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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Video is being reviewed to see if one of two Chinese teens killed in the weekend plane crash in San Francisco was run over by an emergency vehicle.

Clashes between pro-Morsi forces and the Egyptian military has left over 50 people dead.

Observers are suggesting a good inter-personal relationship needs to be fostered among those taking part in the forthcoming S&ED between China and the US.

In Business, a new survey of economists is predicting a significant slowdown of the Chinese economy through the 2nd quarter.

In sports... Britan's cricket squad looking to build on the recent UK sporting success at The Ashes, which gets underway tomorrow.

In entertainment.... the director of a new documentary about Wikileaks is blasting the website's founder.

First, let's check on what's happening on the weather front...

 

 

Weather

 

 

Rainstorms forecast for Beijing

 

Forecasters here in Beijing have issued a yellow alert amid the rains and thundershowers that have been hitting the capital this week.

Authorities are warning of potential flooding in the southern districts of Fangshan and Daxing.

Those living in the mountainous areas of the Beijing municipality are also being cautioned about the potential dangers being brought on by the rains.

Cumulative precipitation here in Beijing since the start of the summer rainy season has reached 178 millimeters.

This is up 58-percent compared to the same period a year ago.

Beijing has recorded 19 rainy days since June.

 

 

Beijing will see thundershowers today, with a high of 28 degree Celsius in the daytime, and it will see torrential rain tonight with a low of 21.

In Shanghai, it will be sunny today, 37 the high, and it will be clear tonight, the low of 29 degrees Celsius.

Lhasa will be cloudy in the daytime the temperature's at 23, and tonight will see slight rain with a low of 12 degree Celsius.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, sunny, 36.

Kabul, sunny, with a high of 33.

And in North America

New York, thundershowers, with a high of 32 degrees.

Washington, thundershowers, highs of 31

Houston, thundershowers, 33.

Honolulu, overcast, 29.

Toronto, overcast, 27.

Finally, on to South America,

Buenos Aires, sunny, 13.

And Rio de Janeiro will see moderate rain with highs of 25 degrees Celsius.

 

 

Top News

 

 

Asiana crash landing: US investigators review airport surveillance video

 

Anchor

US investigators have been reviewing airport surveillance video to determine whether an emergency vehicle ran over one of two teenage girls killed in Saturday's Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco.

So far authorities say they have not been able to reach any conclusions.

CRI's Su Yi with the latest update.

Reporter

US National Transportation Safety Board Chair Deborah Hersman is describing the possibility one of the two girls who died was run over a "very serious issue."

"We are reviewing video, airport surveillance video, to understand also what happened and I will tell you, at least the initial read of the video by our investigators, they shared with me that it wasn't conclusive, so we really need to work and talk with people, conduct additional interviews and let the coroner do their work."

A fire department spokesperson says the Chinese teenager had "injuries consistent with those of having been run over by a vehicle."

Autopsies to determine the cause of death is still underway.

The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 slammed into the runway at San Francisco airport Saturday morning, leaving two Chinese middle school students dead.

The crash also left 180 others injured.

Six are still in critical condition.

The two girls killed were among a group of 30 students and five teachers from Zhejiang.

They were on their way to a summer camp in the United States.

Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines Chief Executive, Yoon Yong-doo, is dismissing speculation one of the pilots was too in-experienced.

However, the airline does conceed one of the pilots of the Asiana plane was still "in training" for the 777.

"A senior pilot was in charge of the flight. So I cannot tolerate the speculation. I would appreciate if you understand that it is not true. We expect all flight records and analysis be available after decoding of the black box has taken place."

South Korean transport officials say it was the pilot's first time landing a 777 at the airport in San Francisco.

He did fly to that airport 29 times on different types of aircraft.

The initial investigation shows the jet was flying too slowly when it approached the runway.

The plane's crew tried to abort the descent less than two seconds before it hit a seawall.

The impact ripped off the plane's tail.

The plane eventually came to a standstill and eventually caught fire.

As the investigation takes place, the parents of the Chinese victims are heading to the US.

They include the relatives of the teenage girls who were killed in the crash, as well as another two Chinese nationals injured in Saturday's crash.

"We will go to the hospital first. We still don't know exactly how injured he is. They have announced the news that he survived, but we don't know anything more detailed. His teacher said he is still there in the intensive care unit."

Meanwhile, education authorities in the city of Quzhou in Zhejiang have suspended all summer camps and overseas study tours in the wake of the accident.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

 

 

Egypt interim leaders outlines election timetable

 

Egypt's interim leader has outlined a timetable for new elections in his country.

Adli Mansour says general elections could be held by February.

He has also approved a constitutional declaration for the country's transitional period.

The interim leader says a panel to amend the constitution will be formed within 15 days.

 

 

Army condemns "attack" on Guard HQ

 

Egypt's military has released further footage of Monday's clashes ouside the Republican Guard building which have left over 50-people dead and hundreds of others hurt.

The Egyptian military says it was forced to step up its defenses after supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi began firing live ammunition at the Egyptian soliders.

Right now the official death toll from the fighting stands at 51.

Over 400 others have been injured.

Egyptian military spokesperson Ahmed Mohammed Ali.

"I question how any country would handle human right issues for someone who carries a gun or weapon and scares people, and threatens the safety of a military installation. I also question the western countries, would they allow freedom of speech and expression to channels (TV channels) that instigate killing peaceful people?"

Pro-Morsi protesters contend the troops attacked their encampment without provocation shortly after they finished their morning prayers.

"The military spokesman is lying we have not attacked anyone we are not so crazy as to attack the army, what kind of weapons do we possess to attack the army? The military lies just as we have always said."

The fighting outside the Republican Guard building marks single biggest death toll since massive protests forced Morsi's government from power.

For more on this, I spoke earlier with David Keyton, CRI's special correspondent in Cairo.

[Q&A David]

David Keyton, CRI's special correspondent reporting from Cairo.

 

 

China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue: New Faces, new issues

 

Anchor

The latest China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue is due to kick off Wednesday in Washington, with new faces representing both sides on a new set of issues.

CRI's Washington chief correspondent Xiaohong with more.

Ann

The Sunnylands summit between the presidents of China and the United States was just a month ago in California.

It has been hailed as an important meeting, with both sides vowing to build a new type of relationship between great powers.

And observers in the US say the upcoming China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue is also a very important meeting between the two powers.

Kenneth Lieberthal is a leading China observer at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

He says both China and the United States are viewing the upcoming S&ED as an important follow up to last month's Sunnylands summit.

"Neither side saw the Sunnylands summit as an end itself. Both sides saw it as a hopefully a beginning of putting together a capacity to deal with each other at ways more meaning that overtime will build more confidence in the future than what has transpired before. And both sides at the time saw the next big step as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue."

This year's S&ED is the first edition of the annual sessions since the government transition in both countries.

All four co-chairs are new faces. On the Chinese side, Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi will represent China.

On the U.S. side, Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will represent the United States' interests.

Richard Bush with the Brookings Institute says he believes it's also important for senior officials from both governments to build up closer personal relationships, just as the two leaders did during the Sunnylands summit.

"On the S&ED this year, I would guess one thing made it special is that in addition to Wang Yang and Secretary Lew, there are a whole lot of other people who've never met each other before. And the building up of those personal relationships between counterparts in the two governments becomes very important in the conduct of the relationship."

In addition to the new faces, there are also new issues on the horizon for this session of the S&ED.

The US side is expected to focus on cyber security, climate change, economic and trade relations, on top of military-to-military ties.

Kenneth Lieberthal with Brookings says there's room for both sides to find common ground.

"The big story here, I think, in this arena, in so far as, there is one, is that the climate change issue has moved significantly up the Chinese agenda over the past year, and as you all know, it's also moved up President Obama's operational agenda as he's entered his second term. So both sides are looking for major projects to engage in and also to coordinate more effectively in their postures in multilateral international negotiations."

The recent establishment of a cyber security working group is also being pointed to as an example of the cooperation between the Chinese and US governments.

Xiaohong, CRI, Washington.

 

 

Obama has no plans to cancel visit to Russia: U.S. ambassador

 

The United States' ambassador to Russia is moving to rebuff reports President Barack Obama might be considering cancelling a forthcoming trip there because of the Edward Snowden case.

A Russian newspaper is quoting US State Department source as suggesting the Obama administration is thinking about cancelling the President's trip to the G20 summit slated for St. Petersberg in September.

US Ambassador Michael McFaul has since issued a statement, saying he's still preparing for Obama's time in Russia.

The Kremlin also says it's recieved no information about any changes in Obama's itinerary.

Tensions between Washington and Moscow have been on the rise since Snowden's arrival at Moscow's main airport on June 23rd.

The NSA whistleblower has been staying in the international transit lounge of the airport ever since.

He's been unable to travel since Washington revoked his passport.

Russia insists there is nothing they can do about Snowden's presence there, despite calls from the US side to have him taken into custody and extradited to face charges.

 

 

Expert: Fighting Terrorism Is International Goal

 

Anchor

Despite life returning to normal following the recent terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, a leading observer there is warning the fight against extremism in the region is going to be a long-term challenge.

CRI's Zhang Shuangfeng has more.

Reporter

When night falls, there's no hint of danger or fear on the streets of Urumqi, as people still go to the night market as usual.

A vendor says his business has seen no impact from the riots.

"I can sell almost 2,000 barbecues everyday. You see there are about 100 tables. Our business is very well here."

However, policemen still patrol the roads 24-hours a day after last month's violent attack claimed 24-lives, including policemen and civilians in Shanshan County of Turpan Prefecture, only a few hundreds miles away from Urumqi.

The attack was followed by 2 more within the following week in Xinjiang.

Professor La Disheng, an expert on ethnic studies in Xinjiang, told CRI the riots are organized by terrorists who want to separate the country.

"These terrorist attacks target innocent people from different ethnic groups. For example 16 victims in the unrest happened in Shanshan are Uygur. They have nothing to do with religion or ethnicity."

Professor La said these terrorist acts are blatantly disrespectful to human rights, and to fight against such terrorism is an international necessity.

"No country can tolerate such terrorism from spreading, even the United States. After the '9.11' terrorist attack, it has adapted its strategy and launched anti-terrorism war worldwide. Now facing these violent attacks that bring dangerous harm to social stability and people's lives, we should firmly crack it down."

Armed forces have been mobilized in the region since the riots took place.

Local authorities say there are still some suspects on the run. 11 people have been listed as wanted fugitives.

Meanwhile, 50 high-ranking officials have been dispatched to key parts of the region to help maintain public security and calm.

Professor La stressed that combating terrorism is a long term effort.

"During this process, greater importance should be attached to maintaining a stable and harmonious society in the long run, with everyone striving the common goal of development. By achieving that , we should further improve the livelihood of locals and meet their requirement for development. To combine economic development with combating effort can further promote social stability."

The expert also noted while the service sector gradually increases in the local economy, properly dealing with conflicts among the vast immigrants within the region is a key task for local officials.

For CRI, this is Zhang Shuangfeng.

 

 

China former railways minister sentenced to suspended death

 

China's former railways minister Liu Zhijun has been handed a death penalty sentence with a two-year reprieve for bribery and abuse of power.

The sentence has been delivered as part of a combined verdict here in Beijing.

Liu has been handed the death sentence with a 2-year repreive for accepting bribes.

He's also been give an additional 10-years for abuse of power.

Here in China, people sentenced to the death penalty with a repreive can avoid paying the ultimate price if they maintain a clean record during the duration of the 2-year reprieve.

 

 

Son of Chinese tenor charged with rape

 

The Haidian District People's Court here in Beijing is now prepared to hear the gang-rape case against the son of a famous Chinese singer.

The decision to hear the case comes after procedural questions in the case became cleared up.

The 17-year old son of famous military singer Li Shuangjiang, along with 4 others, are accused of gang raping a woman after a night of drinking back in February.

The case has drawn close attention, given Li Shuangjiang's fame and his son's behaviour.

The 17-year old has already spent time behind bars for a separate incident when he and another teenager attacked a couple who happened to block his driveway here in Beijing two years ago.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Anchor

First off, a check on the stock market of North America and Europe.

Join me on the desk, CRI's Su Yi.

Reporter

U.S. stocks rose on Monday for a third straight session, building on gains sparked by last week's robust employment report and pushing the S&P 500 closer to its all-time high set in May.

Alcoa Inc posted its earnings report shortly after Monday's closing bell to kick off a new round of earnings season of U.S. companies.

On the economic front, the Federal Reserve is reporting U.S. consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 8.3 percent in May.

The Dow jumped 0.6 percent.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent.

The Nasdaq gained 0.2 percent.

Canada's S&P/TSX advanced 0.6 percent.

European stock markets rallied on Monday, rebounding after a sell-off at the end of last week.

The rally was led by stocks more exposed to economic growth on optimism about recovery in the United States and the prospect for continued low rates in Europe.

Germany's DAX rose 2.1 percent.

France's CAC 40 was up 1.9 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 up 1.2 percent.

 

 

2nd quarter GDP growth to hit a 23-year low

 

Anchor:

A Reuters poll of 21-different economists has generated an average consensus of 7.5-percent GDP growth here in China in the 2nd quarter.

This would be the slowest pace of growth in China in 23-years.

The same report also suggests the growth prospects for the rest of the year look to slow even further if last month's money market crunch in the banking system eventually feeds into the real economy through higher lending rates.

The same economists are also warning companies firms burdened by higher borrowing costs could begin to start shedding jobs in coming months.

 

 

China Allows Two More Local Governments to Issue Bonds

 

Anchor

China's State Council has approved the trial of an expanded bond selling program which includes two more local governments.

Ministry of Finance says local governments in Shandong and Jiangsu will now be allowed to sell bonds directly.

CRI's Xie Zhao has more:

Reporter

Guangdong and Zhejiang as well as the cities of Shenzhen and Shanghai have already trialed the bond selling program.

Now the coastal provinces of Shandong and Jiangsu have been added to the list.

Zhao Xijun is Dean of the School of Finance at the RenMin University of China.

He says the two provinces were chosen due to their economic scales and debt-paying ability:

"The previous four authorized local governments are located in the south-eastern coastal areas. Their economy is developed with huge revenue compared to other local governments. That means they have higher debt-paying ability. The two added provinces are located in coastal areas as well and the scale of their economic output is relatively huge. Their economic development and their revenues are top across the country. So their debt-paying ability is strong."

Huo Zhihui is a senior analyst at China Credit Rating Co.Ltd. He says compared to huge local government debt, the current scale of local governments issuing bonds is too small:

"The financing demand for local governments is relatively large, because their financial funds cannot meet the demand of the public's livelihood expenditures, including infrastructure construction. To some extent, the trial program can ease the current situation. But it has little effect. " 　　

It has been reported some local government debt totals as much as 10-trillion yuan since 2008.

Zhao Xijun at RenMin University of China is warning that the bond issued by each of the local governments cannot exceed quota limits set by the State Council, in order to fend off the risk.　

"Considering the possibility of paying-debt in this trial program and the possibility of whole local governments' paying debt, the State Council has set the quota limit.

The quota of issued bonds should be limited by the local government's ability to repay debt. Then, each government can pay the debt independently and the debt will not affect other related departments and other local governments."

However, Zhao has emphasized that in the trial programme the central government will offer guarantees for local governments if they cannot repay their debts on time.

He says the central government should have up-to-date information on which local governments have debts or other potential risks.

For CRI, this is XZ.

 

 

Transatlantic trade talks kick off

 

The United States and the European Union have begun their first round of official negotiations connected to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

This round of talks will take place until Friday.

Negotiators are split into 15 different groups.

The issues under discussion this time vary from agricultural markets to e-commerce.

The goal is to conclude the talks by the end of next year.

Its being reported the added benefits of the potential deal could range from 88 to 155-billion US dollars for the EU and from 64 to 123.5-billion dollars for the US through 2027.

 

 

Greece must complete required reforms by July 19 to get fresh loans: Eurogroup

 

The Eurogroup say Greece must fully implement a set of reforms by July 19th if it wants to get its next tranche of 2.5-billion euros.

The head of the Eurogroup has made the announcement following meeting of eurozone finance ministers.

The reforms include creating a sustainable growth environment and securing public finances.

They also include a streamlining of the Greek tax code and brining in a mobility scheme for the country's public sector workers.

 

 

ECB rates will stay low for an extended period of time

 

The European Central Bank has wrapped up its latest series of meetings with a new pledge to keep interest rates low for an extended period of time.

ECB President Mario Draghi.

"Following its July meeting, the Governing Council stressed that the monetary policy stance is geared towards maintaining the degree of monetary accommodation warranted by the outlook for price stability and promoting stable money market conditions. It reiterated that its monetary policy stance will remain accommodative for as long as needed. Furthermore, the Governing Council sharpened its communication by announcing that it expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period of time."

Draghi also says it's the ECB's contention the economic recovery in Europe will stablize this year, but only at a "subdued pace".

"Economic activity in the euro area contracted for a sixth consecutive quarter in the first quarter of 2013. Labour market conditions remain weak. Recent confidence indicators based on survey data have shown some further improvement, albeit from low levels. Overall, euro area economic activity should stabilize and recover over the course of the year, although at a subdued pace."

Last week the European Central Bank decided to hold its key refinancing rate unchanged at 0.5 percent.

 

 

U.S. housing recovery eases in July

 

New stats show the number of improving U.S. local housing markets edged down in July.

The Improving Markets Index shows the number of improving housing markets has dipped to 255 this month.

This is down from 263 in June.

Still, the figure is more than triple the number of improving housing markets a year ago.

This is the 6th straight month where at least 70-percent of all US housing markets have shown improvements.

The IMI tracks the housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improved economic health, employment growth and house price appreciation.

A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three measures for at least six consecutive months before being included on the IMI list.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

Asiana crash landing: US investigators review airport surveillance video

 

US investigators have been reviewing airport surveillance video to determine whether an emergency vehicle ran over one of two teenage girls killed in Saturday's Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco.

So far authorities say they have not been able to reach any conclusions.

A fire department spokesperson says the Chinese teenager had "injuries consistent with those of having been run over by a vehicle."

Autopsies to determine the cause of death is still underway.

The Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 slammed into the runway at San Francisco airport Saturday morning, leaving two Chinese middle school students dead.

The crash also left 180 others injured.

 

 

Egypt army warns Morsi supporters to avoid armed provocation

 

The Egyptian military is pointing the finger at supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi for the bloodshed outside the Republican Guard House in Cairo.

The military says it had to respond with force after protesters began firing live ammunition at its soldiers.

The death toll from the fighting on Monday has reached 51.

Over 400 others have suffered injuries in the clashes.

The Egyptian military is also pointing to a campaign of disinformation being launched by Morsi supporters trying to drum up anger against the military.

 

 

Obama has no plans to cancel visit to Russia: U.S. ambassador

 

The United States' ambassador to Russia is moving to rebuff reports President Barack Obama might be considering cancelling a forthcoming trip there because of the Edward Snowden case.

A Russian newspaper is quoting US State Department source as suggesting the Obama administration is thinking about cancelling the President's trip to the G20 summit slated for St. Petersberg in September.

US Ambassador Michael McFaul has since issued a statement, saying he's still preparing for Obama's time in Russia.

The Kremlin also says it's recieved no information about any changes in Obama's itinerary.

 

 

Son of Chinese tenor charged with rape

 

The Haidian District People's Court here in Beijing is now prepared to hear the gang-rape case against the son of a famous Chinese singer.

The decision to hear the case comes after procedural questions in the case became cleared up.

The 17-year old son of famous military singer Li Shuangjiang, along with 4 others, are accused of gang raping a woman after a night of drinking back in February.

 

 

Rainstorms forecast for Beijing

 

Forecasters here in Beijing have issued a yellow alert amid the rains and thundershowers that have been hitting the capital this week.

Authorities are warning of potential flooding in the southern districts of Fangshan and Daxing.

Those living in the mountainous areas of the Beijing municipality are also being cautioned about the potential dangers being brought on by the rains.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

CHINA DAILY

Headline

Xinjiang farmers promo grapes via weibo

Summary

Weibo users in Xinjiang have been using the service to promote grapes from the region.

This comes amid concerns about a downturn in grape sales following the recent terrorism activities in Xinjiang.

The new promo on Weibo has been forwarded thousands of times.

GLOBAL TIMES

Headline

Residents weary of Qingdao algae

Summary

Authorities say the carpet of green algae off the coast of Qingdao now covers an area of over 28-thousand square kilometers.

This is more than twice the size of the algae bloom which first began appearing off the coast of the city in 2008.

While not harmful to human health, locals are complaining the size of the algae bloom continues to grow every year.

SHANGHAI DAILY

Headline

Fireworks outlets to be slashed

Summary

The Shanghai fire protection Bureau says its planning to cut the number of official fireworks wholesale outlets in half this year.

The city now has 16 official wholesale outlets for fireworks.

The Bureau also says the number of retail outlets for fireworks also be limited, with a stricter standard to be set up later this year.

BEIJING MORNING POST

Headline

Nanjing limits divorce applications

Summary

The municipal government of Nanjing in Jiangsu has introduced a new policy that restricts the number of divorces that can be registered every day.

The move comes as couples rush to file for divorce to circumvent the rules that limit the number of properties couples can buy and forbids children from attending schools outside their own residential district.

DONGGUAN TIMES

Headline

Milk powder prices cut

Summary

More milk powder producers have announced price reductions, the latest in a series of price cuts following an investigation into alleged price manipulation by foreign suppliers.

Donane's Dumex has announced it plans to reduce the sales price of its main products by 5 to 20 percent as of today.

YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY

Headline

Double-decker bus catches fire in Shanghai

Summary

The front-page picture shows a double-decker tourist bus on fire in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai's Pudong financial district.

Passengers can be seen walking away from the bus, which burst into flames during rush hour at one of the busiest intersections in the city.

No one was hurt.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Foreign investment encouraged in senior care industry

 

Anchor

The Chinese government is now actively moving to encourage foreign investment in this country's elderly care sector.

CRI's Li Dong explains.

Reporter

According to a report by the China Research Center on Aging, the total Chinese population aged over 60 will surpass 200 million by the end of this year, almost 15 percent of the country's entire population.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has recently issued a new regulation on senior care centers which says that senior care homes must have more than 10 beds. It also states explicitly, for the first time, that foreign organizations and individuals can open senior care centers in the country, with or without a Chinese partner.

Senior Living L'Amore-Kaijian, a facility operated by Sino-U.S. joint venture Beijing Yuanjian Senior Care, will open this month in southeast Beijing. Here is Luo Jian, the general manager of the senior living business development department of senior care provider Sino-Ocean Land.

"When we chose to cooperate with the American company, we were considering their experience, mainly in its service concepts, care system and nursing skills."

The facility will charge between 15,000 to 25,000 yuan a month per resident. The manager says it's targeted at senior citizens looking for a high-quality life. Ling Yize, is an 83-year-old Beijing resident.

Act2 Chinese Male

"Usually, in senior care homes, two people share one small room. I want my own bedroom and a living room. I haven't looked around yet, but I want to see its public facilities, such as the gym, activity center and reading rooms."

In January, the American company involved in the joint venture set up a similar senior care project in Shanghai. Aruna Poddatoori is the chief operating officer of the Beijing Yuanjian Senior Care.

"We're in the beginning status, and we are here to stay. We know we can make a difference. We see a lot of positives from the market. We hear it day in and day out. It will be a success."

Within the next two years, the Chinese government is hoping to ensure that at least 30 beds are available for every thousand people over the age of 60 in senior care institutions.

That goal requires 6.6 million beds, which means finding 2.7 million more beds in two years. This huge number represents a new market opportunity for both private enterprise and investors.

For CRI, I am Li Dong.

 

 

Sports

 

 

England gears up for another sporting success at the Ashes

 

It has been a glorious week for British sports. There was Andy Murray's historic win at Wimbledon, and then the British and Irish Lions big Test series victory against Australia.

Now England's cricket team is hoping to keep the streak alive with success at the Ashes.

England will be facing a young Australian team that was recently shaken by a major coaching change, after former head coach Mickey Arthur was abruptly replaced with Darren Lehmann.

Although no.4 ranked Australia will go into the series as the indisputable underdogs, the Ashes is an old rivalry that can inspire brilliant play.

The test has also been known to draw out old aggressions, but English spin bowler Graeme Swann says his side is just focused on the win.

"Any altercations that may of happened in the past are firmly in the past and the eleven who go on the field on Wednesday, you don't go on the field thinking about picking a fight or causing a ruckus. You go out there desperately hoping to do well yourself. I think any tetchiness, anything like that, might come about because of hot weather and frustrated bowlers. Hopefully that will be on the Australian side come tea-time on day one if we're 300 for none."

England has won three of the last four series, including the last series 3-1 in Australia. Ａ series win this year would be the team's first hat trick since 1956.

The opening Test takes place tomorrow at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

 

 

Chris Froome wears the yellow jersey heading into stage 10

 

At the Tour de France,

Cyclists had some time to recuperate on the first of the race's two rest days.

The standings after stage nine see Team Sky's Chris Froome with the race leader's yellow jersey.

He has a one minute and 25 second lead over second place Alejandro Valverde.

And Italian cyclist Peter Sagan is still in possession of the green points jersey.

Up next for racers is stage 10, a flat 197 kilometer ride through the heartland of Brittany.

 

 

Mexico loses first round at the CONCACAF Gold Cup

 

In football,

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is underway in the United States.

Title defenders Mexico endured a shock lose to Panama 2-1 in the first round.

Sriker Gabriel Torres scored twice to secure the victory and disappoint the largely pro-Mexico crowd at the Rose Bowl in California.

Also in group A, Martinique beat Canada 1-nil in their first game.

Fabrice Reuperne scored the only goal of the match in the 93rd minute to give Martinique a deserved win.

The Canadian side played sluggishly and didn't create any scoring opportunities against a dominant Martinique defense.

The Gold Cup continues today with two matches in New Jersey. El Salvador will face Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti will take on Honduras.

 

 

Russia dominating medal count at Universiade 2013

 

A Chinese Taipei weightlifter set three World University Games records to win gold in Kazan Russia.

Hsing-chun Kuo broke the womens record for snatch, best clean and jerk, and for lifting a total of 238 kilograms.

On day 3, Russia dominates the medal count with 19 golds alone. Japan is in second with 15 total medals, and China is a close third with 14 total.

 

 

Two Scots climb Kilimanjaro in a single day

 

Most people know about Andy Murray the tennis star.

But few have heard of a second Andy Murray who also achieved a major athletic accomplishment last week.

Dr. Andrew Murray, who also happens to be from Scotland, ran up and down Mount Kilimanjaro in just on day.

Murray made the 5895 meter ascent with fellow Scotsman and adventure athlete Donnie Campbell.

The two men tackled Africa's highest peak in just seven hours and 16 minutes, and that was while taking the Western Breach route, which is the steepest path.

"I feel as if I was going to die, you know I could hardly breath, it just felt like I was breathing through a straw. Really, really tough times, but then you looked around and you could see the plains of the Serengeti and you could see Mount Manyara and loads of other mountains all around you and that made it all better.

Their accomplishment is put into perspective when one considers that climbers who train for Kilomanjaro normally take five to seven days to reach the summit.

The pair will next travel to Kenya, before beginning a series of 17 consecutive ultra-marathons in East Africa.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Director Alex Gibney slams Assange's criticism of new Wikileaks Documentary

 

Oscar Winning Director Alex Gibney has come out in defense of his upcoming documentary "We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks".

The comments come after Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, denounced the film for being inaccurate.

"Julian denouncing the film and his refusal to participate didn't color the film at all. In fact, it almost made me rutter in the opposite direction, to make sure I included a lot of very powerful material that we have in the film of Julian's rise. I found him, particularly before he became famous,　tremendously compelling. He has denounced the film, he denounced the film before he saw it, which gives you some sense of what I think about it, as non factual."

To support his claims, Assange has been sending proponents of the film annotated transcripts that point out alleged factual errors.

However, Gibney calls Assange's attack "cruel poetry" which neglects a major aspect of the film.

It is interesting that his annotated transcript that he will Tweet to you or anybody else as soon as you say something positive about the film leaves out a quarter of the film, so what kind of transcript is that that leaves out a quarter of the film, and what he left out were all of Bradley Manning's words. That to me was a kind of cruel poetry, essentially Assange wrote Manning out of the story."

Assange also slammed the film for its (quote) "unethical and biased title in the context of pending criminal trials."

In response to the complaint, producer Jemima Khan explained that the title derives from a quote in the film.

The quote comes from former CIA director Michael Hayden, who tells Gibney that "stealing secrets' from other countries was the business of the United States.

The controversial film premiered earlier this year at Sundance and will receive general UK release on July 12th.

 

 

Swedish film Let the Right One In gets adapted for Stage

 

The Royal Court Theatre is ushering in a new season with a stage production of the Swedish vampire tale Let the Right One In.

The production will usher in the arrival of new artistic director Vicky Featherstone, who hopes the play would tempt teenagers into the theatres and away from cinemas.

The play is based on the 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also penned the screenplay for the critically acclaimed 2008 film of the same name.

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The horror romance follows the relationship between a lonely teenager named Oskar and a 200 year old vampire who befriends him.

The Jack Thorne adaptation had its world premiere last month and opens at the Royal Court in December, ahead of is West End run.

 

 

Mr Darcy Statue emerges out of London's Serpentine Lake

 

A 12 foot tall, fiberglass statue of Mr Darcy was installed in London's Serpentine Lake yesterday.

Jane Austen's most famous character is depicted emerging from the water in a soaked shirt.

Lead sculptor Toby Crowther says that he used Colin Firth from Andrew Davies' 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice as a launch pad for the creation.

The scene helped solidify Firth's status as a romantic leading man and remains one of the most memorable moments in British TV history.

After his stop over at Hyde Park, the giant Mr Darcy will be touring the UK before setlling in Cheshire.

 

 

Buckingham Palace announces Royal Baby Title

 

Buckingham Palace have confirmed the title for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's baby.

The baby will be addressed as the Prince or Princess of Cambridge, a title especially created for the child of the royal couple.

The announcement comes just ahead of the Duchess' due date, which is this Saturday 13th July.

The mayor of Cambridge has welcomed the news as a "great honour" and hopes that the title will help keep up tourism bouyant.

The news comes just as William's cousin, Olympic Silver Medalist Zara Phillips told the press that she is expecting her first child with husband, Rugby player Mike Tindall.