet to be verified.

According to the Shanghai-based news portal thepaper.cn, the Chinese Embassy to Pakistan says they are in contact with relevant parties, and are trying to verify the information.

181 terror groups busted in XinjiangNew figures released by authorities in Xinjiang say one-hundered eighty one different terror cells have been broken up as part of a sweeping anti-terror campaign launched a year ago.

The same figures also suggest over 96-percent of them were broken up at the planning stage.

Authorities say 112 suspects voluntarily surrendered to police.

The campaign itself was launched after the bombing of a market in the regional capital Urumqi that left 39 people dead in May of last year.

China calls deepening political trust among Asian coutnries during CICA non-governmental forumA senior Chinese official is calling for deepening political trust and strengthening dialogues in managing security issues among Asian countries.

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng made the comment at an ongoing forum featuring security issues in the Asian region.

Yu said Asia, being the most economically dynamic region in the world, is still facing multiple security threats.

"We call on Asian countries to further build on political trust and a new model partnership, to set up a community of shared destiny and enjoy a partnership of mutually beneficiary. Also dialogues on security issues should be further strengthened and a cooperation platform is needed for solving security issues, thus to achieve the most national interests while solving security issues on the basis of non-interfering domestic affairs and taking care of the concerns of all relevant parties."Yu Zhengsheng also said that economic development and cultural exchanges are also important in helping Asian countries to speed up cooperation in solving security issues.

The first annual meeting of the non-governmental branch-off of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, or CICA, kicked off Monday in Beijing.

The forum was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, aiming to increase the influence of the security-focused CICA.

In a CICA summit last year, President Xi proposed the "Asian security concept," describing a cooperative mechanism that stresses sustainable security.

Tuesday's forum gathered more than 200 representatives from CICA member states and observer states.

Prayers for victims one month after deadly quakeA month after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake hit Nepal, residents of the capital city of Kathmandu continue to live in fear of further aftershocks.

"People are still scared because of the continuing aftershocks even after one month has passed since the big earthquake. Many of our houses are still cracked or damaged and people are still living in tents. We are still scared.""We are still staying in a plastic shelter. We don't even have a tent, not even the ones that were distributed by the government. We are still scared and worried and we are not even sure how many more months this will continue."Two powerful earthquakes devastated Nepal on 25 April and 12 May, killing nearly 8,700 people and injuring 16,800 others.

Hundreds of families are still living in open camps and temporary shelters and many schools remain shut.

The earthquakes damaged not only homes and office buildings but destroyed a large number of heritage sites and ancient temples.

Nepal faces billions of US dollars in reconstruction and rehabilitation costs.

Nepal Speaks Highly of China's Rescue EffortAnchor:

Meanwhile, China's rescue work in Nepal has been appraised by both locals and government offocials.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

After the destructive earthquake on April 25th, a Chinese government rescue team, non governmental aid workers and volunteers rushed to disaster hit areas.

They have carried out medical treatment, epidemic prevention, supplies donations and rebuilding work in the quake-affected areas.

Chinese medical teams have received praise from local officials.

General Rana is the Nepalese Army's Health Minister:

"One of them is military, and one of them is government, the two are the only that prevent diseases, and I'm telling you, they've done a wonderful job, we don't have epidemic disease, we are still very very careful. Probably never see any epidemic disease."According to initial statistics from Nepal, 107 medical teams from over 30 countries have been to earthquake-stricken areas. China accounts for one fifth of these, and is a main force behind the earthquake relief work.

The Chinese government and NGOs have provided the earthquake hit nation with relief materials valued over 100 million yuan, or over 16 million US dollars.

Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey speaks highly of China's rescue work.

"Chinese rescue team arrived here, and they have saved the lives of some of our peoples, they brought them out of the ruins and similarly they medical team also came, and injured people got treated by them, this has extended the ties between our country Nepal and People's Republic of China, our neighbor."Liu Jianchao with China's Foreign Ministry says China's assistance to Nepal is not over.

"We'll negotiate with Nepali government to see what other help they need next. We'll try our best to offer further assistance."The two major earthquakes have affected nearly 40% of Nepalese people, leaving 8,000 dead.

Nearly one third of the houses in Nepal have been damaged.

For CRI, this is Xie Cheng.

CISAR Arrives in Malaysia for Disaster Relief DrillChina International Search & Rescue team has arrived in Malaysia for the fourth disaster relief exercise by the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Rescue equipment, communications devices and medical supplies were shipped to the country along with 51 team members and a rescue van.

Huo Shufeng is the captain of the rescue team.

"We have brought some 240 items, including six kinds of rescue equipment for this drill, which mainly includes search devices such as sonic life detectors and optical life detectors, and rescue equipment including machines used for hauling, lifting, demolishing and digging. These items should be enough to meet our needs."The team has started to build multi-functional camps for a drill that aims to save survivors in a mock landslide.

The two-day drill, jointly held by China and Malaysia, is being attended by 10 ASEAN countries, 16 Asian-Pacific countries including China and Russia, as well as the European Union.

Iraq PM: Ramadi May Recapture in DaysIraq's Prime Minister is on record saying that government forces are confident in their ability to retake the city of Ramadi from the Islamic State group in a matter of days.

Haider al-Abadi made the comment during an interview with the BBC, at the time when the country's security forces and allied militias had just retaken control of a small town east of Ramadi during the weekend.

However the Prime Minister also called on more international coalition partners to help in the effort to fight the Islamic State.

The Islamic State militant group took full control of the city of Ramadi last week, as Iraqi troops withdrew from their positions.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Cater has criticized Iraqi troops for lacking the will to fight.

In response to this, Iraqi authorities claim that the US side is shifting the responsibility for its own failures to provide superior weapons and efficient air support.

The fall of the Ramadi is seen as a strategic blow to the Iraqi government.

Ramadi, the capital of the country's largest province Anbar, is only a one hour drive from Baghdad.

About some 500 people have been reportedly killed by the IS group in the city, as another 40 thousand were displaced.

Syrian air force strikes IS targets in ancient Palmyra cityA leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement says the group is fighting across all of Syria alongside the army of President Bashar al-Assad.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of supporters via video link that the Shi'ite movement is willing to increase its presence in the country.

"Yes. We are no longer present in one place and not the other in Syria. We are now present in many places, and I tell you today we will be present in Syria wherever it is needed in this battle."The comment was made as the IS group reportedly captured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra last week.

The Syrian air force has carried out air strikes on positions of IS militants in the city in Homs province.

Meanwhile, governor of Homs province is on record saying that the Syrian army will launch a counter offensive to recapture Palmyra.

Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains monumental ruins of a city that was one of the most important cultural centers in ancient times.

Syria-Ukrain Flight OpensSyria has welcomed its first commercial flight from Europe in three years.

A flight from the Ukrainian capital Kiev arrived in the government-held coastal city of Latakia on Sunday.

The flight will run weekly and is operated by a Ukrainian-Syrian firm Autolux.

Michel Haddad, the director of a private university in Syria, said the journey between Latakia and Kiev is better than the current route out of Syria through neighboring Lebanon.

"The facility of movement from Latakia airport to Kiev airport is better than going through Beirut and having to stop on the border and go through a lot of hassle. The road and the hotels are expensive there so going directly is better, even to go to Europe directly through Kiev is safer and better and there is a huge Syrian community in Ukraine."Only 10 passengers arrived in Syria on the flight with return tickets costing around $600 per person.

The flight stayed in Latakia for two hours before returning to Kiev.

Syria has been ravaged by civil war since 2011.

139 graves, 28 suspected trafficking camps found in MalaysiaSome 139 grave sites and 28 suspected human trafficking camps have been discovered near Malaysia's northern border with Thailand.

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says they're still trying to determine how many bodies they are currently dealing with.

"The Inspector General of Police and his deputy are currently at the Malaysian-Thailand borders for confirmation and identification of the bodies in the mass grave."Its being reported the mass graves may contain the bodies of hundreds of refugees and foreign job seekers thought to be from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Similar graves have also been found on the Thailand side of the border in recent weeks, which prompted the Thai government to launch a crackdown on human trafficking.

Northern Malaysia is on a route human traffickers are known to use to transport people to other parts of southeast Asia.

More than 3-thousand migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh have found their way into Malaysia and Indonesia this month.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have agreed to accept the migrants, provided the international community comes to their assistance.

Polish President Concedes Defeat in Presidential ElectionPolish President Bronislaw Komorowski has conceded defeat in the county's presidential election after an exit poll showed him trailing Andrzej Duda, a previously little-known right-wing politician.

Komorowski says he is respectful of the result and wishes Duda "a successful presidency".

"We have failed this time. The citizens of the free democratic country have decided. I recognise and respect the verdict, because this is the principle of democracy. I congratulate my competitor Andrzej Duda. I wish him a successful presidency, because I wish Poland well."Duda thanked Komorowski and all those who voted for him.

"Thank you, President Bronislaw Komorowski for the competition. Thanks to everyone who voted for their candidate. I repeat - for their candidate. In particular, thanks to those who have trusted me and voted for me. Ladies and gentlemen, I am very grateful."If the exit poll, which gave 53 per cent of the final vote to Duda, is confirmed by official results later on, it marks a significant blow to the ruling Civic Platform party ahead of more important parliamentary elections this year.

John Nash, wife, 'A Beautiful Mind' inspiration, die in NJAnchor:

Mathematical master John Nash, the man whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the 2001 Oscar-winning movie "A Beautiful Mind," has been killed, along with his wife, in a car crash in the US state of New Jersey.

CRI's New York correspondent Su Yi reports.

ReporterPolice say 86-year-old Nash and 82-year-old Alicia were killed in a crash on the New Jersey turnpike on Saturday while taking a cab home from the airport.

Known as brilliant and eccentric, Nash worked with Princeton University for many years, most recently serving as a senior research mathematician.

He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for his work in game theory, which has offered insight into the dynamics of human rivalries.

It is considered one of the most influential mathmatical theories of the 20th centuryBorn in Bluefield, West Virginia, Nash first studied in Pittsburgh before moving to Princeton.

His recommendation letter contained just one line: "This man is a genius."Nash married Alicia Larde in 1957 shortly after publishing some of his theories.

He developed severe schizophrenia soon after, and was put under psychiatric care several times.

The couple divorced in 1962.

However, the two stayed close.

And through treatment, Nash's condition began to improve by the 1980s.

The couple remarried in 2001.

His struggles, as well as his brilliance in mathmatics was chronicled in the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind."The film won four Oscars, including best picture and best director, and generated renewed interest in John Nash's life story.

Russell Crowe, who portrayed Nash in the film, has tweeted he is "stunned" by Nash's death.

His co-star in the film, Jennifer Connelly, who portrayed Alicia, has called the couple "an inspiration,.""A Beautiful Mind" director Ron Howard has tweeted saying "it was an honor telling part of their story."For CRI, I'm Su Yi in New York.

11 prostitution organizers jailed in central China11 people have been sentenced to prison over organized prostitution in a nightclub in central China's Henan Province.

2 managers of the nightclub, surnamed Chen and Wang, were convicted of sex trade organizing and sentenced to life in prison.

Chen was also found guilty of illegally selling cigarettes of top domestic brands for profit.

9 other defendants received sentences from 10 to 15 years along with fines.

8 police officers in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, were also implicated in the case.

Former Beijing Municipal traffic police chief stands trialFormer Beijing Municipal traffic police chief Song Jianguo stood trial Monday over accepting bribes totaling 23.9 million yuan.

Prosecutors say between 2004 and 2014, Song provided special vehicle license plates to a number of individuals that were exclusively for government use.

However, the defendant's side challenged that the case involving some 15.3 million yuan is not related to bribery.

The lawyer also denied that Song had benefited from manipulating the city's plates lottery system.

Song was officially charged by municipal public prosecutors in February.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 35.

Shanghai is clear tonight with a low of 19, tomorrow will be cloudy, high of 27.

Chongqing will have shower tonight with a low of 21, the shower will continue tomorrow with a high of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.

Kabul, sunny, 29.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 20,Brisbane, overcast,24,Finally Perth will be overcast with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChinese premier arrives in Chile for official visitChinese Premier Li Keqiang is now in Chile's capital, Santiago, starting his last leg of the 4-nation Latin American tour.

He is due to hold talks with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

Li Keqiang is also expected to oversee the signing of a number of economic agreements.

The premier is also scheduled to deliver a speech to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago.

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with China.

It's also the first Latin American nation to sign a free trade agreement with China.

China adjusts personal imports tariffs to spur consumptionThe Ministry of Finance has announced adjustments on the tariffs levied on the import of personal items.

The move aims to stimulate domestic consumption.

The import tariffs of many personal items, including suits, sneakers and cosmetices, are expected to be reduced starting from June 1.

The ministry says the adjustments are an important step to stabilize economic growth.

Former Beijing Municipal traffic police chief stands trialFormer Beijing Municipal traffic police chief Song Jianguo stood trial Monday over accepting bribes totaling 23.9 million yuan.

Prosecutors say between 2004 and 2014, Song provided special vehicle license plates to a number of individuals that were exclusively for government use.

However, the defendant's side challenged that the case involving some 15.3 million yuan is not related to bribery.

The lawyer also denied that Song had benefited from manipulating the city's plates lottery system.

Song was officially charged by municipal public prosecutors in February.

Syrian air force strikes IS targets in ancient Palmyra cityThe Syrian air force has struck positions of Islamic State militants in Palmyra, central Syria.

Government warplanes carried out airstrikes on IS positions in the ancient city on Monday.

The government said the Syrian army would launch a counter offensive to recapture Palmyra.

The IS captured Palmyra last Wednesday.

The terrorist group massacred about 400 people in Palmyra, mostly women and children.

Former Israeli PM gets additional 8-month sentence over corruptionFormer Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been sentenced to 8 months in prison.

This follows his recent conviction in a Jerusalem District Court for corruption.

His lawyers say they will appeal the latest verdict.

The former prime minister was also given a fine of 25-thousand U.S. dollars during his sentencing.

Olmert was convicted in the so-called Talansky Affair in March on charges of fraud, after the state decided to retry the case.

Olmert had served as prime minister between 2006 and 2009.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

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

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

Reporter:

Thank you Spencer.

Chinese stocks rallied for a fifth straight day Monday, leading Asian markets mostly higher.

Shanghai shares extended their bull run, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surging 3.4 percent, and finished at a little over 4,800 points.

That is its highest level in over 7 years.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained nearly 2 percent.

Total turnover on the two bourses hit a record of 2 trillion yuan, some 332 billion USD.

The securities, military and constructions were among the day's biggest winners.

Speculation centered on China's military strategy, which is due to be released tomorrow. This pumped the military sector, which gained more than 4 percent.

Avic Aircraft surged by its daily limit of 10 percent.

Both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets have bolted higher on abundant liquidity and speculation that the central government will continue to unveil economy-boosting measures.

Analysts say that the bullish performance will probably continue throughout the week.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japanese shares hit a new 15-year high on a weaker yen, with the Nikkei up 0.7 percent.

Utilities, financing business and air transport sectors were among the biggest winners.

Singapore's Straits Times Index added by 0.3 percent.

In Australia, the ASX 200 was up 1.2 percent.

Both the South Korean and Hong Kong markets are closed for public holidays.

Back to you Spencer.

Investors in A-share market see high average stock earningsThe average stock earnings by investors in the A-share market stood at some 140 thousand yuan in the first four months of 2015.

According to statistics from stock information service the Hithink RoyalFlush Information Network, 99.5% percent of the stocks on the two bourses have gone up in this period.

Among some 2500 stocks listed on the A-share market, only 14 of them stand a loss.

Shanghai investors are enjoying the biggest chunk of change, with average earnings standing at some 156 thousand yuan per person in the first four months of 2015.

Investors in Beijing rank in second place, with average earnings of some 80 thousand yuan.

Lock-up shares worth 58.1 bln yuan eligible for tradeSome more good news for investors, the latest batch of lock-up shares worth 58 billion yuan, that is some 9.5 billion U.S. dollars, will become tradable on China's stock market this week.

According to Southwest Securities a total of 3.5 billion new shares from 26 companies will hit the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses.

Under market rules, major shareholders of non-tradable stocks are subject to one or two years of lock-up before they are permitted to trade.

The value of this round of lock-up shares almost tripled from last week.

Among these stocks, Guanghui Energy unlocked shares worth around 24 billion yuan on Monday.

GEM, or Green Eco-Manufacturer, will unlock 189 million shares on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Friday, the biggest amount this round.

China to launch first stock index options soonThe China Financial Futures Exchange will soon launch the country's first-ever stock index options.

Media reports say this move will give investors more hedging tools as the government steps up financial market reforms.

Stock index options will be the third product to be launched by the China Financial Futures Exchange.

Set up in 2006, the exchange trades stock index futures and government bond futures, and aims to develop China's financial derivatives markets.

Expert on the Expansion of the VAT Pilot Program in ChinaIt's being reported the Chinese government may be poised to completely replace this country's business tax with a value-added tax.

The expansion is included in the guidelines for reform priorities this year drafted by China's top economic regulator.

New plans recently released by the Chinese government include using the VAT in the construction, real estate, finance and the services sectors.

The Chinese government began replacing the business tax with a value-added tax in Shanghai back in 2012.

For more on the expansion of the VAT, CRI's Paul James spoke with Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

Back Anchor:

That was Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center based in London speaking with CRI's Paul James.

China invites private investors to help build $318 billiion of infrastructure projectsChina's macroeconomic regulator on Monday released a list of more than one-thousand proposed infrastructure projects, and invited private investors to help fund, build and operate these projects.

These projects totaling nearly 2 trillion yuan, or some $318 billion US dollars, are in sectors such as transport, water conservancy and public services.

The National Development and Reform Commission said the projects will be done as public-private partnerships.

SportsChinese Super League recapThe 11th round of Chinese Super League action wrapped up last night.

Chongqing Lifan drew 1-1 against Liaoning Hongyun.

Liu Yu put Chongqing 1-0 ahead in the first half and kept it well into the last few minutes when the game took a dramatic turn.

Liaoning's Qin Sheng jumped the referee's signal and fired a quick free kick. Ding Haifeng delivered the ball into an empty goal as Chongqing goalkeeper Sui Weijie was turning away for a sip of water.

The look on the face of Liaoning coach Chen Yang, who was also drinking from a bottle, turned from shock to joy as his team narrowly escaped a home defeat.

In other action,Changchun Yatai took out Henan Jianye 2-0.

Tianjin Teda downed Shanghai Shenxin 1-0.

Bayern Munich to talk with Alibaba to sell merchandiseSome off-field football news,German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich will enter discussions with China's E-commerce giant Alibaba about selling the team's merchandise.

Fans in China may soon be able to buy Bayern's jersey with player names in Chinese characters.

Bayern are among the European football clubs that are exploring the lucrative Chinese market.

They have over 1.9 million followers on China's Twitter-like platform sina Weibo.

Six of their players also have verified accounts, including captain Philipp Lahm and Mario Goetze who scored the winning goal for Germany in the World Cup final.

Bayern will go on a summer tour in China and visit Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in July.

They will be playing Valencia, Inter Milan and Guangzhou Evergrande.

Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka offended at French OpenThe French Open has unintentionally offended Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka just one day into action.

A fan approached Roger Federer unimpeded during his game against Alejandro Falla and attempted to take a selfie with him.

Federer complained about security measures after winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to ease into the second round.

"Well, I'm not happy about it. Obviously not one second I'm happy about it. It happened yesterday in the practice, too. It's just a kid, but then three more kids came and today on centre court, where you would think this is a place where nobody can come on, just wanders on and nothing happens."Federer appeared startled before security staff whisked the offender away.

Federer added that tournament director Gilbert Ysern had apologized to him.

In another incident, Stan Wawrinka reacted angrily after a story on the official French Open website touched upon his private life.

The article talked in detail about Wawrinka's recent divorce and featured his off-court relationships.

It had been taken down from the website. Wawrinka had asked the writer to be fired for the offense.

Wawrinka is also through to the second round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Marsel Ilhan.

Other action from day one at Roland Garros,Kei Nishikori, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Philipp Kohlschrebier are all through.

China's Peng Shuai retired due to injury and will likely miss the rest of the season.

On the table today,Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, newly crowned Nice Open champion Dominic Thiem and China's Zhang Shuai and Zheng Saisai will all play.

Stephen Curry previews game between Warriors, RocketsOver in the NBA,The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry has spoken about the upcoming Game 4 in the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors are holding a 3-0 lead and are one win away from reaching the NBA finals for the first time since their last title in 1975.

Curry is feeling comfortable and ready for the game.

"All this stuff that's happened during the regular season and that's prepared you for this moment and whenever you can show up in big games when it matters most is a lot more special we still have a lot of work to do so hopefully we can keep our focus our determination and we're looking for five more wins."The game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets is set for tomorrow morning Beijing time.

NHL: Lightening beat Rangers to lead series 3-2In the NHL playoffs,The Tampa Bay Lightning pushed the New York Rangers to the brink of elimination with a 2-0 victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Lightening coach Jon Cooper hailed his team's commitment in defense and said that's the way to do it if they are to have their chance at winning.

"And you look at the way sometimes you get caught up, and we did, judging our game on how many scoring chances we get; and really you should judge your game on how many you give up. And we got away from our team has that mentality sometimes, and you have to pull the reins back and talk about what we've talked about from the first day of training camp. It's not how many you score. It's how many you keep out of the net."The Lightening are leading the series 3-2.

The decisive Game 6 is set for Wednesday morning Beijing time.

Mikel Landa wins Giro stage 15, Contador extends leadAstana's Mikel Landa won stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia while Alberto Contador tightened his grip on the overall lead.

It was Landa's first Grand Tour victory of his career.

Alberto Contador crossed the line in third place to pick up one second ahead of Fabio Aru.

With six bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint, Contador is now leading Aru by 2 minutes 35 seconds in the general classification.

Today is the Giro's second and last rest day before the peloton goes deeper into the Alps to face five climbs in stage 16.

EntertainmentFrench movie Dheepan wins Palme d'Or at 68th Festival de CannesThis year's Cannes film festival has drawn to a close.

French movie "Dheepan," directed by Jacques Audiard, has won the Palme d'Or award for Best Film.

The movie itself chronicles the lives of a group of relative strangers who establish a life for themselves as a family after escaping the civil war in Sri Lanka.

Jake Gyllenhaal, one of the jury members at Cannes, says "Dheepan" tells a touching story.

"In 'Dheepan' there's this idea that runs through it that was pretty invigorating for me where there are, essentially, three strangers who become a family and over the course of two hours it's relatively seamless to watch three strangers forced to travel to a foreign land and essentially learn to love each other - which is something I've never seen done in the way that it's done in that film. That was invigorating, walking out and seeing that concept done, that I thought could be probably impossible and hopefully isn't in life, but definitely in film."This year's Best Director Award has been given to Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, for his film "The Assassin.""There is no point thinking about winning the Palme d'Or or not. If you do that, you can't be a director. First of all, why? Because the jury is very different each year and also the quality of the each jury is very different and you do not know who will like what and that is why it is better to not think about this and just concentrate on what I am doing the best."The best actress prize has been split between Rooney Mara for her role in the film "Carol," and Emmanuelle Bercot, the French star of the drama "My King."Best actor has gone to French actor Vincent Lindon for his role in "The Measure of a Man.""Chronic," a drama about a home-care nurse for the terminally ill, has been awarded to Mexican writer-director Michel Franco.

A total of 19 films were in competition this year at Cannes.

'One Minute More' releases its latest trailerChinese romantic film 'One Minute More' has released its latest trailer.

The movie tells a story of a young couple and their pet dog 'Lira' which the girl adopted.

It shows many ups and downs during the young couple's life, since the girl has always taken her work as priority and hardly had time to accompany her boyfriend and the dog, and the couple has always quarreled about who will take care of the pet.

Leading actress Janine Chang says the film has expresses the importance of staying with those closest to you.

The film will be released on June 19th.

Jacky Cheung holds gig in BeijingHong Kong pop singer Jacky Cheung has held a performance in Beijing.

A great number of highlights of the 2-hour concert have been live broadcast through both Tencent Video and QQ Music.

During the gig, Cheung performed 18 songs, with 10 of them coming from his latest album 'Wake Up Dreaming', the same name as the performance.

One of his classic works 'You're the Most Precious' was performed by Cheung and a fan as a special guest who had been selected in a mass contest earlier.

Many other stars including Nick Cheung, Zhou Xun and Archie Kao also attended the performance to cheer for Cheung.

Veteran music producer diesChina's veteran music producer Wang Xiaojing has passed away in Tianjin at the age of 58.

Wang is noted for his great contributions to the careers of many famous singers and bands, as well as planning and producing famous songs and albums.

He has been regarded as China's 'first agent for a rock singer', since he has made efforts to make Cui Jian become the 'Father of Chinese rock music'.

In 2001, Wang also founded the famous folk music band '12 Girls Band' after a nationwide recruitment, saying he believed that folk music should not be ignored for the sake of pop music.

Earlier, singer Luo Qi, whom Wang also worked with, expressed her condolences during an interview, saying she feels as if she lost one of her close relatives.

Singer Announces Suspension of Weibo UpdatesMalaysian-Chinese singer-songwriter Gary Chaw, or Cao Ge, has announced that his weibo updates will be temporarily suspended.

Chaw said he had been the target of groundless slander and maligning since last year.

This comes after a series of online rumours claiming that Chaw's kids are responsible for the eye injuries of Feynman, son of Hong Kong actor Francis Ng Chun-yu, during the shooting of the reality show 'Daddy, Where Are We Going?'

Many netizens have expressed their support for Chaw and called for an end to cyber bullying.

U.S. reality show taken off airA US reality TV show has been taken off air due to accusations on alleged sexual abuse over one of its members.

It's been reported that Josh Duggar, who starred the series '19 Kids and Counting', molested five minor girls back in 2005.

He was sent to Arkansas Police by his father but there were no charges filed against him.

Media reports say that Arkansas police received a court order to destroy records of the investigation into Duggar.

The police officer responsible for the case has also been criticized for neglecting duties in the case.

For his part, Duggar apologized for his behavior, calling it totally unforgivable.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 35.

Shanghai is clear tonight with a low of 19, tomorrow will be cloudy, high of 27.

Chongqing will have shower tonight with a low of 21, the shower will continue tomorrow with a high of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 36.

Kabul, sunny, 29.

Over in AustraliaSydney, sunny, high of 20,Brisbane, overcast,24,Finally Perth will be overcast with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.

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

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

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang now in Chile for the final leg of his Latin American tour....

Chinese authorities busting some 181 separate terrorist cells in Xinjiang...

Prayers being offered for victims of the deadly Napal earthquake one month after the disaster struck...

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...