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

Coming up on the program this evening...

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have shot down a proposal for universal suffrage.

Mainland officials warning of more flooding ahead as heavy rains continue to pound the central and southern parts of China.

North Korean authorities say they're dealing with the worst drought in the country in centuries.

Business.... Commerce authorities working on plans amid the sharp downturn in foreign trade.

In Sports.... an update on the action at the Women's World Cup.

In Entertainment.... we'll hear from an acclaimed American film producer attending the Shanghai Film Festival.

Top NewsHK's legislature vetoes motion for selecting chief executive by universal suffrageAnchor:

China's top legislature says its plans first announced last year for electoral reforms in Hong Kong will not be changed, despite a decision by Hong Kong lawmakers to vote down plans for universal suffrage in the city.

CRI's Hong Kong correspondent Li Jing has more on the vote itself.

Reporter:

China's Hong Kong Legislative Council on Thursday vetoed a motion of the proposed universal suffrage for selecting the region's next chief executive in 2017.

After a nine-hour debate which started on Wednesday, 28 lawmakers of the Legislative Council voted against the motion while eight voted in favor.

Many lawmakers left the chamber of the legislature building before the vote.

According to a decision by the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the motion needs to be endorsed by at least two-thirds of all the 70 lawmakers, or 47 votes, in the Legislative Council.

For CRI, this is Li Jing in Hong Kong.

Cargo ship capsizes in Yangtze, casualties unknownLocal authorities in the city of Nanjing are bracing for potential environmental problems following the sinking of a cargo ship this morning on the Yangtze River.

Local maritime authorities say the ship was carrying 200 tonnes worth of a strong, caustic liquid when it went down.

The actual chemical has not been identified.

It's unclear how many people were on the ship at the time, or whether there are any survivors.

More floods expected to ravage middle and lower reaches of Yangtze riverChinese flood control authorities are warning of the potential for heavy flooding along the Yangtze River in the coming weeks.

The National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has issued the warning amid heavy rains which have been pounding the central and southern regions of China over the past few weeks.

Yang Kun with the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters Office says many rivers and lakes are rising above warning levels.

"The main streams in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, have witnessed a higher water levels this year. According to weather reports, the water level in Poyang Lake will continue to rise, and is already approaching the alert level of 19 meters. The Xin River and the Lechang River, the main sources of water for Poyang Lake, are already above alert levels."So far flooding across China this year has left over 100 people dead or missing.

It's also knocked down around 35-thousand buildings across 27 different cities.

Economic losses are already estimated at close to 30-billion yuan.

Global crackdown on illegal wildlife trade scores great successChinese wildlife officials are touting the success of a major crackdown launched last month to try to stem the illegal trade of endangered species.

Chinese authorities have teamed up with 64 different countries around the world as part of the crackdown.

Meng Xianlin with the Chinese Forestry Bureau says they've managed to seize hundreds of tons of illegal animal parts in over 300 separate cases.

"The crackdown is laid out internationally in a unified way, but specific tasks are organized and planned by the different countries themselves. A unified global action plan has been set up. An organization has also been set up in Bangkok for coordinating among the different countries. Four law enforcement networks from South East Asia, South Asia, Africa and Europe will coordinate countries within their own sphere."Meng Xianlin says they're also using new techniques in their crackdown.

"We have applied a new communication platform for customs' enforcement and international police, in order to share information. We are also working with new technology to help in our approach to the crackdown."Chinese authorities have been actively trying to shut down the trade in illegal animal parts, launching a number of campaigns specifically connected to the ivory trade, which is threatening the extinction of wild elephant herds in Africa.

China's UN Peacekeeping force to step up efforts to protect civiliansAnchor:

A series of special courses are taking place this week in Beijing, with around 3-dozen Chinese personnel undergoing special training into how to protect civilians in a war zone.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara caught up with some of the people training Chinese peacekeepers for UN missions abroad.

Reporter:

This year marks the 25th anniversary since China started contributing peacekeepers to United Nations peacekeeping missions across the globe.

Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic surge in the number of Chinese peacekeepers going abroad, with over 2-thouand troops, police officers and military observers deployed in ten different peacekeeping operations in North and sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Cyprus.

China is currently the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

China's contributions to UN peacekeeping forces have been primarily engineers and medical staff building infrastructure and providing healthcare, rather than engaging in military activities.

However, Chinese authorities want to expand the scope of their on-the-ground operations to better protect civilians.

A new training program, launched in collaboration with the United Nations Women's Program, is giving a group of Chinese peacekeepers a chance to sharpen their skills on mitigating sexual violence, child protection and their understanding of the UN guidelines on the protection of civilians.

Zhou Zhe, Director of China's Peacekeeping Centre with the Ministry of Defense says protecting people in conflict zones is very challenging.

"In some situations, militants or combatants may hide their weapons and don civilian attire and hide in civilian areas. If we inadvertently protect such people, there is a risk that we might also get pulled into the conflict".

Cai Hui is a senior instructor at the peacekeeping center who has served on three-separate UN peacekeeping missions in the Democratic republic of Congo.

He says peacekeepers under the UN flag are often tasked with various duties.

"Our mission was to construct the damaged bridges and the roads in Congo. Also some quick impact projects – we helped to restore the airfields and helipads One important task was also to help the locals to build some IDP camps because many of them are displaced, they have no place to go. So that is our priority task."The number of fatal attacks on UN peacekeepers has been rising in recent years.

Cai Hui says UN peacekeepers often find themselves in the middle of war-zones.

"Actually, there are a lot of attacks and ambushes not only against the civilians but also against peacekeepers. In 2012, when M23 occupied the city of Gouma, there were riots or chaos all around the country. At that time I was on a trip to Boonia. When I arrived at the airport I was told that we cannot leave the airport because there were attacks on the streets and direct attacks against UN peacekeepers. So we stayed at the airport for 4 days and 4 nights. So we didn't have anything to eat. They only gave us some combat rations. We heard gunshots everywhere around us."The Chinese government has 560 million US dollars pledged to the UN peacekeeping budget this year, the 6th largest contributor.

Chinese authorities say their missions abroad under the UN flag demonstrate the country's global responsibility.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraPakistan Former Foreign Secretary on Gwadar to Be Declared Duty FreeAnchor:

The Pakistani government is planning to declare Gwadar, a key hub on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a duty-free port.

Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar says this plan is crucial to bring more benefits to region.

CRI's Tu Yun caught up with Khokhar at a forum for the "Belt and Road" Initiative in the city of Yiwu, Zhejiang Province.

Back Anchor:

That was Riaz Khokhar, former Pakistani Foreign Secretary, speaking to CRI's Tu Yun.

DPRK hit by worst drought in 100 yearsNorth Korea is said to be suffering its worst drought in a century, severely curtailing its agricultural production.

North Korean official news agency KCNA is reporting that close to one-third of this year's rice crop across the country may end up being unharvestable.

Farmers in certain provinces in North Korea say as much as 80-percent of their rice crops won't survive.

"This is the first drought damage in my twenty years of farming experience. Normally the rice seedlings should have five or six leaves and be about 30 centimetres high by this time. But as you see, the seedling is too small to do rice transplanting. We had already ploughed the rice field and did rice transplanting, but they dried out, so we ploughed again and we are planting maize."Water levels in reservoirs and rivers are also rapidly dwindling.

Weather officials in North Korea say temperatures through May were 5 to 7-degrees higher than average.

June and July is the main crop planting season in North Korea.

Last year, the country was also hit by severe drought.

However, official figures in North Korea claim food production still increased by nearly 50-thousand tons year-on-year last year.

Death toll of MERS in S Korea reaches 23The death toll from the MERS outbreak in South Korea has risen to 23.

Three more people have died from the virus, while three others have been confirmed as infected.

Over 160 people have now contracted the virus.

Despite the rise in deaths and new cases of the virus, Kwon Deok-cheol with the South Korean Health Ministry says they're confident the spread of MERS is being contained.

"According to the statement from the meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee, the committee concluded that the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern have not been met in South Korea. In addition, the committee noted that available evidence on genetic sequencing did not identify any significant changes in the viruses obtained from cases in the Republic of Korea compared to viruses from the Middle East."Meanwhile, health authorities in South Korea have put out a new plea for people to donate blood.

Blood supplies in Seoul have been dwindling, with people said to be concerned about going into medical facilities to donate blood.

MERS' infections in South Korea are almost exclusively linked to health care facilities.

S. Korea approves new PM, ending 2-month vacancySouth Korean lawmakers have voted to approve Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as the country’s new Prime Minister.

The 2nd highest political position in South Korea behind only the President had been vacant for the past 2-months.

Former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo was forced to step down amid a bribery scandal.

Hwang Kyo-ahn was hand-picked by President Park Geun-hye to be his successor.

However, members of the main opposition had been holding up his nomination, saying he too has a checkered past, which has included allegations if influence peddling and an attempt to avoid South Korea's mandatory 2-year military service when he was younger.

Blasts claimed by IS kill 31 at Shiite sites in YemenReports are suggesting over 30 people have been killed and dozens others wounded in simultaneous bombings at Shiite mosques and offices in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.

"During Maghrib prayer [night prayer], when we were passing from here we heard the explosion and moved towards it, there were injured people, cars and shops were on fire. I pulled out two of the victims myself, one of them was dead and the other was unconscious."It appears the bombs have been planted at the entrances of the mosques, and were timed to go off as worshippers flocked in for the prayers on the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the attacks.

The Islamic State, a radical Sunni Muslim group, says the bombings are "revenge" against the Shiite Houthis, who now control much of Sana'a and the rest of Yemen, which is a Sunni-dominated country.

The attacks come as the United Nations attempts to push forward peace talks between Yemen's exiled government and the Houthi rebels in Geneva.

Police Describe US Shooting at church 'a hate crime'

Nine people are dead following a mass shooting at a church in the US state of South Carolina.

The killings have taken place at a historic black churck in the city of Charleston.

Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen says they're currently treating the shooting as a potential hate-crime.

"We are looking for a white male, approximately 21-years old, sandy blonde hair and he obviously is extremely dangerous and what we are asking is that if anyone in the community has information about this particular individual that he contact law enforcement immediately."The shooting has taken place during a Wednesday evening prayer service in the Emmanuel Methodist church.

Police say there are survivors.

However, they're not disclosing how many people survived, or the identities of those who were killed.

The church itself was established by the African-American community in Charleston in 1816, well before the abolition of slavery.

Palestinian Reconciliation Challenged as Unity Gov't May ReshuffleAnchor:

A shake-up is underway within the Palestinian unity government, which was formed just a year ago.

Observers are suggesting the internal discord could spell the end of the political ties between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

Reporter:

A Palestinian official says Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah handed his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday afternoon, and Abbas ordered Hamdallah to form a new government.

Abbas announced on Tuesday that the current unity government would resign within 24 hours.

Palestine Liberation Organization official Ashraf Khatib says the unity government has faced tremendous difficulties with both Israeli policies against the Palestinians and internal issues.

"There was a war that took place against Gaza. We have also the problem that is taking place in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, the settlement activities, and Israeli policies weakening the government regarding withholding the Palestinian tax money. The other problems are also the reconstruction in Gaza, and preparing for the presidential and parliamentary elections, yet these issues, especially the internal issues, have been difficult in the last year or so."Talk of reshuffling the government began after it emerged that Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has been holding separate, indirect talks with Israel on ways to firm up an informal ceasefire agreement reached last August, ending the 50-day war in Gaza.

Professor Mukhaimar Abu Saada with Al-Azhar University in Gaza says if the government resigns, it means the Palestinian reconciliation has reached a dead end.

"The government came as the result of Palestinian consensus between Hamas and Fatah, and since this consensus no longer exists because Hamas is going its own way with Israel, Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Fatah feel that there is no need for this government to function anymore. President Mahmoud Abbas feels that any deal between Hamas and Israel will deepen the rift between West Bank and Gaza, and will probably push Gaza to become a separate entity."After Abbas' announcement on Tuesday, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemned the unilateral decision to change government, saying they were not consulted.

Professor Abu Saada says Hamas has a concern that a new government may not deal with Gaza problems, and from a constitutional prospective, Hamas will not be able to establish its own government in Gaza.

But PLO official Khatib says discussions to form a new government will include consultations with all Palestinian factions.

"We are talking about a government that will have specific tasks, among these tasks is the internal issues in terms of the reconciliation, the reconstruction of Gaza, and also preparing for the presidential and parliamentary elections. What we are planning to do is trying to found a consensus government, with representatives from different parties, and that might help in tackling some of the difficulties this current government has been facing."The current unity government was formed last June after the reconciliation between the two major Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas.

It it expected to continue to function until a new government is formed.

For CRI, I'm Qi Zhi.

Guterres says refugee number hits 60 millionThe United Nations now estimates the number of refugees around the world hit close to 60-million last year.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, says large number of them are people trying to avoid conflict-zones.

"Indeed many areas of the world are today in a completely chaotic situation and the result is this staggering escalation of displacement, this staggering escalation of human suffering because each displaced person is a tragic story."The UNHCR says close to 4 million Syrian refugees are now spread across 107 countries last year.

That made it the leading source of refugees - pushing Afghanistan, which had held that status for more than 30 years, down to second place with 2.6 million refugees.

Guterres is warning UN aid agencies are no longer equipped to deal with the rising number of refugees around the world.

10500 housing places to be added for migrants: FranceFrench authorities have unveiled plans to create over 10-thousand housing units specifically for migrants.

5-thousand of the units will be dedicated specifically for people who have been granted asylum in France.

The other 5-thousand will be for people who are currently going through the asylum application process.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve says the current influx of migrants landing on European shores has prompted them to make the move.

"I am convinced that a solid and responsible solution at the European level calls for both a fairer distribution of asylum seekers who need protection as well as tougher control of the European Union's exterior borders. The seriousness of the situation requires us to adapt our approach in France."The number of asylum seekers in France has nearly doubled over the past 7-years.

Meanwhile, the ultra-right wing government of Hungary has announced plans to establish a physical barrier along its border with Serbia to keep migrants out.

Hungarian authorities claim around 95-percent of the migrants who have entered Hungary this year have done so through Serbia.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has maintained power for the past 5-years on an anti-immigration platform, even though the country remains a member of the European Union, which has rules allowing for the free-flow of people within the EU.

"Cuban Five" to visit AfricaThe "Cuban Five," a group of intelligence agents jailed in the United States for over 16 years, is set to visit three different African countries starting this weekend.

The five are due to go on tours through South Africa, Namibia and Angola, meeting with local groups and celebrities.

The "Cuban Five" have been invited to Africa by the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party.

The five Cuban agents were arrested by the FBI in Miami in 1998, and were later convicted of espionage and other charges connected to the infiltration of Cuban-American groups in Miami.

The last of the group were released in December as part of a prisoner swap connected to the thawing of diplomatic ties between the US and Cuba.

Tiger and hyena still missing from Tbilisi zooA tiger and a hyena from a local zoo in the capital of the Republic of Georgia, Tbilisi, still remain missing following a flood which poured through the city this past weekend.

Authorities say they're not sure whether the animals are still alive or whether they drowned in the flooding.

One of the tigers which did survive the flooding is now dead, after being shot by police after he mauled a man to death.

People in Tbilisi are being warned to remain on alert until the tiger and hyena are located.

WeatherBeijing will have thundershowers tonight with a low of 19 degrees, also thundershowers tomorrow with a high of 28.

Shanghai will be cloudy overnight with a low of 20, also cloudy tomorrow, high of 28.

Chongqing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, then turning to overcast tomorrow with a high of 29.

Lhasa will have slight rain tonight with a low of 13, tomorrow will also be rainy with a high of 27.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad, cloudy, 42.

Kabul will see slight rain with a high of 33.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney will have slight rain with a high of 14.

Brisbane will be clear with a high of 20.

Perth, rainy, 21.

And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have slight rain with a high of 19 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsNPC says decision on HK universal suffrage to stand despite vetoChina's top legislature, the National People's Congress, says its decision on how to bring in electoral changes in Hong Kong last year will not be changed, despite today's vote by Hong Kong lawmakers.

Hong Kong lawmakers rejected a proposal to create universal suffrage to elect the city's Chief Executive earlier today.

28 of the 37 lawmakers voted against the proposed changes.

The proposed amendment would have required a two-thirds majority to pass.

Under the proposed changes, all eligible voters in Hong Kong would have been given the opportunity to vote for a candidate which had been selected by a committee.

With the rejection of the proposal, it means current structure for electing the city's Chief Executive is likely to remain in-place.

This involves a select group of electors chosen from different areas of Hong Kong deciding who the city's Chief will be.

Cargo ship capsizes in Yangtze, casualties unknownLocal authorities in the city of Nanjing are bracing for potential environmental problems following the sinking of a cargo ship this morning on the Yangtze River.

Local maritime authorities say the ship was carrying 200 tonnes worth of a strong, caustic liquid when it went down.

The actual chemical has not been identified.

It's unclear how many people were on the ship at the time, or whether there are any survivors.

Police sentenced for death for producing drugsA former police officer in Liaoning has been sentenced to death following his conviction for producing drugs.

The former cop and his partner have been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Dandong.

The officer teamed up with a convicted drug manufacturer who was released from prison in 2011.

They established three meth labs in rural areas of Liaoning and Inner Mongolia, producing more than 100-kilograms of the drug during the year-and-a-half they were in business together.

They were busted in May of last year.

It's not known if the two plan to appeal their death sentences.

Denmark kicks off parliamentary electionsParliamentary elections are underway in Denmark.

More than 4-million people are eligible to vote in the election.

The campaign itself has been focused primarily on immigration.

Both Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's left-leaning alliance and the center-right opposition have promised to further tighten Denmark's controls on immigration.

At issue is so-called 'welfare tourism,' or people attempting to immigrate to Denmark to take advantage of the country's comparatively generous social welfare system for the unemployed.

Polling ahead of the election is suggesting it will be a very close race between the ruling left-wing alliance and the center-right opposition.

Results of the election are due out on Friday morning, Beijing time.

Biz ReportsStocksTurning now to business news.

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

Overall, fears over the Greek debt crisis has dampened investor sentiment in the Asian market.

Mainland markets took a massive hit today.

At the close,The Shanghai Composite Index fell 3.7 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index plunged 3.9 percent.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slightly drop 0.2 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,The Nikkei 225 finishing down 1.1 percent on a stronger yen.

South Korea's KOSPI gained 0.3 percent.

Singapore's Straits Times Index finished 0.8 percent lower.

And Australia's ASX 200 finished down over 1.3 percent.

Qihoo 360 likely to relist in Chinese A share market as buyouts hit record highChinese internet giant Qihoo 360 appears poised to delist in New York.

Qihoo CEO Zhou Hongyi, along with CITIC securities and Golden Brick Capital are among a group of investors who have offered to buy all of Qihoo's shares in the US.

The 10.6-billion US dollar agreement will see the group purchase Qihoo shares at 77-dollars each.

Qihoo, which was trading at around 71-dollars a share when the announcement was made, has seen it share price surge over 7 percent in New York following word of the privatization plans.

The company started trading in New York in 2011 at 14-dollars a share.

Many observers say they believe this is the first step in Qihoo preparing to list on the Chinese A-share market.

If confirmed, Qihoo will join a number of other Chinese firms which have decided to de-list in the US and join the A-share market.

Observers are suggesting the recent resurgence of the Chinese stock market, combined with investor concerns in the US about putting money into Chinese companies, are drawing a growing number of Chinese companies to the A-Share market.

China vows to boost foreign trade amid declinesThe Chinese government now says it's launching a new internal coordination program amid concerns about the decline in foreign trade.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shen Danyang says they're working on a number of different plans to increase trade.

"Our focus is to help ease burdens for Chinese companies and boost their growth. Currently, we are working on policies in three aspects based on Chinese firms' concerns. One is to cut procedural charges during import and export. Secondly, we are trying to find a better solution for enterprises' financing concerns. Meanwhile, we need to make overseas trading more convenient, including the set-up of cross-border e-commerce platforms."At the same time, Shen says weak global demand and currency devaluations are also contributing to what the Commerce ministry describes as a "grim" situation when it comes to trade.

China's foreign trade dipped by nearly 10 percent year on year in May, with imports plummeting over 18 percent.

China's Outbound direct investment surges despite slowing economyNew figures show non-financial Chinese investment overseas through the first 5-months of this year has hit 45 billion US dollars.

This represents an increase of some 47-percent compared to the same period last year.

The figures show Chinese outbound direct investment into the European Union has tripled since the start of the year.

Investment in the 48 nations along the Chinese "Belt and Road" initiative makes up some 10 percent of Chinese ODI in the same period.

Meanwhile, another report from the UK Trade and Investment Office notes China has became the fourth largest investor in the country last year.

The UK side says Chinese investment last year created some 6-thousand jobs.

China's Social Security Fund debuts in direct investment, buys shares of Alibaba's Financing ArmChina's social security fund has acquired a 5-percent stake in Alibaba's Financing arm, Ant Financial Group, with an over 10 billion yuan investment.

It represents the social security fund's first direct investment.

Ant Financial Services is reportedly hoping to secure around 40-billion US dollars in private financing.

Other investors include People's Insurance Company, Postal Serving Bank and China Development Bank.

Ant Financial is also reportedly planning an initial public offering next year.

China streamlines business registration to encourage startupsAnchor:

It's been revealed that as part of new changes announced by the State Council this week for start-ups, new business owners will only need to go to one office to get their proper licenses.

Right now business owners have to obtain approvals from three different offices before launching their operations.

This is part of a broader plan announced by the Chinese cabinet this week to cut red-tape and make life easier for start-ups in China.

The plans also include making it easier for fledgling companies to secure financing.

Rules for going public are being relaxed, and a new board is going to be launched in Shanghai specifically for emerging and creative firms.

For more on the moves, CRI's Luo Yu spoke earlier with Doctor Liu Xueyuan, assistant dean of the school of Economics and Management at Wuhan University.

Back anchor:

Doctor Liu Xueyuan with Wuhan University speaking with CRI's Luo Yu.

China's housing market show signs of recoveryNew stats are suggesting the housing market in China may be showing some signs of recovery.

Among the 70 large and medium-sized cities surveyed by the National Bureau of Statistic, 20 have seen new home price increases in May.

This is up from 18 in April.

However, the same data also shows prices are still declining in 43 of cities surveyed.

This is down from 48 cities in April.

The same analysis appears to show buyers in China are re-focusing on this country's first-tier cities.

Home sale volumes in China's major cities are up by over 40 percent through the first 5-months of this year.

SportsColombia Upsets Brazil at Copa America, England Survive Colombia to Advance at WWCKicking things off with football action from the Copa America tournament.

Colombia shocked South American heavies Brazil 1-0, ending the Brazilians' 100-percent record under Dunga.

The victory can largely be chalked up to Colombian defender Carlos Sanchez dominating Brazilian phenom Neymar.

The scrappy game threw up few clear chances but Colombia outmuscled their more illustrious rivals to record only their second win in ten Copa America encounters against the five-times world champions.

The match ended with a fracas as Neymar struck a ball right at defender Pablo Armero after the whistle, which upset teammate Carlos Bacca enough to shove Neymar to the ground. Both Neymar and Baccer received red cards and will be absent from their respective teams' next matches.

Switching over to female football action from the Women's World Cup:

England survived a dramatic finale, as goals from Karen Carney and Fara Williams ensured a 2-1 victory over Colombia and a place in the last 16 of the Women's World Cup.

Williams, who doubled England's lead in the 38th minute off a penalty, says it was clever playing that got England the team the win that is giving them momentum ahead of their knockout-stage meeting with Norway:

"I think we had a very exciting first half. I think we showed some really positive play. I think that the goals that we scored came from some clever build up and I think we managed the game, seeing it out in the second half. So we're confident and we've built momentum through the tournament and we're looking forward to Norway now."South Korea earned a 2-1 comeback win over Spain to enter the knockout stage.

France clinched top spot in Group F with a 5-0 stomping of Mexico in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Brazil's women's team fared better than the men; they beat Costa Rica 1-0.

Tennis: Federer Through at Halle; Lisicki Hits Record 27 Aces in Aegon WinIn tennis:

World number two Roger Federer comfortably beat Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-3 7-5 on Wednesday to move into the last eight of the Halle Open where he will meet Germany's Florian Mayer.

Czech Tomas Berdych, the third seed, also advanced, beating Croatian teenager Borna Coric in straight sets.

Ivo Karlovic also booked a last eight spot with a 6-7(5) 6-3 6-3 victory over German Alexander Zverev.

At the Aegon Championships;No. 2 Stan Wawrinka went down in two tie-breaks to South Africa's Kevin Anderson in straight sets.

Third-seeded Canadain Milos Raonic fared better, overcoming France's Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.

The man who ousted Rafael Nadal, Alexandr Dolgopolov, is out himself. He lost to Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets.

Also through is Frances Gilles Simon, who beat Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-2.

In women's action at the Aegon Championships:

Eighth-seeded German Sabine Lisicki fired a record 27 aces in her straight-set win over Switzerland's Belinda Bencic.

No. 2 Ana Ivanovic lost to Portugal's Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-4, 3-6, 7-6.

Also out is fifth-seeded Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who lost to France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

Golf: Golfers Speak Ahead of US OpenIn golf:

The PGA Tour's top golfers converge on Chambers Bay for this year's second Majors--the US Open.

While the big buzz is circulating around Tiger Woods' entry into the big tournament, and immediately shifting to the event's two young rising stars in Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, fielding the green will be some tough competition.

England's Justin Rose, who won the US Open in 2013, says he is in prime condition to tackle the tough course Chambers Bay has to offer when it hosts the Majors for a first time:

"I feel really good; I've prepared really well, that's all you can do. Obviously that really helps. Help save a shot or two and we all know that in a Major Championship it comes to a shot or two. I feel like I've given myself a great opportunity, I am playing well. Now it's just up to me to go out and play good golf."Also hitting the green is Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who is ranked third on the US Open power ranking, just below Spieth and McIlroy and ahead of golf veteran Phil Mickelson.

Matsuyama says he's been playing well, but has ben putting the work in to notch that ellusive Majors win:

"I played well but I still haven't got that next victory that I've been looking and searching for. In that respect, it's been a little disappointing. For this week, everyone in the field has a chance to win here. I'm just going to try my best. Grind as hard as I can because it's going to take a lot of grinding this week and hopefully I'll be in the mix come Sunday."The US Open tees off tonight at about 10 p.m., Beijing time.

Snooker: China B Team Beats Thailand 3-2 at Snooker World Cup in WuxiAt the snooker world cup in the Chinese city of Wuxi:

China's B team beat Thailand 3 framest to 2.

Australia beat Poland 4-1,Pakistan also got a 4-1 win over Qatar,England beat the United Arab Emirates 2-0,Ireland downed Germany 2-0.

Starting off at about 8 p.m., Beijing time,The China A team will take on Norway,and Hong Kong will take on Scotland.

MLB: Chicago Cubs Demolish Cleveland Indians 17-0In Major League Baseball:

The Chicago Cubs destroyed the Cleveland Indians 17-0. Cubs Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber were key in Chicago's biggest shutout since they beat San Diego 19-0 back in 1969.

There were more high-scoring games in the MLB:

The Oakland A's smashed San Diego 16-2;World Series runners-up Kansas City beat Milwaukee 10-2;Toronto demolished the New York Mets 8-0.

In other action:

Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez outpitched San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner to help his team beat SF 2-0.

Houston beat Colorado 8-4;The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Washington Nationals 5-0;The New York Yankees beat Florida 2-1;Baltimore beat the Phillie 6-4;Texas beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3;and Pittsburgh beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2.

EntertainmentChina, India team up for animation "Beijing Safari"Chinese production company Heshan Media is teaming up with Indian animation firm Krayon Pictures to co-produce an animated feature called "Beijing Safari."The film is a sequel to Krayon's 2012 production "Delhi Safari."The original film sees a number of animals travel to the Indian capital to demand answers about why their forest home is being chopped down.

"Beijing Safari" is said to be focused on water contamination.

The film will be made in Chinese and English with an initial budget of 20-million US dollars.

It's set to be distributed internationally.

The film will be the fourth co-production under a joint agreement signed last month between China and India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China.

US producer Ron Yerxa on making films in ChinaRon Yerxa, the producer behind such award-winning films as Cold Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine and Nebraska, has arrived in Shanghai to take part in this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.

CRI's Doris Wang, who is in Shanghai, caught up with him to talk about the potential of making movies in China.

Back Anchor:

US producer Ron Yerxa speaking with CRI's Doris Wang during this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.

The festival itself runs until Sunday.

Brian Williams will stay at NBC: Media reportsIt's being reported embattled NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams is going to be moving over to MSNBC after his 6-month suspension comes to an end.

His exact role with the cable news broadcaster isn't clear at this point.

NBC Nightly News will continue to be hosted by Lester Holt, who took over for Williams after he was suspended by NBC after he repeated false claims that he was in a helicopter which was forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Moving over to MSNBC won't be a major transition for the 55-year old Williams.

He was the principal news anchor for MSNBC when it launched in 1994.

MSNBC's numbers have been slumping this year, with many viewers moving over to more centrist news and talk programming on ABC and CBS.

MSNBC has morphed over time to become the left-wing alternative to the right-wing slant presented on Fox News.

US first lady in Milan to promote healthy eatingUS First Lady Michelle Obama is now in Milan, Italy promoting her campaign to get children to eat healthy.

"And kids like you, you guys have to do your part. You gotta eat your vegetables, yeah, sorry about that, but you gotta have some vegetables."Michelle Obama has taken part in a cooking class in the American School in Milan.

In pressing to get the children at the school to eat their veggies, she's also asking that they don't simply stuff their faces.

"You will find that if you are talking over dinner, you are actually　paying more attention to how fast you are eating, so instead of gobbling your food, you are actually tasting it, and you probably eat less because you are not just shoveling. Shoveling is probably not a good thing. We don't shovel. Well, the President shovels sometimes."Michelle Obama is on a week-long trip to Europe.

Her stop in Milan is for the opening of the US Pavilion at this year's World Expo.

Michelle Obama launched her "Let's Move" campaign in the US 5-years ago to try to combat childhood obesity rates in the United States.

Muse Earns Its First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 ChartBritish rock band Muse has earned its very first number one album on the Billboard 200.

'Drones' is Muse's seventh studio album.

It was released earlier this month.

The band's previous best on the charts was second in 2012 with their second album 'The 2nd Law'.

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

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

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have shot down a proposal for universal suffrage.

Mainland officials warning of more flooding ahead as heavy rains continue to pound the central and southern parts of China.

North Korean authorities say they're dealing with the worst drought in the country in centuries.

Business.... Commerce authorities working on plans amid the sharp downturn in foreign trade.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, its Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.