新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/06/23

 
The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Shane Bigham with you this Monday, June 23rd, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening.
the Chinese government is working on a major amendment to the country's food safety laws.
China's Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world, has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.
and despite the ceasefire declared by Ukraine's government, troops and rebels continue to fight in the country's east.
In business, a reverse mortgage scheme will be trialed in four Chinese cities.
In sports, so much riding on the final group game for so many countries at the World Cup.
In entertainment, the awards have been handed out at the Shanghai Film Festival.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 20 degrees Celsius. Cloudy tomorrow with a high of 32 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 21, cloudy tomorrow, with a high of 28.
Chongqing will have moderate rain, 21 degrees the low,the rain will continue tomorrow with a high of 25.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 39.
Kabul, sunny, 33.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, high of 16.
Canberra, showers, 7.
Brisbane, partly cloudy, 22.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 18.
 
 
Top News
 
 
China to amend food safety law
 
Anchor:
Chinese lawmakers have started revising China's food safety law, pledging tougher rules for safety, supervision, and sanctions.
This is the first revision to the law since it was enacted in 2009.
CRI's Tu Yun has more.
Reporter:
The draft revision to the food safety law is expected to be the strictest ever regulation on food safety.
Zhang Yong, Director of the China Food and Drug Administration, says the country will impose the harshest penalties on offenders and supervisors.
"The law will set up the strictest legal liability system. For offenders who add poisonous and deleterious substances in the food, the authorities can remove their licenses and impose fines up to 30 times of the value of their products. For officials who are dismissed for issuing fake evaluation reports, they could be banned from food safety supervision posts for life."
Under the current law, offenders can face fines up to 10 times of the value of their products.
Meanwhile, the amendment also singles out food and drug administrations as the sole supervision body for food production, transportation, and catering.
Zhu Yi, an associate professor from China Agricultural University, says the change will provide legal basis for more effective supervision.
"Previously, if a tomato is sold on the vegetable market, it falls under the jurisdiction of the agricultural department. When it is sold in the supermarket, it is under the industry and commerce department. When the tomato is processed into tomato sauce, it falls under the supervision of the quality inspection department. When it is served in the restaurant, the food and drug administration will be responsible for supervision. Now, under the amendment, the food and drug administration will be responsible for all processes. It can help to plug loopholes in the supervision system. "
Apart from specifying the supervision body, the revision makes food manufacturers the primary sector responsible for food safety when it comes to establishing liability for a problem.
The amendment also includes regulations on food products sold over the internet.
The current food safety law was put into effect sine 2009 after melamine was found in infant formula.
The draft revision has been submitted to the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which runs through this Friday.
For CRI, I'm XXX.
 
 
China's Grand Canal, Silk Road inscribed on list of world heritage
 
China's Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world, has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.
The canal runs from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south.
The UN cultural organization has also added the Silk Road to its World Heritage List.
The application has been jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Choi Jae-Heon is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
"The silk road is one of the great examples for the exchange of the human values between the East and the West. And also we have plenty of evidence for that cultural exchange. The Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China, they share that kind of precious cultural roots. And then maybe that will be the future, the precious asset for all mankind to be preserved."
The Silk Road is millennium-old trade route which now consists of 33 historical sites, including 22 in China, eight in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan.
It is the first time the Chinese government has cooperated with foreign countries when it comes to a World Heritage nomination.
In related stories,
Today, the World Heritage Committee added the South China Karst, a natural limestone formation, to UNESCO's World Heritage List. It's been a World Heritage Site since 2007.
 
 
Fights continued between Ukrainian forces and rebels amid ceasefire
 
Anchor: Fighting has flared between Ukrainian troops and rebel forces despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the Ukraine government. CRI's Xie Zhao has the details.
Reporter: In the Donetsk region, which has declared independence from Kiev, rebels reported a morning shootout with Ukrainian troops north of Donetsk city.
Bakhtiyar Kamalov is one of the rebels.
"What ceasefire? What ceasefire? Yesterday they battered us all. They battered us all. I have seen a drone, for the first time in my life I've seen a drone."
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced a seven-day ceasefire starting from last Friday, saying the government will give amnesty to disarmed fighters.
But rebel leaders in Donetsk have already said they will not adhere to the ceasefire.
Ukraine's state border service also reported further rebel attacks on its posts in Luhansk region, which has also declared independence.
The clashes come after Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly expressed support for Ukraine's declaration of a cease-fire.
Putin is calling on both sides to negotiate a compromise.
"The truce should result in dialogue between all conflicting sides so that a compromise acceptable to everyone can be found and people residing in Ukraine's southeast feel that they are an integral part of the country, that they possess all rights of citizens of the state and these rights are among other things guaranteed by the country's fundamental law - the Constitution."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Poroshenko also called for a peaceful solution to the country's ongoing crisis.
The United Nations says at least 356 people have been killed across the country since May and 34,000 have fled their homes.
For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.
 
 
Iraq loses western border controls, Kerry in Egypt
 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is suggesting change might be needed within the current Iraqi leadership to deal with the Sunni insurgency.
Kerry made the comments amid his current tour in the Middle East.
"But we will help Iraqis to complete this transition if they choose it. If they want, they have an opportunity to choose leadership that can represent all of Iraq: a unity government that brings people together and focuses on ISIL."
But Kerry says Washington is not in a position to pick or choose who rules in Baghdad.
Kerry's trip to the region comes amid word over the weekend that the Iraqi government has lost control of its western borders.
Sunni militants have reportedly captured border crossings leading to both Syria and Jordan.
The strategically-important airport in the northern town of Tal Afar has also reportedly fallen to the rebels.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is also reportedly positioned to begin a surge into the heart of Iraq, including Baghdad.
 
 
Kerry holds talks with Egypt's Sisi in Cairo
 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has met with new Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.
This is the first visit of a high-profile U.S. official to Egypt since al-Sisi took office earlier this month.
As part of the trip, Kerry has announced the US is set to deliver 10 Apache attack helicopters previously ordered by the Egyptian government.
"Those Apaches are focused on the issue of terrorism, and they will be used in a place where Egypt has been working very, very hard, in concert with Israel and others and with us in order to push back against these terrorist activities."
The US side is also resuming plans to deliver some 650 million U.S. dollars worth of military aid to Egypt.
Annual US military aid to Egypt was suspended after the removal of former President Mohammad Morsi by the military, which was led by then-military chief al-Sisi.
Kerry's visit to Egypt comes just a day after the courts in Egypt confirmed death sentences for 183 members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
 
 
Netanyahu defends army's searching for missing teens
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refuting suggestions the Israeli army is using excessive force in searching for three missing yeshiva students.
The comments come on the heels of a 15-year old Palestinian boy being killed during an Israeli army operation this past week.
"We are in the midst of a concerted effort of bringing the boys back home. This effort entails a certain friction with the civilian population in Judea and Samaria; we have no intention of deliberately harming anyone but our forces are acting as necessary for self-defence and from time to time there are victims or casualties."
Israeli troops have already arrested over 300 members of Hamas, which it blames for the kidnapping.
Hamas continues to deny any involement.
The Israeli military has also been launching strikes on suspected Hamas training areas in the West Bank.
So far two Palestinians have been killed since searching for the teens began.
 
 
Summit on Construction of Asian Credit System Held in Beijing
 
Anchor:
A Summit on creating an Asian Credit System has kicks off in Beijing. Financial experts say the idea is crucial in terms of developing Asian economies to their fullest potentials. CRI's Luo Yu has more.
Report:
An advisory council of Universal Credit Rating Group, or UCRG, has been founded during the Summit Forum on Construction of Asian Credit System .
Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France, has been elected as Chair of the Advisory Council.
Hed says the construction of a new international rating order and reform of the current rating system is vital to inject vigor and vitality into regional economic growth.
'Asia is already the first economic region in the world. It's the fastest growth region in the world with 7.9% a year in 2012. Asia is also the creditor of the world. It's a region with the highest currency reserves. With country like China, we saw almost $4,000 billion in reserves. And Asia has a widely different economic environment that needs to be taken into account.'
In order to counter the influence of the Big Three global credit agencies, UCRG will, in the near future, be launching a team of over 2,000 credit scholars to set up the framework of a credit knowledge system.
Meanwhile, a dual rating regime will be implemented in over 30 jurisdictions.
Guan Jianzhong, is chairman of UCRG and Dagong Global Credit Rating Co., Ltd.
"UCRG is co-sponsored by China, USA and Russia and it represents agencies from every jurisdiction and embodies the common interest of humanity. It is aimed at promoting an alternative rating of credit relations that differs from the current one – the one with sovereign-owned characteristics. So a new rating architecture featuring co-existence, openness, inclusiveness, complementarity, and counter-balancing will be created."
Rating agencies were given a large amount of the blame for the US mortgage crisis that kicked off the latest round of financial crisis.
Also, the Big Three have been accused by the Europeans of showing preferential treatment to the United States.
Here is advisory council member Kevin Rudd, Former Prime Minister of Australia.
"As of today 2014, I do not believe the major credit rating agencies have learned the lesson. It is for that reason that I believe that we need analyze and systematically respond to the credit rating system.'
The Summit is organized by Beijing-based Dagong Global Credit Rating and supported by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China Center for International Economic Exchanges.
For CRI, I'm Luo Yu.
 
 
College graduate startup fund hard to reach
 
Anchor:
Nearly 7.3 million Chinese students will graduate from college this year, 300-thousand more than last year.
But finding a job remains a tough task. Many grads view starting their own business as a way of getting around this difficulty, but resources like the "graduate startup fund" have not been as helpful as many thought they would be.
CRI's Li Dong has more details.
Reporter:
Xiao Li is a new graduate. She wants to open a milk tea pub.
For every 20 square meters of pub space, Xiao says the investment should be around 100-thousand yuan, covering rent, water, electricity, and labour costs. She says the expense is too much for new grads like her.
"College graduates like us don't have much money. The investment doesn't sound like that much, but we really can't afford it. I tried to borrow money. But once they heard I am just a new graduate, nobody is willing to lend money to me."
Xiao Li knows there is a fund called the "college graduate startup fund". But after many attempts to apply for aid, she gave up.
"'The college graduate start up fund'? I know it. I spent half a year applying for it. I went to many departments, hoping to get it done, but I failed. So I gave up at last."
To enjoy benefits like the startup fund, students need to follow a set of procedures. First, they need to secure a certificate called the 'business startup certificate.'
To obtain that document, students need to apply online. After getting approval from the college from which the student graduated, their application is then forwarded to the provincial educational administration for another round of assessment.
After all that, if all goes well, the student gets their 'business startup certificate' --- but that doesn't mean the process is over.
The student still needs to apply for another certificate, which is called the "employment/unemployment registration certificate." Obtaining that invovles another set of procedures.
In May, the central government released a string of measures supporting student entrepreneurs and startups, to help new grads who are facing another tough job market this year.
As part of a plan to support startup businesses from 2014 to 2017, the State Council issued a notice requiring colleges to open courses that prepare their graduates to start businesses. Financial institutions should also provide banking services that fit the graduates' needs.
Yin Weimin is the Minister of Human Resources and Social Security.
"For students who are planning to start their own businesses, the related departments should provide policy consulting as well as guidance support. Departments have the responsibility to succeed in starting up businesses and lowering their costs."
According to the 2014 Chinese College Graduates' Employment Annual Report, released by an education consulting and research institute in Beijing, of the college students who graduated in 2013, 2.3 percent started their own business, slightly higher than the figure for 2012 and 2011, which is 2 percent and 1.6 percent respectively.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stock
 
Asian stocks closed mixed on Monday as China's solid manufacturing data boosted the gains in most Asian markets.
But shares on the Chinese market slipped as new share subscriptions have taken a sizable amount of capital.
Both the Shanghai Composite and the Shenzhen Component indexes slid slightly.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost over one and a half percent.
Elsewhere in the region,
Japan's Nikkei gained slightly.
South Korean's KOSPI rose around a third of a percent.
Singapore's Straits Times Index ended almost flat.
Australia's ASX gained more than half a percent.
 
 
China's reverse mortgage policy to be trialed in four cities
 
Chinese insurance authorities have just announced a pilot plan for reverse mortgages in four cities.
Starting next month, seniors in those cities, including Beijing, will be able to borrow against the equity in their homes.
This kind of system can help people fund their retirements.
The insurance companies will give the homeowners regular payments. In return, the company has rights when it comes to selling the home after the homeowners die.
The population of seniors in China is increasing quickly. The policy is said to be one of the steps needed to ease pressure on pensions and on the authorities.
 
 
China's real estate market will not collapse
 
An observer from the Chinese government's main think-tank is downplaying concerns about a possible collapse of the Chinese real estate market.
Fan Gang with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says the property sector has passed a turning point and will be stable in the future.
Despite the recent downturn in home sales and home prices in many of this country's major cities, Fan says he remains optimistic about the future of the market.
The optimism comes despite suggestions the banking industry is becoming more hesitant about mortgage lending, given the recent cooling trend.
For more on China's real estate market, we are now joined on the line with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
…
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor of China's University of Economics and Business.
 
 
China's manufacturing picks up in June: HSBC
 
A preliminary HSBC survey shows activity in China's factory sector expanded in June for the first time in six months as new orders surged.
The flash China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.8 in June from May's final reading of 49.4.
The figure offers new signs the economy is stabilizing thanks to Beijing's measures to shore up growth.
A reading above 50 shows expansion. It's the first since December that HSBC's PMI has been above the level.
 
 
Top economic official charged with bribery
 
Liu Tienan, a former deputy chief of China's top economic planning body, has been charged with taking bribes.
The procuratorate has filed the charge against Liu in a court in north China's Hubei, saying that Liu has accepted "an extremely large amount" of financial incentives.
Liu, a former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, was dismissed from his post in May last year for suspected involvement in "serious disciplinary violations."
 
 
Hong Kong's inflation in May remains unchanged at 3.5 pct
 
Hong Kong's Consumer Price Index (CPI), a major index of inflation, remained unchanged at 3.5 percent in May compared to April.
The city's statistic department says the figure reflects all the effects of the government's one-off relief measures.
Amongst the various CPI components, prices for housing increased almost 5 percent from a year earlier. Food and miscellaneous services both grow around 4 percent.
On the other hand, prices for durable goods fell over 3 percent.
The spokesman expects that the upside risks to inflation should remain limited in the near term, given the modest rise in import prices, easing rental pressures and steady wage growth.
 
 
Guangzhou issues 14.8 billion yuan government bonds
 
Guangzhou provincial government has issued 14.8-billion-yuan in government bonds today, marking China's first bond issued by a local government.
Three types of bonds were issued today with different interest rates and terms.
The central government launched a plan to reform debt financing systems of local governments earlier, aiming to standardize the systems.
10 provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, and Guangdong are the first to trial the reform in the country.
 
 
Chinese visitors stay longer in New Zealand as tourist numbers hit new high
 
Based on data released by New Zealand authorities today, Chinese visitors on average are staying almost a week in the country, about a day and a half longer than the average of just a year ago.
Population Statistics Project manager Susan Hollows says that China is among the top four sources for the increase with the other three being Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
China to amend food safety law
 
Chinese lawmakers have started revising China's food safety law, pledging tougher rules for safety, supervision, and sanctions.
This is the first revision to the law since it was enacted in 2009.
Zhang Yong, Director of the China Food and Drug Administration, says the country will impose the harshest penalties on offenders and supervisors.
Meanwhile, the amendment also singles out food and drug administrations as the sole supervision body for food production, transportation, and catering.
The amendment also includes regulations on food products sold over the internet.
The current food safety law was put into effect in 2009 after melamine was found in infant formula.
 
 
32 terror groups busted in Xinjiang
 
Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang have busted 32 terror groups in a massive crackdown launched a month ago.
380 suspects were seized and 315 people sentenced during the crackdown.
China launched a yearlong campaign against terrorism, with Xinjiang in the center, after a terrorist attack on May 22 in an open market in the regional capital Urumqi.
The attack, the deadliest in recent years in the region, killed 39 innocent people and injured 94 others.
 
 
S.Korea summons Japan's ambassador after review on wartime sex slavery
 
South Korea's government has summoned the Japanese ambassador in Seoul to issue a protest against the findings of a review of Japan's wartime sex slaves including many thousands of Korean women.
The Japanese government issued a statement on Friday saying the review had determined that the South Korean government had intervened in the wording of the 1993 Kono statement.
It says the Kono statement was the result of "political dealings behind closed doors."
Officials in Seoul say the review is damaging to the credibility of the government in Tokyo.
South Korea has demanded that the Abe cabinet provide an official apology and compensation for the victims.
But Japan has claimed it settled all the issues related to its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea in a 1965 treaty that normalized relations between the two countries.
 
 
Fugitive S.Korean soldier captured alive after attempting suicide
 
A fugitive South Korean soldier accused of killing five of his comrades and wounding seven others has been captured alive.
The attack happened on Saturday.
Authorities say the 22-year-old seargeant attempted to commit suicide with his rifle on Monday.
The man has been taken to hospital. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
The sergeant had been serving as a sentry along the demilitarized zone.
An official says there had been earlier concerns over the soldier's psychological health, but he was deemed fit to be deployed after passing a test in November.
 
 
Kidnapped Afghan university professors, students released
 
Most of the university professors and students kidnapped by insurgents in Afghanistan two weeks ago have been set free.
Out of the 34 who were taken from Kandahar University in eastern Afghanistan, 24 have been released.
Local authorities say the group was let go unconditionally, with the remaining hostages to be released later on Monday.
The group was abducted days before the presidential runoff election in June.
The Taliban has released a statement to local media in Afghanistan confirming the release of the hostages.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China News Service
"Facial recognition software more accurate than human eye"
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong say they have invented software that can identify people from photographs better than humans can.
The team tested the system on a database known as Labelled Faces in the Wild, which has 13,000 photos of 6,000 public figures. In the test, humans and computers were asked to compare photos and determine whether they were the same person.
Humans performed the face-verification task with 97.5 percent accuracy, while the software DeepID achieved 99.2 percent.
The new system ranks higher than Facebook's DeepFace technology.
Facial recognition technology has applications in security, law enforcement, mobile internet and entertainment.
AFP
"Google, Microsoft to add smartphone 'kill' switches"
Google and Microsoft plan to join Apple in offering theft-deterring "kill switches" in their smartphone operating systems.
The companies confirmed the commitment which was noted in a report by the "Secure Our Smartphones Initiative".
A coalition of more than 100 elected leaders and law enforcement officials from major cities said the agreement means the three main smartphone platforms would soon add the feature as part of an effort to curb an epidemic of thefts.
The report said Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone would add the feature — enabling a user to deactivate a stolen handset — after Apple included this last year.
Google confirmed the news Friday without providing a date for the new feature.
Sky News Australia
"US study links pesticides and autism"
A California study has found that pregnant women who live near farms where pesticides are applied had a two-thirds higher risk of having children with autism.
The findings examine the association between living near commercial pesticide applications and having offspring with autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that ranges in severity and has been on the rise in recent years. Health authorities say it now affects as many as one in 68 children in the United States.
The latest research was based on data about commercial pesticide applications in California, combined with residential addresses of about 1000 participants in a study of families with an autistic child.
About one-third of study participants lived within 2 kilometres from a site where commercial pesticides were applied.
The study authors said the developing foetal brain may be particularly vulnerable to pesticides.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Mars One in Netherlands meet the possible candidates of the plan
 
Anchor:
Organizers of Mars One, the Dutch program initiated last year for a one-way trip to Mars, are now meeting with potential candidates to decide who will be sent to live on the planet.
CRI's Xie Zhao has more.
Reporter:
Mars One organizers say there are 705 potential candidates left after two rounds of cuts and physical testing, from an original pool of about 200,000 applicants.
Among the remaining applicants, there are 418 men and 287 women representing a wide range of nationalities and professions.
That group is undergoing further training programmes run by a panel of scientists, adventurers, and astronauts.
At the end of process, Mars One will create 10 teams, each consisting of two men and two women working to be ready for the first departure to Mars.
Bas Lansdorp is a founder of Mars One.
"Each team will consist of four people, two men and two women, and we will try to make that 4 people from different continents to really represent the Earth as much as possible."
Pamela Nicoletatos is one of the potential candidates.
The Canadian-born mother of two boys now lives in the Netherlands.
She says nothing could be more humbling than being chosen to represent the initial crew sent to colonise Mars.
"I am not looking at Mars as means to escape anything here. I am very happy here. I think it's fantastic here, it's just an opportunity to see some place else, something new, somewhere new, that's more than anything."
Andrea Boyd is another possible candidate.
She is an engineer for the European Space Agency's Astronaut Centre in Cologne.
She hopes the lessons she learned as a control system engineer at a mining operation in the Australian desert will be beneficial.
"It is a fairly big planet in itself and there is lots to be explored. As an engineer it's a constant thing of problem solving to make things work in the middle of a really harsh environment. Similar to what I was doing at the mine, you make machines work in very high temperatures, in very low temperatures. In the middle of the desert where you have a lot of dust getting in equipment as well. So, it's a good technical challenge and I find those sorts of things quite fun."
Mars One plans to land its first crew on Mars by 2025.
Additional people will be sent every two years, with the goal to establish the first human settlement on another planet.
For those who travel to Mars, returning to earth will not be possible.
Mars One has also received a variety of criticism, mostly relating to medical, technical and financial feasibility.
The project's budget stands at 6 billion US dollars.
But a similar project study by NASA estimated the cost of such a feat at 100 billion dollars.
For CRI, this is Xie Zhao.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Preview of four fixtures of the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday
 
At the FIFA World Cup, In Group A:
The squads from Brazil and Cameroon have been practicing as they get ready to face each other in each team's final group matchup.
The Brazilian side is under pressure but coach Luiz Felip Scolari says he is undeterred and will return with the same starting lineup that opened its World Cup with a win over Croatia.
"I'm not going to make any changes. I trust the team that I put on the pitch in the first game. I understand that my players know that I act in a way that when I make a change, the one that I change will get other opportunities and they will work normally as they have been working with their normal colleagues. We are a group."　　　
Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in its opener before setting with a draw against Mexico. Brazil and Mexico are now tied at the top of Group A with 4 points each.
Croatia is in third place in the group with 3 points from one win.
Cameroon has already been eliminated from the World Cup after losing two games, but coach Volker Finke says his team wants to leave with a good performance.
"No one wants to leave Brazil with a bad impression. It's necessary to show a good face and work for our reputation, for the reputation of the team, for the reputation of each player and for the reputation of Cameroonian football."
The Brazil-Camaroon match is set to kick off at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.
In other action,
Also at 4 a.m., the match between Mexico and Croatia will decide which of the Group A opponents lives to fight another day in the round of 16.
Trailing the Mexican side by one point, this is a must-win game for Croatia if it's to have any hope of advancing.
But Croatia's coach says the Mexican squad should be feeling the pressure, not his team.
Mexican coach Miguel Herrera doesn't completely agree.
"I think that the pressure lies on both our teams. We are playing with permanence in the World Cup. It seems to be we have one advantage; it would be illogical to say that we are more pressured than Croatia. We have a slight advantage but it is an advantage. A draw gives us passage. They have to come out and look for the victory."
In Group B,
Chile will take on the Dutch at 4 am.
The game will determine who tops Group B. Both squads won their first two group games.
The Spanish World Cup squad, already eliminated from the final 16, will face Australia.
Spain was the defending World Cup champion and earned the dubious distinction of being the first defending champion to be eliminated in just two games.
No defending champion has ever exited a tournament without securing a single point.
 
 
Belgium edge Russia to reach last 16
 
Still in the world cup,
Earlier this morning, 19-year-old forward Divock Origi scored a late goal to help Belgium sink Russia 1-0 and reach the last 16 from Group H.
Belgium earned first in its group with six points. Algeria earned second place following a 4-2 victory over South Korea.
So far, no Asian football team has won a single match.
In Group G,
A late goal saved Portugal from its second defeat in group play. The team earned a tie with the US.
Group G is still open for all four teams with Germany and the United States each having one win and one draw.
Those two will face each other in a few days.
As long as the game doesn't end in a draw, Ghana and Portugal still have a chance of making it to the round of 16.
 
 
Reaction from the Irish Open golf following Mikko Ilonen victory
 
In golf,
Finland's Mikko Ilonen has won the Irish Open by one shot with a final round of 70.
"Wire-to-wire it was - very much a Martin Kaymer inspired win. You know I sent a message to Martin end of last week - I very rarely enjoy watching golf, I'd rather play golf, but this Martin's win (in the US Open) inspired me it was nice to keep that lead all the way."
Italy's Edoardo Molinari fired a final-round 67 to take second.
In other action,
The final round of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship is in the books.
Kevin Streelman set a PGA Tour record when he has birdied the final seven holes for an astonishing one-stroke victory.
The 35-year-old Streelman won the Tampa Bay Championship last year, but he had missed the cuts in his previous four starts on tour.
On women's side,
At the LPGA's US Women's Open,
American Michelle Wie has taken this year's event, finishing with a 2-stroke victory over fellow American Stacy Lewis.
That's her first win at a major.
A pair of Chinese competitors also finished well.
Tour rookie Feng Yue'er finished tied for 13th at Plus-6, while Guangzhou's Feng Shanshan finised tied for 15th at plus-7, after firing even par 70's over the last three rounds of the tournament.
 
 
Katie Ledecky breaks freestyle world record
 
London Olympic champion Katie Ledecky has beat her own 800m freestyle world record in a swimming meet in Texas.
The 17-year-old American has clocked eight minutes 11 seconds, shaving 2.86 seconds off her former world best set at the World Championships in Barcelona last August.
It is the second world record Ledecky shattered in the Texas event.
She has also broken her previous record in the 1,500m freestyle with a time of 15:34.23, more than 2 seconds faster than the mark she set in Barcelona.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
"Little England" honoured at 17th SIFF
 
"The best film award winner for the 17th film festival is - Greek film 'Little England'."
Taking home the Golden Goblet, best director and best actress, "Little England" has become the biggest winner at this year's Shanghai Film Festival.
The awards were handed out at the Shanghai Grand Theatre by a jury panel led by Chinese actress Gong Li.
It is the first time the jury was led by a woman.
The best actor award went to Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm.
The jury grand prize was given to the Chinese film "The Uncle Victory" by Zhang Meng.
Zhang is also the director of indie film "The Piano in a Factory."
SIFF is the first international film festival in China.
It has grown more influential over the years.
This year's SIFF opened on June 14 and was attended by more than 400 celebrities and specialists from the global film industry.
15 films were in final competition for the festivals' top awards.
 
 
"Beijing, New York" releases pilot trailer
 
With the conclusion of the Shanghai Film Festival coming up, love drama "Beijing, New York" has held a news conference and released a pilot trailer.
The film was written and directed by freshman director Li Xiaoyu, and starred Liu Ye, Lin Zhiling, Jiang Shuying and Richard DeClark.
The film follows the story of a love triangle.
Mo Li, played by Lin Zhiling, went to America to pursue her dreams.
Stuck by reality, she got involved in a relationship between two men, one married and rich, the other a poor artist.
Mo Li is faced with a tough choice between the two men.
The director says the movie poses a question to the audience: "What is the thing we really want in our lives?"
 
 
"Transformers 4" screening will screen as scheduled: Paramount
 
Paramount Pictures has said "Transformers: Age of Extinction" will open in Chinese theatres as scheduled.
A Beijing property developer has terminated a cooperation agreement with the new "Transformers" franchise.
Beijing Pangu Investment is also calling on the Chinese government's film regulator to not screen the movie.
The company claims Paramount's Chinese partners never delivered on pledges to hold the movie premiere at Pangu's hotel, despite an outlay of some 10-million yuan.
Paramount's vice chairman Rob Moore said in a news conference that the company is working with the company and hopefully the problem will get resolved very soon.
And director Michael Bay added that he and the CEO of Pangu Investment are good friends and they call each other "brother".
Bay said he has done all he was asked to present the profile of a building that resembles like a dragon head.
The height of the building made filming very difficult.
The film is scheduled to screen in China this Friday.
 
 
Manuscripts from Dylan, McCartney, Elvis among rock items up for auction
 
Handwritten lyrics from Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison are to be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York.
The auction is themed "A Rock & Roll History: Presley to Punk."
Richard Austin is Sotheby's Head of Books and Manuscripts.
"We wanted to find the right material to present to the market. And one of the things that we came up with were these two incredibly important Dylan manuscripts that anchor the sale. And we wanted to give an overview of the history of rock and roll, so we begin with Presley and we go all the way up to Kurt Cobain."
The Dylan lyrics are his final draft before recording "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965.
They are expected to fetch more than 1 million US dollars.
A jumpsuit worn by Elvis Presley in concert may sell for 20 to 30-thousand dollars.
Other items at the auction include an acoustic guitar played by Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, gold records from Buddy Holly, the Beatles, and U2, as well as a red wool military jacket owned by Michael Jackson.
Sotheby's will auction the items in person or to registered bidders online Tuesday.
 
 
Fosun International joins hands with Studio 8
 
Fosun International has announced that it has inked a deal with movie production company Studio 8.
This March, Huayi Brothers intended to invest around 150 million US dollars to Studio 8.
Fosun International didn't release the investment value.
Media reports indicate it could be between 150 to 200 million dollars.
19:56:30-19:57:00 Closing Remarks
 
 
That's it for this edition of the Beijing Hour - a quick recap of headlines before we go:
the Chinese government is working on a major amendment to the country's food safety laws...
China's Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world, has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list...
and despite the ceasefire declared by Ukraine's government, troops and rebels continue to fight in the country's east...