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

Coming up on the program this evening...

China says land reclamation on islets and reefs of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea will soon be completed.

Hong Kong's constitutional development plan is to be put to the vote later this week at the Legislative Council.

The Beijing Blue phenomenon brings Chinese citizens out on the streets sharing photos of the sky on social mediaBusiness.... Honda is set to recall almost 1.4 million Accords and Civics with potentially faulty air bags.

In Sports.... In basketball, Huaqiao claims the China University Basketball Association title,In Entertainment.... The finale of Game Of Thrones fifth season ends with possibly the most shocking death of them all. But don't worry, we will give a spoiler alert.

TopLand Reclamation on Some Nansha Islands to be Finished SoonAnchor:

China has said that land reclamation on some islets and reefs of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea will be completed soon, as planned.

CRI's Guo Yan reports.

In a press release, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang noted that the main purpose of the construction activities was to meet various civilian demands and better carry out China's international obligations and responsibilities.

He stressed that the construction activities fall within the scope of China's sovereignty so that they are "lawful, reasonable and justified".

He said the activities are not targeted at any other country and do not affect the freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by all countries in accordance with international law.

Lu added that the projects didn't and will not cause damage to the marine ecological system and environment in the area.

Wu Shicun, a Chinese expert on South China Sea issues, says the activities are proportionate to China's status.

"As the largest economy in East Asia and the largest country on the shore of the South China Sea, China has obligations, responsibilities and also capabilities to provide services in the fields of maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine scientific research, meteorological observation, ecological environment conservation, navigation safety as well as fishery production, which will not only benefit China, but also the countries around the South China Sea and any vessels passing by."Wu Shicun says the current dispute over the South China Sea involves more parties than any other dispute elsewhere in the world, but it should not hamper the joint efforts for development.

"Before there is a solution, it's better for relevant countries to put aside the dispute while working together for the cooperation and development in the South China Sea. There is no change in China's strategy and foreign policies that are defensive in nature and pursuant to peaceful development and friendship with neighboring countries."Lu Kang confirmed that after the land reclamation is complete, China will start building facilities to meet relevant functional requirements.

He notes that China will continue to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea.

According to his comments, China will continue to dedicate itself to resolving relevant disputes with relevant states through negotiation and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts.

He added that China will work with the ASEAN countries to push forward actively consultation on a "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" within the framework of fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

Uncertainty Looms over Hong Kong Electoral Reform VoteAnchor:

Hong Kong's constitutional development plan will be put to a vote later this week at the Legislative Council.

A two-thirds majority is needed to approve the plan to allow Hong Kong's five million eligible voters to choose the region's Chief Executive by "one person, one vote" for the very first time in 2017.

Leading government officials of Hong Kong are making last-ditch efforts to appeal to opposition lawmakers to support the government's constitutional reform process.

More details from CRI's Qi Zhi.

Reporter:

The plan is due to be sent to the Legislative Council for review on Wednesday.

A vote will then follow, possibly on Thursday at the earliest.

Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam says a "no" vote will surely disappoint millions of Hong Kong citizens.

"If they reject this package, we will lose not only the chance to elect our chief executive through universal suffrage, but also the target of exploring how to elect all legislators through universal suffrage. I want to ask the opposition lawmakers: you have long been striving for a universal suffrage for both the chief executive and legislators. Now there is only one step away, will you give up it easily? Will you prefer to disappoint our millions of voters?"Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung says more Hong Kong people are supporting the government's reform package, citing a poll by the University of Hong Kong.

"People who support or believe they should support the constitutional reform package take up 50%, and those who are against it take up one third. This means, supporters are far more than the opponents. "The plan, submitted by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in April, requires two-thirds support or 47 out of 70 votes to pass.

Pro-government parties hold 43 seats to the opposition's 27.

Many Hong Kong citizens are hoping their voices can be heard.

"I believe the legislators have their own considerations based on their political attitudes. But they should also take a listen to our citizens and voters. ""If they do not pass this package, it looks like our Hong Kong citizens have only rice for each meal, without vegetables. But we want vegetables and we want soup."Many civil societies in Hong Kong, including the Federation of Industry and Commerce, have sent petitions to the SAR government, supporting the reform plan.

Opposition lawmakers had earlier tried to present their own reform plan, seeking to nominate the candidate for the Chief Executive by individuals or political parties.

But under Hong Kong's Basic Law, a candidate must be picked by a broadly representative nominating committee.

Hong Kong's Executive Council member Cheung Chi-kong believes opposition lawmakers are aware their plan is against the Basic Law and they are just venting their frustration through a veto.

"As a politician, one important thing is that you should have the right political judgment. The message here is very clear at this point. What you can do and can't do is right in front of your face. This is what you have to do. If you can't take that and make a decision that costs Hong Kong a great opportunity, the consequences are already clear for most people."Hong Kong has been dogged by protests and demonstrations over the electoral reform plan over the past year, undermining its rule of law and social harmony.

The government has been appealing for calm ahead of this week's vote on the plan.

A series of precautionary measures have also been put in place amid reports of possible massive protests during the legislative session.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

Chinese Authorities Pledge More Efforts to Maintain "Beijing Blue"Anchor:

China's capital city Beijing has witnessed several days of blue sky in the past week, which led to photos of the unusual phenomenon becoming a hit on social media.

Authorities say more measures will be taken to maintain the so-called "Beijing Blue".

CRI's Yu Yang has more details.

Reporter:

People have been sharing photos of the blue skies in Beijing on the Internet over the past few days.

Posts on the topic of "Beijing Blue Sky" have been viewed millions of times on social media.

Su Wei from the National Development and Reform Commission or NDRC says all parties need to work together to maintain the "Beijing Blue".

"The fine weather has lasted for quite a few days in Beijing. Meanwhile, the plants in surrounding areas are still doing good too. With our concerted efforts, I believe the fine weather will continue. The city's economic growth will be gradually decoupled from carbon emissions. We are working towards that goal."The NDRC also says China aims to cut carbon intensity by 45% in 2020 compared to 2005 levels.

Carbon Intensity is often measured by the amount of energy used per unit of GDP.

Experts say the fine weather can to some extent be attributed to the coordinated mechanism of air pollution control in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Zhao Hualin from Ministry of Environmental Protection says the overall design is important to the coordinated development of Beijing-Tian-Hebei region.

"The environment problems cannot be solved without an overall design of coordinated development. First, an environmental management mechanism should be established in this region. Second, enforcement regulations should be refined. Third, a collaborative funds mechanism should also be established in this region."According to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, the central authority has allocated 5.9 billion yuan to control air pollution in Beijing-Tian-Hebei and the surrounding areas.

China marked its third National Low-Carbon Day on June 15, two days ahead of "World Low-Carbon Day."This year's Low-Carbon Day theme was "Low-Carbon cities: livable and sustainable".

For CRI, this is Yu Yang.

Huawei Reiterates No Involvement in Spy ActivitiesAnchor:

China's leading IT equipment maker, Huawei, has reiterated that it is not sponsored by the Chinese government, nor does it spy on customers through its equipment.

CRI's Luo Wen has moreReporter:

Glenn Schloss, the spokesperson for Public Affairs and Communications at Huawei Technologies, says the company set up by Ren Zhengfei in 1987 does not have any relationship with any governments.

He made the remark on Tuesday during a meeting with journalists from 16 Central and Eastern European Countries in Beijing.

"The company is owned by its employees. We are not owned by any governments, any parties or any government departments. We are not a state-owned enterprise."As for the funding of Huawei, Schloss says the international financing of the company mainly comes from international investment banks and some Chinese banks.

Schloss also said the company has applied for and received subsidies from the EU and Chinese government, but he stressed that it is just a small portion of the company's income compared with its total revenue.

"Huawei has applied for and received subsidies from the European Union for research and development like companies in the EU, and that's also the case here in China. The value of those subsidies is something like 800 million US dollars, which is a small portion of our overall revenue."Huawei also refutes the accusations that it has been spying on customers through its equipment, saying there is no evidence that the company has been or plans to be involved in such activities.

"Those allegations or rumors have been around there for a few years. There has been no evidence that could be used by those people who are making such allegations or the media that have been reporting those false allegations. There is no evidence that we have been engaged in such activities and no evidence that we're planing to be involved in such activities."The Schloss stressed that Huawei acts purely in the interests of their customers and their business and fully complies with the law.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Lawsuit between China's Top Drink Makers UnderwayChina's Supreme Court has concluded a session for the lawsuit between the country's two rival herbal drink makers over the packaging of their red-canned beverages.

In July 2012, Guangdong Jiaduobao Drink & Food Corporation and Guangzhou Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical Co sued each other over claims of illegally using the other party's packaging.

The higher court in Guangdong gave a verdict at the end of last year, ordering Jiaduobao to stop using the packaging and compensate Wanglaoji to the tune of 150 million yuan, or about 25 million US dollars.

But Jiaduobao lodged an appeal later to the Supreme Court.

The court didn't give a final verdict today.

Jiaduobao was authorized to use Wanglaoji's brand in the 1990s. But the two firms later sparred for years over the right to use the brand until the Wanglaoji Company won a brand case three years ago.

Warring Parties of Yemeni Conflict Meet in GenevaDifferent sides in the Yemeni conflict are now meeting in Geneva, the first consultations involving the warring parties since hostilities resumed.

UN Chief Ban Ki-moon has called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen to allow life-saving assistance into the country and to provide respite as the holy month of Ramadan begins on Thursday.

However, Yemen's foreign minister Reyad Yassin rejected the truce unless the Houthi group agrees to withdraw from towns and cities they currently control.

Meanwhile, the Houthi side insists that Saudi Arabia should first stop its air-strikes.

For more on the Yemen peace talks in Geneva, our reporter Liu Kun spoke earlier with Nabeel Khoury - senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Hariri Center for the Middle East and Former Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in YemenEU ministers hold migrant crisis talksAnchor:

Interior ministers from EU member countries have met in Luxemburg to devise a joint response to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, with Italy threatening to stop international rescue teams from saving migrants at risk of drowning if no deal is reached.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reportsReporter:

In recent weeks naval vessels have rescued thousands of asylum seekers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East who had been abandoned and left to drown off the shores of the Mediterranean.

The crisis has put a huge strain on Italy, Greece and Malta, who have borne the brunt of rescuing more than 100,000 boat people in the last six months.

Now these countries are insisting that other EU countries must share some of the burden.

But some northern and eastern European nations argue that migrants should not be forced to move to countries where they do not want to settle.

Others have voiced their opposition to mandatory resettlement quotas, saying it is up to member states to make their own decisions.

But Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi says that Europe cannot close its eyes to the migrant crisis.

"What is the meaning of a Europe that tells us everything about economic obligations and balances but that lets people die or thinks that you can close the borders? So we are at a junction."Renzi has already threatened to implement an unspecified "Plan B" if EU member countries failed to strike a fair deal.

Experts say Italy might start issuing temporary visas to enable migrants to travel beyond the country's borders under Schengen rules.

This diplomatic wrangling comes as migrants continue to languish at key points along Italy's border with its northern neighbours, after the French police decided to block border crossings last week, near swanky resorts in Nice and the French Riviera.

Meanwhile, Hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos protested on Monday, demanding better living conditions.

More than 300 people, including young children, marched to the island's main port of Mytilene to protest, saying the living conditions at their camp were intolerable"We came to the camp yesterday without electricity, without water, without food, without anything."More than 50-thousand migrants have arrived in Greece this year, compared to just 6,500 asylum seekers who came in the first half of the previous year.

According to the United Nations' refugee agency half of all those who arrive in Greece are sent to the already overcrowded facilities in Lesbos.

The European commission wants to relocate some 40,000 new arrivals from detention centres in Italy and Greece to other EU member countries. The distribution criteria will take into account factors such as the population of a country, its gross domestic product and unemployment rate, as well as the number of refugees already taken in.

France and Germany are expected to receive more than 30% of all relocated refugees, under this formula.

More than 1,800 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year - a 20-fold increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

The majority of them had set sail aboard rickety, overcrowded boats from war-torn Libya and Syria.

But any concrete plans to resettle these migrants across Europe or an international effort to crackdown on the human trafficking rings that leave hundreds to drown at sea is yet to be agreed upon.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraEnormous Waterloo battle model celebrates 200th anniversaryAnchor:

This coming Thursday will mark the 200th anniversary of the historic Battle of Waterloo which led to the downfall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

A massive model of the battlefield has been put on display at a museum in southern England ahead of the anniversary.

CRI's Xie Cheng has more.

Reporter:

The model itself features more than 21-thousand intricately placed and painted soldiers, along with 10-thousand horses.

Christine Pullen, curator of the Royal Green Jackets Rifles Museum in the southern UK city of Winchester, is responsible for putting together the Waterloo exhibition.

"This particular year 2015 sees the bi-centenary of the Battle of Waterloo and it's nice to see our model - that we all love and cherish - coming back home, freshly restored to commemorate this particular occasion - the Battle of Waterloo."The display was constructed years ago, but was later put aside.

However, with the approach of the 200th anniversary of the epic battle in Belgium, conservationists were tasked with cleaning up the display and preparing it for public viewing.

The diorama is somewhat unique, in that it displays all the key moments in the battle on the same scene, rather than depicting a snapshot of time.

Brigadier Vere Hayes, deputy chair of the The Royal Green Jackets Rifles Museum, says the thousands of figures on the display represent just a fraction of those who actually died in the Battle of Waterloo.

"The Battle of Waterloo was certainly a very hard fought and bloody contest. In an area that was about two and a half miles by one and a half miles 54,000 horses and men were lying wounded on the battlefield, and some of them stayed out almost overnight. It's about the same number who were killed in the Battle of the Somme but in an area that's much, much smaller."The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18, 1815.

It pitted a coalition of British and Prussian forces against the armies of French Emperor Napoleon, who had just returned to power 100 days before after being exiled.

Napoleon decided to take his outnumbered forces into battle as the troops of the British and Prussian coalition massed in neighboring Belgium in an attempt to invade France and once-again remove Napoleon from power.

However, his plan failed, as the combined allied forces were almost double that of France.

Brigadier Vere Hayes says, though brutal, the Battle of Waterloo did bring an end to Napoleon's ambition to once-again roll through Europe.

Napoleon's time in power in France saw him take control of much of Europe, either through alliances or wars, now dubbed the Napoleanic Wars, which left hundreds-of-thousands dead.

His loss at the Battle of Waterloo led him to try to flee to the United States.

However, he was caught by British forces and was later sent into exile, for the 2nd time, on the British-controlled island of Saint Helena in the mid-Atlantic.

For CRI, I'm Xie Cheng.

WeatherBeijing will expect thunderstorms tonight with a low of 22 degrees Celsius; tomorrow overcast with a high of 31.

Shanghai will have heavy rain tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow still wet with a high of 23.

Chongqing will see moderate rain tonight with a low of 21, showers tomorrow with a high of 26.

Lhasa, showers tonight with a low of 13, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 27.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy tomorrow, 39.

Kabul, also cloudy, 29.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have moderate rain with a high of 16.

Brisbane, heavy rain with a high of 22.

Perth, also wet, 21.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsChina's land reclamation on some Nansha Islands to be completed soonChina says its land reclamation in the South China Sea will be completed as planned in the coming days.

The Foreign Ministry says land reclamation on some of the islets and reefs of the Nansha Islands will finish soon, laying the groundwork for the construction of facilities.

Civil and military facilities on the islands have been at the center of recent tensions in the South China Sea.

The United States has accused China of being provocative and changing the status quo.

Beijing has repeatedly made clear that the construction activities fall within China's sovereign rights, adding that most of the facilities under construction will better serve the navigation freedom in the South China Sea.

HK police arrest 10 suspects involved in bomb-making plotHong Kong police have arrested 10 people, with suspected links to a local radical organization.

They have also seized explosive materials and non-lethal guns.

The suspects are all Hong Kong residents.

They were allegedly plotting to make home-made bombs.

The arrest comes days ahead of this week's Legislative Council vote, where lawmakers will deliberate on granting greater political rights for Hong Kong residents.

The police have seized highly-explosive materials, computers, masks, leaflets and maps on Sunday.

Further investigations are still underway.

If convicted the suspects may face a 20 year jail term.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is yet to comment on this specific case.

But he has urged local residents to express their demands through non-violent ways.

Chinese top lawmaker meets with Indian PMThe Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang has met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Zhang Dejiang said China is willing to work with India in an atmosphere of increasing political trust and seeks better coordination over regional and international issues.

The two have also agreed to build a closer developmental partnership to push bilateral ties to a new stage.

For his part, Modi says India regards China as an important strategic partner and will continue to strengthen cooperation with the country.

Egypt court gives Morsi life in prison over spying chargesAn Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president Mohamed Morsi to life in prison over spying charges.

Mursi and his fellow defendants have been convicted of kidnapping and killing policemen, attacking police facilities and breaking out of jail, while acting against then-president Hosni Mubarak.

The court has also confirmed death sentences given to Kairate El-Shater, the Muslim Brotherhood's top leader, and other two members.

All the defendants have been accused of conspiring with foreign militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah against Egypt's national security.

Military launches drive to root out corruption in construction projectsThe Chinese military has begun a six-month probe into buildings erected without permission that exceed specifications or are illegally rented out.

The move is part of a broader drive against corruption.

The campaign will cover illegal issues in the sector and problems in military construction projects, as well as property management.

Any single construction project that exceeds specifications will be investigated.

The campaign will be carried out from June 2015 to January 2016.

Biz reportsStocksTurning now to business news.

First a look at the numbers from across the Asian markets to close out this Tuesday evening.

Chinese stocks dived from seven-year high driven by an exodus of capital from the stock market.

Analysts attributed Tuesday's drastic fall mainly to 25 IPOs scheduled for this week as investors try to get capital together.

Aerospace manufacturing, engineering machinery companies led the market drop.

Shares of CRRC Corporation, which was formed after the merger of China North Railway and China South Railway, dropped by a daily limit of 10 percent, along with China Railway Construction Corporation.

At the close,Both the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index and the Shenzhen Component Index plunged around 3.5 percent.

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

Elsewhere in Asia,Japanese stocks ended lower as sentiment was dented by concerns over Greece's future in the eurozone and caution before the outcome of a U.S. central bank policy meeting.

The benchmark Nikkei lost 0.6 percent.

South Korea's Kospi declined nearly 0.7 percent.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index slipped 0.8 percent.

Finally, Australia's ASX 200 closed dipped slightly.

Bank of Jiangsu to Launch IPO on Shanghai BourseThe Bank of Jiangsu is planning to launch an initial public offering that could raise up to 40 billion yuan, around 6.4 billion U.S. dollars.

The Nanjing-based bank is looking to issue 2.6 billion shares in Shanghai.

If listed, the bank would be the first provincial lender to go public on the Chinese mainland in eight years.

It will rival the recent mega listings of Guotai Junan Securities and China National Nuclear Power Corporation.

Value of China's Stocks Rises above $10t, Margin Debt Reaches New RecordAnchor:

Data compiled by Bloomberg shows that the value of Chinese stocks has risen above 10 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, an increase of 6.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 12 months.

The gain alone is more than 5 trillion U.S. dollars more than the value of Japan's entire stock market.

The US stock market is the largest in the world, valued at almost 25 trillion U.S. dollars.

Valuations are now the highest in five years and margin debt has climbed to a record, despite the economy being mired in its weakest expansion since 1990.

The Shanghai bourse has rallied 152 percent in the past 12 months and trades at about 26 times reported earnings.

The Shenzhen Composite Index trades at 77 times profits after surging 194 percent.

For more on the value of China's stocks market, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Gao Shang, an analyst with Guantong Futures.

China's Holdings of U.S. Treasuries Rise for Second MonthThe latest data shows China's holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose for the second month in April.

China added 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in securities to more than 1. 26 trillion U.S. dollars, up slightly by 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Japan cut its holdings to nearly a yearly low in April.

Japan cut its holdings by some 11 billion U.S. dollars in April to about 1.21 trillion U.S. dollars.

Japan overtook China as the biggest foreign holder in February before trading places again in March.

China's Domestic Commercial Jetliner Receives 500 OrdersOrders have been placed for China's first domestic large commercial jetliner the C919 at the ongoing 51st Paris Air Show.

PuRen Germany signed the order for seven C919s, while Ping An International Financial Leasing signed for 50 of the aircraft at the show.

The C919's manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) says 500 orders for the jetliner have been received so far.

The C919 is a narrow-bodied aeroplane with 156 to 168 seats.

It is considered a future competitor of the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737.

Media reports say the first delivery of the aircraft will be pushed back to 2020.

Industry experts say the potential delays in delivery are not rare in aviation industry, as China must secure the safety of the jets giving the lack of technological knowhow and experience in developing commercial jets.

Didi Kuaidi in Talks to Raise at least US$1.5b: ReportChina's top taxi-hailing app Didi Kuaidi is reportedly going to raise at least 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The amount values Xiaoju Kuaizhi, the company which runs the app, at 12 billion to 15 billion U.S. dollars.

The money will help Didi Kuaidi bulk up as its U.S. rival Uber expands aggressively in China.

Uber is planning to invest more than one billion U.S. dollars in China this year.

Didi Kuaidi is backed by Chinese Internet giants Tencent and Alibaba.

It operates in 360 cities in China and has over 1.3 million drivers currently signed up.

Government issues guidelines to promote entrepreneurship, innovationThe State Council or China's cabinet, has issued a new set of guidelines to support start-ups and spur innovation in a bid to inject new vigor into its economy.

Local government bodies are also being encouraged to purchase innovative products and services from start-up companies to support their growth.

The new guidelines also include favorable policies that will enable start-ups to raise capital either in the stock market through IPOs or in the bond market.

The government will look into ways to allow the listing of Internet and high-tech companies that are still unprofitable on the ChiNext, the NASDAQ-style board.

Honda Recalls 1.39 million Cars with Passenger-side Takata Air BagsHonda Motors is set to recall almost 1.4 million Accord and Civic model sedans with potentially faulty front passenger-side air bags made by Japan's Takata Corporation.

The latest recall will affect 2001 to 2005 Civic sedans and 2003 to 2007 Accord sedans sold in the United States.

This will bring the number of Accord and Civic sedans with Takata's front passenger-side air bags that have been recalled to about 2.3 million.

Last week, Honda replaced nearly two million inflators in its recalled vehicles.

Some faulty Takata air bags have opened with too much force, sending shrapnel into the vehicle.

Seven people have been killed in Honda cars with Takata air bags, six of them in the United States.

Russian gov't approves draft bill to boost trade with ChinaRussia has approved a draft bill to boost trade with China within the mechanism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The bill is set to simplify and harmonize the SCO countries' national procedures regarding cross-border road transit.

It will lift the existing ban on the entry of Russian vehicles to China through border check points from Kazakhstan, in order to boost the trade turnover between China and Russia.

The bill will be reviewed at a government session later.

SportsChina into Last 16 at Women's World CupIn football action,China drew 2-all with New Zealand to finish second in group A and advanced into the knock-out round of the 2015 Canada Women's World Cup on Monday.

Wang Lisi and Wang Shanshan each netted a goal for China.

Chinese assistant coach Chang Weiwei revealed special orders to the team at half-time:

"During the half-time break I told the team to reinforce offence, have faster passes and find loop holes in their back line from both sides. So that's why we were able to have the draw."China's women's football team was runner-up at the 1996 Olympics and 1999 World Cup.

This is the first time they'd played at the Women's World Cup in 8 years.

China will next face the winners of the clash between Switzerland and Cameroon on June 20 at Edmonton.

In other action,Germany beat Thailand 4-nil.

Norway beat Ivory Coast 3-1.

And hosts Canada tied with the Netherlands 1-all.

Later on tonight,China's men's football team is set to open their 2018 World Cup qualifiers as they face Bhutan in Thimphu at 8 p.m., Beijing time.

Bhutan is now 159th in the world rankings.

They lost to Hong Kong 7-nil last Thursday.

NBA Finals Game 6 PreviewIn the NBA playoffs,The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers enter Game 6 of the NBA finals tomorrow at 9 a.m., Beijing time.

The Warriors now enjoy a 3-2 lead over Cleveland.

A win over the Cavaliers will give Golden State their first NBA title since 1975.

China Beat Singapore 5-0 at the Snooker World CupIn snooker action from the Snooker World Cup in the city of Wuxi,China's A team remained unbeaten in the group stage, edging Singapore 5-0 on Tuesday.

It took China's Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong less than 2 hours to clinch the victory over Marvin Lim Chun Kiatt and KK Chan from Singapore.

China will next face Austria on Wednesday.

Huaqiao University Claimed CUBA TitleIn basketball action from the China University Basketball Association,Huaqiao University thrashed Civil Aviation University of China 82-73 on Monday to claim the CUBA title.

Zhang Hanqi scored a game-high 24 points for Huaqiao University.

This was their 9th title in 17 years.

Taiyuan University of Technology finished third, defeating Peking University 84-77.

In the women's event,Tianjin University of Finance and Economics won over Peking University 69-63 in the final game.

Beijing Normal University was third and Tsinghua University came in fourth.

European Games RecapLet's take a look at the European Games in Azerbaijan,Sweden's Sofia Mattsson defeated Katarzyna Krawczyk of Poland on Monday to win gold in the women's 55kg freestyle wrestling competition.

Mattsson said she was happy with the result.

"Yeah it feels awesome but at the same time I don't think that it is another medal in the collection. Like, it is the first European Games until now and I am the first gold medalist in the 55-kilogramme and I have one medal from the European Games. So that feels awesome."Germany beat the Netherlands 3-2 to win the women's team table tennis.

It was the first table tennis gold medal at the European Games.

Germany grabbed three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze on day four.

Heading into day five, Russia is now at the top of the medal tally with nine golds, two silvers and four bronzes.

NHL: Chicago Win the Stanley Cup after 2-0 Win over Tampa BayIn National Hockey League playoffs action,The Chicago Blackhawks shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-zero in Game 6 on Monday to claim their third NHL title in the past six seasons.

This was also the first time that Chicago has clinched the trophy at home in 77 years.

Both Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith scored in the game.

26-year-old Kane offered these thoughts on the win.

"You know, it's exciting. I think this (Stanley Cup title) is probably the hardest one for us. We had to go through some great teams with Anaheim and obviously Tampa Bay, even Minnesota was a sweep but it was still a tough series, one goal games. Nashville gave us all we could handle, a couple of overtimes, triple overtime games. We had a lot of timely goals, a lot of timely plays. I think the different one about this one is we won it here at home."The Blackhawks won the Cup in 2010 and 2013, but they've failed to secure the Stanley Cup at home since 1938.

For Tampa Bay, it was their first final appearance since they won the Cup in 2004.

EntertainmentIndian and Canadian film week kicks off at the SIFFIndian and Canadian film week kicks off today at the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival.

Films from the two countries are being screened, offering viewers a glimpse of their diverse cultures.

Twelve Canadian films will be screened at the festival, 10 of these in the Best of Canada program.

The films include Bang Bang Baby, Kidnap Capital, Henri Henri, La Passion d'Agustine, Relative Happiness, Mommy, These Lovers, The Cocksure Lads Movie, and Wet Bun.

At the festival several Indian films, including the recent box office hit comedy PK are being screened.

The acclaimed film, which broke box office records in India, has already taken more than 96.9 million yuan,15.53 million US dollars in China in its first 16 days.

"Chang Chen Ghost Stories" to be shot into a filmAn upcoming thriller adapted from China's most popular horror radio show of the late 1990s will hit Chinese cinemas on July 3.

Chang Chen Ghost Stories, inspired by the namesake radio program, has been co-produced by Chinese actor Ren Quan and A-list actress Li Bingbing.

The program was premiered by a radio channel in Liaoning province in 1997 and soon became a sensation across the country.

Many fans in their 30s say that gathering around a radio to hear the horror stories is a collective memory from their college time.

Chang Chen, the famed host behind the program, released his first ghost-themed audio book, Chang Chen Ghost Stories, also the first of its kind, in 2000.

As an actor, Chang has also been nominated three times for Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards.

Peter Chan to Direct Tennis Champion Li Na's BiopicHong Kong director Peter Chan is gearing up to film a biographical movie about mainland Chinese tennis champion Li Na.

Adapted from Li Na's autobiography, the film will simply be titled Li Na, and is backed by an impressive investment of 120 million yuan, around 20 million US dollars.

Peter Chan is currently embroiled in the decision about who should portray Li Na on the big screen.

Vicki Zhao, who recently won Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards is tipped to land the role of Li Na.

The source of this rumour has not been confirmed.

Li Na will serve as a creative advisor for the film.

Li retired from the sport last September due to chronic injuries.

She is renowned as a legendary tennis star, a two-times Grand Slam winner, and is the only Asian tennis player to ever pick up a Grand Slam title.

The film is expected to begin shooting at the start of next year.

Game of Thrones season 5 finale with the death of Jon SnowNow a spoiler alert for Game of Thrones fans. Cover your ears for the next minute or so if you don't want to know what happens in the season finale - unless you're driving of course...

The finale of Game Of Thrones fifth season ended with possibly the most shocking death of them all.

Jon Snow, the illegitimate son of Eddard Stark, the savior of the wildlings and the lord commander of the Night's Watch, was attacked and left for dead by his very own men.

Even in an episode which saw Stannis Baratheon being killed, Cersei being sentenced to a naked walk of shame and Arya Stark apparently going blind, the horrific death of the show's main hero left fans reeling.

Meanwhile, Kit Harington has confirmed that he will not be returning to the show in the next series.

But that could be misdirection. The books can be no reference, as the source material on Jon's fate is now exhausted.

Is Jon Snow gone? Will Melisandre bring him back from the dead? We'll have to wait until next season to see.

Matt Damon's "The Martian"releases Chinese trailerA Chinese trailer for 20th Century Fox's new movie "The Martian" which stars Matt Damon has been revealed.

Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is based on the bestselling book by Andy Weir, and stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut who finds himself stranded on Mars after a storm forces the evacuation of a human habitat.

The film also stars Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain and Kristen Wiig.

Drew Goddard wrote the screenplay, based on Andy Weir's novel of the same name.

The Martian opens in theaters on November 25.

IMAX, CMC launch China Film Investment FundIMAX Corporation, the Canadian company known for its giant-screen technology, and CMC Capital Partners, China's leading media and entertainment investment fund, launched the China Film Investment Fund on Tuesday.

The fund, with a start-up capital of about 50 million U.S. dollars, will invest in 10 Chinese films in the first stage.

The two sides will set up a committee to choose films for investment.

The films they invest in will be screened at cinemas within the IMAX global network.

Kabul, also cloudy, 29.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have moderate rain with a high of 16.

Brisbane, heavy rain with a high of 22.

Perth, also wet, 21.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

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

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

China says land reclamation on islets and reefs of the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea will soon be completed.

Hong Kong's constitutional development plan is to be put to the vote later this week at the Legislative Council.

The Beijing Blue phenomenon has brought Chinese citizens out on the streets sharing photos of the sky on social mediaBusiness.... China has received orders for 500 of its domestic C919 commercial jet airlinersOn behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, its Mark Griffiths in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together...