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

Coming up on the program this evening...

The US National Security Adviser is in Beijing, ahead of the Chinese president's visit to America next month...

A former chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's ruling party, will attend the Victory Day celebrations in Beijing on September 3rd...

And Venezuela and Columbia have recalled their ambassadors in a dispute over cross-border violence and smuggling...

In Business...more liquidity has been pumped into Chinese markets..

In Sports...China's first gold of the Athletics World Championships.. .

And in Entertainment...a new Chinese movie will be a showcase for a new kind of theater technology...

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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TopSusan Rice Visits ChinaUnited States National Security Adviser Susan Rice has met with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jeichi in Beijing.

Rice also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.

Rice's visit laid the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington DC next month.

Lien Chan to attend V-Day celebration in BeijingLien Chan, former chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's ruling party, will attend the V-day celebration events in Beijing.

Fan Liqing, spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, confirmed on Friday that, in addition to Lien, veteran soldiers and civilians from Taiwan who fought against Japan will also attend the celebration, along with their families.

Forces led by the Communist Party of China and KMT fought together in the eight-year war against Japanese invasion.

Fan said the victory is shared by all Chinese, including Taiwan compatriots, who sacrificed a lot during the war.

Ministry: No troops sent to border with DPRKThe Ministry of National Defense has dismissed a rumor that the Chinese Army has been reinforcing the border with North Korea.

Spokesman Yang Yujun dismisses those claims.

"The reports are not in accordance with facts and are purely hype. The Sino-North Korean border remains stable and Chinese border defense forces have consistently maintained regular combat readiness and training status."Tension recently flared on the Korean Peninsula and then eased within days. Some online speculation and media reports have said photos of tanks were proof of Chinese reinforcements marching toward the border.

The spokesman also confirms "progress" has been achieved between China and the US in terms of building trust between the countries' militaries.

Yang says Chinese and American defense chiefs signed two memorandums of understanding in November, addressing the establishment of a mutual reporting and trust mechanism on major military operations, and a Code of Conduct on naval and air military encounters.

China's military to debut in New Zealand-led Pacific military drillThe Chinese army is to join a New Zealand-led military exercise in the Pacific.

The drill includes development and humanitarian work in Pacific island nations.

A New Zealand Defense Force spokesperson says the Chinese military is deploying seven personnel in Exercise Tropic Twilight.

The six-week drill, from Aug. 31 to Oct. 12, will upgrade vital public infrastructure in the outlying atolls of the Cook Islands this year.

The military personnel will refurbish public buildings, including schools and clinics.

Tropic Twilight is a regular joint exercise in the Pacific, which aims to practice the New Zealand Defense Force's capability to work alongside militaries from partner-nations in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Southwest Pacific.

China-Russia"Joint Sea-2015(II)" ConcludesThe Chinese and Russian navies have completed a 9-day joint drill in the waters off the east coast of Russia.

The two navies deployed amphibious equipment and more than 400 marines, conducting a range of missions such as anti-submarine warfare simulations, air defense drills, and beach landings.

It marked the first time that China had shipped tanks and armored vehicles, and landed soldiers directly into an overseas drill area after a long-distance voyage.

The beach landing used various methods, including parachuting and descending by rope from helicopters, as well as using amphibious armored vehicles and landing ships.

Chen Chenyang, an officer attending the joint drill, says the landing was a great challenge for them.

"First, the waters are totally strange for us as we have never been here before nor did we have enough material. Second, we have to coordinate with other troops. It is a great challenge for us to land in the accurate place at the accurate time. We can say today's landing mission is successful. Our position deviation is within three meters and time deviation within 10 seconds."The Chinese navy says the success of the drill demonstrates that both nations' navies are capable of high-level cooperation.

This is the second time this year the Chinese and Russian navies have taken part in joint operations.

Tianjin blasts death toll rises to 146One hundred- and- 46 deaths have now been confirmed in the blast zone in Tianjin, with 27 others listed as missing.

Rescue authorities say all of the dead have been identified.

The explosions two weeks ago ripped through a warehouse in the city's port area. The facility had been storing a large amount of toxic chemicals including around 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide.

Excessive levels of pollution have not been found outside of the blast-area exclusion zone but high levels of cyanide have been detected in water samples inside of that zone.

The worst readings have been recorded at about 28 times above levels officially recognized as "safe."Elevated levels of cyanide have been found in seawater and groundwater in a few locations, but the numbers are within the safety level.

Chinese Experts Focus on South Asia Role in "One Belt, One Road"Anchor:

The Center for China and Globalization has held a seminar on the role of South Asia in the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, also known as "One Belt, One Road".

The main topics at the event have included investment opportunities and risks faced by Chinese enterprises in South Asia.

CRI's Zhao Jianfu has more details.

Reporter:

The tourism industry, construction, and cultural communication are the main fields of cooperation.

According to Wang Huiyao, director of the Center for China and Globalization, "One Belt, One Road" will focus more on exports than imports.

India is seen as a key area for the overall success and development of the program.

CCG Deputy Director Chu Yin offers his opinions on investment in India.

"Investment in production and manufacturing will be difficult in India but we can start from the tourism industry. And considering the fairly high quality of education in India, we can import talents but not invest too much in building infrastructure. "Countries in South Asia including India have abundant tourist resources which face less political restrictions and legal procedures, making investment in the sector more feasible in the early going.

CCG Executive Director Huang Rihan says investment in tourism can also deepen the friendship between China and India.

"The diplomatic relationship between the two countries is based on exchanges between the people. So strengthening the development of tourism also means better cultural exchanges between people in the two countries. "In terms of the investment in production and manufacturing, Pakistan is considered an ideal target with low risk and high profits.

In 2013, Chinese premier Li Keqiang made a proposal to strengthen the communication and cooperation between China and Pakistan in the field of transportation, resources, and oceans, promoting Pakistan's strategic role in connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.

Pakistan Research Center Deputy Director Sun Lizhou with Tsinghua University says the Pakistani government has attached great importance to Chinese enterprises and citizens, and is guaranteeing a safe environment for both.

"The electric power industry has great potential in Pakistan. In areas where rich people live, electricity can be cut off 3-4times a day. For Chinese enterprises, hydropower, thermal power or nuclear power can achieve good returns. And the use of new energy in Pakistan could also enjoy subsidies from the government."The World Bank has forecast that from 2015 to 2020, South Asia will see 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars of investment flowing to new infrastructure to support development in power generation, transportation and drinking water supply.

For CRI, I am Zhao Jianfu.

Senior China media executives under bribery probeTwo senior executives with People.com.cn, the online portal of China's largest print media People's Daily, are being investigated by prosecutors.

Company president Liao Hong and vice president Chen Zhixia are suspected of bribery.

Prosecutors say the two have been placed under "coercive measures," which include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest.

12 confirmed dead in SW China landslideAll 12 missing people have been confirmed dead after their bodies were retrieved from the debris of a landslide in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The landslide buried a section of road in a village in Funing County one week ago.

Twelve people were reported missing after local government officials visited households in several villages near the site of the landslide.

Witnesses said they saw people on the road when the disaster occurred.

More than 200 rescuers, 11 excavators and four sniffer dogs participated in the rescue mission.

Air and Snow Won't be Problems for Beijing Hosting Winter Olympics: expertAnchor:

A foreign advisor who worked closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee in setting up the 2008 Summer Olympics is speaking out about what's going to be needed for Beijing to put on a successful Winter Olympics in 2022.

CRI's Yu Yang has more.

Reporter:

Professor Gilbert Van Kerchhove from Belgium is the President and founder of a Beijing-based management consulting firm.

He was deeply involved in the preparations of for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Van Kerchhove says one of the main issues leading up to 2008 was air pollution.

He says this shouldn't be a major concern by 2022.

"Today the laobaixing the normal Chinese people are very well aware of the problem. The Chinese government is also very well aware of it. The Chinese government has already taken major decisions in the 12th five-year plan to try to tackle the issue of pollution. Now we are moving to another five-year plan and measures taken by the government are even more important."At the same time, Van Kerchhove says the regional integration plans currently in-place are also going to make the 2022 Winter Olympics a lot easier to pull-off.

"This year the government has taken in Beijing very strict measures again, one of it being reducing the population of the city. Also the government is clamping down on any industrial development in the whole area of Beijing. Even some of the real estate regions that were planned have been taken back by the government. And they are now making green belts around Beijing."One of the concerns raised by observers ahead of the successful bid for the Winter Olympics is the lack of snow the capital region gets during the winter.

Van Kerchhove says this issue can be overcome with proper resource management.

"It's very interesting when you check a little bit of water availability for ski resorts, you will be very surprised that most of the big ski resorts today around the world, I'm not talking even about China, they all suffer from not having enough water. Now the issue is not really that much availability of snow, it's really availability of water controlling also the management of the water."Beijing will be home to the indoor winter events in 2022.

The alpine events are set to take place in the mountains to the north of Beijing in neighboring Hebei.

For CRI, this is Yu Yang.

Learn English with Video Games?

Anchor:

Students who are addicted to playing video games are often associated with poor academic performances.

But video games can be used to make learning vocabularies more interesting.

Recently, an international education company announced its new "High Flyers" course, which uses video games to foster kids' interest in learning.

Xu Fei has more.

Reporter:

Katherine is Vice President of Marketing with Education First Kids and Teens in China.

She thinks video games are not all bad, and playing strategic video games may improve kids' learning skills, as well as strengthening a range of cognitive abilities.

"If it is a video game which is purely about entertainment with no learning or education goal and the kids can easily get addicted to it, and can never give it up, that's very bad. Surely, it has very negative correlations with academic performance. But if this game is a kind of very well designed educational game and it has a very clear learning goal, which is the extension of the course-learning, I think it's very good. "EF's High Flyers course, which was specifically designed for students aged 7 to 10, aims to let children master 1,200 essential English words through playing vocabulary video games which are all available on an app.

Much research has gone into the development of this product.

"We did a lot of learning with our external experts, and our study on this child's psychology ever shows that according to the developmental milestone of the kids of this age group of seven to ten years old, we call them the generation who grow up with the rise of Internet. So why don't we tap on that and do a lot of video games, which has very interesting or very engaging educational purpose."Meanwhile, the Internet-based learning program Practice and Play in the High Flyers course provides an opportunity for students to practice what they have learned in the classroom either at home or at school.

To pique children's interest, these activities and games use a rich variety of animation techniques. Katherine says each vocabulary word is attached to a cartoon image.

"Actually, we developed ten characters, very cartoonish and interesting figures. Each of them has a strong personality. So all our students feel they kind of have a very strong emotional links, emotional attachments to these figures. Therefore, we can easily get their attention and inspire them to watch these videos and play those online games afterwards."The "High Flyers" course has recently been made available in China. Local young children are expected to benefit from repeatedly practicing online what they have learned on a colorful app that teaches vocabulary in a fun way.

Back Anchor: That is CRI's Xufei reporting.

China Investors Changing Lives of UgandansAnchor:

A Chinese company currently operating in Uganda in east Africa is suggesting the Chinese government's new "Belt and Road" initiative is going to help them expand their presence in the region.

CRI's Isabel Nakirya has more from Kampala.

Reporter:

For 13 years the Tian Tang group hasworked in Uganda, pumping 85 million US dollars into different sectors in the economy.

It's operating one of the biggest steel and mattress manufacturing companies in the east African nation.

Wang Wentong, owner of the multinational says business in Uganda is thriving.

"There is a good investment environment in Uganda, government gives a lot of support to the investors, for example we import the material for manufacturing and enjoy the tax-free."The Tian Tang group is changing the livelihood of over 10,000 Ugandans by providing employment.

"To the benefit of the local people, Tian Tang group is changing ordinary farmers to industrial laborers by empowering them through vocational training so that they can have better lives."Brenda Namugolo is a University graduate who has been working here at the mattress factory for one year.

Brenda says the job has helped her provide for her family...

Brenda Namugolo - Tailor"As a single parent it has helped me a lot because i can be able to feed myself, even to care for other children that are there at home.."Wang Wentong expects to expand his business empire throughout Africa.

"In the future we want to build a bigger platform to facilitate other Chinese investors to come and invest in Africa, in Uganda particularly because China now because China now has the 'go out strategy' and a new initiative called 'one belt one road' which is a good policy to encourage Chinese companies to go out and Tian Tang group is willing to provide some contribution in providing such platform."Chinese investment in Uganda has continued to grow and currently stands at 596 million dollars providing jobs to more than 28,000 Ugandans.

For CRI, I'm Isabel Nakirya in Kampala, Uganda.

Obama Marks 10th Anniversary of Hurricane KatrinaUS President Barack Obama marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a visit to New Orleans on Thursday.

While visiting a community center in the Lower 9th Ward, Obama praised the city's resilience and perseverance.

"Today, this new community centre stands as a symbol of the extraordinary resilience of this city, the extraordinary resilience of its people, the extraordinary resilience of the entire Gulf Coast and of the United States of America.

The president added that he believed the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans had followed the correct path. However, he also pointed out that more remained to be done in the city.

"So we've made a lot of progress over the past 10 years. You've made a lot of progress. That gives us hope. But it doesn't allow for complacency. It doesn't mean we can rest. Our work here won't be done when almost 40 percent of children still live in poverty in this city. That's not a finished job. That's not a full recovery."In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused major damage to the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. One of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in US history, the hurricane claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 people. The Bush administration was heavily criticized for its slow response in the aftermath of the disaster.

Venezuela and Colombia Recall Ambassadors Amid Border CrisisVenezuela and Colombia each recalled their ambassadors to the other country on Thursday.

Last week, Venezuela closed two border crossings it shares with Colombia and deported more than 1,000 Colombians.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the closings after a shootout between smugglers and troops wounded three soldiers. He justified the deportations as part of a crackdown on Colombian paramilitaries who smuggle goods and drugs across the border.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday he would count on international support by informing them of the situation at the border between the two nations.

"I have advocated for dialogue and diplomacy and will continue to do it. But I cannot allow Venezuela to treat Colombians and the Colombian government in this manner. That's why I've instructed the Foreign Minister to recall our Ambassador in Venezuela for consultation and convene an extraordinary meeting of the Union of South American Nations' Foreign Ministers."Santos said more than 5,000 Colombians have voluntarily returned from Venezuela since the border closings. Colombia's Foreign and Interior ministers have visited border areas to assess the crisis.

Thai Authorities Issue Arrest Warrant for Suspect in Second Bangkok ExplosionThai authorities say an arrest warrant has been issued for an unnamed suspect in the second bomb explosion in Bangkok last week.

That blast happened at a pier in Bangkok, causing no deaths or injuries. It happened shortly after a deadly blast in the city that killed 20 people.

Police spokesman Prawut Thaw-orn-siri says the arrest warrant is based on video footage of a man kicking a bag into the water.

"The man is of unknown nationality. His age is around 25 to 30 years, around 170 centimetres in height and with a proportionate figure."The spokesman says the suspect faces three charges – unauthorized possession of explosives, exploding a bomb, and attempted murder.

Police have not linked the two blasts and have offered few concrete details regarding the investigation of each case.

14 of the 20 victims of the first blast were foreign tourists. Thailand's tourism ministry said on Wednesday that last week's events led to a 17 percent drop in tourist arrivals to the country.

Nigeria marks 500 days since schoolgirls seized by Boko HaramAnchor:

Relatives of over 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents have taken to the streets to mark 500 days since the mass abduction.

CRI's Poornima Weerasekara reportsReporter:

Parents of the abducted girls marched on the streets of Abuja on Thursday waving placards with pictures of their missing daughters, urging the government to save them.

But a mother of one of the abducted girls says the government has done very little so far"For 500 days they have been searching for the Chibok girls but they cannot get one, just one, just one. They cannot get just one of them and they cannot get the necessary information where these girls are. Now we don't even know whether they are alive or dead. With faith, with hope I know that she is alive but they are not doing anything for us at all."Boko Haram fighters stormed the Government Secondary School in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state on the evening of April 14 last year and seized 276 girls who were preparing for their year-end exams.

Fifty-seven children managed to escape but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year. That was when about a 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video in full hijab and reciting the Koran.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they have all been "married off."The father of an abducted girl says he fears that the girls are being be kept as slaves.

"Five hundred days is not five days, it's very painful. Our daughters, in their mother land, they are now in slavery, it is very painful. We only pray that Buhari will try his possible best to rescue our daughters."The Nigerian military says it knows where the girls are. But they have ruled out a rescue effort because it would put the girls' lives in jeopardy.

Aisha Yesufu, leader of the community group Bring Back Our Girls, that organized the march says children in Nigeria are now living in fear after the abduction incident"The captivity of the Chibok girls, one thing that it has done to us is the fact that it has made our children to be so afraid. They have this fear that they too can go to school and be taken away and nothing will be done for 500 days just the way that Chibok girls have been taken away."The date was marked as the security situation in northeastern Nigeria – the stronghold of Boko Haram – continued to deteriorate.

Boko Haram has stepped up deadly attacks since the new President Muhammadu Buhari took office, killing more than 1,000 people in three months.

More than 15,000 people have died and some 1.5 million have been forced to flee their homes since the Islamist insurgency started in 2009. The fighting has also spilled over the border to Chad and Niger.

Nigeria's new President, who came to power in May, had given his generals three months to crush the bloody insurgency.

But so far there is no end in sight.

For CRI I'm Poornima WeerasekaraWeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will have thunderstorm with a high of 29.

Shanghai will cloudy tonight with a low of 24, tomorrow will also be cloudy, high of 30.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 23, also cloudy tomorrow with a high of 31.

Lhasa will be rainy tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow will have slight rain with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be have slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul, cloudy, 27.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy, high of 16,Brisbane,cloudy,21,Perth, rainy, 20,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have slight rain with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsSusan Rice Visits ChinaUnited States National Security Adviser Susan Rice has met with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jeichi in Beijing.

Rice also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.

Rice's visit laid the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington DC next month.

Lien Chan to attend V-Day celebration in BeijingLien Chan, former chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's ruling party, will attend the V-day celebration events in Beijing.

Fan Liqing, spokesperson with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, confirmed on Friday that, in addition to Lien, veteran soldiers and civilians from Taiwan who fought against Japan will also attend the celebration, along with their families.

Forces led by the Communist Party of China and KMT fought together in the eight-year war against Japanese invasion.

Fan said the victory is shared by all Chinese, including Taiwan compatriots, who sacrificed a lot during the war.

China's military to debut in New Zealand-led Pacific military drillThe Chinese army is to join a New Zealand-led military exercise in the Pacific.

The drill includes development and humanitarian work in Pacific island nations.

A New Zealand Defense Force spokesperson says the Chinese military is deploying seven personnel in Exercise Tropic Twilight.

The six-week drill, from Aug. 31 to Oct. 12, will upgrade vital public infrastructure in the outlying atolls of the Cook Islands this year.

The military personnel will refurbish public buildings, including schools and clinics.

Tropic Twilight is a regular joint exercise in the Pacific, which aims to practice the New Zealand Defense Force's capability to work alongside militaries from partner-nations in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Southwest Pacific.

Over 70 dead bodies found in truck in E. Austria: policeMore than 70 dead bodies have been found inside of a truck with Hungarian license plates and parked along a highway in Austria.

Authorities say it appears the victims had been dead for several days, with suffocation and a lack of water likely causing the deaths.

The truck was found by police on Thursday at around 6 a.m. local time. The driver has not been found yet.

According to police, the truck once belonged to a Slovakian company but was sold to someone two years ago. All of the dead are said to have been refugees, likely from Syria and Afghanistan.

Indian firing kills six Pakistani civilians, injures 46At least six Pakistani civilians have killed and 46 injured in the latest shelling by India on Friday.

The deaths mark the largest number of casualties on a single day in recent cross-border shelling.

A statement from the Pakistani army says 22 women are among the injured.

The latest cross-border shelling took place ahead of a meeting of the Pakistan and Indian border officials in New Delhi.

The officials will discuss ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir and the Working Boundary.

Tension has escalated in the area in recent weeks, causing mostly civilian casualties.

Biz reportsStocksAnchor:

Time to check business news, first take a look at the closing numbers, joining us is Victor Ning.

Reporter:

Shares in Asia ended up as investors took heart from strong U.S. economic data, which showed the world's biggest economy grew at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the April-June quarter.

Share prices on the mainland posted a strong rally on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surging 4.8 percent.

The Shenzhen Composite Index soared 5.4 percent.

The ChiNext Index of growth enterprises gained 6.3 percent.

However, Hong Kong's Heng Seng dropped one percent.

Elsewhere in Asia,Japan's Nikkei surged three percent.

South Korea's KOSPI added 1.6 percent.

Singapore's Straights Times climbed 0.4 percent.

And Finally Australia's ASX200 ended 0.6 percent higher.

Back to you, Shane.

China Injects Money into MarketChina's central bank moved on Friday to further ease the economy.

The People's Bank of China says it will inject 60 billion yuan, or nearly 9.4 billion US dollars, into the financial system through a short term liquidity adjustment (SLO) operation.

The yield of the 7-day loan is 2.35%.

Short term liquidity aims to reduce fluctuations in liquidity and stabilize inter-bank funding costs.

China's industrial profits fell faster in JulyThe decline in Chinese industrial firms' profits accelerated in July.

Profits of China's major industrial firms fell 2.9 percent year on year in July, This is down sharply from the 0.3-percent decline posted in June.

The National Bureau of Statistics attributes the poor performance to weak domestic demand and a continuous fall in factory gate prices, which have suffered 41 consecutive months of declines.

During the first seven months, industrial profits dropped one percent from a year earlier, compared with a fall of 0.7 percent registered in the first half of the year.

Despite overall weakness, the high-tech manufacturing and consumer goods sectors posted strong profit gains. They rose 8.4 percent and 7.5 percent year on year respectively.

2 Trillion RMB China Pensions Fund Soon to be InvestedAnchor:

China is going to invest 2 trillion yuan, or over 310 billion US dollars, in stocks and other assets, at the earliest date possible, using money from local pension funds.

CRI's Luo Laiming brings more details.

Reporter:

The Chinese government says the move will boost investment returns for pension funds.

Vice Finance Minister Yu Weiping says pension funds across the entire country hit the 3.5 trillion yuan mark late last year.

"At the end of 2014, the accumulated balance of basic pension funds from the entire country was 3.5 trillion yuan. It includes 3.18 trillion yuan of the basic pension fund of urban workers, and pensions of residents in the countryside which have accumulated 380 billion yuan."You Jun, vice minister of human resources and social security, says around 2 trillion yuan, or 327 billion US dollars, could be invested.

However, the timing of the investment will depend on preparations, as Yu Weiping says the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), the manager of local pension funds, will entrust professional investment firms to make actual investments.

China's State Council published on Sunday the final guideline on investment for the country's massive pension fund. According to the guidelines, up to 30 percent can be invested in stocks, equity funds and balanced funds. The rest can be invested in convertible bonds, money-market instruments, asset-backed securities, index futures and bond futures in China, as well as major infrastructure projects.

You says the pension fund directly involves the interests of hundreds of millions of people, therefore, the government will protect the safety of such funds by making diversified investments.

"We will realize the protection and expansion of the fund's value on the basis of ensuring its safety. Safety comes first, and safety is our top priority. This is a principle we will always stick to."You Jun believes pension investment will benefit the economy and the country's capital market, but the new rules are not designed to act as support for the volatile stock market.

Chinese shares have plunged more than 20 percent over the past week. The Shanghai stock index, which has rebounded since Thursday, is down about 11 percent this week.

China's pension fund was previously only deposited in banks or invested in treasury bonds. An estimate from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says the fund depreciated by nearly 100 billion yuan in the past 20 years.

For CRI, this is Luo LaimingChina eases expat home purchase rulesChina has eased property investment rules for foreign individuals and institutions across the country.

The Ministry of Commerce says foreign institutional investors are exempt from registration fees when taking out domestic and foreign loans for property and settling foreign exchange transactions.

Foreign individuals and companies are now allowed to buy as many properties as they wish, but they are still subject to local housing purchase limits.

Previously, foreign residents were allowed to buy no more than one property on the mainland and had to first have worked in China for a year.

Yang Hongxu, E-House China R&D Institute, believes the adjustment is unlikely to have a major impact on the overall real estate market.

"The Chinese currency appreciated quickly ten years ago and the property price had a big increase at that time. But things are different now. The value of RMB has stopped rising, or may even be on a trend of depreciation. At the same time, the housing price is not increasing so sharp as ten years ago. So the foreign capital has less driving force now."Properties in Beijing and Shanghai are most sought after by foreign investors.

China to extend duties on U.S. chicken importsChina will continue to impose duties on U.S. white-feathered broiler chickens while a new investigation is under way.

China's Ministry of Commerce says it made the decision under the request of the China Animal Agriculture Association, which says the end of the measures will hurt the domestic industry.

China began to levy duties on chicken imported from the US in 2010, claiming that the products were subsidized and unloaded onto the Chinese market at a price less than the fair value.

The five-year punitive measures will expire at the end of August.

The decision on whether to end the duties will be announced after the investigation.

Japan's consumer prices almost unchanged in July, jobless rate down littleJapan's consumer prices were almost unchanged in July year on year after rising for 25 straight months.

July CPI increased 0.2% compared to the same time last year.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications attributes the trend to lowering crude oil prices.

Meanwhile, the ministry also says the jobless rate in Japan reached 3. 3 percent in July, down 0.1 percent from the previous month.

China Cinda profits jump as banks' bad loans growChina Cinda Asset Management has reported a 48 percent increase in profits in the first half of this year.

Profits attributable to equity holders reached 7.8 billion yuan, or 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, in the first half.

China Cinda is one of four asset management companies.

The company acquired 26 billion yuan of distressed assets from banks in the first six months, up 265 percent year on year.

Apple event set for Sept 9 in San FranciscoMedia reports say Apple has sent out invitations to a Sept. 9 media event.

Rumors about the coming event include the possibility of new iPhone models and news about Apple TV set-top boxes.

Industry trackers expect Apple to unveil new generation big-screen iPhone 6 models.

The large-screen iPhone 6 has ridden the popularity of "phablets" that blend features of smartphones and tablet computers.

Improvements are likely to include faster processing power and improved camera capabilities.

It's also expected to have screens that can distinguish light touches from hard presses for more nuanced controls.

SportsLiu Hong wins first gold for China in race walkBeginning with the latest action at the IAAF world championships in Beijing,Liu Hong led a Chinese one-two in the women's 20 kilometer race walk to win the first gold medal for China at the championships.

Liu is a veteran race walker, having won two bronze and one silver medal at the previous four championships. She holds the world record at one hour, 24 minutes and 38 seconds, setting that mark in June.

Liu's teammate Lv Xiuzhi finished right behind her to grab a silver medal.

Another Chinese walker, Nie Jingjing, was 17th.

In other action from this morning,Zhang Guowei made it into the final of men's high jump scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Zhang crossed the bar in all five of his attempts.

The other Chinese jumper Wang Yu is out.

Chinese Hammer Thrower Zhang Wenxiu Takes Silver at IAAF World ChampionshipsAnchor:

Last night, Chinese hammer thrower Zhang Wenxiu hurled a season-best distance to win silver in the women's throwing event at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.

Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk took the gold with 80.85 meters.

CRI's Luo Bin reports.

Reporter:

Zhang Wenxiu kept herself in contention on Thursday afternoon, sending her hammer flying to 76.33 meters on her fourth attempt in the final to secure a silver medal.

She says this success was hard won.

"Well, I have had so many years of training, and now it's getting more and more difficult for me because of my knee and back injuries. So today's success was not an easy one for me. And winning the silver today was a goal that I've been striving for."Her steady performance saw her hurl the hammer 75.92 meters in the second round, moving her into second place.

But when world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk produced a mark of 78.52 meters in the second round, the competition for the gold medal was effectively over.

Zhang improved her result to 76.33m in the fourth, which then became a motivation for Wlodarczyk to land another throw beyond 80 meters after her record-breaking throw early this month.

Zhang has been a model of consistency with one Olympic bronze from Beijing in 2008 and two World Championships bronzes, but she has never been able to break through for a gold medal.

She hopes next year she can make it happen.

"I am longing for a gold medal in my sports career. But today's silver is also a good result I achieved step by step and through my hard work. I will go all out for next year's Olympics. The silver medal is a basic step and it gives me more confidence. I'll sum up the trainings and hope next year I can have a breakthrough."Since Helsinki in 2005, Zhang has finished no worse than fifth at seven Olympics or World Championships.

Asian record-holder Wang Zheng saved her best for the last round and threw 73.83 meters, moving into fourth, but soon Sophie Hitchon responded with another British record, 73.86 meters, to retake fourth place.

France's Alexandra Tavernier didn't improve with her final throw and so remained in third.

For CRI, I'm Luo Bin.

Chelsea makes offer for Zhang LinpengIn football,Chelsea has made an offer for Guangzhou Evergrande's Zhang Linpeng.

The English Premier League champion has sent a contract and is hoping to acquire Zhang before the summer transfer window shuts.

Zhang has confirmed the two clubs are in talks and he is awaiting decisions.

The 26-year-old defender is excited about being acknowledged by the English Premier League to fulfill his dream of playing overseas.

Zhang is known for his consistency in defense and precise long passes.

He has four consecutive Chinese Super League titles with Guangzhou Evergrande. He also lifted the AFC Champions League title with the team in 2013.

Champions League drawsThe draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League produced some interesting results.

Thirty-two teams were drawn into eight groups of four.

Paris Saint-Germain's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will face the team with which he started his career when they meet Malmo in Group A.

Real Madrid and Donetsk join this group to intensify the actions.

Teams from Europe's four highest-ranked leagues unite in Group D. It is the closest thing to a "group of death" as Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla and Moen-chen-glad-bach are drawn together.

Barcelona will begin its title defense against Leverkusen, Roma and Borisov.

Bayern Munich leads the alleged "most open-and-shut" group F. It will tackle old rival Arsenal. Another focus in the group is the battle for an Europa League slot between Olympiakos and Zagreb.

Jose Morinho will return to Porto to face his old club after the two teams were both placed in Group G.

After the draw, UEFA voted and announced its best players for last season.

Lionel Messi claimed the title for the second time ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.

The best women's player award went to Celia Sasic.

US Open seedings, first round fixturesIn tennis,The US Open has announced seedings for the first round.

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are the top seeds in singles competition.

Djokovic could face Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals if they both make it through the early stages.

Roger Federer reclaimed his world number two status after winning the Cincinnati Open last week. He begins the US Open journey against Leonardo Meyer.

Third seed Andy Murray will take on unseeded Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios will resume action after serving a 28-day ban for making vulgar remarks against Stan Wawrinka on court.

On the women's side,Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will likely meet again in the semi-finals after their clash in the Wimbledon final.

Zheng Saisai and Wang Qiang will appear in the first round but five other Chinese players failed to qualify.

EntertainmentChinese Film 'The Ghouls' to Get ScreenX Version ReleaseChinese adventure film "The Ghouls" will get a very wide release.

The fantasy novel-turned-film will be released on new ScreenX theater technology.

This is part of the agreement by China's Wanda Group and South Korea's CGV cinema chain to further promote ScreenX theater technology globally.

ScreenX is a panoramic, three-screen system that offers a 270-degree view.

It is developed by CGV and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

CGV and Wanda will produce a ScreenX version of "The Ghouls" which Wanda financed.

The film revolves around several people's adventures in an ancient tomb.

It stars Chinese A-listers Shu Qi , Chen Kun, Huang Bo and Angelababy.

The ScreenX version of the film is set to be released in China, South Korea and the U.S.

Robert Redford Returns to ComedyRobert Redford is back with a comedy.

The 79-year-old has produced and starred in "A Walk in the Woods", a film based on Bill Bryson's novel by the same name.

He spent 12 years making this movie.

He says he has a lot of reasons to be drawn in by the story:

"One I love nature and nature was going to be the third character in the film so that was very appealing. The fact that it was a comedy because I hadn't done comedy since 'Barefoot in the Park' and I love comedy. But there's also another element of pathos to it because it was about friendship. It was about friendship that had been lost and now is regained through this experience."The adventure comedy tells the story of a rekindled friendship of two retired buddies who decide to hike the Appalachian Trail.

Actor and producer Nick Nolte co-stars in the film.

"A Walk in the Woods" opens in U.S. theatres next Wednesday.

Shirley Temple's Film Costumes and Memorabilia Up for AuctionAn auction for Shirley Temple's belongings has taken place.

The items include a collection of 57 film costumes, movie scripts, a dress she wore to the Oscars and other personal belongs.

The collection features well-preserved costumes from the child star's most cherished roles, such as "Now and Forever," "Curly Top," and "Dimples".

Her costume collection starts at 500,000 dollars.

Biddings for the dress and screenplays both begin at 60,000 dollars.

Inquiries for the auction have come from all over the world, including Germany, England, Australia, Japan, Korea and Switzerland.

Organizers say the auction is expected to fetch more than one million dollars.

Shirley Temple started her film career at the age of three and gained worldwide fame.

She was the number one box office star in the 1930's for four years in a row.

Shirley Temple died last year at 85.

Angelina Jolie Pitt's "By the Sea" to Open AFI FestAngelina Jolie Pitt's drama "By the Sea" is set to make its world premiere on Nov. 5, as the opening film of AFI Fest, by the American Film Institute.

The film follows an American writer and his wife as they arrive in a picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France with their marriage on the rocks.

It is Jolie's directorial follow-up to the film "Unbroken".

And it reunites Jolie Pitt and husband Brad Pitt on screen for the first time in a decade after "Mr. Smith and Mr. Smith".

This year's AFI Fest runs from Nov. 5 to 12 in Hollywood.

"By the Sea" will be released on Nov. 13.

Nicki Minaj to Open the 2015 MTV VMAsNicki Minaj is set to open the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards.

She will join other performers Justin Bieber and The Weekend at the ceremony.

Minaj was the opening act at last year's VMAs as well, memorably performing "Anaconda" during a medley with Ariana Grande and Jessie J.

The VMA lineup continues to boost its star power as the event draws nearer.

Stars like Pharrell Williams, Demi Lovato, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will hit the VMA stage.

Miley Cyrus will host the proceedings, and Kanye West will be receiving the ceremony's highest honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Meanwhile, it's been reported that Britney Spears will present the first award during Sunday's shows.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy tonight with a low of 21, tomorrow will have thunderstorm with a high of 29.

Shanghai will cloudy tonight with a low of 24, tomorrow will also be cloudy, high of 30.

Chongqing will be cloudy with a low of 23, also cloudy tomorrow with a high of 31.

Lhasa will be rainy tonight with a low of 10, tomorrow will have slight rain with a high of 17.

Elsewhere in Asia,Islamabad will be have slight rain with a high of 35.

Kabul, cloudy, 27.

Down in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sydney, cloudy, high of 16,Brisbane,cloudy,21,Perth, rainy, 20,And finally Auckland, New Zealand will have slight rain with a high of 16 degrees Celsius.

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

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

The US National Security Adviser is in Beijing, ahead of the Chinese president's visit to America next month...

A former chairman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's ruling party, will attend the Victory Day celebrations in Beijing on September 3rd...

And Venezuela and Columbia have recalled their ambassadors in a dispute over cross-border violence and smuggling...

In Business...more liquidity has been pumped into Chinese markets..

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...