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

Coming up on the program this evening...

12 people have been detained over the deadly explosions at the port of Tianjin...

China's main battle tank, the T-99, will lead the armour on display during the military parade next week...

and South Sudan's president finally signs a peace deal to end two years of civil war...

In Business...China's central bank pumps more liquidity into the market...

In Sports...mixed results for Chinese athletes at the Athletics World Championships in Beijing...

And in Entertainment...Wolf Totem appears to be the frontrunner to be China's submission to the Oscars...

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.

You can follow us on our weibo account at weibo.com/beijinghour.

WeChat: search "beijinghour"Email us directly at [email protected].

Visit crienglish.com for the latest news and information from China Radio International.

TopChina probes 11, detains 12 for Tianjin blastsTwelve suspects have been detained over the explosions at the port of Tianjin, in which at least 145 people have been confirmed killed.

Eleven officials are being investigated.

China's Ministry of Public Seurity says the detainees include Yu Xuewei, chairman of Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics, along with two vice-chairmen of the company.

A worker with a safety evaluation firm, who is accused of helping Ruihai illegally obtain safety documents, has also been taken into custody.

According to China's top prosecutors, the officials under investigation include Wu Dai, head of Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, and Zheng Qingyue, president of Tianjin Port.

Another official, Wang Jinwen, a senior official with the Ministry of Transportation, is being investigated for suspected abuse of power.

Customs personnel at the port have also been accused of being slack and irresponsible in supervising the illegal dangerous chemical business run by Ruihai.

China's T-99 main battle tanks to be main attraction at V-day paradeChina's T-99 battle tanks will be one of the main attractions of next week's military parade in Beijing.

The arrow-shaped formation of T-99 tanks will be the first among the 27 armament formations to parade through Tian'anmen Square on September 3.

During the parade, the tanks will roll through the Square with their hatches open, and the drivers will have to manipulate the tanks without looking at their instrument panels.

Guo Jianchuan, one of the T-99 tank drivers, says the feel of the parade will be close to that of a real battle, as the drivers hardly have any chances to look at the buttons and switches when operating tanks on the battlefield.

"We have to look at the front and observe what is going on at the battlefield, and their hands have to find the buttons automatically without looking at them. Through such trainings, we have become more familiar with the operation of tanks."A ranking by the German Focus magazine shows the 60-ton tank is the third-best tank in the world, following the Leopard 2 and the United States M1A2 Abrams.

Reports say the T-99 features a 125-mm smooth-bore gun, capable of firing anti-tank guided missiles.

The T-99 tank made its debut in the military parade in 2009 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the foundation of China.

Though the design remains the same, its components have been updated several times.

The tanks that will parade on September 3 are equipped with a new digital imaging system, an integration of camera, range-finder, monitoring and processing systems.

Currently the system can monitor four tanks together in real time and help the driver adjust in a timely manner.

A total of 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment, and nearly 200 aircraft will be reviewed by President Xi Jinping during the victory day parade which marks the 70th anniversary of victory in China's war against Japanese aggression, and the end of World War II.

Foreign soldiers learn about China's anti-aggression historyMore than 1,000 soldiers from 17 nations have visited the Lugou Bridge in southwest Beijing.

The bridge, also known as Marco Polo Bridge, is the place where China's war against Japanese aggression started, July 7th, 1937. China became one of the bloodiest battlefields in the world.

Russian soldier Alexander Gromov says both China and Russia greatly contributed to the victory in World War II.

"The victory in World War II required all countries' efforts. China and Russia defeated fascists. Both paid a heavy price. The history is unforgettable for both countries."Foreign soldiers also visited the Museum of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

China will hold a military parade on September 3 to mark the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan.

Leaders from 30 nations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, will attend the parade.

Xinjiang jails 45 terrorists, people traffickersForty-five people in Xinjiang have been given jail terms ranging from four years to life imprisonment.

They were found guilty on terrorism charges and of helping others cross the Chinese border illegally.

The autonomous regions' higher people's court says the group was tried in 10 separate cases in courts in Yili, Aksu, Hotan, Kashgar and Karamay.

In two cases, 18 human traffickers were found guilty of helping more than 300 people enter Vietnam, making illegal earnings of nearly 2 million Yuan, or about 300,000 U.S. dollars.

In a case tried in Kashgar, five locals were sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison for attempting to join the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Taliban terrorist groups.

The group often gathered together to read books on religious extremism, watch videos featuring violent terrorism, and to conspire to traffic people to other countries to join jihad.

China's car industry sees slowdown in last 3 quartersAnchor:

Chinese auto companies and dealers have recently gone through a tough time as production and sales numbers have slumped.

Reporter:

CRI's Zhao Jianfu has more.

The inventory has been piling as financing for the industry has weakened. This has resulted in the closure of many automotive sales and service centers.

Luo Lei, a vice secretary of China Automobile Dealers Association, says the profit decline has hurt.

"The dealers and auto companies have to bear both financial pressure and the risk of large quantity of storage. A high percentage of dealers suffer from profit loss."The losses have hit the luxury sector the most, with average vehicles and SUVs only slightly affected by the slack in the industry.

According to an insider, the growth rate for luxury cars, previously double the average growth of the whole industry, is now only half of the industry average.

A luxury car dealer in Guilin city, Guangxi Province says many stores are closed.

"One of the largest stores in Guangxi has purchased over 20 other stores and they will probably develop into a comprehensive store to expand their services."Experts from the industry say multiple reasons have led to this current situation, including downward pressure in the economy, over-production, and saturated demand.

Some dealers say they hope they can cooperate with car manufacturers to find ways to relieve pressure within the luxury car sector.

"Now many car manufacturers have lowered their prices and improved their services. We also should realize that it's now a buyer's market and customers have more options. So manufacturers and dealers will have further dialogue to control the pressure and risk in the market".

However, experts in the industry think signs of recovery will be seen later this year.

"The slow growth has been continuing from last June and the negative growth will also last for a while but we expect the market will go back to normal in the fourth quarter."According to the official data, the month on month sales growth in the Chinese car industry has continuously dropped for four months, starting in April, and the Vehicle Inventory Alert Index has now been over the alarm line for over 10 months, as of July.

That is CRI's Zhao Jianfu.

Policy Ensures Chinese Retirees Claim Pension in USAnchor:

Chinese retirees living in the United States are now eligible to receive a pension back in China.

CRI's Luo Wen reports.

Reporter:

The policy now allows Chinese retirees who have obtained a U.S. green card to be covered under the Chinese pension plan.

Chang Kai, a labor expert with Renmin University, says the policy decision is mostly about fairness.

"The pension benefits depends on one's contribution payments made during their working life. It will continue to exist wherever you are. It's a kind of debt obligation the government has that will never change, even if one's citizenship changes."People in China usually begin to receive their pensions a month after finalizing their retirement.

However, many retirees living abroad just give up trying to claim the money because of the difficulty in contacting the right department to get the payments made.

At the same time, many are unaware or concerned they'll be rejected if applying for the benefits abroad.

However, Guan Xinping with Nankai University says there is no reason to be concerned.

"You can claim your pension, no matter where you live or which citizenship you hold. As long as you paid your pension fees before retirement, you will receive it. It's a rule in the country's pension system."Guan Xinping notes this is a common practice throughout the world.

"Many countries, especially member states of the European Union, have signed agreements to ensure retirees who had worked in different countries receive their pensions through a single account."The Chinese applicants abroad need to file the proper documents, including a qualification review form.

They also have to submit both the original and a copy of their passport and a certificate of legal residence in the country.

The form is available at Chinese embassies or consulates.

Guan Xinping says making this option available has made things much easier for people living abroad.

"It's much easier for applicants to contact the closest Chinese embassy or consulate than it is to return to China to complete the application."It's estimated more than 2-million Chinese immigrants are living in the United States.

Latest surveys show the number of Chinese retirees opting to live in the US is continuing to rise.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

Keep China's Cyber Space Clean Depends on Government Will Power: ExpertsAnchor:

Chinese authorities have recently called for a crack-down on internet pornography. Pornographic videos, and even music that hints at sex and violence, are to be forbidden online.

XYee has more:

Reporter:

A typical scenario when surfing the web in China is that, as you scroll down while reading a serious story on your computer, a sexually-inclined picture or stories with sensational headlines will appear somewhere on the screen. This even happens at some China's major news portals, as observed by Ma Ai, an expert on criminology from the China Psychological Society.

"Many words have sexual connotations, which to some extent could influence the teenagers."Since more and more people work with computers in open spaces, this can be particularly disturbing for office workers, like this young woman who would only identify herself with surname of Ge.

"I'm an office worker and I need to search websites constantly. Since I share the office with many colleagues, it is very embarrassing to have things like that displayed on my screen when you have colleagues passing by."Airwaves are not immune from similar content. Programs that promote drugs claiming to enhance men's potency, complete with call-ins discussing various sexual experiences, are broadcast.

Why do serious news stories have to be mixed with sexual information?

Zhou Xiaopeng, deputy editor-in-chief of Sina.com, the largest news portal in China, says it depends on how administrators define their services and value orientation.

"Websites want to maintain high page views and traffic flow, so these things become part of their content. Basically, it is a dissimilation of legitimate business operations."Traditionally, Chinese are reserved on issues of sex. Open discussion of sexual matters was never part of their culture.

But the recent availability of widespread information, either on the internet or the airwaves, tends to turn this approach to sex upside down.

"Soft sexual" content many not have prompted crackdowns, but their harm should not be under-estimated, according to Ma Ai.

Citing the Broken Window effect, a theory that petty violations and crimes can lead to more serious crimes down the line, Ma claims off-color content available to the public can lower society's threshold for shame, and raise chances of crime.

Figures from Beijing's People's Procuratorate show that between 2012 and 2014, sexual-related crimes, particularly among young people, witnessed a sharp increase. No one can deny the social environment as a result of cultural breach is part to blame.

China has specific laws and regulations prohibiting obscene content from being published by its citizens, but few seem to be enforced in earnest, according to Hong Daode, professor of criminal law from China University of Political Science and Law, who believes the punishment for such violations is too lenient.

"As long as law enforcement bodies demonstrate their determination, and exercise zero-tolerance on this phenomenon, I believe website operators can find their way out with technical methods".

Hong believes that whether or not the country's cyber space and airwaves can keep clean depends on the will power of the state.

Ancient Chinese wisdom believes in "better late than never". What is lacking here is not wisdom. An unambiguous government policy is needed.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

Manila Marks Fifth Anniversary of Hostage-Taking IncidentIt has been five years since a hostage taking incident in Manila claimed the lives of 8 Hong Kong tourists. On Thursday, the local government in the Philippines' capital marked the anniversary with a Buddhist ceremony.

Manila invited Buddhist monks from Hong Kong to conduct a prayer ritual at the site where the incident took place.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada led the ceremony.

"It was our earnest intention to come together in quiet prayer and deep reflection so that peace may rein in all realms, following the senseless tragedy that happened on this site in August 23, 2010."The mayor also expressed his gratitude towards the Hong Kong's local government and people.

"I am most grateful to the government and the people of Hong Kong, most specially to the families for those who lost their lives here for accepting our apology and opening the doors to the renewal of our friendship."In 2010, a disgruntled ex-police officer hijacked a tourist bus and held more than ten Hong Kong tourists hostages. A failed rescue effort by local authorities ended with the deaths of the hijacker and eight hostages.

Last year, Manila's city government offered an apology and compensation to the victims' families. It also issued a resolution in 2013 to provide a yearly observance to the victims.

The Philippines and Hong Kong have close economic ties. The Philippine Foreign Affairs department says more than 150,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, mostly as domestic helpers.

S. Sudan signs peace deal with rebelsSouth Sudan's President Salva Kiir has signed-off on a new peace deal, aiming to end nearly 2-years of civil war in the country.

In signing the deal, Kiir says his country will need help from the rest of the African community in maintaining peace.

"We will sign these documents, but I warn you, you regional leaders to stand with us in the implementation, otherwise we may spoil it if it is left to us. There is now fighting today and that fighting was uncalled for."Under the deal, Kiir's rival Riek Machar will become First Vice-President, a similar position to what he held 2-years ago.

The conflict first began in December 2013 after guards loyal to Machar and Kiir began fighting in the capital, Juba.

It quickly evolved into a tribal conflict which has since left thousands dead and close to 2-million others homeless.

For more on this, our reporter Michael Butterworth earlier spoke with Derek Catsam, Professor of History at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

That is Derek Catsam, Professor of History at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

Two US TV Journalists Shot Dead While on Air, Gunman Kills SelfAnchor:

On Wednesday, two US television journalists were fatally shot during a live broadcast in Virginia. Locals have held vigils near the shooting scene, while US presidential candidate Hilary Clinton has commented on the incident. CRI's Victor Ning has more.

Reporter:

Locals gathered near the scene of the incident to pay their respects to the two victims - 24-year-old reporter Alison Parker and 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward.

Dalton Lucas, who lives near the scene of the shooting, expresses his shock over Wednesday's event.

"You don't expect something like this to happen, a mass shooting like this to happen in your community. It really just hit home. I feel like I knew Alison personally even though I only saw her on TV but she always brightens out my morning watching her on WDBJ-7."The suspect, a 41-year-old disgruntled former WDBJ reporter, Vester Lee Flanagan, later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while police pursued him. After he shot the two victims, Flanagan posted a video of the shooting to his Facebook page. Flanagan also sent ABC News a 23-page manifesto about two hours after the shooting, saying his attack was triggered by the June 17 mass shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed, and a white man has been charged in that rampage.

A woman who was interviewed by the two reporters was wounded. She is currently in the hospital and in stable condition.

Chris Hurst, an anchor at the same station that employed the victims and who was also Alison Parker's boyfriend, says he and Parker shared a very special relationship. He adds James Madison University, where Parker attended, is already creating a scholarship to commemorate her life and work.

"And so I am pleased to say that her university, James Madison University, is already in the process of creating a scholarship for her in the department that she got her degree in. She loved James Madison University. That's where she learned how to do the job and grew to be passionate for journalism, and she just happened to be really really good on TV. Really really good. And captured humanity with everybody she spoke."The shooting has drawn intense reactions in the US. Hillary Clinton, who is campaigning for her 2016 presidential bid, highlights the urgent need for better gun control in the US.

"But I will also reiterate: we have got to do something about gun violence in America. And I will take it on. There are many people who face it and know it but then turn away because its hard. It's a very political, difficult issue in America."Clinton adds she believes Americans are capable of balancing their second amendment rights with preventative and control measures so that no more "needless" and "senseless" deaths will occur.

In a separate incident, on Wednesday, police in Louisiana captured a man who allegedly stabbed two people and shot a police officer in a grocery store. Details of the incident have not been released.

For CRI, I'm Victor NingWeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 32.

Shanghai will cloudy tonight with a low of 24, tomorrow will have thunderstorm, high of 30.

Chongqing will have shower tonight with a low of 22, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 29.

Lhasa will have slight rain tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 35.

Kabul, cloudy, 28.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy, high of 18,Brisbane,rainy,22,Perth, slight rain, 19,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

Headline NewsChina probes 11, detains 12 for Tianjin blastsTwelve suspects have been detained over the explosions at the port of Tianjin, in which at least 145 people have been confirmed killed.

Eleven officials are being investigated.

China's Ministry of Public Seurity says the detainees include Yu Xuewei, chairman of Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics, along with two vice-chairmen of the company.

A worker with a safety evaluation firm, who is accused of helping Ruihai illegally obtain safety documents, has also been taken into custody.

According to China's top prosecutors, the officials under investigation include Wu Dai, head of Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission, and Zheng Qingyue, president of Tianjin Port.

Another official, Wang Jinwen, a senior official with the Ministry of Transportation, is being investigated for suspected abuse of power.

Customs personnel at the port have also been accused of being slack and irresponsible in supervising the illegal dangerous chemical business run by Ruihai.

Xinjiang jails 45 terrorists, people traffickersForty-five people in Xinjiang have been given jail terms ranging from four years to life imprisonment.

They were found guilty on terrorism charges and of helping others cross the Chinese border illegally.

The autonomous regions' higher people's court says the group was tried in 10 separate cases in courts in Yili, Aksu, Hotan, Kashgar and Karamay.

In two cases, 18 human traffickers were found guilty of helping more than 300 people enter Vietnam, making illegal earnings of nearly 2 million Yuan, or about 300,000 U.S. dollars.

In a case tried in Kashgar, five locals were sentenced to eight to 10 years in prison for attempting to join the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and Taliban terrorist groups.

The group often gathered together to read books on religious extremism, watch videos featuring violent terrorism, and to conspire to traffic people to other countries to join jihad.

China, Malaysia to hold joint military drillChina and Malaysia will hold a joint military exercise from mid-to-late September in the Malacca Strait and its surrounding area.

The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that the drill will include escort, search and rescue, anti-hijacking, and weapons drills, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief drills.

These exercises will be the first of their kind between the two armed forces.

China will provide more than 11-hundred personnel, two destroyers, one hospital ship, four transportation aircraft, and three shipboard helicopters.

UNICEF to set up children-friendly zone near Macedonia-Greece borderThe United Nations Children's Fund has announced the establishment of a "children-friendly zone" for underage asylum seekers near the Macedonia-Greece border.

The zone would provide emergency aid for women and children to make their way through Macedonia.

The UN program will provide services such as psycho-social support and catering for the needs of small children, along with a playground and a resting place.

According to UNICEF, between 1,500 and 2,000 asylum seekers pass through Macedonia each day, with 30 percent being women and children.

Many have fled conflict in their home countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Biz ReportsStocksAnchor:

Turning now to business news.

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

Joining me on the desk is Victor Ning.

Reporter:

Chinese stocks staged a relief rally on Thursday after shaking off a five-day losing streak.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index soared 5.3 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index added 3.6 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises gained 3.7percent.

The turnaround trailed an overnight rally in the United States on hints from the Federal Reserve that a rate hike is not likely next month.

New York Fed President William Dudley on Wednesday said the prospect of a September rate hike "seems less compelling" than it was only weeks ago.

Regional markets rose too. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 4.1 percent.

The financial industry was the day's biggest winner, with its sub-index soaring 7.3 percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei share average extended the previous day's gains on Thursday as it rose 1.1 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI climbed 0.7 percent, rising for a third consecutive session.

Singapore's Straits Times Index was up 2.5 percent.

And Finally, Australian S&P/ASX 200 index closed 1.2 percent higher.

Back to you, Shane.

China's central bank pumps more money into marketThe central bank on Thursday pumped more money into the market to ease liquidity strain.

The People's Bank of China conducted 150 billion yuan, or over 23 billion U.S. dollars of seven-day reverse repurchase agreements (repo).

Reverse repo is a process in which central banks purchase securities from banks with an agreement to resell them in the future.

The reverse repo is priced to yield 2.35 percent, down from the 2.5-percent yield on Tuesday's reverse repo.

China to launch state-owned investment operating companiesThe State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) is compiling specific measures to found and run state-owned investment operating companies.

Li Jin, chief researcher at China Enterprise Research Institute, has revealed that the Commission would choose a batch of qualified centrally-administered state-owned enterprises to restructure into state-owned investment operating companies. They are expected to carry out equity operation in their industries.

More than ten provincial and municipal governments like Guangdong, Shanghai and Chongqing have announced plans to promote the formation of state-owned investment operating companies this year. Companies in Liaoning, Yunnan, Shanghai, Guangdong and Anhui have launched equity operations.

China August inflation forecast at 1.9 pctAn industry report says China's Consumer Price Index is likely to grow 1.9 percent in August from a year earlier.

This is up slightly from the 1.6 percent recorded last month.

The report from the Bank of Communications projects annual CPI growth will be well below the 3-percent target.

The report attributes the expected CPI growth to rising food prices, which account for around one-third of the weighting in CPI calculations.

Pork, vegetable, and egg prices are singled out as drivers of CPI growth.

The official CPI for August is due to be released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Sept. 10.

China Encourages Financil LeasingAnchor:

China's State Council has mapped out measures to accelerate the development of financial leasing and make it better serve the real economy.

CRI's Liu Kun brings more details.

Reporter:

A statement by the State Council on Wednesday believes stronger leasing services can provide capital to support investment on equipment and industrial upgrades.

The statement demands less red tape, including no minimum capital threshold for leasing companies to establish subsidiaries and easier procedures for leasing equipment like ships and farming machinery.

The statement also says development of leasing businesses involving high-end equipment imports and clean energy should be sped up.

It also encourages the establishment of leasing businesses for small enterprises and agricultural development.

Zhao Qianrong, manager of an agricultural machinery enterprise in east China's Anhui Province, says the encouragement of leasing is good news for manufacturing enterprises.

"This policy is helpful in expanding rural market and strengthening farmers' purchase power. With rural land circulation and intensive land management going on, large scale agricultural machinery is expected to have a promising future."The statement by the State Council also calls for making good use of the Internet, establishing markets for trading of leases and second-hand equipment, and developing leaseback business.

Meanwhile, local governments are required to provide incentives and risk compensation to guide leasing businesses to better serve the real economy.

Wong Jianxing with Fuyin Financing Company believes leasing has great development potential in China.

"Many enterprises benefit from leasing, which plays an important role in solving problems like capital shortage and facility purchasing. In developed countries, the leasing penetration rate has reached 20%. However, our latest figure just stands at 4%. "Stats show China had over 2000 financial leasing companies as of the end of last year, increasing nearly 1000 compared to the previous year.

For CRI, this is Liu Kun.

China's Wanda Completes $650 Million World Triathlon BuyChina's Dalian Wanda Group has confirmed it will acquire sports rights group World Triathlon Corporation.

The purchase price stands at 650 million US dollars.

The Ironman endurance race combines extreme cycling, swimming and running events.

The management team of WTC has opted to stay with the company and signed a long-term contract with Wanda after the acquisition.

Sources say the Florida-based WTC earns revenues from entry fees, sponsorships and TV rights.

Wanda said WTC's gross revenue has risen at a compound average of 40% for four consecutive years, while net profit has grown at 40% a year.

Qihoo 360 launches self-developed mobile phonesQihoo 360 Technology Company has released three new mobile phones in Beijing.

The new products are under 360's Qiku brand.

They feature not only the anti-virus, anti-trojan and anti-fraud functions, but also a hardware-based anti-theft function that protect users' information even if the phones are stolen.

The company has also unveiled a new operating system, called 360 OS, which gives users the freedom to uninstall and remove original Apps from the system.

BYD: net profit up 30pct y-o-y in H1China's leading new energy vehicle and battery maker BYD has recorded a 29 percent rise in net profit, year on year, in the first half.

It earned 467 million yuan, or 73 million US dollars.

Revenue in the first half increased 18 percent over last year.

Sales of new energy vehicles alone accounted for 19 percent of the company's total in the first six months.

The automaker predicts its net profit would grow by about 4-fold year on year in the first three quarters of this year.

FAW-Volkswagen dominates new car registrations in China in JulyFAW-Volkswagen dominated sales in the Chinese market in July.

Registered new cars of this brand hit 132,000 units last month, good for a market share of 9.5 percent.

A company source says FAW-Volkswagen's July performance outperformed Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai General Motors.

FAW- Volkswagen is a joint venture formed in 1991 by Chinese automaker FAW Group and Germany's Volkswagen Group.

SportsIAAF worlds recap, call-inBeginning with the latest action from the IAAF world championships here in Beijing,China's Wu Shuijiao has made it into the semi-final of the women's 100 meter hurdles.

Chen Minjia did not do as well and was eliminated in women's long jump.

All three Chinese athletes fell in the preliminary of men's triple jump and will not be competing today.

China has a few medal hopefuls in competition tonight. For more on this, we are joined live on the line by our reporter Luo Bin.

Back anchor: that was our reporter Luo Bin live at the Bird's Nest Stadium.

Champions League draw to be held in MonacoIn football,The 32-team line-up in the UEFA Champions League is now complete.

Manchester United earned a spot with a 4-0 win against Brugge.

Wayne Rooney ended his drought and completed a hat trick.

Coach Luis van Gaal says there is still a long way for both Rooney and his team.

"We have already believed (in victory) I don't think that shall change. Then we need more victories like this. For the first time, a clean seat and we created lots of chances, because Brugge must come, of course, they were very open for us so it was relatively easy, but you have to do it that's not so easy as everybody thinks but I was happy."Other late qualifiers include Leverkusen, CSKA Moscow, Donetsk and Astana.

Astana became the first Kazakh team to qualify for the tournament after defeating Greece's Apoel 2-1 on aggregate.

The draw will be held in Monaco later tonight Beijing time.

The 32 teams will be drawn into groups of four.

Eight first-tier teams have been placed in each group. The draw will reveal their opponents for the group stages beginning on September 15.

The eight teams include defending champion Barcelona and winners of Europe's major football leagues.

China beats Peru at FIVB World CupIn women's volleyball,China has swept past Peru 3-0 at the FIVB World Cup in Japan.

Yuan Xinyue scored a game high of 16 points and was named the best player.

After five games China has four victories and one defeat to sit at fourth place among the 12 teams.

China will get two days off before taking on the next opponent Cuba.

China Open startlist announcedIn tennis,The list for this year's China Open has been announced.

Ten Grand Slam winners and nine players who have been in the world number one spot are taking part.

Men's current world number one Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal lead the male competitors.

The star-studded women's line-up includes Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka and the Williams sisters.

The China Open begins in Beijing on September 27.

Players attend celebrations ahead of US OpenSome of the world's best tennis players are participating in celebratory events ahead of next week's US Open.

Maria Sharapova attended the "American Express rally on the river" in New York.

This VIP event, which also features John Isner, offers fans a hydro-interactive tennis experience.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams and Kei Nishikori took part in a karaoke night to welcome the US Open.

EntertainmentChina to Submit "Wolf Totem" for Oscar ConsiderationIt's been reported that China is going to submit the drama "Wolf Totem" for this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Jiang Rong, the film centers on a young man, who is sent to Inner Mongolia to teach shepherds and who becomes fascinated with local wolves.

The novel-turned-film is directed by French director Jean Jacques Annaud, who worked with animals in previous projects like 1998's "The Bear" and 2004's "Two Brothers", which focused on two tigers.

The China-France co-production was screened in China in February and grossed 110.5 million US dollars.

It is set to be released in the US on September 11.

The official announcement of China's submission is expected to be made close to October 1.

A documentary on "The Cairo Declaration" Premiers in EgyptA documentary on "The Cairo Declaration" has premiered in Egypt.

The documentary starts with the Declaration and then introduces Japanese Aggression against China, the establishment of China's national united front of resistance, the Diaoyu Island Issue and the peaceful development of China.

The interviewees in the documentary come from Egyptian political circles, think tanks, and media.

Some of the historical materials are disclosed for the first time.

The event was organized by China's Embassy in Egypt.

Bona's Second Quarter Profits Grow by 58 PercentBona Film Group, one of China's largest film producers and distributors, has seen its profits in the second quarter increase by 58-percent, hitting 8.7 million US dollars.

The company enjoyed gross box office revenue of 2.2 billion yuan, or 340 million US dollars, accounting for 25 percent of the total revenue for Chinese films in the period.

Top performers for the company as a distributor were April's "Insanity" and Hong Kong action film "SPL 2" which was the top Chinese-language film of the quarter.

Korean movie "The Assassination" will be released by Bona next month.

Simon Cowell breaks silence on One Direction 'hiatus'

Simon Cowell has broken his silence on the impending hiatus of his chart-topping group One Direction.

The record label boss says the schedule for the boy band is grueling and they want to take some time off.

He says any time they reunite, people will support them.

Cowell also acknowledges that no definite timeline is in place for One Direction to eventually re-form.

Group member Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson announced earlier this week that One Direction will likely take a "well-earned break" from working together following the release of their upcoming fifth album.

They just released new single 'Drag Me Down' in July.

A full album follows in the lucrative Christmas period.

Earlier this year, Horan, Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles announced intentions to carry on as a four-piece when founding member Zayn Malik quit the group.

Malik is currently at work on his debut solo record for RCA.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen Inspire a SitcomRecording artist John Legend and his model wife Chrissy Teigen are the inspiration behind a sitcom that may be coming to ABC.

Creator Kenya Barris says he has been working on a project loosely based on the couple.

The focus of the show would be on an interracial couple, and filming could start next February.

And Legend and Teigen have already signed on as producers.

A working title for the sitcom is "Ordinary People," same name has one of Legend's Grammy winning tracks.

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are Writing a Screenplay togetherJennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are writing a comedic screenplay together and they are planning to costar in it as well.

The Hunger Games star told the New York Times that the script just flowed out of them and they've got about 100 pages right now.

She plans to fly out to meet with Schumer in person to continue writing.

Lawrence adds "Amy and I were creatively made for each other".

Mariah Carey to Publish "All I Want for Christmas is You" Children's bookAmerican singer Mariah Carey is turning her hit "All I Want for Christmas is You" into a children's book.

Doubleday Books for Young Readers announced a kids' picture book based on the song will be available in November.

The picture book tells the story of a little girl whose greatest Christmas wish is for a new puppy.

It is illustrated by Colleen Madden.

Full line-up of this year's Shanghai Echo Park Festival comes outThe full line-up of this year's Shanghai Echo Park Festival has been out, with Manchester-based indie rock band Everything Everything and renowned American hip hop duo Black Star added to the bill.

Rapper Talib Kweli is no stranger to Shanghai.

He was a major highlight when promoters Split Works held their first Shanghai music festival in Zhongshan Park back in 2007.

Nor is Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, who showed up as part of 2013's JZ Festival.

In the meantime, Manchester-based Everything Everything's electronica-imbued pop-rock feels at once familiar and fresh, and ought to make for perfect festival fodder.

Scottish electronic music producer Koreless, American DJ C.Z, Mongolian metal band Nine Treasures and Chinese DJ Yang Bing are also on the final list unveiled today.

So together with the previously announced big names such as Kelis, Gerard Way, Young Fathers, , a total of 57 bands and musicians will perform at the festival.

Echo Park Music Festival is to be held at Shanghai Rugby Club on September 19-20.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 32.

Shanghai will cloudy tonight with a low of 24, tomorrow will have thunderstorm, high of 30.

Chongqing will have shower tonight with a low of 22, cloudy tomorrow with a high of 29.

Lhasa will have slight rain tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow will be overcast with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 35.

Kabul, cloudy, 28.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy, high of 18,Brisbane,rainy,22,Perth, slight rain, 19,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will be cloudy with a high of 15 degrees Celsius.

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

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

12 people have been detained over the deadly explosions at the port of Tianjin...

China's main battle tank, the T-99, will lead the armour on display during the military parade next week...

and South Sudan's president finally signs a peace deal to end two years of civil war...

In Business...promoting leasing in China to support the economy...

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