Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese Capital.

Coming up on our program this morning...

Teams of chemical experts from the Chinese military are on-site in Tianjin to assess the environmental impact of Wednesday's massive explosions, which have officially left 50 people dead.

China's lead political advisor and Britain’s foreign secretary have sat down for a series of meetings.

The head of Myanmar's ruling party has been ousted from his post just a few months before the national elections.

In Business... Taiwan-based phone maker HTC planning a series of job cuts to cope with its recent losses.

In Sports... China's Chen Long into the quarter finals at this year's Badminton World Championships.

In entertainment.... Chinese pianist Lang Lang hits the ocean for his latest concert.

Top NewsMassive blasts in Tianjin leave 50 dead, fires are under controlAnchorThe official death toll from Wednesday night's massive explosions at the Port of Tianjin now sits at 50.

At least 18 others are listed as missing.

Of the over 700 people hospitalized, at least 70 remain in critical condition.

CRI's Luo Wen has the details.

Reporter"Since the accident occurred, we have established a medical emergency response team and have dispatched 110 doctors from the city's 29 major hospitals to the accident site. The doctors cover areas such as general surgery, orthopedics, burns, intensive and emergent care."Wang Jiancun, Director of Tianjin's Health and Family Planning Commission, outlining some of the challenges they're facing in the wake of Wednesday night's massive blasts.

Doctors and other medical experts from Beijing and surrounding areas are also being sent in to help deal with the massive amount of casualties.

At the same time, psychological specialists are also in Tianjin to help the victims cope with what they’re been through.

Massive blood drives are also continuing.

Local authorities in Tianjin say as of last night, they believe they have the fires from Wednesday night's massive blast mostly contained.

Meanwhile, more than 200 military specialists are now in Tianjin to assess the environmental impact from the explosion and fire.

Authorities have been monitoring the air quality in and around the city amid fears of toxic smoke putting more people into the hospital.

Wen Wurui with the Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau says the air quality has remained normal in the region.

"We checked the figures of the five automatic air quality monitoring systems which were installed nearby. The results show that the air quality there basically remains the same level with other areas of Tianjin and it was not affected by these pollutants."In addition, environmental authorities in Beijing say the capital's air is not expected to be affected, as the prevailing winds have been blowing most of the smoke out to sea.

Tianjin's environmental protection authorities taking a close look at the water around the blast area.

"We have started to test the water quality at discharge points. For now, all the three water discharge points moving out to the sea have been closed and the water is being tested."Rail links connecting downtown Tianjin to the Binhai New Area remain suspended.

The massive shockwave from the blast has damaged one of the terminals along the line.

It remains unclear when rail services along that line will resume.

As Tianjin begins to take stock of the situation this Friday, questions about what caused the massive blast remain unanswered for the time being.

Chiense President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang are both demanding a thorough investigation, promising the full weight of the law will be applied to anyone found negligent.

Meanwhile, condolences have been rolling in from around the world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued a statement of condolence, particularly for the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.

So far, the cause of the blasts is still under investigation.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Firefighters Applauded for Tianjin Blast RescueAnchorPraise is being heaped across the internet in China for the first responders, in particular, the firefighters, who stepped up to try to battle the deadly blazes in Tianjin.

CRI's Yu Yang reports.

ReporterA fire fighter's message he sent out while rushing to battle the deadly blazes in Tianjin is being heavily circulated across Weibo and Wechat.

In his message, the unnamed firefighter told a friend to help take care of his father and sweep his mom's tomb if he died.

Fires at the Port of Tianjin were put under "initial control" nearly 20-hours after the massive blasts devastated the port area late Wednesday.

Authorities say the first firefighters were on the scene even before the first of the two massive blasts took place.

"After receiving the alarm call, the fire corps soon dispatched five brigades, including 20 fire engines to the scene. When the first team arrived at the site at 11:06pm, they found several burning containers."The first explosion went off less than half an hour later.

Liu Xiaojing serves at a fire brigade stationed just three kilometers from the scene.

He was among the first group to arrive at the site.

"My duty was to evacuate residents and stand guard. And just 20 minutes later, it exploded, and the first explosion blew me back. Still, all of our guys still tried to stay on to put out the fire. No one held back."Liu Xiaojing eventually had to be taken to hospital to deal with his injuries.

So far, 17 firefighters have been confirmed killed in the operation.

Six of them have been identified.

18 others remain unaccounted for at this time.

Another 66 are in hospital.

Yao Lei with Tianjin's Fire Bureau says the materials inside the warehouse have made the fire extremely difficult to fight.

"We found calcium carbide among the chemicals. It will generate combustible gases when hit with water. So water actually makes it worse. Instead, we prepared dozens of tons of sand to bury the areas and called in all dry powder engines we have to reinforce the effort."46 different fire brigades made up of 151 fire engines, as well as an unmanned aerial vehicle and over a thousand firefighters have taken part in the operations around the Port of Tianjin.

Aside from putting out the fires, the crews also managed to pull around 60 people to safety and safely evacuate over 400 others from the immediate area.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.

Blast Victims Receive Considerate HelpAnchorVictims of Wednesday night's massive explosion at the Port of Tianjin are getting help from across the city.

Luo Bin reports.

ReporterLocal authorities launched emergency response measures soon after the deadly warehouse blasts.

Hospitals across the city became triage centers for the injured, while locals were called on to donate blood.

In addition, massive donations have been pouring in, with people just looking to help.

"We found out that they were short of water, food, and clothes, so we came here to see the real situation. Later, if our help isn't needed, we won't come back. It's not because we don't want to help. It's that we're worried we may affect traffic or the rescue operations."The blasts have left at least 50 people dead and more than 500 others hospitalized.

Dozens of buildings in residential communities surrounding the Port have also been damaged, some significantly.

Around 6-thousand people have been put up in temporary shelters established at schools and tourist sites.

Many of them say they're still trying to come to grips with what they went through.

"It's horrible when I recall the explosion, which was really a shocking sight. Volunteers managed to organize bus services and transferred us to the relocation site."A volunteer center has been established in the Tianjin Development Area, where around a thousand people have gathered.

Around 800 volunteers remain mobilized in that area to help.

"A number of charities have been asking us what they need. What we need right now mostly are tents and quilts. We are covered for most other necessities."Local companies have also been stepping in to try to assistance to those put-out by the explosions.

Social networking platforms are calling for more volunteers at this point, but say food and drinking water supplies are not an issue in Tianjin at the moment.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

Background on deadly warehouse blast company in TianjinThe warehouse where the deadly blasts occurred is owned by the Ruihai International Logistics Corporation.

The company was founded in 2011 as a container storage and distribution center for hazardous goods at the Tianjin Port.

Its business includes the storage, transfer, distribution and customs clearance of hazardous chemicals.

It normally sees around 1-million tons of dangerous materials flow through on an annual basis.

Executives of the company are currently being detained.

New fronts on UK-China global partnershipChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond have wrapped up a series of meetings here in Beijing.

The two have chaired a series of bilateral talks among Chinese and British officials in a wide-range of areas, including infrastructure, energy and finance.

Yang Jiechi says they've also discussed both bilateral and multilateral areas of interest.

"China and the UK are countries with profound international influence in the international community. I hope our countries can work together to consistently expand our coordination and cooperation in global and regional affairs."The two have also met to discuss Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming trip to the UK.

Philip Hammond arrived back in Beijing on Wednesday after spending a few hours in neighboring Tianjin, just hours before Wednesday evening's massive explosions.

(bjh/soundbites/0813 uk)"I offer you our condolences for the disaster that occurred yesterday in Tianjin. I was in the city just a couple of hours before the explosions took place. I would like to congratulate the prompt response of the authorities in seeking to minimize the loss of life."Hammond had been touring the Airbus manufacturing facility in Tianjin.

British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond says the UK is hoping to expand its partnership with China to other parts of the world.

CRI's Liu Kun has more.

ReporterBritish Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond says the UK and China are now ready to move beyond their traditional trade and investment ties and the upcoming October visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping will be an opportunity to catalyze this new ambition.

"We are determined that we will use the opportunity of the state visit to take Britain and China's bilateral relationship to the next level and to set out our ambitions for a global partnership for the 21st century, to address security hotspot around the world, to enhance development in Africa and to lead the climate change debate."Specifically, Hammond says the UK and China are now looking for energy investment opportunities in Africa, which will not only benefit the two countries commercially, but also realize their joint commitment to African development.

"Britain and China already have an important energy relationship. But I think energy is the area where we are able to collaborate in third countries. This is really what we are trying to do in Africa: looking for opportunities at the same time deliver commercial benefit to Britain and China, but also contribute to development in Africa."Looking to the recent past, Hammond referred to the fight against the Ebola crisis in west Africa as a good example where the UK and China showed willingness and capability to cooperate to address global challenges.

"We've already had very positive experience working together in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa where China provided a level of commitment and support to that project which is unprecedented and where Britain led the response in Sierra Leone. So we will look for additional opportunities where we could work together, learn from each other's strength and build effective mechanism to tackle many challenges including development challenges around the world."Citing British Prime Minster David Cameron, Hammond says he thinks the UK-China relationship is entering a "golden era."Adding on the plans for more political and international cooperations, Hammond also showed confidence in the growth of traditional trade and investment between the two countries. He says he expects Britain will surpass Germany and become China's No.1 trade partner in Europe as China's economy moves to the next phase with a greater focus on services.

This is Hammond's first trip to China since becoming British Foreign Secretary last year.

His trip saw him co-hosting the China-UK Strategic Dialogue with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, delivering a speech at China's elite Peking University and visiting an Airbus Factory in Tianjin.

The two day visit is largely seen as a preparation for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK in this coming October.

For CRI, this is Liu Kun.

Rainstorm floods roads, residential areas in southwest China provinceHeavy rains have been pounding parts of Yunnan, bringing heavy flooding.

Dozens of vehicles ended up being innondated in the flooding in the city of Lijiang, a popular tourist destination in China.

The heavy rains have also left many trapped inside their homes.

"The stairs on the first floor have been completely submerged. I came to check my car. But the water soon rushed into the vehicle when I opened the door and the car was flooded.

A number of people living in low-lying areas in the Lijiang area have been moved out for safety.

So far no fatalities have been reported.

Battle in Shanghai Recalls on Its 78th AnniversaryA memorial hall has opened in Shanghai to mark the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Songhu.

The battle was one of the bloodiest during the Japanese invasion of China.

It began on August 13th of 1937 near the area where the Hongqiao Airport is located.

Japan, which had a settlement in Shanghai, sent in some 300-thousand additional troops through the city in an attempt to create a secondary front for its invasion, which had already begun in China's northeast.

Zhang Yun with Communist Party's Historical Society in Shanghai says instead of rolling over the Chinese forces at Songhu, the Japanese military was met with stiff resistance.

"Various social groups were mobilized, and an unprecedented number of people were united, so it was a historic battle of national salvation fought jointly by the Shanghai people and the army at the Songhu front."The Chinese troops held their ground for almost 3-months before being forced to pull back.

Despite this, Zhang Yun says the Battle of Songhu helped recreate a sense of pride among the Chinese people.

"The Battle holds an important historical status; it enhanced the Chinese people's confidence in victory and their determination in fighting the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression."Many historians believe it was the heavy losses suffered by the Japanese troops at Songhu which laid the groundwork for the mass slaughter the Japanese troops inflicted just a few weeks later in Nanjing.

Chinese high-speed rail expo held in IndonesiaA Chinese-backed high-speed rail expo has been held in Indonesia in a bid to win a major contract in the country.

The project itself, linking the Indonesian capital Jakarta with the city of Bandung some 150-kilometers away will be Indonesia's first high-speed railway.

China and Japan are said to be the two main compeditors for the contract.

He Huawu, Chief Engineer with the China Railway Corporation, says he believes China's bid is the best option.

"I am fully confident in four aspects, namely technology and planning, the type of high-speed trains, our mode of cooperation and the time it will take to complete the construction. We have the best advantage."The Indonesian authorities are expected to decide which country will get the contract by the end of this month.

Greek Parliament to vote on new bailout dealThe vote on the new bailout deal is currently underway in the Greek Parliament.

Greece, its European lenders and the IMF agreed to a third bailout deal earlier this week.

The package would provide up to 86 billion euros in credit over the next 3-years.

Greece needs a deal before August 20th.

This is when a 3 billion Euro debt repayment is due to the European Central Bank.

Meanwhile, the latest data shows the Greek economy grew by 0.8 percent in the second quarter of the year, contrary to expectations of a steep contraction.

Myanmar's ruling party reforms central committeeMyanmar's ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, has removed party Chief Shwe Mann from his post.

It comes just 3-months before the general election in Myanmar.

It's being suggested the move is part of a power struggle between Shwe Mann and incumbent President Thein Sein.

However, Maung Maung Htay, head of the party's executive committee, says Shwe Mann has been moved out to ease his workload.

"U Shwe Mann is now serving heavy duties as chairman of the lower house and Union Parliament as well. That's why we have changed the party central committee because we have many things to do effectively in the coming elections campaign."Shwe Mann has been a vocal advocate for the powerful military in Myanmar to take on a reduced role in politics.

He supported an attempt in parliament in June to amend the constitution to limit the military's political role.

Syrian opposition rejects Russian call to join forces with Assad to fight ISSyria's main opposition group is rejecting Russia's call for it to join forces with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against the Islamic State.

The head of Syria's National Coalition has made the rejection while meeting with Russian officials in Moscow on Thursday.

Moscow, which continues to support the Assad administration, has been pushing to create a broader coalition to fight the Islamic State.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says they're hoping to work with regional and international players to help stop Syria from becoming a "hotbed of terrorism.""There is interest in putting a barrier in the way of terrorism, all parties are interested in the soonest political settlement of the crisis in Syria on the basis of the Geneva communique and the most important thing now is to transform these interests into coordinated practical steps."Syrian opposition forces in-exile have refused to cooperate with the Bashar al-Assad administration from the beginning of the civil war in 2011, demanding he step down before any transitional government can be set up.

Lavrov is expected to meet with the head of a newer grouping of Syrian opposition figures known as the Cairo Conference Committee, later on this Friday.

Turkey coalition talks fail, edging country closer to new electionsTurkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's efforts to forge a coalition with the country's main pro-secular party have failed.

This has put Turkey closer to new elections.

Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu says they've only been approached to form a caretaker government instead.

"We have not received a coalition proposal. What we were proposed was a (caretaker) government for elections. We were proposed to put certain topics on the agenda at the parliament for three months, and then go for elections after three months."A deadline for forming a government in Turkey comes at the end of next week.

If a government can't be formed, new elections will have to be called.

North Korea Will Pursue 'Defensive' Nuclear Program: EnvoyNorth Korea's envoy to the UN in Geneva says the country will pursue its "defensive" nuclear programme as long as it feels threatened by the United States.

Ambassador So Se-Pyong has also denounced the latest joint US-South Korean military exercises, which are due to start next week.

He says they are fanning the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

"They (U.S.A.) have to change their attitude, their hostile policies attitude and otherwise, as we mentioned strictly as the country's policy, we'll continue the simultaneous development of the economy and the nuclear program."New satellite images published in the US earlier this week shows North Korea appears to be expanding its capacity to produce uranium.

So far, North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, with the latest in February 2013.

The six-party North Korean nuclear talks have been stalled since 2008.

Chinese Cuisine Enjoys Growing Popularity in the USAnchorNew stats are suggesting the appetite for Chinese cuisine in the United States continues to grow.

CRI's Xiong Siqi has more.

ReporterThe number of Chinese restaurants has kept increasing in the United States.

Statistics show that there are more than 40,000 of them, and the number is still growing.

Ralph Scamardella is the executive chef at Tao Downtown, a Pan-Asian restaurant in New York's Chelsea neighborhood that serves Cantonese and Sichuan dishes.

Scamardella says he has always been fascinated by Chinese food.

"I mastered and learned a lot of stuff from actually going to China. I have been to Hong Kong. I have been to Shanghai. I have been to Singapore. Big Asian communities, big Asian cooking. I have taken cooking classes and worked in some restaurants in Hong Kong and Shanghai. And also bringing Chinese chefs, authentic Chinese chefs over, bringing them into our kitchens and letting them work and learning from them."Scamardella also believes that with more exchanges of people and culture between the United States and China, the popularity of Chinese food in the U.S. will continue growing.

"Asian food, all together but Chinese in particular, has really grown and exploded far from where it used to be, where it was just small dishes, Chinese takeout, chicken chow mein, these stuff that people knew and recognized. And as generation after generation became more and more foodie and wanted to know more, explored more, and the explosion of the internet has exposed people to everything."Bobby Wang opened a Chinese restaurant named Legend in New York five years ago.

As business has been booming, he and his partners have opened five more restaurants.

"We opened this kind of food here, that's because more Chinese people in the city, they demanded this, and more American people, they go to China and come back here, they desired this kind of food also."Wang said that people are not just looking for egg rolls or sesame chicken.

They are seeking more authentic and less Americanized Chinese dishes.""Few years later, you're going to see a totally different style of Chinese food. It's more Chinese."For CRI, this is Xiong Siqi.

US returns stolen 15-million dollars Picasso painting to FranceUS authorities have returned a stolen Picasso painting to France.

The painting, worth an estimated 15-million US dollars, was discovered in a FedEx package delivered to the United States around 8-months ago.

It was reported missing from the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 2001.

"La Coiffeuse" or "The Hairdresser" was painted by Piccaso in 1911.

WeatherBeijing will be overcast with a high of 32 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 21.

Shanghai will be cloudy with a high of 32 and a low of 25.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 35 and lows of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, slight rain, 27.

Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 30.

Over to North America,New York will be cloudy with a high of 29 degrees.

Washington, cloudy with a high of 30 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 28.

Toronto will see slight rain with a high of 29 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 13.

And Rio de Janeiro will be cloudy with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsDeath toll rises to 50 from Tianjin blasts, dozens missingThe official death toll from Wednesday night's massive explosions at the Port of Tianjin now sits at 50.

At least 18 others are listed as missing.

Of the over 700 people hospitalized, at least 70 remain in critical condition.

Doctors and other medical experts from Beijing and surrounding areas are being sent in to help deal with the massive amount of casualties.

More than 200 military specialists are now in Tianjin to assess the environmental impact from the explosion and fire, which is now fully under control.

The cause of the massive explosions on Wednesday evening remain unclear at this point.

China, UK Agree to Deepen Co-op in Infrastructure, EnergyChinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond have co-chaired a series of meetings in Beijing.

The two have pledged more cooperation in numerous areas, including infrastructure, energy and finance.

They've also discuss preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's forthcoming visit to the UK.

Hammond has also taken time to offer the UK's condolences for the massive blast Wednesday night in Tianjin.

The UK's Foreign Secretary had just returned to Beijing from a stop in Tianjin just hours before the blast hit.

Greek Parliament to vote on new bailout dealThe vote on the new bailout deal is currently underway in the Greek Parliament.

Greece, its European lenders and the IMF agreed to a third bailout deal earlier this week.

The package would provide up to 86 billion euros in credit over the next 3-years.

Greece needs a deal before August 20th.

This is when a 3 billion Euro debt repayment is due to the European Central Bank.

Meanwhile, the latest data shows the Greek economy grew by 0.8 percent in the second quarter of the year, contrary to expectations of a steep contraction.

Fidel Castro tells U.S. it owes millions of dollars to CubaFormer Cuban leader Fidel Castro has issued a new statement, saying the United States owes Cuba millions of dollars.

Castro, celebrating his 89th birthday on Thursday, says the US owes damages because of its half-century-old trade embargo.

Fidel Castro's statements, published in a Cuban newspaper, have come just ahead of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the island later on this Friday, where he will preside over the ceremonial inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Havana.

It will mark the first time in 60 years a U.S. Secretary of State will have visited Cuba.

His visit will officially restore diplomatic ties between the two countries.

CNN apologises to Kenya terror slurThe head of CNN's global operations has made a personal trip to Kenya to apologise for his news organization's labeling of Kenya has a "hotbed of terror."The term was used in a report CNN aired just before US President Barack Obama's trip to the country last month.

It caused outrage across Kenya, with many in the country demanding CNN be pulled from domestic broadcasts.

Biz ReportsAnchorTurning onto business news. First, a quick look at the closing numbers across North America and Europe as well as a recap on the Chinese market.

Joining me on the desk, Luo Wen.

ReporterU.S. stocks finished flat on Thursday as a drop in energy shares offset a rebound in retail sales.

The S&P energy index dropped 1.4 percent as U.S. crude oil prices slid to a six-and-a half-year low.

The advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for July rose 0.6 percent from the previous month, slightly higher than market expectations.

Meanwhile, in the week ending Aug. 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims increased 5-thousand from the previous week's revised level.

U.S. import prices declined 0.9 percent in July, after recording no change from the previous month.

In corporate news,Shares of network equipment maker Cisco jumped 2.9 percent after posting better-than-expected quarterly results.

At the close,The Dow Jones closed virtually unchanged.

The S&P 500 dipped a fraction of a percent.

The Nasdaq slipped 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile, European stocks rebounded with markets in Germany and France trimming steep weekly losses.

The UK's FTSE 100 closed flat.

Germany's DAX gained 0.8 percent.

While France's CAC 40 lost 2.5 percent.

Finally here in China,Stocks closed higher on Thursday as fears of further currency depreciation subsided following the central bank's reassurance that the yuan's value has "returned to market levels" after days of sharp correction.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1.8 percent.

The smaller Shenzhen Component Index jumped 2.1 percent.

HTC to cut workforce by 15%Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC has announced plans to slash its workforce by 15 percent, or around 2-thousand jobs.

This, after posting its biggest ever quarterly loss.

The company has posted a loss of just under 250-million U.S. dollars through the second quarter.

This is a massive decline from the net profit of some 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in the same period of last year.

HTC's shares closed down 7.8 percent yesterday on the news.

HTC has seen its fortunes collapse as Samsung, Apple and mainland brands such as Lenovo and Huawei have surged ahead.

Samsung Unveils Two New Smartphones, Samsung PaySamsung has unveiled two new smartphones at a launch event in New York.

One is a larger version of its curved-screen S6 Edge smartphone called S6 edge+.

The other is the Galaxy Note 5, a phablet which comes with a stylus.

Mashable's editor-at-large, Lance Ulanoff, says the new products are sleek.

"These are devices that are beautiful looking, great materials -- they've got more glass, less plastic. They've got high-end 13 megapixel cameras. They've got some neat features. Even some stuff that was completely shocking to us in that they have a live streaming feature, powered by YouTube. So, Periscope, Meerkat, look out! Suddenly, if you buy one of these Samsung phones, you're going to have that in there."Samsung has made several hardware changes for the new devices, including a faster processor for the Galaxy Note 5 and increasing the screen size of the S6 edge+.

The new phones will go on sale next Friday in North America.

Meanwhile, Samsung has also announced its own payment service, Samsung Pay.

It lets users make payments by having phones send signals to existing magnetic stripe card readers.

The company says this will offer greater store coverage than Apple's Apple Pay service, which requires retailers to install compatible equipment.

Samsung says it hopes to expand the service into China at some point, after launching in South Korea and the US at the end of September.

Corporate News of the WeekAnchorLet's check out some of the main events taking place on the corporate front in China this week.

Joining me on the line now is Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

================1. Xiaomi Starts Production In IndiaXiaomi has officially started assembling its devices in India.

The move is seen as a show of commitment to India Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative launched in September last year.

It is Xiaomi's first overseas manufacturing program.

The company has partnered with Taiwan-based manufacturer Foxconn to manufacture Redmi 2 Prime, an India-specific upgrade to its Redmi 2 budget smartphone.

The factory is located in Sri city in Andhra Pradesh's Chitoor district.

Q1: Earlier this week Foxconn announced plans to invest 5 billion U.S. dollars in India over the next five years. Why smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi start to dip into the Indian market?

Q2: What advantages dose Xiaomi have when competing with other smartphone makers in India?

------------------2. Tencent Reports Pornographic Content on Qihoo 360 Cloud DriveTencent has reported to authorities that large amount of pornographic content has been spread on Qihoo 360 Cloud Drive accounts.

Based on Tencent's report, police in Nantong, Jiangsu Province has found cases where criminals would sell 360 cloud drive accounts containing pornographic content on social networking platforms.

Q1: How do you see Tencent's reporting its rival's illegal actions to the authorities? Is Tencent exclusively targeting 360 Cloud Drive?

Q2: Will this harm the cloud storage business in China?

Back Anchor:

Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.

Tesla plans share sale to raise US$500mTesla Motors has announced plans to raise around 500-million US dollars through a share sale.

As part of the move, Chief Executive Elon Musk is going to buy nearly 84-thousand shares on his own for about 20-million dollars.

Tesla says it will use the proceeds of the share sale for broader business development.

It comes a week after Tesla reported a quarterly loss, and suggested then it might need to raise more cash to offset its spending on production.

Tesla's shares have fallen around 12 percent over the past week or so.

SportsChina's Chen Long reaches badminton worlds quarterfinalsFrom the badminton World Championships in Indonesia,Defending champion Chen Long of China has advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating a Thai compeditor in straight-sets.

The Number 1 seed will next face either seventh-seeded Viktor Axelsen of Denmark or 11th-seeded Prannoy Haseena Kumar of India.

His compatriot Lin Dan has also reached the last 8 after defeating Hans Kristian Vittinghus from Denmark.

"I played well today. This is the first real test for me. The first two opponents were not so strong. I was trying to adapt to this arena and its drifts. But the most important thing for me is to calm myself down in this loud arena. The Indonesian players were playing on both courts besides me, so you can hear their chanting. I told myself to calm down and focus on every single point."Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei is also through after getting past China's Wang Zhengming 21-17, 21-19.

Lee is playing at the world championships as a non-seeded player after serving out an 8-month suspension for doping.

On the women's side,An upset on the Chinese side, with Li Xuerui going down to India's P.V. Sindhu in a 3-set match.

Li's teammate, Wang Shixian is through, getting past a Thai compeditor in straight-sets.

In mixed doubles group, three of China's seeded pairings have successfully secured berths in the quarterfinals.

Djokvovic beats Sock to ease into last eight of Rogers CupIn tennis action from the Rogers Cup in Toronto,Serbian Novak Djokovic has eased into the quarter-finals with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-1 win over American Jack Sock.

"I've never played him before so it took me some time to figure out what his patterns are with the serves and his game in general. I did watch him many times before but it's different when you're standing on the court trying to read the rotation of the forehand because he has a very quick wrist. I think the turning point was the 3-2 game when I made a break, I think after that I felt in control of the match."The world number one has won 50 of his 53 matches this year.

He will next face either Ernests Gulbis or Donald Young in the quarter-finals.

In other action,Great Britain's Andy Murray is also through with a straight sets win over Gilles Muller.

On the women's side,Romanian Simona Halep is through to the quarter-finals in Montreal for the first time after beating Angelique Kerber in a three set battle.

Halep will face sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the last eight.

Othe seeds including Roberta Vinci, Belina Bencic and Sara Errani are also through.

Dustin Johnson Takes Lead at PGA ChampionshipsIn golf,American Dustin Johnson has fired a 6-under-par 66 to take a 2-shot stroke after the opening round of this year's PGA Championships.

"Today was pretty easy, I would have to say. But I was swinging well and I was hitting the shots where I was looking. So anytime you're doing that, it makes things a lot easier on you. And I really felt like I was just super patient, stayed focused all day and I was swinging well. The ball was going where I was looking. I was controlling it. In this wind it's tough to do, but I did a great job of controlling the golf ball today."With his opening 66, Johnson has played the first rounds of the four majors this year in a combined 20-under.

The Swede David Lingmerth has hit a 5-under 31 over his first nine holes, making the turn only one shot behind leader Dustin Johnson.

World number one Rory McIlroy is having trouble hitting it straight.

He's at 1 over through eight.

Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth has opened with eight straight pars.

China beats United States 80-42 in women's basketballIn basketball,China's women's basketball team has gotten past a touring American squad 80-42 in the first of two games here in China.

China's Huang Sijing scored a game-high 20 points in the victory.

The second game goes tonight in the city of Haining.

---------------In off-court NBA news,The NBA has released its complete schedule of the forthcoming regular season.

The opening night has two games, including the reigning champion Golden State Warriors hosting the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Chicago Bulls host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

In this season's schedule, stretches of four games in five nights and instances of back-to-back games have been reduced to all-time lows.

Jiangsu Tongxi Signs Sani SakakiniOther basketball news,CBA side Jiangsu Tongxi have landed 27-year old Palestinian star Sani Sakakini.

The big man spent last season at Orthodox in the Jordanian Premier League where he helped lead them to a league title.

This will be Sakakini's second campaign in CBA.

He started for the Sichuan Blue Whales back in the 2013/2014 season.

He also represented Palestine at the Asian Games in Incheon last year.

Chinese Super League PreviewIn football,Round 23 of the Chinese Super League is to kick off with four games on deck this Saturday,Shijiazhuang will take on Beijing Guo'an.

Changchun Yatai is up against Tianjin.

Shanghai Shenxin will battle Jiangsu Sainty.

And it's Guangzhou Evergrande taking on Shanghai Shenhua.

Guangzhou Evergrande now leads the league standings with 47 points.

Shanghai SIPG sit second, while Shangdong Luneng occupy third.

--------------------In the English Premier League,Seven games on the schedule this Saturday,Southampton will play at home to visiting Everton.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman.

"We know the qualities of Everton, we know the way how they like to play. I think it will be an attractive, open game because they like to play football. They like to play offensive football. I think　that maybe that had not got the best result last week at home to start the season (2-2 against Watford). But they are strong, they have good individual qualities in the team and it's a difficult one, because we know and we have the experience against them, and that's difficult."In other action,Aston Villa will play Manchester United.

Sunderland will play Norwich City.

Swansea City will play Newcastle United.

Tottenham Hotspur will play Stoke City.

Watford will play West Bromwich Albion.

And it's West Ham United taking on Leicester City.

-------------------Chinese rifle shooters finish 1-2 in ISSF World CupFrom the shooting World Cup in Azerbaijan,China's Chen Dongqi has taken the gold medal in women's 50-meter rifle.

This is her first world cup title.

China's Yi Siling has finished second in that event.

On men's side,South Korean Kim Cheongyong has taken the men's 10-meter air pistol event.

This has secured a spot on the Olympics for the 18-year-old.

A shooter from Kazakhstan has finished 2nd in that event, also booking a spot in Rio.

After 11 of 15 events in Azerbaijan, China leads the medal standings with 5 golds and 9 medals in total.

The United States is in 2nd with 2 golds and 4 medals.

EntertainmentRolling Stone crowns Bob Dylan greatest songwriter of all timeBob Dylan has clinched the top spot Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" list.

The comprehensive ranking spans many decades.

This summer marks the 50th anniversary since Bob Dylan released of his landmark single "Like a Rolling Stone." Many consider this the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time.

The song came out in 1965 and remained at the top of U.S. charts for 12 weeks.

Beatles' Paul McCartney and John Lennon take the second and the third place of the list.

Although the list is rightfully dominated by artists and writers whose music has stood the test of time over many generations, contemporary chart-toppers also earned spots on the list with Taylor Swift stands at 97, Eminem at 91, and even Kanye West ranked at number 84.

Lang Lang gives an exclusive concert on the largest cruise ship in the worldFamous Chinese pianist Lang Lang has given an exclusive concert on the largest cruise ship in the world called the "Quantum of the Seas."Taking a break from his world tour, with more than 80 days to go, Lang Lang gave three private concerts in Porto Cervo, in St. Tropez and in Dalian earlier.

Lang Lang's unique concert on the cruise ship was sponsored by Luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot. Lang Lang signed up as their brand ambassador this FebruaryBack in 2006, he played at the opening ceremony of the Football World Cup, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

In 2007, he created his "Lang Lang Music Foundation" to help prodigious young pianists throughout the world.

In 2009, he first appeared in the Time magazine list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Marvel unveils Moon Girl And Devil DinosaurLunella Lafayette is Marvel's newest superhero.

The comic giant will soon be introducing audiences to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, a reimagining of a short-lived 1978 comic.

The updated version stars Lafayette as the smart pre-teen Moon girl with "unpredictable alien DNA." She teams up with Devil Dinosaur to investigate crimes and unravel mysteries in New York City.

The story came about when Marvel realized it lacked characters that appealed to younger audiences.

The original Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur series first debuted in 1978.

A release date for the latest Moon Girl series has not yet been announced.

Rihanna is headed to 'The Voice' as an adviserRihanna is lending her voice to one of TV's most popular reality shows.

The "Diamonds" singer will serve as a key adviser on "The Voice" on NBC this season, the channel announced Thursday.

Rihanna is just the latest super-star to serve as a key adviser on this popular show. Taylor Swift, Fun front man Nate Ruess and Coldplay singer Chris Martin have taken on this role in the past three seasons.

As an adviser, Rihanna will mentor contestants from all four teams — led by coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams — during the Knockout Rounds.

NBC previously announced that country singer Brad Paisley would serve as an adviser to Shelton's team, while John Fogerty will be a mentor for Levine's.

Season nine of "The Voice" begins on Sept. 21That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.

Recapping our top stories this morning...

Teams of chemical experts from the Chinese military are on-site in Tianjin to assess the environmental impact of Wednesday's massive explosions, which have officially left 50 people dead.

China's lead political advisor and Britain’s foreign secretary have sat down for a series of meetings.

The head of Myanmar's ruling party has been ousted from his post just a few months before the national elections.

In Business... Taiwan-based phone maker HTC planning a series of job cuts to cope with its recent losses.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is 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.