新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2015/04/23（打印版）

Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a new call for stronger cooperation between Asia and Africa as part of a speech in Indonesia.

Hong Kong authorities have put forward a new proposal for universal suffrage, potentially making it easier to be a candidate for Chief Executive.

Overcrowding and Capitan error being pointed to as the main reasons behind a deadly ship capsizing off Libya which has left at least 800 people dead.

In Business... mainland authorities reportedly working on plans for a possible cross-strait stock connect system.

In entertainment... preparations are underway for the next installment of the Silk Road Film Festival.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a speech at a leaders meeting at this year's Asian-African summit in Indonesia, calling for more economic integration between the two continents.

President Xi says Asia- Africa cooperation will create new opportunities and develop new global circumstances.

"We should keep pursuing common development, align our development strategies, and translate our economic congruence into a driving forth for common growth. We should strengthen the inter-connectivity of infrastructure construction and promote cooperation between industry, agriculture, and human resources. We should also deepen our regional and inter-regional development to promote the freedom and feasibility of trade and investment. "

Referring to South-South cooperation, he points out that developing countries are faced with the similar missions of speeding up development and improving people's living conditions, and they need to join forces and march forward together.

On a wider scope, President Xi also urges coordination to push rich countries to realize their obligations to developing countries.

"Boosting the development of their developing peers and narrowing the South-North gap is a binding obligation of the developed world. Developed countries need to fulfill their aid commitments and increase assistance to developing nations with no political strings attached so as to enhance the capability for self-development within developing countries and to establish a more equal and balanced new global partnership."

The president adds China will unswervingly promote Asia-Africa cooperation under the new circumstances.

He announced that China will grant duty-free privileges to the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic ties on 97 percent of imported products, and will do so within the year.

Meanwhile he adds China will continue to offer assistance for developing countries with no political strings attached.

"China will offer 100,000 training places for developing countries in the Asia-Africa region. And we'll continue to host the Asia-Africa Youth Festival and invite 2000 young people from countries on these two continents to join the festival. China will also establish a China-Asia-Africa cooperation center to promote further cooperation among countries in the regions. "

The president adds China will hold an international seminar themed with carrying on the Bandung Spirit and welcomes all parties to participate.

The leaders of China and Japan have met on the sidelines of the Asian-African summit in Indonesia.

The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been held at the request of the Japanese side.

That meeting followed the creation of a four-point agreement between the two sides to improve bilateral ties.

In it, the Chinese and Japanese sides agreed to resume political, diplomatic and security talks, while acknowledging their different positions on the Diaoyu Islands.

As part of this week's meeting, Shinzo Abe has told Xi Jinping his administration is going to adhere to the principles of the Murayama Statement and honor the words of former Japanese governments.

The so-called Murayama Statement, delivered by former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, was an apology for the damage and suffering caused by Japan to its Asian neighbors during the war.

There's been speculation Shinzo Abe may be preparing to revise the language of the Murayama Statement as part of a speech he's preparing to deliver to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the War.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe have also discussed potential Japanese involvement in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Abe says the Japanese side recognizes there is immense demand for investment in infrastructure in Asia, and says he remains open to talking about potential Japanese investment.

The Hong Kong government has outlined its new proposals for universal suffrage in the city for the 2017 Chief Executive election.

The new proposal, put forward by Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, has eased the previously-planned thresholds needed to be a nominee.

One person, one vote - to decide who will be Hong Kong's new Chief Executive. But the reform plan must first be endorsed by two-thirds of the members in the 70-seat Legislative Council.

When introducing the plan on Wednesday, Carrie Lam told council members that the threshold for potential candidates at the first stage of the selection process, referring to nomination from a 1200 member committee, has been lowered.

"We suggest that a person who can obtain recommendations from 120 Nominating Committee members could become a candidate seeking nomination for the Chief Executive election."

That is down from the current 150 needed, and would allow five to ten candidates to seek nomination.

Once nominated, the candidates, in the second stage, would need to get the backing of at least half of the Committee members.

And then, universal suffrage - voting. The election will have only one round. The candidate with the most votes will win, though that winner would still need final approval of the Central Government.

Recent opinion polls show the majority of the public favor universal suffrage in time for the next Chief Executive selection in 2017. But with opposition politicians holding a little more than one-third of the seats in Legco, enough to reject the plan, Carrie Lam has issued a call urging the members to respect the popular will, as Hong Kong's political reform is at a critical juncture.

"I sincerely hope that lawmakers can abandon passive attitudes and work with the Hong Kong Government and the public to implement a fair, open, just and transparent system for selecting the Chief Executive by universal suffrage."

A dozen lawmakers have walked out of the Legislative Council in protest, vowing again to veto the proposal.

But more than 40 lawmakers have expressed their support to the plan. Tam Yiu-Chung is with Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

"We support the proposal because it is in line with the Basic Law, the Central Government's decision made last August, and the reality in Hong Kong. We believe if it is passed, it could reduce long-term political disputes, enabling us to focus on fixing problems in different fields. It is conducive to Hong Kong's long term development as well as national interests."

"I hope the public and lawmakers endorse the proposal, so as to implement universal suffrage."

In the next two months, the Government will reach out to as many people as possible to enhance their understanding of the reform package, as their views can influence lawmakers' decisions.

Fu Kui is with the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"There are several reasons for us to do this. One is to show our determination in hunting down these corrupt officials. We will apprehend them no matter wherever they flee to. The other reason is to create a deterrent to try to dissuade others from becoming potential fugitives."

The list itself contains the suspects' personal information and the crimes they have allegedly committed.

Duan Daqi with Interpol's China Bureau says the creation of the list will help strengthen global law enforcement cooperation.

"With the release of the list, we feel we've started creating a global surveillance network. Each country will be able to take different actions according to their laws. Some countries will be able to take measures including arrests, extradition and repatriation based on the list. Others will monitor the whereabouts of the suspected fugitives and report them. The monitoring will also apply to areas such as visas, green cards and bank accounts."

Huang Feng, head of the Center for International Criminal Law with Beijing Normal University says follow-up work also needs to be done once a fugitive suspect is identified.

"Once a suspect is in custody, Chinese judicial authorities will have to work through the extradition or repatriation process of the countries involved. Supporting evidence and legal papers will be needed. Otherwise, the suspects may be set free."

The Chinese government has been actively trying to gain international support for its fight against corruption.

A "priority" list of fugitives suspected of corruption has reportedly been provided to the United States and Britain.

Under the proposed changes, jurors who are selected to sit on a case will be asked to express their opinions on the case itself, rather than making their decisions about the case based only on the strict letter-of-the-law.

Supreme People's Court President Zhou Qiang says they are also recommending the minimum age requirement for jurors be increased.

"The minimum age for jurors will be increased from 23 to 28. At the same time, the education requirement will be lowered from junior college to senior high school."

Zhou Qiang also says the jurors will be given more opportunities to sit in different cases.

"Jurors will be able to take part in more first-trials involving both groups and cases connected to the public interest. They'll also be able to sit on major cases that have a lot of public attention. They'll also be allowed to help adjudicate serious criminal cases which involve potential sentences of more than 10-years in prison."

Under the proposals, the number of jurors who will sit on major cases will be increased to at least three from the current maximum of two.

The proposed changes will also see prospective jurors chosen at random from the public, rather than through recommendations and applications.

Unlike the jury system in the United States, where the jury is selected at random from the area where a case is heard, the Chinese system has a pool of jurors who are sent to help adjudicate cases across the country.

The system was first implemented in 2005, with some 27-thousand jurors selected for 5-year terms.

Yemeni rebels are demanding the Saudi-led coalition completely end its attacks as a condition for UN-sponsored talks.

The demand follows reports the coalition has been launching new air strikes, a day after declaring its month-long campaign over.

The Saudis declared on Tuesday that its bombing campaign was going to switch to a political campaign to restore order in Yemen.

The Red Cross is among those calling for a full ceasefire, suggesting the situation in Yemen is "catastrophic."

"We urge all the parties to take every precaution to protect women, men and children. We call on them once again to facilitate desperately needed, impartial humanitarian action."

The United Nations estimates close to a thousand people have been killed since the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen began on March 19th.

On the ground, fighting is still said to be taking place among the Houthi rebels and fighters still loyal to ousted President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi around the city of Aden.

Italian authorities say overcrowding and captain-error are the main factors behind the capsizing of a migrant boat over the weekend off the northern coast of Libya which has left some 800 people dead.

Italian authorities say they've learned the boat went down after a collision with a container ship.

Meanwhile, more than 500 migrants have been taken ashore by Italian authorities after being rescued near the port of Solerno.

"The situation is quiet and calm. They are disembarking. They will receive sanitary and humanitarian assistance, then they will be identified and transferred to migrants centres."

The International Organization for Migration estimates some 17-hundred people have died so far this year while trying to make the treacherous journey from North Africa to European territory.

A passenger plane has been forced to make an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York after suffering what officials call a "pressurisation problem."

The SkyWest Airlines flight landed safely at Buffalo International Airport after the crew declared an emergency.

It's being reported one person may have lost consciousness during the reported 85-hundred meter decent into breathable air.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has visited a church in a Paris suburb which had reportedly been targeted for an attack by an Islamic extremist.

"What could have happened is a shock for everyone. And it's normal (for us) to seek out the elected officials of this town and this parish to express to them both our deep emotion and our complete solidarity faced with this attempted attack."

French authorities revealed this week they arrested a suspect this past weekend who allegedly had plans to attack a pair of churches in the Paris area.

Authorities say they're working under the assumption the suspect may have had help from outside the country.

"Investigations into computer elements seized in the suspect's car and home allowed us to determine this person was in contact with another person who might be in Syria with whom he exchanged information on how to proceed in the development of an armed attack. This person asked him specifically to target a church. This targeting has been confirmed by the seized GPS and by the hand-written documents found in the car."

The 24-year old suspect is also being investigated in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old woman.

French authorities have been on high-alert ever since Islamic militants killed 17 people in January in attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

The European Union and Cuba have restarted discussions about possible diplomatic recognition after a 4-year hiatus.

EU foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini has met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Parilla in Brussels.

Mogherini, who visited Cuba last month, says they've agreed to hold their first meeting in June.

"The last meeting of the formal political dialogue took place in 2011, so I'm proud to relaunch this process as I'm convinced that there are many areas in which the European Union and Cuba can have fruitful cooperation in our mutual interests."

For his part, Bruno Parilla says the Cuban side is happy with the steps they've taken so far.

"We have advanced with a constructive spirit and mutual respect towards the strengthening of the cooperation agreement between the European Union and Cuba and have also reviewed issues related to a negotiation for a bilateral cooperation agreement."

Wednesday's discussions in Brussels have also included an agreement on the establishment of a human rights mechanism.

Ties between Cuba and the European bloc became strained when the EU adopted the so-called "common position" in 1996.

Cuba is the only Latin American country with which the European Union does not have any bilateral agreements.

South Korea and the United States have revised their 42-year-old civil nuclear energy agreement.

The revision sets the terms that will govern South Korea's management of spent nuclear fuel for the next 20-years.

"Due to the new agreement that is now concluded, we can solve difficulties in the field of our nuclear activities in our science industry and we can improve the lives of our people. "

South Korea is still not allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel using US nuclear materials without prior consent.

However, the revised deal gives more leeway to South Korea in research activities and data collection related to spent fuel.

The United States has been worried that permitting South Korea to enrich uranium and reprocess spent fuel could make it difficult to deter other countries from seeking similar technologies.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has delivered a speech at Peking University in Beijing, calling on China to be a stronger leader in international affairs.

In the speech, Annan has contended that the 21st century is an Asian century and international cooperation is needed to address thorny issues in peace and security.

'The 21st century might very well prove to be an Asian century. Yet Asia faces numerous threats to its sovereign peace and security. One, the resurgence of nationalism. Second, ethnic and religious tensions. Third, territorial disputes. It is increasingly obvious that more than ever international cooperation is necessary if we are to manage these changes in the world order.'

Meanwhile, Annan has said he believes that China should take up the leadership role in promoting sustainable development and combating climate change.

'China's recent announcement on carbon emissions is a welcome step in the right direction and kind of leadership the world needs. The fate of the world might be decided at the Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of the year. Chinese policy would be one of the keys to the success of failure of this great global effort. It will be an opportunity for China to play a leading role in making the world safer for our children and their children.'

With respect to the China-proposed financial institutions, probably the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund he alluded to, Annan hopes that these initiatives could be a complement to the pre-existing institutions and can propel the development of the African continent.

'I also see value in the new financial institutions that China initiated, and from which I hope Africa could benefit. They should complement the existing global institutions. Inadequate infrastructure and energy are two of the biggest blocks on Africa's economic development. I urge the new and existing institutions to work with African governments, effectively addressing these constraints.'

He currently chairs the Kofi Annan Foundation aimed at promoting better global governance, after his tenure as the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997-2006.

He made the speech at Beijing Forum Lecture Series and was granted Peking University Global Fellowship by the president of the university.

Chinese and American dancers are helping raise the curtain at this year's Meet in Beijing Arts Festival through the classic ballet Swan Lake at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

The 15th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival is all set to open with a historic international interpretation of Swan Lake.

The National Ballet of China, American Ballet Theater and Boston Ballet are working in collaboration for the first time to present the classic ballet, choreographed by legendary Russian prima ballerina Natalia Makarova.

President of the National Ballet of China Feng Ying, is the art director of the performance. She explains that it's truly a multicultural version.

"Swan Lake is the most representative ballet. Makarova's version is from Russian School of ballet. This time, principal dancer Isabella Boylston from the American Ballet Theater and principal dancer Paulo Arrais from the Boston Ballet will share the stage with Chinese ballet dancers Ma Xiaodong and Wang Ye. It's really an internationalization of art. Audience sitting in Beijing will enjoy a world-class piece."

American ballerina Isabella who has been dancing since she was three years old played both the white and black swans with the American Ballet Theater when she was in Beijing last time in 2013. This is her first time to perform Makarova's version. She is excited to have this try.

"It will be interesting to try a different version. There's like actually more dancing for Odile. She has like little solo. And I think this version is really beautiful. And I've worked with Natasha [sic] a lot actually on her La Bayadere many times. Yes, it'll be fun, try to fit in this production."

She explains that this version is quite different from the American Ballet Theater version which she is very familiar with. It will be a challenge to adapt to a new partner in such a short time.

Principal dancer Ma Xiaodong is Isabella's new partner, who has been performing Makarova's Swan Lake since he joined the National Ballet of China in 2009. He says he's looking forward to the communication with American dancers on and off the stage despite the language and cultural barriers.

"It has very high demands for a ballerina to perform Swan Lake. And it's very difficult to accomplish the pas de deux without long term cooperation. This time, we just have two days to practice, which challenges both of us. Thank Goodness she is the principal dancer of ABT with strong basic skills. I hope we are able to deliver our best performance to the audience."

The other prince Paulo from the Boston Ballet is a Brazilian. He's lost his voice since he arrived at Beijing. But he is still eager to express his passion:

"I am really excited about the stage, and of the collaboration between different countries."

He says he cherishes the chance to experience different culture in different ways while they are working.

The young artists' performance kicks off the 15th the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival on April 23rd, which is offering about 150 various shows from around the globe to embrace audiences in Beijing for the following whole month of May. And artists inside China and out are gathering together and looking forward to getting more inspiration from the cultual exchanges.

In Chongqing, it will see slight rain during the daytime with a high of 19 and lows of 15.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a speech at a leaders meeting at this year's Asian-African summit in Indonesia.

In the speech, President Xi has called for deepening of regional and inter-regional development to promote the freedom and feasibility of trade and investment.

The Chinese president has announced that China will grant duty-free privileges to the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic ties on 97 percent of imported products, and will do so within the year.

He has also said China will offer 100,000 training places for developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is calling for stronger reforms in the country's pilot Free Trade Zones.

He made the call during a visit to Fujian, one of three locations where new Free Trade Zones have been officially launched.

Li Keqiang says FTZs should be a powerhouse of reforms instead of becoming places for favorable policies.

The Fujian FTZ is tailored to try to attract investment from Taiwan due to its proximity to the island and the existing economic ties.

Chinese authorities have announced plans to bring as many as eight nuclear power stations online this year.

At the same time, the China Nuclear Energy Association says work is also going to begin on 6 to 8 additional reactors.

There are currently 26 nuclear power units under construction in China, the most in the world.

The Chinese government is hoping to double the current nuclear power generation figures by 2020.

The United Nations now estimates around a thousand people have been killed in fighting in Yemen over the past month.

Another 43-hundred have been injured since the outset of the Saudi-led bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels, which still control much of the country.

In releasing the new figures, the UN also says aid agencies continue to face problems accessing areas because of continued battles on the streets of certain cities.

UN children's agency UNICEF says there are nearly 8 million children in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen.

The missile fell back to earth seconds after ignition at the launch site northeast of St. Petersburg.

Authorities say there is no local threat, as the missile was not carrying any hazardous materials.

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome was the secondary launch site for satellites and missiles during the former Soviet era.

U.S. stocks posted sizable gains on Wednesday on the back of new economic data and earnings reports which beat market expectations.

The National Association of Realtors is reporting U.S. existing-home sales increased 6.1 percent in March on a monthly basis, the highest rate of growth in some 18 months.

Coca-Cola's shares gained 1.3 percent after it reported better-than-expected operating results in the first quarter.

A turnaround plan announced by McDonald's also excited investors, pushing the fast food giant's shares up 3.1 percent.

Visa and MasterCard shares both soared around 4 percent after China's State Council announced plans to open up bank card clearing services to foreign investment.

A disappointing report from British retailer giant Tesco dragged the UK's FTSE 100 down half a percent.

Tesco lost 6.4-billion pounds last year, one of the largest corporate losses in UK history.

A leading official with the China Securities Regulatory Commission has confirmed that plans are being looked at to potentially create a cross-strait stock connect system between the mainland and Taiwan.

Media reports out of Taiwan are quoting Jiang Yang, vice chair of the CSRC, as saying a feasibility study is already underway.

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect system has seen some 32-billion US dollars flow through it since it became operational in November.

Currently, only institutional investors from Taiwan can invest in the mainland A-share market.

It's unclear if the proposed new cross-strait stock connect system would allow individual investors from Taiwan into the A-share market.

New data from the China Clearance Center shows the number of individual investors in the A-share stock market now totals over 100-million.

China Clearance estimates that one out of every 13-people in China invests in the stock market.

In a regional breakdown, Guangdong saw the most new A-share accounts created last month, followed by Zhejiang and Shanghai.

The A share market finished at its highest level in more than 7-years yesterday, also hitting a new record high in transaction volumes.

The Chinese government has announced plans to allow foreign players into the bank card sector.

State Council has announced that it will open up the market for clearing domestic bank card transactions as of June 1st.

Foreign firms will be able to set up their own clearing companies in China and apply to the central bank for licenses for bank card clearing operations.

Currently, only China UnionPay can provide clearing services for bank card transactions in the country.

Transactions through bank and credit cards last year in China hit some 6.8-trillion U.S. dollars.

The move is part of a promise made in 2012 after the United States filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization, accusing China of discriminating against foreign bank card and credit card firms.

Q1: Why has the government decided to open up the bank card payment market to foreign players? How significant is this move in terms of financial reforms?

Q2: With the foreign penetration, what measures do you think the banking regulator will take to supervise their businesses?

Q3: Will the new policy see the creation of another national level bank card association like UnionPay?

Provincial authorities in Shaanxi is now offering subsidies to companies which avoid massive layoffs through their restructuring.

The provincial government will refund half of any company's unemployment insurance contributions if its payroll stays stable for a year.

The plan is to keep companies from firing people during the current downturn of in the economy.

Shaanxi authorities are making the move just a day after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang issued a new call to try to keep employment stable across the country.

The Atlanta Hawks are on court right now against the Brooklyn Nets for game two of their series.

And later, the Los Angeles Clippers, who easily took game one, host defending Champions San Antonio.

This season, OKC missed the playoffs on the last day of the regular season, the first time the team won't be in the post-season since 2009.

In a statement, Thunder general manager Sam Presti says that firing Brooks was not because of this past season, but a move "necessary" to be "in the best position next season."

Although he's never led OKC to a title, Brooks' .620 win percentage is the all-time best among coaches that never won a championship.

Shandong Luneng beat Becamex Binh Duong 3-1 on Wednesday. Shandong need to win their next match against Korean club Jeonbuk Jyundai Motors to book a spot in the round of 16.

And Guangzhou R & F had their chance in the round of 16 smashed by Japanese squad Gamba Osaka, who routed the Chinese side 5-0.

Real Madrid beat rivals Atletico Madrid 1-0, thanks to a late-game winner by Chicharito in the 87th minute. The win ends Atletico's seven-game unbeated streak against Real.

And Juventus' one-point aggregate put them into the last four after going nil-nil against Monaco.

Two-time champ Wang Yihan overcame Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-13, 21-7 in just 33 minutes to make it to the third round.

In the men's singles, China's Lin Dan, the defending champion, eased to the last-16. His teammate Chen Long and Wang Zhengming also advanced to the next round.

Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan, All England Open winner in 2013, fought off the tenacious Japanese combination of Hirokatsu Hashimoto and Noriyasu Hirata in three close games, winning 21-17, 18-21, 21-13.

Domincan Republic's Victor Estrella Burgos scored the biggest win of his career after downing U.S. Open champ Marin Cilic in straight sets.

Eight-time Barcelona champion Rafael Nadal was a straightforward 6-3, 6-1 winner over compatriot Nicolas Almagro, who beat Nadal in last year's Barcelona quarter-finals.

"Sure, it's an important victory for me. He was a very dangerous opponent so I'm happy the way I'm through to the third round. It's a victory that confirms I'm playing a little bit better after Monte Carlo"

Third seed David Ferrer of Spain, made comfortable progress, beating compatriot Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-3.

Lisicki's compatriot Angelique Kerber fared better, downing American Alexa Glatch 6-2, 7-5.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy has been suspended for 10 games without pay for what the National Football League says is "conduct detrimental to the league."

Hardy's 10-game suspension was handed down after the NFL's two-month investigation after the athlete had his domestic violence case dismissed.

Hardy's domestic abuse charges were dismissed in February when North Carolina authorities couldn't locate his accuser. He was initially found guilty or the charges by a judge in 2014, but opted for a jury trial, which shelved the guilty verdict.

The NFL says in a statement that Hardy violated the league's Personal Conduct Policy "by using physical force" against his ex "in at least four instances."

Formerly with the Carolina Panthers, Hardy signed a one-year, 13-million dollar deal with the Dallas Cowboys that hinged on his per-game roster bonuses, which will be impacted by the suspension.

Montreal are currently on ice against Ottawa in game four of their series. The Canadians are one win away from sweeping the Senators.

And the New York Rangers are currently playing against the Pittsburgh Penguins; New York up 2 games to one in their series.

The Minnesota Wild are looking for their third win against St. Louis, who are down by one game.

It's been announced the 2nd Silk Road International Film Festival is gonig to be held in the Chinese cities of Xi'an and Fuzhou from September 22nd to the 26th.

"The framework of the festival has been set up. Theme slogan, logo, trophy and the mascot solicited from the public are currently waiting for approval. Also, the invitation work of guests and film screening has all been launched."

Last year's Silk Road Film Festival saw nearly 200 movies from around the world screened as part of the event.

Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise have turned out at this year's CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas to promote "Mission Impossible 5".

The latest installment of the franchise has the Mission Impossible organization coming face to face with a mirror organization which is equally as lethal and equally as equipped as it is.

"These days, you see a lot of things go, 'Bang!' With this, you know Ethan Hunt. You've known him for 20 years. And you've known a lot of the characters, and it's about people that you care about - looking down the barrel of a gun, literally."

The animated family comedy follows the story of the inner-workings of an 11-year-old girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco.

"Inside Out" has debuted almost 2-years since the release of the last Pixar film — "Monsters University."

The 50-year-old, whose latest project is the voice of a super-villain in the upcoming movie "Minions," is one of Hollywood's top-paid actresses.

Bullock became a household name in North America through her role in the action-thriller "Speed" with Keanu Reeves in 1994.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a new call for stronger cooperation between Asia and Africa as part of a speech in Indonesia.

Hong Kong authorities have put forward a new proposal for universal suffrage, potentially making it easier to be a candidate for Chief Executive.

Overcrowding and Capitan error being pointed to as the main reasons behind a deadly ship capsizing off Libya which has left at least 800 people dead.

In Business... mainland authorities reportedly working on plans for a possible cross-strait stock connect system.

On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.

新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2015/04/23（在线收听）