新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/07/18

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Friday, July 18th, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening...
It's been confirmed a passenger from Hong Kong was aboard crashed Malaysia airlines flight MH17... we have the latest on this incident... and reaction from Ukraine, Russia, and all over the world...
Hainan is now being hit by the strongest typhoon the Chinese island has seen in decades...
And a look at some of the deals the Chinese president has signed in South America...
In business, Chinese new home prices continue to fall in most markets...
In sports, semifinal basketball at the Asia Cup.. .
In entertainment, the Mandela film has been released in China...
 
 
Weather
 
 
Starting from the southern China today,
Hitting by the Super typhoon Rammasun, the city of Wenchang in Hainan will see torrential rain tonight and tomorrow, with strong wind, and temperatures lows at 25 and highs at 32.
And in the city of Guangzhou, which is also affected by the typhoon, it will see thundershowers through the weekend with temperatures coming down to 25 degrees Celsius tonight.
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 25 degrees Celsius.
It will be sunny tomorrow with a high of 35 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 27, tomorrow cloudy, with a high of 34.
Chongqing will be cloudy tonight, 26 degrees the low, tomorrow cloudy with a high of 36.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, slight rain with a high of 36.
Kabul, sunny, 30.
Over in Australia
Sydney, slight rain, high of 16.
Canberra, sunny,9.
Brisbane, sunny, 18.
And finally, Perth will be rainy with a high of 19.
 
 
Top News
 
 
The latest information pertaining to the crashed MH17 incident
 
Anchor:
CRI's Xie Zhao joins us live in-studio to give us the latest developments regarding crashed flight MH 17.
Reporter:
It's been confirmed a passenger from Hong Kong was aboard the flight.
Reports indicate the man was flying with his Malaysian wife.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department says authorities are still working on getting further details, and will offer any possible assistance to help with the investigation.
The full list of 15 crew members has been published.
All of them are Malaysian.
Malaysia Airlines says it will release the full list of passenger names once all next of kin are notified.
The company says the ill-fated plane was carrying 298 passengers, including three infants.
An earlier list suggested half the passengers are Dutch.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has given the instruction for flags at half-staff on Friday in the Netherlands to mourn the victims.
Some 20 passengers on board the plane have yet to be identified.
It has also been reported that several medical experts from the World Health Organization, including its spokesman Glen Thomas, are among the victims.
At a press conference Friday afternoon, the company says it will arrange for families of the passengers to visit the accident site.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai
"In recent hours, officials in the U.S. and Ukraine have indicated that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down. Should this be confirmed, it will be contravening international law, and be an outrage against human decency. Malaysia condemns any such actions in the strongest possible terms and calls for those responsible to be swiftly brought to justice. Malaysia Airlines takes its responsibility to the next-of-kins seriously. The airline has arranged some 40 staff to be flown to Amsterdam to support the family."
The company also claims that the Boeing 777 had a clean bill of health.
It also says that any information about the investigation is coming from Ukraine.
Kiev and anti-government rebels have agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, in a bid to guarantee that an investigation of the crash can be carried out.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk
"We will provide the corridor, and Ukrainian experts and international experts will be allowed to hold a vast investigation. Ukrainian people mourn all these innocent victimsof this terrorist plot."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has warned against any interference to the crash site.
"Just now I received a call from President Obama, he and I both agreed that the investigation must not be hindered in any way. An international team must have full access to the crash site and no one should interfere with the area or move any debris including the black box."
American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile shot down the plane.
 
 
Latest reactions to downing of flight
 
Anchor:
The Malaysian plane was said to be shot down by a missile in Eastern Ukraine near the border with Russia, but all sides in the conflict zone have denied responsibility for the incident.
With the latest reactions to this tragedy, Cao Yuwei is joining me in the studio.
Reporter:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk is calling for an emergency UN Security Council meeting after the downing of the Malaysian flight in Ukraine's airspace.
"We ask our international partners to call an emergency UN Security Council meeting and to do everything possible to stop this war. A war against Ukraine, a war against Europe and after these terrorists shot down a Malaysian aircraft; this is the war against the world. Everyone is to be accountable and responsible. I mean everyone who supports these terrorists."
The Ukraine government is accusing rebels of shooting down the Malaysian jetliner.
The accusation is said to be based on intercepted phone conversations between rebels and Russian authorities.
But rebels in Eastern Ukraine say they don't have the ability to shoot down the plane.
Alexander Zakharchenko is a representivive of rebel forces in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.
"There is no information available at the moment, the reason is also unknown. All I can say is that Donetsk People's Republic doesn't have technical facilities that would allow us to shoot planes at such altitude. The altitude was more than 10.000 meters, so we couldn't physically destroy a flying target at this altitude."
On the other side of the border in Russia, President Vladimir Putin is calling for peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible.
Putin has made the statement after previously blaming military conflict in eastern Ukraine for the Malaysian airliner crash.
"The state over which territory it happened is responsible for this terrible tragedy. I have already given certain instructions to military departments that they need to provide all necessary assistance in the investigation of this crime. And I also ask the Government of the Russian Federation to do everything for a thorough investigation of this event through the available opportunities of the civil agencies."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expressing his condolences over the downing of the Malaysian airliner, calling for a full and transparent international investigation.
The Chinese government is expressing 'shock' at the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
A statement from the Foreign Ministry says its China's hope the cause of the crash can be found as soon as possible.
In the US, the White house is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine to facilitate the investigation of the crash, which according to Vice President Joe Biden was "apparently not an accident."
 
 
Call-in on Malaysian plane crash
 
The plane has crashed over Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region.
The region has seen months of fierce fighting between Ukraine government forces and rebels.
The largely Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk have declared independence from the Kiev government and demanded a joining with Russia.
The Ukraine government has been accusing Russia of delivering weapons to the rebels, a claim Russia denies.
Ukrainian officials also blame the Russian air force for shooting down a ground attack jet and a transport plane earlier this week.
Over the weekend, Russia blamed Ukraine for a shell fired across the border which left one Russian dead.
For more on how is the plane crash likely to affect the current tension in the region, we earlier spoke with Dr. Shen Dingli, professor of International Relations at Fudan University.
Back Anchor:
That was Dr. Shen Dingli, professor of International Relations at Fudan University.
 
 
A Brief History of Civilian Plane That Have Been Shot Down
 
Anchor:
In the wake of the latest crash, several major airlines have announced plans to avoid flying over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.
CRI's Min Rui has more.
Reporter:
China's civil aviation authorities have ordered all 28 Chinese round-trip flights that typically fly over that airspace to avoid eastern Ukraine.
That follows a similar notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States.
Earlier, Turkish, French, Russian, and British airlines all issued similar announcements.
The Malaysia jetliner is not the only one that had been shot down over the risky airspace.
Back in 2001, the Ukrainian military accidentally shot down a Russian civilian plane during a military exercise.
All 78 passengers and crew died.
Back in 1988, an American missile cruiser shot down an Iranian passenger plane headed to Dubai over the Persian Gulf.
It mistook the civilian plane for a fighter jet, and killed all 290 people on board.
In 1983, a Korean Airlines flight veered from its usual flight path from New York to Seoul.
It was shot down by the air force of the Former Soviet Union, which mistook the jet for a US spy plane.
And in 1973, a Libyan civilian plane drifted into Israeli airspace due to extreme weather conditions.
It was then shot down by the Israeli air force.
Israeli authorities said the plane had been mistaken for an Egyptian MIG fighter jet.
About 108 people were killed in that accident.
For CRI, this is Min Rui.
 
 
Hainan Hit by Strongest Typhoon in Decades
 
Super typhoon Rammasun has made landfall in South China's Wenchang City, Hainan Province.
One man has been confirmed killed.
The typhoon strengthened this morning after passing through the Philippines, where 45 people were killed.
The island province has relocated some 26,000 people ahead of the storm's landing.
And for more on the latest situation, we are now joined live with Wang Tianyi, a forecaster from the China Meteorological Administration.
Wang Tianyi, a forecaster from China Meteorological Administration.
 
 
Xi Brazil trip roundup: China, Brazil vow to consolidate partnership
 
Anchor:
The Chinese president is continuing his tour of Latin America right now in Argentina, following an eventful stop in Brazil that included the founding of a cooperation forum between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Xi Jinping hails the forum as a strong signal of commitment to strengthening unity and coordination among China and the Latin American bloc.
CRI's Ding Lulu joins us now with details of several trade agreements and business deals signed during the first stop in Brazil.
Reporter:
The deals include the purchase in Brazil of 60 E-190 airplanes by Chinese companies.
Those contracts have an estimated value of 3.3 billion U.S. dollars.
Guan Dongyuan, President of Embraer's China operations, says this deal may escalate China-Brazil trade.
"Trade volume of the two countries has seen rapid growth in recent years. However, most products imported from Brazil are staple commodities with low added value, such as iron ore and soybeans. Planes are no doubt high tech products with high added value."
Brazil also welcomes investment from the State Grid Corporation of China to construct and manage power transmission projects in Brazil.
In the financial field, the Export-Import Bank of China will provide 5 billion U.S. dollars over three years to support Brazilian mining giant CVRD to purchase or lease equipment and services from Chinese companies.
The Bank of China has also signed a deal to help the company arrange global financing for the next three years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping charted the course for future cooperation between the two countries.
"We will continue stimulating the stable growth of our bilateral trade and actively cooperate to invest in areas including oil, electricity, iron ore, agriculture and others."
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says the new agreements have made ties between China and Brazil stronger than ever.
"May this lesson inspire the Sino-Brazilian partnership in the sustainable development of our countries and for a peaceful, democratic and inclusive international order."
The two countries have also vowed to cooperate closely on a railway project that will link the Brazilian Atlantic coast with the Peruvian Pacific coast.
President Xi Jinping also said China will provide Latin American and Caribbean countries with 6,000 government scholarships within the next five years.
The Chinese leader suggested that 2016 be designated as the "Year of Cultural Exchanges" between China and the region.
For CRI, I'm Ding Lulu.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Anchor:
First off, a quick look at the closing numbers across Asia.
Joining me in the studio, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Most Asian shares saw falls on Friday after the Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 298 people crashed in east Ukraine on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index retreated 0.5 percent.
Shares in Malaysia Airlines had fallen more than 11% on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, extending this year's drop to 35 percent.
It is the second disaster the carrier has experienced this year.
Japan's Nikkei 225 had fallen by more than 1%.
South Korea's KOSPI trimmed less than 0.1 percent.
Singapore's Staits Times Index added 0.1 percent.
Australia's ASX all ordinaries added 0.2 percent.
However, Chinese shares closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index gained 0.9 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell by 0.3%
 
 
Home prices continue to fall
 
Official data shows that China's home prices continued a downward trend in more cities in June, pointing to a sluggish property market that is complicating the broader economy as growth falters.
The National Bureau of Statistics says new home prices in 55 of a sample of 70 major cities showed month-on-month drops in June, compared with 35 in May.
Only eight cities, including Beijing, saw month-on-month gains, down from 15 in May.
Data showed the average home price in these 70 cities slipped half a percent from the previous month, marking a second consecutive monthly drop following a 0.2 percent fall in May.
Fifty-two cities saw price drops for existing homes in June.
However, on a year-on-year basis, new home prices in most cities are still higher than a year ago, with only Wenzhou City seeing a price drop in June.
The data added to signs that the property market is experiencing what analysts called an "adjustment period" after torrid growth in previous years.
NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun talks about the adjustment.
"In the first six months of this year, the floor space of sold housing dropped by 6 percent and the sales of the housing market dropped 6.7 percent. And the prices in different regions of China saw a bifurcation. For example, tier 2 and tier 3 cities saw a momentum of downward adjustment."
Many local governments have started to adjust policies to boost sales.
Last week, the eastern city of Jinan became the latest region to lift home purchase restrictions. So far, around 20 regions have lifted or eased restrictions on home purchases.
But NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun believes the adjustment period of the housing market is not a bad thing.
In the short term, such bifurcation and adjustment will create some pressure on the overall economy, however, in the long term, such adjustment is conducive to the healthy growth of the housing market and will benefit the overall economy.
China's growth accelerated to 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2014 after dipping to 7.4 percent in the first quarter.
 
 
Huge embezzlement in China's affordable housing projects
 
Auditing authorities in China say billions of yuan were embezzled or swindled from large-scale affordable housing construction projects last year.
The National Audit Office has released a statement following a nationwide auditing campaign.
It discovered that over 7.8 billion yuan, nearly 1.3 billion US dollars, was used for projects not related to affordable housing.
Some money was shunted into infastructure projects and industrial parks.
But the auditors also found evidence that 38 government agencies and individuals defrauded more than 1.5 billion yuan that had been earmarked for shanty-town renovation projects by submitting falsified documents.
Also, more than 47-thousand ineligible families benefited from affordable housing. It's been determined that approval procedures in some regions are slack.
Authorities have been instructed to rectify any wrongdoing and criminal investigations have been launched.
 
 
China expresses "strong opposition" to U.S. tyre probe
 
China's Commerce Ministry has expressed strong opposition to an anti-dumping investigation started by the United States into imports of Chinese tyres.
The ministry says that the application for the probe had serious flaws and that the U.S. tyre industry did not support it.
This is the latest trade row between the world's two largest economies.
The United States adopted such measures in 2009.
Trade friction is one of a number of sensitive points in relations between the two countries.
China's commerce minister urged the United States this week not to abuse the global trade system by imposing duties on Chinese goods, following a rebuke to Washington by the World Trade Organization.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
One HK resident confirmed onboard crashed MH17
 
It's been confirmed a person from Hong Kong was aboard the crashed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department made the announcement this afternoon.
The Hong Kong resident, surnamed Fan and aged about 50, was traveling with his Malaysian wife.
Meanwhile the Malaysian Airline says it will arrange the families of passengers on board the plane to the crash site.
This comes after the rebels in eastern Ukraine agreed a humanitarian ceasefire to allow international investigation teams coming in to the region.
The airline company says some 20 people are still cannot be identified,
Previously released passenger list show half of those on board the plane which took off from Amsterdam are Dutch,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expressing his condolences over the downing of the Malaysian airliner, calling for a full and transparent international investigation.
The Chinese government is expressing 'shock' at the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
 
 
Malaysia Airlines European flights to take alternative routes, increases number of dead
 
In a related development,
China's civil aviation authorities have ordered all 28 Chinese round-trip flights that typically fly over that airspace to avoid eastern Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines says all its European flights will be taking alternative routes to avoid eastern Ukraine.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed U.S. airlines had voluntarily agreed not to fly in the airspace near the Ukraine-Russian border.
Other carriers, including Germany's Lufthansa and Air France, have also made decision to avoid flying over Ukraine.
 
 
One killed in super typhoon Rammasun
 
A man has been killed when super typhoon Rammasun made landfall in Wenchang City of south China's island province of Hainan on Friday afternoon.
The man, a resident of Wengtian Town, was hit by debris after his house collapsed.
Rammasun landed in the town at around 3:30 p.m., packing winds of up to 216 km per hour.
Many houses were damaged and the local government is investigating the losses.
 
 
China, Brazil vow to consolidate partnership
 
The leaders of China and Brazil have pledged to further promote cooperation and consolidate the strategic partnership between their nations.
The two sides made the pledge during the talks in Brasilia.
Following the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on further deepening China-Brazil ties.
According to the document, they signed 56 agreements during President Xi Jinping's state visit to Brazil.
 
 
Israeli reserve forces gather near Gaza border
 
Israeli reserve forces have gathered near the Gazan border as Israel steps up its ground offensive in Strip.
Israel says it is calling up 18,000 military reservists, adding to 30,000 already mobilized.
Israeli military started the ground offensive against Hamas after a 5-hour humanitarian cease-fire.
Gaza's health ministry says 24 Palestinians have been killed and 200 injured since the ground offensive started on Thursday night.
An Israeli soldier was killed and two others wounded in the operation.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for an immediate end to hostilities by both Israel and Hamas.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
Shanghai Daily
Chinese parents place more value on children's emotional quotient, survey finds
The survey showed 78 percent of the 800 respondents in east and south China said cultivating EQ and soft skills in communication, self-esteem and leadership is more important than developing their children's IQ, or intelligence quotient.
The survey showed parents in the age group of 40 to 50 years old paid more attention to children's EQ than younger parents.
Mothers value a children's EQ more than fathers, and parents with high education backgrounds care more about EQ.
To parents, children who have a high EQ know how to communicate well, can control their emotions, possess high self-esteem and are optimistic.
But in reality, many Chinese children are self-centered, moody and rebellious, which will affect their intelligence development, researchers say.
--
Global Times
Concern for ancient buildings after floods
Concerns have been raised over the protection of historic towns as persistent downpours in Central and Southwest China have flooded Fenghuang, a renowned tourism destination in Hunan Province.
Pictures of Fenghuang submerged by floodwaters have aroused worries among netizens and experts on ancient architecture.
Experts say many traditional buildings, some dating back to hundreds of years ago, were made of wood and stone and could be severely damaged by floods.
Experts also points out that old towns have drainage problems should realize that the buildings need protection from water in rainy region.
Local officials admitted that excessive development along the river bank has changed the river's profile, making it more prone to serious flooding.
Fenghuang is currently being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Status.
--
Sky News
AIDS deaths fall by third in decade
The United Nations says global AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections have fallen by more than a third in a decade.
According to UNAIDS, this is a sign of possibly wiping out the killer disease.
The global effort to beat the pandemic has made huge strides, though the battle is far from over with 35 million people still living with HIV worldwide.
A latest review shows that AIDS-related deaths dropped to 1.5 million in 2013 from 1.7 million the previous year.
That was the sharpest annual decline since the peak hit in 2004 and 2005, and marked a 35-per cent drop from the 2.4 million deaths seen in both those years.
Alongside the falling death toll, new infections declined to 2.1 million last year, a 38-percent fall compared to that of in 2001.
--
Asia One
Japan's child poverty hits record high
The country's welfare ministry report showed the child poverty rate rose to 16.3 percent in 2012, the worst result since the survey started nearly three decades ago.
And it is one of the highest levels among the 34 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD.
The rate measures the percentage of children living in households with an annual net income below the poverty line - 1.22 million yen or 12-thousand US dollars per person.
More than half of single-parent families were living below the poverty line, while nearly two-thirds of families with children felt their financial situation was bad or very bad.
Japan ranked sixth-highest in child poverty in the OECD after Mexico, Israel, Chile, the United States and Turkey.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
China-US Relationships: More to Expect from the Cultural Exchange----Forbidden City Art Works to be Shown in Virginia, US
 
Anchor:
Nearly 200 works of art from the collection of the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, will be shown in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the US.
Our Washington correspondent He Fei has details.
Reporter:
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the first US art museum to house works from the Palace Museum's permanent collection.
Nearly 200 pieces of art have been drawn from the thousands in its collections, organized into four sections based on the layout of the Forbidden City.
Li Jian with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the curator of the exhibition, entitled Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing.
She says they try to show the audience a vivid image of the royal court in the Ming and Qing Dynasty.
"The first part demonstrates rituals of the Qing Court, which includes the portraits of the Qing emperors and paintings about the emperors' daily lives. The second part reveals court arts in the inner court. Therefore, you can tell, the whole exhibition is designed to follow the layout of the Forbidden City from the south to the north. The third part is court paintings. As we can't move the real royal gardens here, in this part we mainly focus on bird-and-flower paintings. And the last part depicts the religious life in the Palace, mainly Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism."
According to the curator, the exhibition offers a broad perspective of imperial China through evocative gallery design, graphic materials, architectural models, and video.
Dramatic images of the palace and amazing architectural scale will take visitors on a simulated journey into the buildings and grounds, once forbidden to the general public.
The museum will also use 3D printing technology to create a scaled model of the Forbidden City.
Furthermore, the exhibition is only one of the highlights of the two museums' collaborative project.
The two museums are in the midst of a series of projects between 2010 and 2016 that include exhibition exchanges and staff site visits in the areas of administration, curatorship, conservation, education and security.
Alex Nyerges is the director of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
"Our partnership is a seven-year deal that includes exchanges of staff, exchanges of ideas and ways to do business. But it's also the exchange of two exhibitions. The exhibition that will open in Richmond, Treasure from the Forbidden. The other half of the exhibition exchange is when our Faberge collection will be the newly renovated galleries at the Palace Museum in 2016 to be showcased. It will be the first time a collection from an American museum will be house at the Palace Museum ever."
Lu Kang, the acting Chinese ambassador to the States, speaks highly about such cultural exchange projects.
He believes "the strongest bond that links China and US is culture", which is a line quoted from the Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu.
"China and US are now building the new model of major country relationship. To enable a long-term friendly relationship between our two countries, we need to not only enhance political trust, strengthen economic ties, but also advance people-to-people exchange and cultural exchange so that our two peoples could know more about each other and understand each other better. Cultural exchange has just the unique power to bring people together."
The exhibition Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum will be on view later in October and will last for three months until January, 2015.
And in May 2016, art works from Virginia Museum of Fine Arts will travel to Beijing and be shown in the historic Meridian Gate.
For CRI, I'm He Fei in Washington.
 
 
Sports
 
 
China vs Chinese Taipei
 
In Basketball China has just began their Semi-final Asia Cup match against Chinese Taipei.
Last night China thrashed Singapore 84:37 while Chinese Taipei beat Japan 76:62.
 
 
Houston Rockets Harden and Lin land in China
 
The Houston Rockets star James Harden has landed in Beijing on this morning, where he is due to be an adjudicator for a Red Bull City Basketball championship.
The NBA star will train with some of the Chinese players participating in this tournament over the weekend.
The 24-year-old shooting guard spent his first day on a trip to the Great Wall where he took a selfie and posted it with a message to Chinese fans on Weibo.
After leaving China Harden's next stop will be the Philippines where he'll take part in a Charity event alongside fellow all-stars Tyson Chandler, Brandon Jennings, Terrence Ross and Ed Davis.
………………………
Elsewhere James Harden's former team-mate Jeremy Lin who was in Beijing just a couple of days ago has now landed in the land of his parents, Taiwan.
On arrival early this morning he was greeted by hundreds of fans.
He said he's really looking forward to being team mates with Kobe Bryant next season:
"Kobe (Bryant) specially came over to me and said hello. He then introduced his family members to me. He has always been good to me. I'm very much looking forward to be teammates with him. I think I can learn a lot from him".
The point guard was traded to Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday (July 13) from the Rockets where he gained a lot of popularity in Taiwan.
The 25-year-old American scored a team-high of 28 points and 14 assists for New York Knicks in 2012.
He will participate in a basketball training camp and charity events during his stay in Taiwan and will leave on Wednesday (July 23).
 
 
Grosu wins 12th stage of Tour of Qinghai Lake
 
Eduaro Grosu of Japan's (VFN) has won the 12th stage of the Tour of Qinghai Lake today.
Second and third places respectively went to Boris Shpilevsky and Eduardo Alzate.
The owners of yellow, blue and green jerseys remain unchanged from Thursday, with Ilya Davidenok from Continental Team Astana (AS2) the overall leader and best Asian rider, and Mykhaylo Kononenko of (KLS) the best sprinter wearing green.
Friday's Zhongwei circuit race had three sprints, covering a total distance of 120 kilometers.
 
 
Alexander Kristoff claims Tour de France stage 12
 
Norway's Alexander Kristoff has won stage 12 of the Tour de France.
The Katusha rider put in a brave sprint from behind with just 250 metres to go to push for the victory ahead of Peter Sagan and third-placed Arnaud Demare.
This is the first tour stage victory for the 27-year-old who's finished second on a number of occasions during this year's race.
Vincenzo Nibali, meanwhile, retains the yellow jersey. He currently has an overall lead of 2:23 over Team Sky's Richie Porte.
 
 
German Lahm retires from international football
 
German football hero Philipp Lahm has announced his retirement from international football.
The 30-year-old captain of the World Cup winning team will continue playing for German champions Bayern Munch however, and has recently renewed his contract until 2018.
Lahm made 113 appearances for Germany, but now says he will focus his efforts on the club he's been with since he was 11-years-old.
 
 
Woods and McIlroy Blast Birdies at British Open
 
In Golf,
At the British Open…. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods hit a barrage of birdies at the Royal Liverpool golf club to steal the show in a thrilling opening round.
Northern Irishman McIlroy fired a pacesetting six-under-par 66 at the third championship of the season.
Matteo Manassero was in second place on 67, one ahead of fellow Italians, brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari. Also on 68 were U.S. pair Brooks Koepka and Jim Furyk, as well as Spain's Sergio Garcia and world number one Adam Scott.　　
Tiger Woods, playing in only his third competitive round since undergoing back surgery in March, confounded the critics who wrote off his chances by shooting a 69.
The 14-times major winner made a poor start by bogeying the first two holes, but it was almost vintage Tiger on the back nine as he went storming through the field with five birdies in six holes from the 11th.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson of the USA was one over after the 17th, but then hit his second shot at the last out of bounds and didn't immediately realise it; he ended up with a bogey for 2-over 74.
 
 
Mayweather and Maidana still fighting over gloves ahead of rematch
 
Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana have just concluded their five-city promotional tour (17th July).
After stops in New York, Washington, Chicago and San Antonio, the Welterweights finished off in Los Angeles' Pershing Square.
The two boxers were promoting their 12-round world championship bout for Mayweather's 147-pound titles.
This will be the second time the fighters have met in the ring. Mayweather who is 46 for 0 with 26 knockouts won a controversial decision the last time round.
Maidana's whose record dropped to 35-4 (with 31 KOs) said he thought he'd won last time and complained that Mayweather wouldn't let him use his gloves of choice.
But Mayweather said the gloves should not make any difference to the fight.
"Well if he feels that he won the fight with the gloves that he had on, why not do it again if you feel that you won? Why cry and complain about the gloves? This is not a bareknuckle brawl, this is not a MMA fight, this is professional fighters - we both are professional fighters - and I have a career after boxing is over so, like I said, this is a barbarian sport but it's also about being safe and I truly believe in being on an even playing field."
The rematch will take place on Saturday, September 13 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Tencent video TV series get over 3 billion playbacks during the summer vacation
 
Tencent video is leading the online TV series industry, with over three billion playbacks during the summer vacation.
Its TV series' contain domestically produced and original programs, TV seasons from western countries, as well as South Korean dramas.
Native program "Super Dog" was played 240 million times in just three days. It tells a story about the lives of working army dogs.
Detective stories like "The Darker", and the first season of "The Death Notice", are the most attractive and original programs played by Tencent video.
The US TV series "Tyrant" believed to be the Middle Eastern version of the "Godfather" had one million hits just two hours after its debut.
"Triangle" became the most popular South Korean Opera on Tencent video.
 
 
Mandela Film Released in China Today
 
The Oscar nominated film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" is released in Chinese Cinema today.
(Mandela)
Directed by Justin Chadwick, the 2013 British-South African film tells the story of Nelson Mandela, from his childhood, his 27 year incarceration, to the end of the Apartheid and his eventual presidency.
The film also includes many personal details such as his love for his wife Winnie and his relationship with his children.
Although the film came out just weeks after his death, it has performed poorly at the box office since its release in January.
However the film could prove more successful here in China.
 
 
Blues Legend Johnny Winter Dies Aged 70
 
Blues legend Johnny Winter has died at the age of 70.
(Winter)
The American blues rock guitarist and vocalist, known for his energetic solo performances was found dead in a hotel room outside Zurich, Switzerland – just days after playing at the Lovely Days Festival in Austria.
Hailed as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Winter rose to fame in the 1970's. The Texas star said he knew he wanted to be a musician from the age of 12.
Winter struggled with addiction for much of his musical career, but he recently said he just wanted to be remembered as "a good blues musician".
According to a Swiss police spokeswomen, the cause of his death is unclear, but there was no indication of a third party involvement.
Winter was due to release a new album entitled Step Back on 2 September, 2014.
 
 
K-Pop Festival held in Israel
 
The second World K-Pop festival has been held in Israel.
Despite rocket attacks across the country, dozens of K-Pop fans gathered for the event in the central Israeli town of Herzliya.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Korean Republic in Isreal, Ilsso Kim, who said he was considering cancelling the event but decided against it.
"I'm sorry in this time, at this time of crisis so actually there was consideration about rescheduling or cancellation of the events, but as you know the whole purpose of the K-Pop contest is to promote the understanding of people and ultimately harmony and something confirming our common humanity through the things of our common likings, so we decided to go ahead."
Israeli and Arab contestants participated, hoping to win a place in the finals of the International festival that will be held in Korea later this year.
Korea's leading public television channel KBS filmed the event, and according to the organizers it will be broadcast in 88 countries worldwide.
 
 
Leaked Doctor Who Footage due to a "Damaging Mistake"
 
BBC Worldwide has said the recent leaks of scripts and footage from the new Doctor Who series were due to a "damaging mistake."
The corporation's global arm released a statement apologizing to the sci-fi show's makers and said that disciplinary action would be taken.
Five scripts from the new series and unfinished scenes from six episodes were leaked onto a publicly accessible area online, believed to have originated from a BBC Worldwide office in the US.
The first episode of the new series will have its first screenings in Cardiff and London, England on 7th August and will be followed by a pre-transmission world tour.
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
It's been confirmed a passenger from Hong Kong was aboard crashed Malaysia airlines flight MH17... lots of blame, but no one is taking responsibility for the incident...
Hainan is now being hit by the strongest typhoon the Chinese island has seen in decades...
And a look at some of the deals the Chinese president has signed in South America...
In business, Chinese new home prices continue to fall in most markets...
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is 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.