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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The Chinese premier's visit to Latin America is being heralded as the start of a new era for cooperation...

A US diplomat in Beijing says cooperation is vital for achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula...

And one of the most wanted fugitives on China's list of corrupt officials overseas has been detained in the United States...

Business: examining the proposed economic corridors that are to develop under the Belt and Road initiative...

In Sports: One game tonight in the Chinese Super League...

In Entertainment: a new disaster-themed Hollywood blockbuster gets a release date in China...

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.

TopLi's visit inspires fresh modes of China-Latin America cooperation: Chinese foreign ministerAnchor:

The Chinese Foreign Minister says Premier Li Keqiang's just-concluded Latin American tour inspires fresh modes of China-Latin America cooperation while ushering in a new era of South-South cooperation.

Our reporter Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi says the premier's visit is a milestone.

"The visit is quite in time ,quite pragmatic and quite successful. We have a wide range of cooperation including production capacity, finance, railways, and people-to-people exchanges. I think the most important achievement is that the visit brings China's high-quality production capacity and equipment to Latin America, which will benefit economic and trade ties as well as the cooperation between the two sides and serve as an exemplary model for South-South cooperation."Previously Sino-Latin American cooperation mainly relied on China's imports of Latin America's agricultural products and investment in the continent's mining industry.

The minster says despite generating tangible benefits for both China and Latin America, the old mode of cooperation requires upgrading due to the development of each country.

"Latin America aspires for economic diversification and faster industrialization while China has been deepening its economic structural reform, aiming for a large quantity of high-quality production capacity and equipment to go global. The production capacity cooperation enables the two sides to dovetail their development strategies at a higher level and foster a fresh mode of cooperation that features strong complementarity."The official says with China's high-quality production capacity and equipment, Latin America will be able to advance its process of industrialization at a lower cost.

Wang points out that the "three times three " mode proposed by premier Li is not only suits the needs of Latin America, but also inspires new channels for high-level cooperation between China and other developing countries, especially emerging economies.

One of the important achievement of the visit is that we find some new ideas for further cooperation . Premier Li reiterated his proposal of the new mode of production capacity cooperation dubbed "three times three." "Three times three" means the joint construction of three passages for logistics, electric power and information, giving full play to the interaction among the three entities of private sector, society and the government and using three financing channels including funding, credit loans and insurance."In addition, the new mode also provides new means for North-South cooperation.

The minister says part of the high-quality production capacity transferred from China to Latin America comes from enterprises from developed countries.

"In fact, developed countries are also part of the China-Latin America production capacity cooperation which is , as the premier has reiterated , open to third parties. It does not only seek win-win results for China and Latin America, but also an all-win scenario for both developing and developed countries."Wang Yi adds that in face of the global economic slowdown and lingering effect of the global financial crisis, it is very important for China to engage in global cooperation.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

U.S. envoy on N Korea issues stresses cooperationA U.S. envoy on North Korea has reaffirmed that pushing for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula requires cooperation from all parties involved.

Sung Kim, the U.S. representative of North Korea policy, made comments during a media briefing today in Beijing.

"We have always emphasized the importance of 5-party units. Ambassador Hwang and I felt that it would be important for us to compare notes with our Chinese colleagues. When I go back to Washington, I will engage our Russian counterparts to also compare notes on current situations."Sung earlier held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei and South Korean counterpart Hwang Joon-kook.

Kim also expects that Chinese President Xi Jinping will have an in-depth, substantive discussion with his U.S. counterpart regarding North Korea during his visit to the U.S. this September.

The 3 representatives from the U.S., Japan and South Korea held a trilateral meeting on Wednesday in Seoul, and reaffirmed they'll further increase pressure and sanctions on North Korea while keeping the diplomatic option on the table.

Chinese Foreign Ministry urges Japan to stick to the path of peaceful developmentThe Chinese ministry of foreign affairs urges Japan to make contributions to the peace and stability of the region and to boost the trust of neighbouring countries.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying calls on Japan to stick to the principle of peaceful development.

"For some historical reasons, neighbouring countries in Asia and the international community are highly concerned with Japan's policy in military and security issues. We hope Japan learns lessons from history and values the security concerns of its Asian neighbors and is prudent to take action in the area of military and security. "The spokesperson made the comments after Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe didn't deny the possibility of providing military support for US forces in areas "of great matter" while he was being questioned by the parliament.

Sun Meets New Zealand's Defense Chief in SingaporeSun Jianguo, China's deputy army chief, has sat down with New Zealand's Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee during this year's Asia Security Summit in Singapore.

Sun reiterates China's stance on the South China Sea, saying China hopes New Zealand can play an active role in securing regional stability.

For his part, Brownlee says New Zealand will not take sides in territorial disputes, vowing to enhance cooperation with China for peace in the region.

Sun is heading the Chinese delegation to the annual summit, also known as the Shangri-la Dialogue.

The three-day event opens today, with the escalating disputes over the South China Sea expected to be a focus.

Analysis on territorial disputes in the South China SeaOn the recent heating- up of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, our reporter Liu Kun earlier spoke to Su Hao, professor and director of the Center for Strategic and Peace Studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

Back anchor:

That was Su Hao, professor and director of the Center for Strategic and Peace Studies at China Foreign Affairs University, speaking with our Liu Kun.

China reports first MERS case in GuangdongAuthorities have confirmed that a man from South Korea has tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Guangdong.

The man arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, before heading to Guangdong province. He was found yesterday and put in isolation.

He had close contact with MERS patients at home and expressed discomfort last Thursday.

38 others who had close contacted with the victim have not exhibited symptoms of the disease.

The World Health Organization has also confirmed another 9 people in South Korea having MERS, but there has been no sustained human-to-human spread.

The UN agency says it is not recommending screening of passengers or that travel or trade restrictions be imposed on South Korea due to the outbreak.

Meanwhile, China says plans have been made to prevent the spread of MERS in the country, though details have not been revealed.

MERS is caused by a new type of corona virus and is fatal more than 40 percent of the time.

There is no vaccine or treatment. The disease was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

No.1 Wanted Fugitive Chinese official Detained in US on Immigration ChargesUS Immigration says it has detained a fugitive Chinese official wanted on corruption charges by the Chinese government.

Yang Xiuzhu is being held on immigration charges.

She is the former vice-Mayor of the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang.

Yang is accused of running off with over 250-million yuan worth of bribes linked to construction projects in the city.

Its unclear whether the suspect will be turned over to Chinese authorities.

The Chinese government has been pushing for an extradition treaty with the United States.

US immigration has been actively assisting in the latest drive by the Chinese government to repatriate suspected economic criminals.

Security Software Eye-catching at ExpoAnchor:

Internet security software products have drawn massive attention at the ongoing China Software Expo.

Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

Recent internet mishaps that victimized giant online service providers Alipay and Ctrip have again sparked concerns over information security in China.

Chen Wei from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology calls on the country's software industry to attach greater importance to privacy and information safety.

"Information security has always been a top priority in the development of the software industry. It's a historical responsibility of the industry to provide products and services that can ensure information safety and national security."Online services, like e-shopping and e-banking, have seen soaring popularity in recent years.

But reports about huge economic losses resulting from accidental leaks of personal information are also on the rise.

Meantime, growing public awareness of information security has been a catalyst for the development of China's online security industry.

At the ongoing China Software Expo, domestic security software developers have gained preference.

Kong Yufan's company provides password-setting service for online business operators.

His products have earned recognition abroad.

"Our self-developed password coding technology has drawn massive attention from overseas. Our products have been used by international giants like IBM, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank. Cooperation in this area will rise in the future, bringing more opportunities for Chinese software developers."Kong suggests the industry closely follow the country's new strategies that aim to address information security while also developing technologies against new problems.

"The information security industry will develop in two directions. One is to help ensure national security. The other is to deal with new challenges brought by emerging applications based on cloud, big-data and mobile internet platforms."China has the world's largest online population, nearing 650 million, a total that outnumbers the entire U.S. population two to one.

While addressing the opening ceremony of the expo on Wednesday, Miao Wei, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said the country is striving to develop a more reliable information system and a comprehensive capability to ensure information security.

The expo is the largest and the most influential international software show in China.

More than 600 software companies from home and abroad attend this year's event.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

Embattled Fifa to vote on Presidency amid corruption scandalAnchor:

FIFA, the governing body of world football, is set to elect a new president in the next few hours.

Incumbent Sepp Blatter will take on Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan in what could be the tightest election in years.

The election comes two days after a dawn raid in Zurich, where 7 top FIFA officials were arrested for swindling hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two decades.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reportsReporter:

The 209 members of FIFA are set to vote for a new president at their congress in Zurich, amid a huge corruption scandal.

President Sepp Blatter, who has been at the helm for 17 long years, is seeking a fifth term.

The 79-year-old is considered to be the front runner, with strong support in Asia and Africa.

His only challenger is 39-year-old Jordanian Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan.

The vote comes two days after seven top FIFA officials were held in Zurich in a US fraud inquiry that has indicted 14 people.

Blatter has faced calls to quit but says he is not responsible for the scandal.

"The events of the last Wednesday have unleashed the storm. And it was even questioned at a point in time whether this congress would take place or the agenda may be changed. Today, I am appealing for unity and team spirit so we can move forward togetherPrince Ali is the dark-horse in the race, but he has a strong track record when it comes to promoting ethics in the game.

He had earlier called for ethics investigator Michael Garcia's report into corruption allegations surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids to be made public.

But so far only European clubs are openly backing him.

The massive voting blocks of North, Central and South America remain a swing vote.

But Ali's critics, including President of the Arabian Sports Council, Prince Talal Bin Badr Bin Suad Bin Abdulaziz say Ali's bid for presidency has been mistimed.

"We all like Prince Ali, and we will support him in the future, but at the moment, there is a conflict between Europe and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, Prince Ali is backed by the Europeans, who want to control the game. I think the timing for Prince Ali was wrong, but I'm sure he will return in the future".

In the first round, a candidate must get two-thirds of the votes to win outright, or 140 votes.

If that is not achieved there will be a second round requiring a simple majority.

The corruption scandal will no doubt weigh heavily on the minds of delegates as they cast their vote.

The US Department of Justice has put out a charge sheet with 42 indictments for bribery, racketeering and money-laundering involving tens of millions of dollars since 1991.

Swiss prosecutors have launched an investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.

Many of FIFA's major sponsors have also expressed grave concern over the investigations.

Top Sponsor Visa has threatened to pull-out from the world cup.

Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald's and Hyundai Motors are all pressing FIFA to take immediate action to restore its reputation.

No matter who wins the election, the new FIFA president has a tough road ahead.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraThailand Allows US to Fly over its Territory for Migrants RescueThailand has allowed U.S. air surveillance planes over its territory to assist in the search for migrant boats drifting at sea.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanasak Pati-mapra-gorn made the announcement on Friday.

"Thailand has allowed the United States to fly into Thai territory. This will need a documentation process, but the deputy prime minister who oversees national security has approved it verbally."More than 3,000 migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar have landed in Indonesia and Malaysia since Thailand launched a crackdown on human trafficking gangs this month.

About 2,600 are believed to still be adrift in boats.

While some of the migrants are Bangladeshis escaping poverty at home, many are members of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslim minority.

The United States earlier asked Thailand to fly surveillance flights from Thai bases to identify boats carrying migrants.

The U.S. is operating similar flights from Malaysia.

Japan Volcano EruptsA volcano on an island in southern Japan erupted on Friday, prompting authorities to call for an evacuation of residents.

Mount Shindake erupted about 10 a.m..

Sadayuki Kitagawa is with the Japan Meteorological Agency,"We have confirmed that the pyroclastic flow is going westward, also confirmed is that the height of the volcanic smoke is around 9000 metres. There is also a possibility, going forward, of an explosive eruption or an eruption on a big scale. We expect the pyroclastic flow to reach the residential areas of Kuchinoerabu Island, so we would have to heighten the alert. We ask that residents to follow the instructions from local authorities."The agency has raised the volcano alert level to 5, the highest on its scale.

No injuries have been reported.

The island is roughly 1,000 km southwest of Tokyo.

Tourism and fishing are the main activities on the heavily forested, mountainous island.

Japan's All Nippon Airways has said it will divert some flights to Okinawa and Southeast Asia as a precaution, but didn't plan to cancel any flights.

Libyan Tribes Show Support for Its Government in CairoHundreds of Libyan tribal leaders gathered in Cairo on Thursday, announcing their support for Libya's internationally-recognised government and calls for a U.N. arms embargo to be lifted.

Tribe members have met with Egyptian authorities hoping to enlist their help in preventing Islamist violence from spilling over their shared border.

Abdel Matloob Al Abyad is a Libyan tribal leader,"Supporting the Libyan army - the true heroes that are now fighting the dark forces and black terrorism. Giving the military weapons guarantees the security of the nation and the freedom of its citizens and defeats terrorism,"Islamist militants have thrived in the chaos of Libya, which now has two competing governments.

The country's internationally recognised government has operated out of eastern Libya since a rival armed faction, Libya Dawn, seized the capital Tripoli in August and set up its own government.

Analysts say most of the tribes in attendance in Cairo are supporters of the internationally recognised government, with supporters of its Tripoli-based rival not well represented.

Extreme Weather Linked to Climate ChangeAnchor:

The extreme heat currently gripping India has killed over 17-hundred people. Meanwhile, storms and flooding in the US have devastated Texas.

Scientists are attributing the extreme weather, which is becoming increasingly frequent worldwide, to climate change.

CRI's Tu Yun brings the details.

Reporter:

Most of the deaths in India have been reported in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where temperatures have soared above 47 degrees.

Public announcements are urging people to drink water and avoid going outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.

Sarojini is the Medical and Health Officer for Vishakapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh:

"Our doctors and paramedics have been going outside and making people aware that they should not work outside in the sun. They are also telling people that if they have to step out during the day then they should take precautions and use a cap or something to cover your head. People should try and wear cotton and loose clothing."Hot, dry winds have also swept across New Delhi and most parts of north and central India.

Forecasters are suggesting the heat wave may start subsiding later on today.

And monsoon rains, expected to arrive in the southern state of Kerala in the first week of June, will bring some relief.

Meanwhile, Much of Texas and Oklahoma in the US are being swept by rainstorms.

And flooding has overwhelmed some towns, damaging many houses.

Meteorologists say the storms are not yet done, raising the prospect of even more flooding.

Adam Sobel is a climate expert at Columbia University.

He says that some extreme weather is influenced by the Earth's warming climate.

"Attributing extreme weather to climate change depends a lot on what kind of extreme weather we are talking about. So we are quite certain that heat-waves for example are becoming more frequent and we can already see a human fingerprint on increasing heat-waves. Other kinds of extreme weather events like floods and droughts we believe that there is a climate change influence there but there is a lot more natural variability and lot more variation from place to place about how strong the link we can make to the warming climate. And other events like tornadoes we can't make a strong association yet at all."A recent study suggests the percentage of extremely hot days caused by man-made greenhouse gases will push past 95-percent.

The Swiss scientists who did the study calculated that 18-percent of extreme rain events are caused by global warming.

But if the world warms another 1.1 degrees Celsius - expected to happen around mid-century-about 39-percent of the downpours would be attributed to humanity's influence.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 18, mostly sunny tomorrow with a high of 31.

Shanghai will have moderate rain with a low of 20, slight rain tomorrow, a high of 25.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 20, sunny tomorrow and a high of 31.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, slight rain, 34,Kabul will be mostly sunny, 29.

In Australia,Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19,Brisbane, cloudy, 25,Perth will be sunny with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChinese Foreign Ministry urges Japan to stick to the path of peaceful developmentChina is urging Japan to make contributions to the peace and stability of the region and to boost the trust of neighbouring countries.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying calls on Japan to stick to the principle of peaceful development.

The spokesperson made the comments after Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe didn't deny the possibility of providing military support for US forces in areas "of great matter" while he was being questioned by the parliament.

Shangri-La Dialogue opens in SingaporeThe 14th annual Shangri-La Dialogue has opened in Singapore.

The 3-day meeting gathers defense chiefs and top military officials from 30 countries across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Shangri-La Dialogue is scheduled to discuss a new model of security cooperation between Asian countries.

Also, a series of bilateral meetings will be held over the three days.

Defense chiefs from the U.S., Japan, India and several European countries are set to attend the meetings.

China reports first MERS case in GuangdongAuthorities have confirmed that a man from South Korea has tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in Guangdong.

The man arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday, before heading to Guangdong province. He was found yesterday and put in isolation.

He had close contact with MERS patients at home and expressed discomfort last Thursday.

38 others who had close contacted with the victim have not exhibited symptoms of the disease.

The World Health Organization has also confirmed another 9 people in South Korea having MERS, but there has been no sustained human-to-human spread.

Meanwhile, China says plans have been made to prevent the spread of MERS in the country.

MERS is caused by a new type of corona virus and is fatal more than 40 percent of the time.

There is no vaccine or treatment.

US charges 15 Chinese nationals in college exam fraud schemeThe United States has charged 15 Chinese nationals with developing a fraud scheme.

These people paid imposters to take entrance exams, and gained acceptance to top colleges and universities in America.

Conspirators have been paid 6-thousand US dollars each time.

They use counterfeit Chinese passports to trick test administrators into thinking they were the person who scheduled to take the exam.

Both the test takers and the people they claimed to be are being charged.

The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, if found guilty.

Death toll in heat wave across India reaches 1,700The heat wave across India has killed 17-hundred people.

Nearly 100 people have died of heat stroke over the past day.

Many states in the country have been recording temperatures over 47 degrees Celsius.

Most of the deaths are homeless people and laborers.

The weather department forecasts the heat wave will continue until Sunday.

Biz ReportsAnchor:

Turning now to business news. Let's have a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets to close out this Friday evening.

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

Reporter:

Chinese stocks closed mixed after the previous day's massive correction triggered by a sharp sell-off.

Media, military industries and internet led gains.

Architecture companies, banks and electricity companies faced the biggest losses.

At close,The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.2 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index gained 1.2 percent.

Hong Kong stocks fell for a third straight day, but losses eased after suffering sharp declines on Thursday.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index dipped a fraction of a percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japanese stocks ended higher with its benchmark Nikkei index winning an 11-day gain on optimism over performance of domestic companies.

The Nikkei inched up a fraction of a percent.

South Korean shares showed a limited rise due to external uncertainties such as the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate increase and Greek bailout negotiations in Europe.

The Kospi ticked up 0.2 percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index lost 0.8 percent.

And finally Australia's ASX 200 added 1.1 percent.

China to invest $900b in Belt and Road InitiativeAnchor:

China Development Bank, a policy bank, has said projects involved in the "Belt and Road" Initiative will total around 900-billion US dollars.

The sum involves around 900 projects in 60 different countries.

Over 10-billion US dollars has already been poured into around 50 different projects in the "Belt and Road" plan.

They cover areas such as gas, mining, electricity and telecommunications.

Meanwhile, Chinese vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli said at an Asia-Europe Meeting in Chongqing that the "Belt and Road" plan may include the creation of 6 economic corridors.

The economic corridors will link throughout Asia and Europe.

Zhang says this will be funded, in part, through the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Economic Development Fund.

For more on the investments and the economic corridors, CRI's Zhao Yang earlier spoke with Einar Tangen, former Chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council.

Back anchor:

That was Einar Tangen, Former Chairman of the State of Wisconsin's International Trade Council, speaking with CRI's Zhao Yang.

Google Unveils Android M, Android Pay at Annual Developers ConferenceGoogle has introduced its updated android mobile software and a mobile payment system at the company's annual developers conference in San Francisco.

The Android M mobile software features an upgraded version of "Google Now," the voice-activated assistant which competes with Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.

The mobile operating system also includes support for fingerprint-checking.

It is due for release later this year.

Michael Facemire, Technology Analyst for "Forrester", says the new system gives users more control over what information that apps can access from their Android phones.

"If they can get you to spend more time on your Android phone, more time in Google apps, more time in Google Photos, more time using Google Now and the things they suggest that you might want to do. Now all the sudden, I can get a lot more, a better information about who you are, what you might want to do, what you might want to buy."Meanwhile, Android Pay, like Apple Pay for iPhones, will allow users to make online and in store purchases with their mobile and wearable devices.

The system will work in more than 700-thousand US retail outlets that accept contactless payments.

Google has not announced the launch date for Android Pay but says it will be available for download on Google Play soon.

The two systems are just part of the new releases Google offered at the conference.

Other highlights include a new photo app Google Photos, improvements on the Android Wear platform as well as a virtual reality system co-launched with action camera maker GoPro.

China social security fund reports 142 bln yuan in yieldsA latest report shows China's social security fund gained about 142 billion yuan or some 23 billion U.S. dollars from investment last year.

The rate of return on investment came in at over 11- and-a-half percent, outperforming the 6.2-percent return in 2013.

The fund is designed to solve the country's aging-workforce problem as well as serve as a strategic reserve to support future social security spending.

As of the end of last year, the fund's managed assets totaled more than 1.5 trillion yuan.

Sri Lanka's New Body to Review Port City ProjectThe Sri Lankan government has appointed a new committee to study the possibility of continuing a multi-million dollar port city project in the country's capital Colombo.

The 1.4 billion U.S. dollar port city project is funded by China Communications Construction Company.

The project was suspended in March by the new Sri Lankan government which took office in January after concerns were raised over some aspects of the project.

Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Highways recently acknowledged that there was no corruption involved in the Colombo Port City project and the only concern was whether the proper procedures had been followed.

The project began construction in September last year.

Yahoo Japan Teams up with TmallYahoo Japan has announced plans to team up with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to expand its footprint into the world's second largest economy.

The two companies will launch "Japanese Pavilion" on Alibaba's Tmall website with 100 brands and plans to increase the number to 600 in three years.

Under the agreement, Japanese companies which sell products on Tmall will pay only one-fifth the usually initial costs.

The tie-up is expected to start as early as this summer.

Following the news, Yahoo Japan's share surged nearly 12 percent on Friday, lifting its market value to 3.2 trillion yen.

SportsFootball: Chinese Super League, FA Cup Previewfootball action in the Chinese Super League,One game has just kicked off,League leaders Shandong Luneng are hosting second-place Shanghai SIPG.

It will be a tough game for Shandong as Shanghai SIPG remains undefeated at home this season.

On Saturday,Hangzhou Greentown will play Changchun Yatai.

Chongqing Lifan will play Jiangsu Sainty.

And it's Shanghai Shenhua playing Shijiazhuang Yongchang.

Over in Europe, two cups are on the line this weekend.

Arsenal and Aston Villa hit the pitch for the FA Cup.

The wait for FA Cup success for Aston Villa has been substantial, with the last of their seven FA Cup triumphs coming in 1957. That was a record number of championships back in the day.

Fast forward 58 years and now Arsenal looks to win the trophy for a record breaking 12th time.

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood on the coming match,"To enjoy the day. It's not often they go to Wembley, we want to make sure we're back there in August for the Community Shield because that means we've won the cup and then we've got a European campaign to take care of as well."And over in La Liga,Barcelona will take on Athletic Bilbao in Leg 1 of the Copa del Rey.

Li Xuerui, Wang Yihan Crashed out of Australia OpenIn badminton,Chinese star Li Xuerui experienced an upset loss to Sung Ji Hyun from South Korea on Friday at the Australian Open.

She lost the game 21-17, 10-21, 21-17 in one hour and three minutes.

Her compatriot Wang Yihan also crashed out, losing to Carolina Marin 21-7, 21-18.

Wang Shixian is the only Chinese player through to the semi-finals, beating India's Saina Nehwal 21-15, 21-13.

On the men's side,World number one Chen Long beat Hong Kong player Wong Wing Ki Vincent.

Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal Adanvances at French OpenIn tennis action,China's star Zheng Jie and her partner Chan Yung-Jan have advanced to the second round in women's doubles at this year's French Open.

The pair won 6-4, 6-1 over Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska from Poland.

They will next play Annika Beck from Germany and Shahar Peer from Isreal.

Other Chinese players were not so lucky as Wang Yafan and Liang Chen together with their partners are eliminated from the event.

In women's singles,No. 1 Serena Williams stumbled in her first set before rallying back to beat German Anna-Lena Friedsam 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova beat Spain's Silvia Soler Espinosa 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

On the men's side,The sixth seed Rafael Nadal finished off Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.

The 28-year-old said he was satisfied with how things went.

"Sure, very happy. I think I played a good match against an opponent I think he didn't play bad through a lot of very hard games, long games. The score is easier than what the match was like. Very happy, I think I did a few things very well."Nadal will next play Andrey Kuznetsov from Russia.

New York and Tampa Bay Prepare for Game 7In the NHL playoffs,The New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning practiced on Thursday, a day before meeting in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in New York.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist says Game 7 is 'special'.

"Both teams are playing for the same thing - it's not like they have an advantage or anything so. And I think you can feel that excitement in the building as well, as a fan, you know, knowing that the season is on the line and we've been there before, they have as well so I think, you know, you've got to control your nerves, obviously, and your focus needs to be on the right things."The Swedish superstar has won his last six Games 7s, posting a 0.81 goals against average, a 0.973 save percentage and one shutout.

The six consecutive Game 7 wins are an NHL record and his Game 7 wins are tied with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most in NHL history.

New York is now 15-3 since 2012 in games where the team was facing elimination.

The winner of Game 7 will face off against either the Anaheim Ducks or the Chicago Blackhawks, with that series also going to a Game 7.

McIlroy in Danger of Third Exit at Irish OpenIn golf,World number one Rory McIlroy finished with a nine-over-par 80 in windy conditions on Thursday, leaving him in danger of missing the cut at the Irish Open for the third consecutive year.

"Just to make the cut. I've missed the cut the last two years in the Irish open and I don't want to make it three in a row. So I want to at least go out there tomorrow and fight for it, try to claw my way back up towards the cut line and if i can sneak in there that would be great."Former champion Padraig Harrington shot a four-under 67 to tie with Maximilian Kieffer from Germany on top of the standings.

Elsewhere,Australia's Steven Bowditch shot an eight-under-par 62 to take a two-shot lead over Jimmy Walker after the first round at the Byron Nelson Open in Texas.

Chinese Rifle shooters Shine at Munich World CupIn shooting,Chinese shooters dominated the opening day at the shooting World Cup in Munich on Thursday.

Olympic champion Yi Siling clinched her 7th gold medal of the World Cup series after winning the women's 10-meter air rifle final, scoring 209.8 points without a single shot outside of the 10th ring.

Her teammates Chen Dongqi took bronze and Zhang Binbin was fourth.

On the men's side, China's veteran Zhu Qinan claimed the title with 206 points.

This marks the 21th gold medal of the series for him.

The 30-year-old won gold in Athens in 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008, but he missed the final in London in 2012.

He is now seeking to take part in his fourth Olympic Games in Rio next year.

EntertainmentAmerican disaster film "San Andreas" holds news conference in BeijingAmerican action-thriller "San Andreas" will be released in China on June 2.

Director Brad Peyton, along with lead actor Dwayne Johnson attended a press event in Beijing, and a new trailer was also released.

The story tells of a whopping 9.1 magnitude earthquake that wreaks havoc on Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is up to the helicopter pilot played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to help rescue his family in the chaos.

The Warner Bros film stars Johnson, Carla Gugino, and Alexandra Daddario and the screenplay was written by Carlton Cuse.

It is expected to be the top earner in its debut this weekend in North America, with an estimated 40 million US dollars in ticket sales.

Sha Po Lang 2 releases final trailer before releaseThe final trailer for the sequel of Hong Kong action film "Sha Po Lang" has been released.

The movie tells a story about a retiring policeman who resorts to the use of questionable methods in order to catch a ruthless triad boss.

The title "Sha Po Lang" refers to three words derived from Chinese astrology that each represents a different star capable of good or evil depending on their position in the heavens.

The first movie in the serial obtained best action choreography at the 25th Hong Kong film awards in 2005.

The movie is slated for release on June 18.

Fan Bingbing and Li Chen admit datingActor Li Chen has posted a photo of himself with renowned actress Fan Bingbing with a caption which announced they're dating.

Fan Bingbing later reposted Li Chen's Weibo to confirm the relationship.

Li and Fan have known each other for over ten years.

Their latest project together is the popular TV Series "The Empress of China," also known as the "Saga of Wu Zetian" which hit the screen last year.

Sources say the two have been dating for some time, but the actors have denied this.

It is the first time Chinese star Fan Bingbing has admitted a relationship since she made her debut 18 years ago.

In May 2015, Fan topped Forbes magazine's annual ranking of Chinese celebrities for the third consecutive year, with an annual income of 128 million yuan in the past year.

'American Sniper' Shoots to the Top of the Home-Video ChartsWarner Bros.' "American Sniper," the controversial war drama from Clint Eastwood that grossed nearly 350 million US dollars in U.S. theaters, easily topped the national home video sales charts its first week in stores.

The film is based on a memoir by nited States Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, written with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice.

With 255 kills, 160 of them officially confirmed by the Pentagon, Kyle is the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history.

"Sniper" knocked down Universal Pictures' "Fifty Shades of Grey" to number 2.

Anchor Bay's family-friendly "Paddington" remained at No. 3.

"Jaws" to return to US theatres on 40th anniversarySteven Spielberg's 1975 hit thriller "Jaws" will make its way back to US theatres for its 40th anniversary.

"Jaws" is credited with inventing the summer blockbuster and set the record for the highest grossing film of all time until "Star Wars" debuted in 1977.

Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies are teaming up to bring back "Jaws" to 500 theatres across the country.

"Jaws" will be screened on Sunday, June 21st and again on the 24th.

The screenings will feature a specially produced introduction to the killer-shark classic.

Back in 2014, a group of industry voters ranked the film Hollywood's No 24 favourite movie.

WeatherBeijing will be clear tonight with a low of 18, mostly sunny tomorrow with a high of 31.

Shanghai will have moderate rain with a low of 20, slight rain tomorrow, a high of 25.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 20, sunny tomorrow and a high of 31.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, slight rain, 34,Kabul will be mostly sunny, 29.

In Australia,Sydney will be cloudy with a high of 19,Brisbane, cloudy, 25,Perth will be sunny with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

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

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

The Chinese premier's visit to latin america is being heralded as the start of a new era for cooperation...

A US diplomat in Beijing says cooperation is vital for achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula...

And one of the most wanted fugitives on China's list of corrupt officials overseas has been detained in the United States...

Business: examining the proposed economic corridors that are to develop under the Belt and Road initiative...

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...