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

Coming up on our program this evening,

Egypts top judge sworn in as interim leader.

South Korea offers talks with North Korea on Kaesong industrial park.

Chinese fleet conducts naval drills with Russia.

Business, COSCO could face de-listing if profits drop for another year.

Sports, Djokovic set to take on Del Potro in the Wimbledon Semifinals.

Entertainments, the Chinese movie ‘Tiny Times’ knocks Man of Steel off the top spot at the Chinese box office.

Plus Special reports takes a look at new research in the UK detecting post natal depression.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will be overcast tonight with a low of 23 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow sunny with a high temperature of 35.

Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 28,　thundershowers tomorrow, with a high of 36.

Lhasa will have moderate rain tonight, 11 degrees the low, showers tomorrow with a high of 22.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 40.

Kabul, sunny, 36.

Over in Australia

Sydney, sunny, highs of 19.

Canberra, overcast, 11.

Brisbane, overcast, 23.

And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 18.

 

 

Top News

 

 

QA with Hamza Salah on Morsi ouster

 

The top judge of Egypt's Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, has now been sworn in as interim leader.

President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military after last nights deadline for Morsi to stand down passed.

The country's constitution has been suspended.

Morsi himself is now under house arrest, with warrants issued for the arrest of another 300 Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members.

Morsi's ouster comes after days of massive protest, which began on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of his taking power in Egypt's first democratic elections.

Both UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama are voicing their concerns over the ouster of Morsi and are calling for a quick return to "civilian rule" in the country.

Now for more on developments in Egypt, we spoke earlier with Hatem Deeb, CRI's special correspondent:

…

Back anchor:

That's Hatem Deeb, CRI's special correspondent.

 

 

South Korea proposes Kaesong talks

 

South Korea has offered working-level talks with the North on reopening the jointly-run Kaesong industrial park.

Seoul made the proposal a day after Pyongyang said South Korean officials could visit the closed complex to inspect equipment.

Kim Hyung-suk is the spokesman of South Korea's Unification Ministry.

"Our government has offered to hold a working-level meeting between the South and North Korean authorities in Panmunjom regarding the Kaesong Industrial Park on July 6."

Kim says South Korean government remains committed to solve the Kaesong Industrial park problems through dialogue with the North.

A telephone hotline has also been restored by the North, which comes amid pressure from businesses owners of the Kaesong park saying they have incurred heavy losses.

Work at the factory park was halted in April amid high regional tensions.

Attempts to hold high-level talks last month failed on procedural grounds.

North Korea has accepted the latest offer.

 

 

France apology in Bolivia jet row

 

Bolivian President Evo Morales has arrived in his home country, after being held up in Europe amid suspicion his plane was harboring NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

"First, I want to express my enormous satisfaction for the unity of the Bolivian people, for this immediate reaction to the intimidation of the empire."

It's been reported Morales' plane was barred from French and Portugese airspace on Wednesday after leaving Moscow.

His plane was then grounded in Vienna, Austria for some 13 hours.

Morales was eventually able to refuel his plane on the Grand Canary Islands to allow him to continue his journey back to Bolivia.

French President Francois Hollande has apologized to Bolivia for refusing to allow President Morales'jet to pass through, blaming "conflicting information".

The Bolivian government has officially denied harboring Edward Snowden.

Snowden is still believed to be in Moscow's main airport from where he's seeking asylum in Bolivia and several other countries.

He's wanted by the U.S on charges of leaking thousands of classified intelligence documents.

Snowden has been unable to travel after having his passport revoked by the U.S government.

 

 

Arizona fire almost half contained

 

The wildfire in the US state of Arizona is now nearly half contained.

Officials predict the fire will be put out in a week.

Nearly 600 firefighters are battling the blaze, which has burned across 13 square miles.

Clay Templin is the Yarnell Fire Incident Commander.

"We had it (fire) move approximately four miles in twenty minutes. So if you do the math, it's like 12 miles per hour. That's how fast that fire was moving."

The Yarnell Hill blaze has so far burned down hundreds of properties and killed 19 elite Hotshot firefighters.

Officials in Yarnell are making plans to ease evacuation orders while crews continue searching fire-damaged properties for possible victims.

Yarnell residents are hoping to return this Saturday to start assessing their losses.

The deadliest wildfire in eight decades was ignited by lightning and reinforced by record high temperatures and strong winds.

 

 

Chinese fleet conducts training programs with Russia

 

A joint training session is now underway between Chinese and Russian navies.

The sessions are taking place in the Sea of Japan and include a series of simulated drills.

Yang Junfei is commander of the Chinese fleet.

"We used well the meteorological condition which is featured with strong winds and big waves to conduct intensive training of various subjects to improve the force's ability."

However the naval drills, which run until next week, have been struggling with thick fog in the Sea of Japan this week.

Chinese and Russian sides are also scheduled to hold anti-terrorism military drills toward the end of the month.

 

 

Air China offer in-flight Internet service for passengers

 

Anchor:

Air China has become the nation's first domestic carrier to take the exciting step of offering customers in-flight WiFi internet.

Passengers on board a recent Beijing to Chengdu flight have become the first customers to surf the net.

CRI's Xie Zhao Reports:

Reporter:

The new service enables passengers to surf the internet, check e-mails, and browse microblogs on board.

Doctor Ding Xiaoyu is from the China Civil Aviation Management Institute.

He says before offering in-flight services, the plane should be tested using strict procedures.

"When the plane takes off and lands, we should check whether every system installed on the plane is working correctly. When the airline is sure that every system is running well, the in-fight service can get approval to be applied. "　

So far, several international civil aviation carriers have offered in-flight broadband Internet access.

Air China began its trial of the in-fight service in 2010.

Zhang Yun is director at the on-board internet office of Air China.

He says that technically speaking, the in-flight service is the same as household wifi.

However, in-fight WIFI services can only be offered when the plane reaches an altitude of 3000 meters or more, in order to protect passenger safety.

"The email service can be used soon. You can register an NetEase email. Then you can send and receive email to your friends. Meanwhile, users can also browse updated news. "

Several domestic civil aviation carriers have previously offered the internet services to passengers.

Jiang Qiping, is secretary-general at the information research center at the Chinese Academy of social sciences.

He says the previous service was only local area network technology.

He says if the in-flight service operates well, it is likely to became a trend on other airlines.

"The previous service was a small scale trial operation. If the in-fight service can go through trial operation, it can be applied on a larger scale in the future."

Insiders say some international civil aviation carriers may charge passengers when they use the service on board.

This could cost a few dollars per hour.

But so far, Air China has not mentioned any plans to charge for the service.

For CRI This is XZ.

 

 

Drowning Causes Concern over Child Safety in Summer

 

Anchor:

Following the deaths of three children, who recently drowned in a village in Central's China's Jiangxi Province.

Many people are now discussing the issue of child safety in China's rural areas.

CRI's Laiming has more:

Reporter:

Child safety is an issue which becomes more pronounced during the summer. The schools are closed but parents are still working, so there is no one to look after the children at home. This problem is serious in China's rural areas, where unattended children often play in treacherous rivers and ponds.

According to the Hunan Provincial Education Department, 178 primary and secondary school students drowned in Hunan in 2012. Drowning is the biggest cause of unnatural deaths amongst school children.

On June 26, an accident devastated a family in Wenqing Village, Jiangxi Province, where two brothers and their sister drowned at the same time in a nearby pond. The accident occurred when the adults were out doing farm work.

One villager commented on the unexpected nature of the accident.

"The parents don't allow their children to go near the pond, but since they were working on the farmland, they didn't know their kids were playing there."

The children's parents are migrant workers in South China's Zhuhai City. Upon returning home, they were hospitalized as a result of their grief. According to rough estimates by local official Zou Jingbo, 50 to 60 percent of children in the village are left behind at home when their migrant worker parents go out to find employment.

To prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future, Lianqiao Village in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province built their own swimming pool. Sun Jianyuan is head of the village.

"We built the pool to teach children how to swim, so they can protect themselves when accidents happen. The maintenance cost for the swimming pool is more than 30,000 yuan a year."

Children from the 800-strong village can swim here for free; the Fuyang Municipal authorities even send in coaches to teach them. But with an income of 200,000 yuan a year, the village is finding it hard to keep the thousand-square-meter pool running.

In contrast, children in cities are much luckier. In Shanghai's Minhang District, all third-grade students attend swimming lessons for free. Gu Wenxiu is the Principal of Qibaomingqiao Primary School:

"We have specific requirements for the students. In case they are thrown into water without time to prepare, without a swimming suit, they must be able to save themselves."

Previously, the students and the schools pay for the training fees together, but now the expense is covered by the Shanghai Municipal government. So far, more than 11,000 students from 60 primary schools have learnt to swim in Minhang District, Shanghai.

However, governmental assistance is yet to reach children in rural areas. According to figures from the population census carried out in 2010, China now has 61 million children who are left behind by migrant worker parents; that's one in every five children throughout the country. Ultimately, their well-being will affect the future of this nation.

For CRI, I'm Laiming.

 

 

Summer Tourism enters peak season

 

The summer tourism market here in China is heating up with summer vacations getting under way.

Travel agencies are seeing an increasing number of people registered for travel amid rising ticket prices.

A market survey indicates more than 80-percent of tourists pick Europe as their overseas travel destination.

Family Holidays have become popular, while study tours have cooled down.

Dun Jidong is senior manager of C-trip, China's leading online travel agency.

"Summer has made many places in the northern hemisphere hot destinations, for expamle, Europe, especially northern European countries, like Russia, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. And high-latitude areas, which can help avoid summer heat, are very popular. America and Canada are popular too."

Dun adds most students have a long summer vacation and many parents are looking for a chance to spend time with their kids.

That's why family trips have become the trip of choice.

Coastal areas and islands are also being favored by tourists in summertime, due to their pleasant weather.

Wu Pu, is an expert from the China Tourism Academy.

He warns that tourits should pay attention to their safety while travelling.

"Compared with travelling and sightseeing, personal safety should be more prioritized. We need to do risk evaluation and precaution before setting off. Parents should be well prepared when travelling with their kids, for instance, buying travel insurance and taking medicines."

Wu has also reminded tourists they should respect laws and customs in the countries they are travelling in.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Asian Stock

 

Chinese shares advanced today as lenders recovered on an eased liquidity squeeze.

Logistics and trade firms also got a boost form the central government's approval to set up a free trade zone in Shanghai .

When the market closed,

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose nearly 0.6 percent.

The Shenzhen Component Index edged up 1.3 percent.

While in Hong Kong, The benchmark Hang Seng Index gained 1.6 percent.

Elsewhere, Tokyo's Nikkei Stock Average dropped 0.2 percent

South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent as upbeat job data from the U.S boosted market sentiment.

Meanwhile, Singapore's Strait Times Index gained 0.5 percent.

Australian S&P/ASX 200 added 1 percent.

 

 

COSCO faces being delisted if it cannot navigate into profitability

 

Anchor:

Head of China's largest shipping company, China Ocean Shipping Co. or Cosco Group, has resigned.

Wei Jiafu, chairman and party secretary for COSCO, will be succeeded by the group's general manager Ma Zehua.

Its being said the central government and the State Council made the decision in light of Wei's age. He is 63.

It is also being reported that Cosco is on the verge of being delisted from the Shanghai Stock Exchange if the company posts losses again this year.

In 2011, China COSCO Holdings recorded a loss of 10.45 billion yuan, followed by a loss of 9.56 billion yuan a year later.

For more on this, we earlier spoke with Shen Hong, Shangai Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal.

…

Back Anchor:

That was Shen Hong, Shangai Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal.

 

 

GDP growth for second half to be 7.6%:report

 

China's economy is expected to grow 7.6 percent in the second half of 2013.

The report by China's State Information Center says China's economic growth model remained stable.

It forecasts whole year inflation is likely to reach a moderate 2.5 percent.

The report suggests local government debt, industrial overcapacity and soaring housing prices are posing risks to economic recovery.

Earlier, major investment institutions cut back their forecast for China's GDP growth, some are set below the government's target of 7.5 percent.

China's economy expanded 7.8 percent last year, the slowest pace in 13 years.

 

 

China starts investigation over drugmakers

 

China's top economic planner is now probing into pharmaceutical companies over production costs.

Over 27 firms including 10 listed firms and Britain's Glaxo/SmithKline are to be assessed in the probe.

National Development and Reform Commission says the investigation will look into the costs and prices of the drugs over the last three years, as well as the firms' financial statements.

The move comes after the authority started investigations over alleged price-fixing by baby formula producers.

 

 

Poly reports sales growth in first half

 

Poly Real Estate, one of the largest property developers here in China has reported sales of over 63-billion yuan in the first half of this year.

The company says it marks a 26-percent growth compared to the same period last year.

Poly now ranks fourth in property sales, following Vanke, Greenland Group and China Overseas Land.

Yesterday, Vanke group set a new record for land buying after paying 88-percent above the bidding price of a land parcel in Shanghai.

The 79-thousand square meter plot was sold for 4.8 billion yuan.

 

 

U.S approves Softbank takeover of Sprint Nextel

 

It is being reported U.S regulators have given final approval for the takeover by Japanese firm Softbank of U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Nextel.

The 21.6 billion dollars deal gives Softbank a 78-percent stake in the No.3 US wireless provider.

It marks the largest-ever overseas acquisition by a Japanese firm.

Softbank will now help Sprint to pay for a network upgrade and step up completions with other top providers.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

Adli Mansour to take oath as Egyptian caretaker president

 

Egyptian judge Adli Mansour has been sworn in as the interim head of state.

He was earlier sworn in as head of the Supreme Constitutional Court.

During the sworn-in ceremony, Mansour has promised to sincerely protect the republican order.

Meanwhile, ousted President Mohamed Morsi has been reportedly under home arrest.

The Muslim-oriented president was sacked by the army on Wednesday.

The generals put the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court in charge of Egypt for a transitional period and suspended the constitution.

The move came following Morsi's refusal to heed the army's 48-hour deadline to either step down or call for early elections.

The security forces are preparing for issuing arrest warrants for other 300 Brotherhood members.

 

 

Syrian crisis not real revolution: Assad

 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has come out and said that what is happening in his country is not a "revolution".

He says real revolution would be purely domestic and unrelated to foreign agendas.

Assad made the remarks during an interview with state-run al-Thawra newspaper to mark its 50th anniversary.

He said foreign intervention was involved in Syria's crisis and has been since the unrest began two years ago.

Assad also claimed the current problems had turned the country into a land of terrorism.

Assad is accusing a number of foreign countries of backing terrorism in Syria.

In the past two years more than 90-thousand people have been killed in Syria.

 

 

GDP growth for second half to be 7.6%:report

 

China's economy is expected to grow 7.6 percent in the second half of 2013.

The report by China's State Information Center says China's economic growth model remained stable.

It forecasts whole year inflation is likely to reach a moderate 2.5 percent.

The report suggests local government debt, industrial overcapacity and soaring housing prices are posing risks to economic recovery.

Earlier, major investment institutions cut back their forecast for China's GDP growth, some are set below the government's target of 7.5 percent.

China's economy expanded 7.8 percent last year, the slowest pace in 13 years.

 

 

Transparency urged in China's college enrollment

 

The Ministry of Education is asking local authorities and colleges nationwide to ensure transparency in enrollment which is currently under way.

This comes about one month after the conclusion of the annual national college entrance exams.

The ministry has also told local authorities to ensure students' personal information is secure.

The move is designed to try to prevent enrollment that is conducted in exchange for money or other gifts.

College admission granted to those who have violated relevant regulations are expected to be revoked.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Xinhua

 "Space breeding seeds to bring benefits to TCM"

A medicine company says the growth cycle of seeds for two plant species, which are used as raw materials for traditional Chinese medicine or TCM, could be shortened after being bred in space.

The space breeding took place during China's recent Shenzhou-10 spacecraft mission.

Insiders say with the experience in space, the growth cycle of the seeds will be shortened and the effective components they contain will be strengthened.

This will solve supply demands for TCM raw materials.

The space breeding seeds are expected to grow into high-quality plants and their planting areas will be expanded using hi-tech measures so medicinal resources can be protected.

Shanghai Daily

 "Preschoolers feel the pressure"

Despite repeated pleas from experts, nearly 90-percent of preschoolers attend extra classes to learn pinyin, English and mathematics to prepare themselves for primary schools.

Experts claim this added pressure is neither necessary nor healthy.

The report shows 88-percent of preschoolers had attended extra classes out of kindergarten.

In an extreme case, one child attended 10 different classes because his parents did not want him to lag behind others when he entered primary school.

Learning pinyin, a phonetic system used to read Chinese characters, topped the list with 23-percent of children taking lessons.

Japan Daily Press

 "Japanese scientists use stem cells to grow human liver in lab mouse"

A report shows how liver buds began to grow and could possibly be used in actual science.

The buds mark the early stage of liver growth and development.

Researchers simply mixed three cell types and found they unexpectedly self-organised to form a three-dimensional liver bud – a rudimentary liver."

Despite the achievement, experts agree that it will still take years before the off-the-shelf organ can be used in actual science.

SIFY.com

 "Yoga once-a-week enough to ease lower back pain"

Researchers have found that one yoga class a week gives lower back pain relief and causes reduction in the need to take pain-killer medication as bi- weekly classes.

The results of the study indicate patients interested in trying yoga for lower back pain could benefit from attending a medically appropriate weekly yoga class.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

New medical treatment for PND

 

Anchor:

UK scientists have now developed what's believed to be the world's first blood test for detecting post natal depression or PND.

The ground-breaking research could lead to women getting expert medical help before they give birth.

Li Dong has the details.

Reporter:

Rachael Dobson knows how devastating post natal depression can be. She has suffered with it for three years, following the birth of her son Andreas.

The 24-year-old mother has now recovered - thanks to support from family and friends - but her journey was a tough one.

"I would sit there some days thinking that nothing could get any worse, I'm making it difficult for my husband, I'm not caring for my son like I'm meant to. So would it be easier if I just ended it? Would that solve it? I viewed it as if I'd done something and done that and ended it, then it would make it easier on my husband because he wouldn't have to come home, as well as looking after a baby, which he loved doing, he wouldn't have to contend with me sort of crying at him or shouting at him."

Rachael became so depressed that she even considered, for one terrifying moment, harming Andreas:

"I can remember him crying, absolutely loads, I think I tried every tip box in the book you could be possibly think of, feeding, winding, changing his nappy and I just, because he wouldn't be quiet, I just started then to get thoughts of what if I smothered him, at least he would be quiet then and then I'll be able to sort myself out. But then, sort of within a split second, you're almost scared yourself, because how can you think that about a vulnerable baby."

Rachael is not alone. Up to 15 percent of women are reported to suffer from PND, but medics think this figure is likely to be a lot higher because many cases go unreported.

Medics are now keen to get to those at risk before they give birth.

Scientists at a laboratory in Britain have come up with a blood test to give women an indication of how likely they are to go on and develop depression.

Researchers have proven that a genetic variation can lead to mothers-to-be becoming up to five times more likely to suffer from PND.

Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Professor of Molecular Medicine and Consultant is working on the study.

"Clearly there is evidence that if you can identify women at risk early, you could be able to treat earlier, to give measures early, in order to prevent or stop the process of the disease."

His paper, which has been published by the Journal of Psychiatric Research, is based on a recent study of 200 pregnant women.

The research found that an overwhelming majority of women who went on to develop PND had at least one of two molecular signatures - variations in a person's DNA - which increase the risk of PND.

The study is far from complete. Grammatopoulos and his team are now recruiting around 1,500 volunteers for the next phase of their research. The aim is to have the blood test ready for use within five years.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.

 

 

Sports

 

 

Djokovic to Take on Del Potro in Wimbledon Semifinals

 

Reporter:

The two top seeds at the Wimbledon Championships have reached the last four in the mens singles division.

World No 1 Novak Djokovic will take on 8th-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals, while second-seed Andy Murray will face 24th-placed Jerzy Janowicz.

CRI's London correspondent Tu Yun has more.

Reporter:

It's the fourth year in a row that Novak Djokovic has advanced to the Wimbledon semis.

The Serb cruised past 7th seed Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6, 6-4, 6-3.

With defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal long gone, this could be a chance for the 2011 All England Club champion to repeat history.

"I'm just thinking about what I need to do on court - to win every match I play in. I'm dedicated to go far in this tournament. I've playing some of the best tennis of my career on grass. I'm really glad because this is not my most preferred surface. But I won this title a few years ago, and hopefully that experience can help me in the upcoming challenges."

Djokovic will be battling Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in the next match.

It's the first time the 8th-seeded Argentine has reached the last four at Wimbledon.

The 2009 US Open champion swept past 4th-seed Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 despite a heavy fall during the first set.

"I think I played the best match in the tournament against David. I'm so happy to be in the semis. I hit really well my forehand and serve. At the end I played my best forehand ever in this Wimbledon. A big performance from me. I'm so happy with my level at this moment. I beat one of the biggest players of the season."

2nd-seeded Andy Murray also secured a place in the semifinals, coming from two sets down to beat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5.

Murray set up a semifinal clash with 24th-seeded Jerzy Janowicz from Poland, who outperformed countryman Lukasz Kubot 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile,

Four women with no major titles will meet in the semi-finals later today.

The No 4 seeded Agnieszka Radwanska will face No 23 Sabine Lisicki, and the French 15th seed Marion Bartoli is to meet with Kirsten Flipkens, who is now in the 20th.

And Chinese player Zheng Jie and his partner Rohan Bopanna is in the mixed doubles quarters with Vera Dushevina and Jean-Julien Rojer.

 

 

Manchester United plays tough with Rooney

 

In football,

The Manchester United is now playing tough with Wayne Rooney, saying the striker has to make formal transfer request if he wants to leave the club.

No official announcement has come out after Rooney's meeting with the United's new manager David Moyes.

However, media reports are suggesting it is very impossible for Rooney to continue his contract with the Red Devil with higher payment.

The United has also refused to make any response against Alex Ferguson, who in last season dropped the forward out of position and key games.

The 27-year-old striker still has two years remaining on his contract.

Meanwhile Rooney's former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has ruled out an imminent return to the Red Devil.

Linked with a move to United, the Real Madrid forward said he misses English football.

"But now my life is in Spain, I enjoy to play there too. Part of my life is there, but the future we never know. But I'm really really happy in the Spanish league at the moment."

Ronaldo also has two years remaining on his contract with Real.

It might require about 90 million US dollars for the Spanish club to consider selling the player.

 

 

Mercedes says driver safety must be paramount

 

Mercedes says driver safety must be paramount, after several tyre problems which blighted the British Grand Prix.

　　

Mercedes caused controversy earlier in the season when they conducted a tyre test with Pirelli in Spain.

They were later banned by Formula One's governing body, the FIA, from taking part in a young drivers' test later this month.

That testing session is now becoming increasingly important, especially after a series of blow-outs at Silverstone which some experts said put drivers at risk.

Mercedes sporting director Toto Wolff.

"I think we have some critical safety issues and they need to be sorted out. We want to be treated fairly like we try to treat the others fairly. We have accepted our penalty from the international tribunal but if it comes to safety I think the teams must be playing a role in determining what they need."

Meanwhile the blow-outs have also raised speculation that drivers may boycott the next round of the season in Germany.

However, two-time former champion Fernando Alonso rejected that action.

The Ferrari driver is calling on tyre manufacturers to fix the problem, otherwise, he says, someone might be killed.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Tiny Times Beats Out Superman in Chinese Theaters

 

The Chinese film Tiny Times has knocked out Man of Steel to claim the top spot at the Chinese box office.

The film is inspired by author-turned-director Guo Jingming's young adult novel.

So far it has taken in 273-million yuan, or 44.5-million US dollars since its release last week.

The film tells a coming-of-age story about a tight knit group of girls from very different familial backgrounds.

Some believe Tiny Times' success is due in part to the discussion it has triggered on social networking sites.

The film has undergone mixed reviews with some criticism stemming from it unrealistically displaying luxury goods in the lives of Chinese people born in the 1980s and 90s.

 

 

James Franco to Adapt 2nd William Faulkner Novel

 

US 127-Hours actor James Franco has announced he will adapt the William Faulkner novel The Sound and the Fury for the big screen.

This will be the 2nd Faulkner novel adaptation for Franco as he premiered his film version of As I Lay Dying at the Cannes Film Festival.

He's teaming up once again with co-writer Matt Rager on the script and will direct the film himself.

Franco's older brother Dave is expected to take the role of tortured and introspective Quentin Compson.

Mad Men actor Jon Hamm is wanted as patriarch Jason Compson the third.

James Franco and Danny McBride will also appear in the film.

Faulkner's novel is an American classic and weaves together an intricate and complex yet beautiful story of the fall of the aristocratic Compson family in the US during the early 1900s.

The narrative is told from the perspectives of 4-different characters through the use of stream of consciousness.

In other literary adaptation news Lincoln director Steven Spielberg is planning to remake author John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.

Spielberg will reportedly produce the new film about Depression-era America.

 

 

Singer Steven Tyler to Undergo Surgery

 

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has announced he will be undergoing knee replacement surgery later this year.

The Walk This Way singer claims years of performing has left his knee battered and in need of surgery.

Tyler is no stranger to surgery as he has been in and out of the hospital several times to correct knee problems.

He has joked the fact that he can still stand is a miracle.

Tyler estimates he'll need 3 to 4 months to recuperate from the knee replacement surgery which will take place this fall.

The 65-year-old performer has no plans to retire anytime soon and is even beginning work on a solo album early next year.

Tyler is known for his wild stage antics, leaping and spinning as he sings so it's no wonder his legs have taken a toll after decades of touring.

 

 

Creator of Computer Mouse Dies

 

Doug Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse, has died.

The 88-year-old inventor created the first prototype for the mouse back in the 1960s as a wooden shell with two metal wheels.

Engelbart also developed early versions of email, word processing and video teleconferences at a research institute in California.

 

 

50-Cent Assaults Ex-Girlfriend

 

US rapper 50-Cent has been charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

The 37-year-old performer whose real name is Curtis Jackson allegedly kicked his ex-girlfriend after a heated argument.

It is believed the woman is the mother of Jackson's 3-year old child.

The rapper could face up to 5-years in prison if found guilty of the domestic violence.

Jackson has also been charged with vandalism from kicking down the victim's bathroom door after she had locked herself in.

Police investigators have also reported the victim's house was trashed, with broken furniture, a chandelier, and television set having been smashed.

In addition to jail time Jackson may face fines totaling over 53-thousand US dollars.

Jackson is due to appear in court later this month.