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

Coming up on the program this morning...

Death toll from Tianjin blasts rising to 56 ...

Japan PM Shizo Abe issuing statement marking WWII end...

And 19 people shot and killed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.....

In our weekly business roundup... The Chinese Yuan stabilizing after the central bank reassures markets.

In Sports...Defending champion Chen Long winning epic quarter-final showdown at the world badminton championships...

In Entertainment...'Roco Kingdom 4: Valley of Giants' hitting theaters in here in China....

All of that coming up in the next hour, but first, just a reminder there are several ways to reach out to us here on the Beijing Hour.

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You can also visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

Top NewsDeath toll rises to 56 from Tianjin blastsAnchor:

The death toll from massive warehouse explosions that hit north China's Tianjin City on Wednesday night has risen to 56, including 21 firefighters.

The blasts have also left 721 others hospitalized, including 25 critically wounded and 33 in serious condition.

CRI's Wang Mengzhen has more.

Reporter:

A total of 44 people have been rescued so far from the blast site.

One 19-year-old firefighter was pulled out alive on Friday more than 30 hours after the catastrophe.

Zhou Ti lost contact after the blasts occurred. He was found choking near a container wreckage.

Speaking from his hospital bed about when he lost consciousness, Zhou says it was not from the first blast.

"Not the first time, but all of us were knocked face down on the ground. I only remember the first blast was very loud, I was on the ground, hands covering my head, I don't remember what happened after that."Zhang Dapeng is chief of staff of the Bonded Zone Branch of Tianjin Firefighting Corps.

"I think it's his strong will which helped him to hold on. When talking with him, I could feel his strong inner power, and we also kept pepping him up, urging him to hold on and telling him the ambulance was arriving."Doctors say Zhou's conditions are generally stable and disinfection is now the key.

Li Baiwei is a doctor at Tianjin Teda Hospital"His chest suffered the most severe injuries: several fractured ribs, bruised lungs, and air in the chest cavity. Also, he had a two-centimeter crack in his skull, and a six-centimeter open wound on his left calf."Firefighters have mostly extinguished the flames at the site.

More than 1,000 firefighters and 140 fire engines have been deployed to the site.

The two blasts happened at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday following a fire in a warehouse which holds hazardous chemicals.

The death toll caused by the blasts is said to be the highest for firefighters from any single rescue mission since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The high number of casualties has ignited public discussion over whether the servicemen were properly trained to deal with such a situation.

The city's fire department says the firefighters did not know what was on fire, and an explosion occurred soon after more firefighters arrived at the site, leaving them no time to evacuate.

For CRI, I'm Wang Mengzhen.

Chemicals at blast warehouse not yet identified: authoritiesMeanwhile, city authorities say the dangerous chemicals stored at the warehouse that exploded Wednesday night in Tianjin Port cannot be identified yet, including both the types and quantities.

Authorities say the owner of the warehouse is a privately held logistics company that specializes in handling hazardous chemicals at the port.

Gao Huaiyou, deputy director of the Tianjin Safety Supervision Bureau, says the warehouse was a transit warehouse for hazard chemicals before the explosions.

"The company is entitled to store various hazard chemicals including inflammable gas, inflammable liquid, inflammable solid, oxidizing agent and corrosives. Goods unloaded from containers would be stored in here and then transferred after making declarations."Gao says the company's office has been damaged, and there are major discrepancies between the accounts of company management and customs records.

Authorities have adopted measures to make sure that the waste water won't cause pollution to sea.

The sewage outlets to the sea have been closed.

Sensors have been placed in the "core blast zone" to detect toxic gas.

The air near the site at one point dipped below a safe standard on Friday evening, forcing firefighters and one command headquarter to temporarily vacate the site.

A 200-strong nuclear, biological and chemical emergency task force is also on-site testing and monitoring toxic and harmful substances.

The team is mainly composed of officers and men from an anti-chemical regiment under the Beijing garrison.

According to the team, the toxic and harmful substances on site are controllable.

Tianjin resettles 6,300 residents affected by blastsTianjin municipal authorities said on Friday that more than 6,300 residents affected by massive explosions in the city have been resettled to makeshift shelters.

Zhang Ruigang, deputy chief of Tianjin Economic Development Area or TEDA, talked about the relocation of residents at a press conference.

"Now we have relocated all the residents from the worst-hit community, the Haigangcheng community. We have set up makeshift shelters at 12 local schools including the primary school, the high school and a College, as well as three apartment buildings. We have provided them with abundant daily necessities such as bottled water, food, clothes and quilts. We also set up medical service centers at the shelters to satisfy their basic needs."Zhang added that hospitals in TEDA are making all-out efforts to treat those who were injured during the accident.

"We have arranged 10 hospitals and mobilized 1,675 medical workers to treat the injured people. In addition, TEDA hospital's blood storage center also organized district-wide campaigns to call on people to donate plasma for treating injured people and ensuring the abundance of plasma storage."Zhang said that 17,000 households, 1,700 plants and 675 businesses have been affected by the blasts, and authorities are working out a plan to repair damaged homes and workshops for those who have been affected.

The authorities also allocated more than 200 buses to the district where inter-district light rail was forced out of service for residents to commute.

Shizo Abe issues statement marking WWII endJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued his much-anticipated statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

In his speech, Abe refrained from offering his own apology for Japan's past atrocities during the war.

He reiterated that Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war.

But he added that it is unnecessary for Japan's future generations to keep apologizing for the atrocities of World War II.

The prime minister also expressed regret at the suffering and sacrifices of many people during WWII in general, but did not mention Japan's own aggression and colonial rule from before or during the war.

On Aug. 15, 1995, then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama publicly apologized for the damage and suffering Japan inflicted upon Asian nations during the war.

Murayama's landmark address was well received in both China and South Korea for its sincerity.

Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also made a similar statement 10 years later, reiterating the keywords such as "colonial rule," "aggression" and "apology."For more on this, CRI's Shane Bigham earlier spoke with Fan Xiaoju, expert in Japanese Studies at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

China calls for sincere apology after Abe's statementChina is asking Japan to sincerely apologize for its aggressive past as a response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat in WWII.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says Japan should make a clear explanation for the character and responsibility of its aggression war, making sincere apologies to its Asian neighbors.

China is also urging Japan to refer to the statements and commitments it has made to China on historical issues since the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui has presented China's solemn stance to Japanese Ambassador to China Kitera Masato.

At the same time, residents in Beijing are expressing their views following Abe's statement.

Office worker Liu Aiqiang is one of them:

"I think, the Japanese government should act more to show their recognition of history. Because the apology is only one aspect. Other aspects, there are textbook and so on. If the Japanese people and the young could form a correct history value, it will improve the relationship between Japan and other Asian countries who have been hurt, such as South Korea, North Korea and China."South Koreans' reactions to Abe's WWII StatementMeanwhile, South Koreans have held mixed reactions to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Friday statement.

Among them, some residents in Seoul are rejecting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement, saying Abe's words lacked sincerity and were not in line with his actions.

Professor Yang Ki-ho from Sungkonghoe University is not optimistic about bilateral ties between South Korea and Japan in the near future.

"It is still difficult to find sincerity in the Japanese government's intent to resolve the sex slavery issue, for example. That is the South Korean government's position. In this case, it'll be difficult for relations to improve in the second half of the year."This year also marks the 50th anniversary of South Korea and Japan's formal diplomatic ties.

However, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has yet to hold official bilateral talks with Abe since taking office in 2013.

Hong Kong Protestors Demand Wartime Yen Compensation from JapanAround 50 protesters marched near the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong on Friday, demanding an apology and compensation for Japan's war crimes during WWII.

Lau Man, Chairman of the Hong Kong Reparation Association, says the current push for militarism in Japan is threatening stability in Asia.

"The memory of Hong Kong's occupation that lasted for three years and eight months during World War Two is still fresh in our minds. But now militarism is reviving. This greatly threatens peace in Hong Kong and in Asia."Protestors are also seeking compensation for military yen the Japanese forced locals to convert during the war.

Japan occupied Hong Kong for nearly 4 years before surrendering on August 15, 1945.

During the occupation, people were forced to exchange their legal tender into military yen.

The sheets of paper money lost all their value overnight on September 6, 1945, a few weeks after the surrender, when the Japanese government announced the military yen would not be worth anything anymore.

Tang Tak-ming, an 81-year-old Hong Kong resident, says he still owns yen bills from the war.

"After the Japanese army came to Hong Kong, we could not shop with Hong Kong dollars, we had to use military yen. If you were walking down the street and they found Hong Kong dollars on you, they would beat you."According to the organizers, about 3,000 people in Hong Kong still hold a total of roughly 500 million military yen.

China's War against Japanese Aggression in Eye of Western HistorianAnchor:

A British historian specializing in the history of China published a monograph on China's war against Japanese aggression two years ago and says there are very few books specific to this field.

CRI's XYee brings you the details.

Reporter:

Rana Mitter says he spent over a decade writing his book--China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival.

Chongqing is the city he visited most.

"During the period from 1937 to 1946, it was the temporary wartime capital of China. You could say that Chongqing stood alongside London, Washington and Moscow, as an important allied capital. But this history in the name of Chongqing is still not well known in the West today. So I want to try to restore some of that history to a bigger audience. Actually I found the reaction of the Chinese was very positive."He cites May 4th, 1939 - the 20th anniversary of 'Wusi' - as an important date in the city's history.

"And even today most people in China will know the May 4th movement decided to renew its culture, create new culture, Mr. Science and Mr. Democracy, all these ideas. And exactly 20 years later to the day May 4th 1939, there were attempts by the Japanese to obliterate and destroy that legacy. So I thought the fact China and Chongqing had resisted that air raid on that date was also an important symbol of where China rethought its role and thought about its resistance during that time."Mitter says that though the Chinese people's war against aggression started earliest and lasted longest, the western countries have very limited knowledge on China's role in World War II.

"But I think it's very important in the west that we don't think everything began with Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 and remember that China had been fighting almost alone, not quite but almost unsupported, for some two years before the outbreak of war in 1939 in Europe."Mitter says the reason China's role in World War II has not received much attention in the west is largely due to patterns that emerged globally in the years immediately after the war, affecting communications between east and west.

Mitter says looking at the history of China's war against Japanese aggression will help western countries understand China's development and its relations with neighboring countries.

"People often don't realize the issues including the continuing tensions and difficulties between various aspects in the region but also the desire to create more mutual and consensual structure of engagement in the region. In some sense, through the legacy of 1945, there was never a full peace treaty that included everyone in Asia, unlike in Europe in 1945. So to some extent I think all of the major actors in the region are still trying to finish the unfinished business of 1945."Mitter's book has been strongly echoed by western media who agree that westerners know little about this period of history.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, Mitter says the world should take a deeper look at China's contribution towards the victory against global fascism.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

19 Shot and Killed in Sao Paulo, BrazilAt least 19 people have been shot and killed within the space of three hours in Brazil's, Sao Paulo, Thursday night.

Alexandre de Moraes, head of the Sao Paulo State Public Safety Department said police were trying to determine if the shootings in the western outskirts of Sao Paulo, were related.

"Mainly in Greater Sao Paulo (suburbs of the city) there was a major decrease of homicides and armed robberies, but obviously an event like this one is a serious event that has to be investigated in a different, urgent, way due to the seriousness and it will be investigated by the task force and I am sure the police will quickly solve the case."He said 15 of the victims were shot dead in Osasco, three were killed in Barueri and one in Itapevi.

Seven people were wounded and remain in hospital.

Cuba & US Joint News ConferenceCuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez defended Cuba's human rights record during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday.

"I want to emphasize that Cuba is very proud of its enforcement of the guarantee of the clear exercise of human rights, indivisible, interdependent, universal, civil liberties and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights with equality and conditions for each Cuban woman and man and each citizen."In the wake of a flag-raising ceremony at the newly reopened U.S. Embassy, both officials acknowledged that there were still complicated issues to address moving forward.

Kerry also played down concerns that the next U.S. president might roll back Barack Obama's policy of engaging Cuba after 10 prior presidents had sought to isolate Havana.

Both men said they felt confident in the commission the two nations have established to address immediate and long-term issues.

The flag raising at the U.S. embassy comes nearly four weeks after the United States and Cuba formally renewed diplomatic relations and upgraded their diplomatic missions to embassies.

V-day Kiss ReenactmentHundreds of couples, young and old, gathered in Times Square, New York, on Friday, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, the day on which Japan surrendered effectively ending World War II.

In New York on that day, an iconic photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse titled "V-J Day in Times Square" was taken by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.

A giant statue commemorating the kissing couple marked the exact location of the famous kiss and was the location where on Friday couples reenacted the moment to celebrate the anniversary.

Among them was a couple from Georgia, Ray and Ellie Williams, who both served in World War II.

"We didn't really meet until May of 1945. And in June we were engaged, and were married in August. So it happened quickly. But in wartime you have got to do things quickly, because you don't really know what the future holds,"The couple were chosen to represent the veterans, which Williams called "thrilling."The event was organized by the non-profit "Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive", a group dedicated to inspiring young people with the memory of the Greatest Generation.

The group has scheduled several other commemorative events over the course of the weekend.

China Philharmonic Orchestra Holds Concerts along Ancient Silk RoadAnchor:

Chinese and Iranian musicians have co-staged a two-day classic concert in Tehran right after the China Philharmonic Orchestra landed in the Iranian capital for the 2015 Silk Road Concert Tour.

CRI's Guo Yan has the details.

Reporter:

China Philharmonic Orchestra held a concert in Vahdat Hall, Teheran, on Thursday as part of the fourth leg of its 2015 Silk Road Concert Tour, following performances in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The concert is part of its six-country Silk Road tour and attracted more than 600 people, including China Ambassador to Iran Pang Sen and diplomatic missions in Iran.

The concert was opened with Alexander Porphyrievitch Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from "Prince Igor" and followed by violin concerto "the Butterfly Lovers", otherwise known as "Liangzhu". Music and applause echoed in the hall.

"It's wonderful! We can see the themes, motivations and phrases integrating with the Western music. It's a fantastic performance. I love it!"During the second half of the concert, Iranian conductor Ali Rahbari took to the podium and co-presented other beautiful melodies.

Rahbari said he enjoyed working with the Chinese team and that cultural exchanges with China are beneficial.

"China Philharmonic Orchestra is a very professional team. I really enjoy working with all its members. The purpose of the concert is to boost culture exchanges between our two countries. China wants to establish a cultural relationship with us, not only in the economic field; this is a pretty good idea."At the same time, President of China Philharmonic Orchestra Li Nan praised the accomplishments of Iranian musicians, especially Ali Rahbari.

Li Nan also expressed his wishes for future cooperation, and said the tour would open a gate to conduct cultural communications.

China Ambassador to Tehran Pang Sen underlined the importance of the visit and noted the concert is a major part of cultural interaction of the two countries.

"Cooperation between China and Iran not only includes the economy, but also politics and culture. Cultural exchange is a good opportunity to promote mutual understanding of two nations. Music has no border; it is a language that anyone can understand."Pang says the concert tour is a new start for China and Iran and expected more exchanges in various fields in the near future.

After performances in Tehran, the China Philharmonic Orchestra is also scheduled to give concerts in Turkey and Greece, its last two stops of the 18-day tour along the ancient Silk Road.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 34 degrees Celsius, clear tonight, overnight temperatures should drop down to 21.

Shanghai will see slight rain with a high of 31 and a low of 25.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 34 and lows of 26.

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

Islamabad, also slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul will be overcast 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, cloudy, 28.

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

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 13.

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

Headline NewsDeath toll rises to 56 from Tianjin blastsThe death toll from massive warehouse explosions that hit north China's Tianjin City on Wednesday night has risen to 56, including 21 firefighters.

The blasts have also left 721 others hospitalized, including 25 critically wounded and 33 in serious condition.

A total of 44 people have been rescued so far from the blast site.

One 19-year-old firefighter was pulled out alive on Friday more than 30 hours after the catastrophe.

Firefighters have mostly extinguished the flames at the site.

More than 1,000 firefighters and 140 fire engines have been deployed to the site.

The two blasts happened at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday following a fire in a warehouse which holds hazardous chemicals.

Social media accounts closed for Tianjin blast rumormongeringOver 360 social media accounts have been suspended or shut down for spreading rumors after fatal explosions in Tianjin this week.

Following the blast, certain accounts on microblogging site Sina Weibo and the instant messaging service WeChat began posting rumors such as "toxic gas blown to Beijing", "malls and markets looted", and "no one survived within one kilometers of the blast site".

In addition, the Cyberspace Administration of China said, some accounts masquerading as relatives of the victims, attempted to swindle money through fraudulent charity fund raising.

The Administration has ordered social media enterprises to shut down more than 160 rumormongering accounts permanently, and to suspend over 200.

China calls for sincere apology after Abe's statementChina has responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement marking the 70th anniversary of the WWII victory by asking Japan to sincerely apologize for its aggressive past.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying says Japan should make a clear explanation for the character and responsibility of its aggression war, making sincere apologies to its Asian neighbors.

China is also urging Japan to refer to the statements and commitments it has made to China on historical issues since the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui has presented China's solemn stance to Japanese Ambassador to China Kitera Masato.

Eurozone ministers approve Greek bailout dealEurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Friday that the finance ministers' meeting on Greece turned out "positive" and Greece is expected to get a new loan worth up to 86 billion euros, or about 95 billion U.S. dollars.

Dijsselbloem told a press conference that the outcome of the meeting meant that the weeks-long negotiations in Athens had paid off.

The ministers gathered here to discuss Greece's third bailout plan under the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

According to a statement released by the European Commission (EC) immediately after the meeting, the new billion-euro loans will be made available over the next three years to Greece by the ESM.

Weekly Biz RoundupAnchor:

It's time to take a look back at some business headlines from his past week in our Weekly Business Review.

The Chinese Yuan stabilizes after the central bank reassures markets.

The Consumer Price Index has come in at 1.6-percent through July, below the 3 percent target for the year.

And China's top smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced a new Redmi Note smartphone.

Let's catch up on all of that and more with CRI's Wenjie.

Reporter:

The Chinese currency rose slightly on Friday after 3 days of losses against the US dollar.

The slump had seen the yuan lose 4.7 percent of its value against the dollar and Friday's reversal eased concerns among those who had worried about a long-term period of depreciation.

Ma Jun, Chief economist at the research bureau of the People's Bank of China, believes China's economic fundamentals can support a stable RMB.

"The effect of our macro control measures has shown positive signs: the investment on infrastructure is accelerating, property sales are increasing… all these indicate that our economy is stabilizing and picking up. The growth is much stronger than some other economic entities that faces a higher pressure on devaluation."Zhang Xiaohui, assistant governor of the People's Bank of China, on Thursday said the value of the yuan has gradually returned to market levels.

Zhang said the discrepancy between the central parity rate and the actual trading rate was corrected by the declines between Tuesday and Thursday.

Zhang added there used to be a 3-percent gap between the official rate and market expectations.

The currency's fall comes after the PBoC adjusted the exchange rate formation mechanism on Tuesday, a move designed to better reflect market development in the exchange rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar.

China's central bank has announced it will issue a new 100-yuan bank note, starting from Nov. 12.

The new bills will be harder to counterfeit and easier for machines to read.

The bank says the design of the new bank note will stay largely the same as the current series but will have enhanced security features.

The 100-yuan note is the largest denomination of the Chinese currency.

The Consumer Price Index has come in at 1.6-percent through July.

This is the highest rate so far this year.

However, it's still below the Chinese government's full-year target of 3-percent.

Mike Bastin, Director of the China Research Center based in London, believes the government needs to do something now.

"1.6 percent is well below the 3 percent figure, many attributes the slide to poor prices with poor consumption, with CPI looking pretty grim, pretty negative, that reflecting sluggish demand across this recent channel, I think there is concern, and I think the government need to do something."China's Producer Price Index, the measure of prices on a wholesale level, dipped 5.4-percent through July.

This is the 41st consecutive month the PPI has dipped.

China's value-added industrial output expanded 6 percent year on year in July, down from 6.8 percent for June.

The National Bureau of Statistics attributed the drop mainly to flagging external demand, a weak property sector, and less production from some consumer goods sectors, including automobiles and cigarettes.

Year-on-year growth in the first seven months stood at 6.3 percent, the same level as the growth for the first half of the year.

China uses value-added industrial output to measure the final value of industrial production.

Greece has approved a third EU bailout package.

Alexis Mitropoulous, Vice President of the Parliament, announced the passing of the bill on Friday.

"Ladies and gentlemen I have the honour to announce the outcome of the vote. A total of 297 lawmakers voted. 222 voted 'yes', 64 lawmakers voted 'no' and 11 abstained.　Consequently the bill passed by a majority."The vote came after a lengthy debate in parliament through the night.

The new bailout package, the third for Greece in five years, is worth 85 billion Euros, or more than 94 billion USD, over three years.

Greece needs at least 3 billion Euros for a debt payment to the European Central Bank by August 20 and avoids a default.

Under the new agreement, the retirement age in Greece will be increased to 67 by 2022.

There will also be further cuts to Greece's social welfare system.

Alibaba has announced it’s investing over 4.5-billion US dollars in Chinese home appliance maker Suning.

The 28-billion yuan cash infusion will make Alibaba the 2nd largest shareholder of Suning.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma says the move is meant to try to increase his company's online to offline business.

"The Internet plus strategy has been proposed, and I believe people also have realized that only when the real and digital economies do not repel each other, and instead appreciate, cooperate and do good to each other, can we build a new Chinese business ecosystem."Meanwhile, Alibaba on Wednesday reported its lowest rate of revenue growth in more than 3 years.

It's second-quarter revenue increased 28 percent to 3.2 billion US dollars.

Wednesday's data disappointed investors, with Alibaba shares falling 6.7 percent on the day.

At the same time, Alibaba also announced that it will spend up to 4 billion US dollars to buy back shares over the next 2-years.

Letv.com has teamed up with Tianjin-based bicycle maker Flying Pigeon to produce a "super bicycle."The bicycle itself includes an array of smart functions, including a built-in music player, a navigation system and social networking options.

Lower level "super bikes" are going to cost between 4 and 6-thousand yuan.

A luxury version of the bike will cost upward of 40-thousand yuan.

It's due to retail in both China and in North America.

China's top smartphone maker Xiaomi on Thursday announced a new Redmi Note smartphone, and an improved operating system for its smart devices.

The new redmi 2 promises users improved video quality. It can act as a remote control for televisions and air-conditioners and has a specialized night screen.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun.

"We also support the night screen. If at night, you adjust the brightness to the lowest setting it will still be very bright. We have adjusted the brightness setting so when you read at night, it will not hurt your eyes."The new operating system includes several new features including reduced battery consumption, specialized themes, and a new album feature for baby and pet pictures.

It will use face recognition to store pictures into specialized albums that can be viewed on multiple devices by family members.

The Redmi note 2 will be available from August 16th at a starting price of 799 yuan.

Google has unveiled a new corporate structure, forming a parent company named Alphabet.

Under the new structure, Alphabet will house the tech giant's research arm X Lab, investment arm Google Ventures and health and science operations, as well as its popular search unit.

Alphabet will replace Google as the publicly traded entity.

All shares of Google will automatically convert to shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights.

SportsBadminton: Chen Long in, Lin Dan Out of World ChampionshipsIn badminton action:

Defending champion Chen Long outclassed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in an epic quarter-final showdown at the world badminton championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday.

Chen claimed the first game, but the seventh-seeded Axelsen put up a dogged defense in the second, pushing his opponent to the limit before succumbing 21-18, 30-29.

He will face fourth seed Kento Momota, who dispatched Wei Nan of Hong Kong 21-6, 21-14, in the semifinals.

However, five-time world champion Lin Dan was eliminated by Jan O. Jorgensen. Lin went down 21-12, 21-15 in just 37 minutes.

At the start of the tournament, Lin said he was hoping to meet Malaysian rival Lee Chong Wei.

However, now, Jorgensen will be facing the former world no. 1 Malaysian. Lee is playing in the worlds as an un-seeded player after he served out an eight-month suspension due to doping offence.

Chinese Super League PreviewIn football action from the Chinese Super League:

League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande will take on sixth-place Shanghai Shenhua.

Third place Beijing Guo'an will take on Shijiazhuang.

Jiangsu Sainty will clash with last-plae Shanghai Shenxin.

And Tianjin Teda will face off against Changchun Yatai in an away match.

Football: EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga RecapIn football action from this morning:

In La Liga action:

Athletic Bilbao put UEFA and the Primera Division on notice after upsetting European and League champs Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the Spanish Super cup.

Aritz Aduriz notched a hat-trick in a span of 15 minutes in the second half to push well-clear of Barca.

The Catalans were already trying to catch up after Bilbao's Mikel San Jose opened scoring in the first-half with a goal from 40 yards out.

In the English Premiere League,Manchester United now remain unbeaten at Villa Park for 20 years after they defeated Aston Villa 1-0.

Man U midfielder Adnan Januzaj sunk a right-foot shot into the bottom right corner to hit net off an assist by Juan Mata.

The last time Villa beat Man U was August 1995.

In the German Bundesliga,Bayern Munich started their season opener by demolishing Hamburg 5-0.

Hamburg have a history of being thrashed by Bayern Munich. They have been smashed 9-2 and 8-0 in their previous two visits to Munich.

Mehdi Benatia opened scoring in the 27th minute, but the floodgates didn't open until Robert Lewandowski's goal for Munich in the second half.

Chelsea Manager Mourinho Downplays Med. Staff RowChelsea manager Jose Mourinho played down the significance of dropping two members of his medical staff from match-day duties for treating an injured player, saying "we need disagreements to improve."Club doctor Eva Carneiro and head physiotherapist Jon Fearn were publicly rebuked by Mourinho for entering the field to treat Eden Hazard late in Chelsea's match against Swansea in the Premier League last week. It left Chelsea temporarily down to nine players because goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off.

Mourinho confirmed that Carneiro and Fearn won't be involved in Sunday's match at Manchester City, but says they could resume their roles this season:

"I praised them lots of times in this couple of years and they don't forget that, I don't forget that. And as they also told me yesterday, 'we (have) had disagreements during this period. We need disagreements to improve. We work together, we improve together.'"Mourinho has been widely criticised for his reaction and accused by medical professionals of giving the impression that players' welfare was not being prioritised.

FIFA: Former Official Julio Rocha Being Extradited by Swiss AuthoritiesIn the latest developments from the FIFA bribery scandal:

Former FIFA soccer official Julio Rocha has agreed to be extradited to his native Nicaragua, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FoJ) said on Friday (August 14).

The FoJ emailed a statement to the Reuters news agency, saying, "The Nicaraguan criminal prosecution authorities, like their U.S. counterparts, suspect Rocha of having abused his office for personal gain."The Swiss judicial organ added that the request had come from the Nicaraguan embassy in Berne.

Tennis Update from Rogers CupIn Tennis action from the Rogers Cup in Canada:

Agnieszka Radwanska's defence of the Rogers Cup was ended at the semi-final, as Simona Halep charged back to win 0-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Radwanska made short work of the first set, as Halep failed to win a single game.

Gradually, however, the Romanian found her range.

She took the second set 6-3, before claiming the decider 6-1 to reach the last four.

Second-seeded Halep will next battle Italy's Sara Errani, who downed Ukrainian Lesya Tsurenko 6-4, 6-4.

Still coming up in women's action:

World no. 1 Serena Williams will take on Italian Roberta Vinci;and no. 5 Ana Ivanovic will face Swiss Belinda Bencic.

In men's action:

No. 16 John Isner, who just downed trash-talking Aussie Nick Kyrgios, battled France's Jeremy Chardy.

Still to come on the men's side of things:

Fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori will hit the court against no. 7 Rafael Nadal;No. 2 Andy Murray will take on France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga;And World no. 1 Novak Djokovic will face unseeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis.

All Blacks Prepare to Bounce Back in Clash with WallabiesIn Rugby:

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw spoke with the press ahead of the Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia in Auckland, New Zealand, later today.

The All Blacks played poorly in Sydney last week, but McCaw says their dismal showing needs to fuel them to victory this time around:

"The key is to obviously let it fuel you, the fact we come off a poor performance but, you know, just that in itself isn't going to make it work, we had to make sure we did things right this week and I think we have to this point but it's all very well saying that now, it's what we put out on the field."New Zealand and Australia clash at about 3:35 p.m., Beijing time.

Golf RecapIn golf:

Taking a look at round 2 action at the PGA Championship:

And at the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic:

Caroline Masson is in the lead at 10 under, followed closely by Julieta Granada at 9 under and Kim Kaufman at 8 under par.

Entertainment'Roco Kingdom 4: Valley of Giants' Hits Theaters in ChinaChinese animated fantasy adventure film 'Roco Kingdom 4: Valley of Giants' has been released in Chinese theaters on Friday.

The film was adapted from one of China's hottest web games developed by the industry's giant Tencent.

The fourth installment in the franchise, the story is set in a magic wonderland.

The film portrays the adventurous journey of several teenage wizards, who aim to send a baby alien back home.

It is directed by the Canadian director, Hugues Martel, who is an important animator behind Oscar nominated 'The Triplets of Belleville'.

Producers say the film has grabbed the title of the highest-presale domestic animated title of all time by grossing 10 million yuan, or roughly 1.6 million US dollars.

Cheung Man-yuk Unveils New Song for Film 'Cities in Love'

Award-winning actress Cheung Man-yuk has unveiled the music video for her new song 'If You Were Gone', which she both writes and sings.

50-year-old Cheung has collaborated with her band for this new song.

'If You Were Gone' was created for the romantic film 'Cities in Love' directed by young Chinese moviemaker Wen Muye.

The romance film features five love stories took place in five cities, including Shanghai, Prague, Paris, Florence and Hokkaido.

The film stars famous actress Yang Mi and Bai Baihe, who is also the leading actress of record-breaking fantasy film 'Monster Hunt'.

'Cities in Love' is scheduled to be released on Aug 20th.

With over 70 films under her belt, Cheung Man-yuk is the first Asian actress to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

She has previously announced the collaboration with Beijing-based indie record company Modernsky, and now is working on her upcoming debut album.

"Sesame Street" to Air on HBOThe iconic and beloved children's show-"Sesame Street" will be aired on HBO, starting this fall.

"Sesame Workshop", which produces "Sesame Street," has inked a five-year deal with HBO, which will expand the shows' footprint and amount of programming.

The show has been aired on PBS since 1969.

But "Sesame Street" fans accustomed to watching it on PBS won't be disappointed.

As part of the deal, the show's older episodes will be re-edited in new ways and will continue to be aired on public television.

New episodes will first appear on HBO, and will then be provided to PBS after nine months.

"Sesame Street" has taught preschoolers for decades about numbers, letters, emotional development and the joys of a rubber duckie.

Adam Lambert to Make UK Festival DebutUS singer Adam Lambert has announced he will be making his UK festival debt at the Fusion Festival in Birmingham.

This will be the first time that he will perform songs from his latest album in front of UK fans.

'The Original High' is the third studio album from the 33 year old singer which was released on June 12 with hit singles 'Ghost Town' and 'Evil in the Night'.

The style of the album was interpreted as synthpop with additional influences of house, dance and funk genres.

Adam Lambert gained fame after becoming the runner up in the eighth season of singing competition American Idol.

In addition, Rudimental and McBusted will lead the event, along with Ed Sheeran, who was a last minute replacement for Justin Bieber.

The Fusion Festival is set to kick off on August 30th.

WeatherBeijing will be sunny today with a high of 34 degrees Celsius, clear tonight, overnight temperatures should drop down to 21.

Shanghai will see slight rain with a high of 31 and a low of 25.

In Chongqing, it will be cloudy during the daytime with a high of 34 and lows of 26.

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

Islamabad, also slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul will be overcast 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, cloudy, 28.

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

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be cloudy with a high of 13.

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

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

A recap of your headlines:

Coming up on the program this morning...

Death toll from Tianjin blasts rising to 56 ...

Japan PM Shizo Abe issuing statement marking WWII end...

And 19 people shot and killed in Sao Paulo, Brazil.....

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers: I'm Sophie Williams in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour, to open a window to the world together.