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

Coming up on our program this morning...

Mainland authorities have announced plans to lift entry-permit requirements for people from Taiwan...

A South Korean national living and working in Slovakia is being tested for the MERS virus...

and a court in South Africa has barred the visiting Sudanese president from leaving the country after the International Criminal Court called for his arrest...

In Business...record-high capital predicted for China's A-share market...

In Sports...China's men's football team begins its campaign to qualify for the 2018 World Cup...

In entertainment...the Shanghai Film Festival is now underway...

Top NewsFormer Chinese top legislator Qiao Shi dies at age 91A former leading member of the Chinese government during the 1990's has passed away.

Qiao Shi, former chair of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, passed away Sunday morning in Beijing.

He was 91.

Qiao Shi rose through the Party ranks after the end of the Cultural Revolution, becoming the head of the Chinese legislature from 1993 to 1998 during the tenure of then-President Jiang Zemin.

He also headed the Party's Central Committee for Discipline Inspection for a time.

He retired in 1998.

In marking his passing, the CPC has issued a statement, describing him as an excellent Party member and leader of the Party and the State.

Relaxation on Entry-permit Requirements Welcomed by Taiwan ResidentsAnchor:

Mainland authorities have revealed plans to lift entry-permit requirements for people from Taiwan travelling to the mainland, in a bid to boost exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.

As our reporter Wang Wei reports, many Taiwan residents welcome the new move.

Reporter:

The pronouncement has been made by lead political advisor Yu Zhengsheng during a speech to a cross-Straits forum in the city of Xiamen in Fujian.

"We are going to provide better conditions for cross-Straits exchanges. At some point we will lift the entry-permit requirements and issue a special card to allow easier access to the mainland for our Taiwan compatriots. I also hope the two sides can carry out more exchanges and communication activities, especially in grassroots areas."Fu Chia-Hsien is a Taiwan businessman who has been commuting across the Straits for over ten years, and he speaks highly of the new policy.

"It's a very good thing, really great. Since cross-straits relations are getting better and better, we want to regard the mainland as our home in the future."At present, Taiwan residents need to apply for a visa-like entry permit in order to visit the mainland.

Speaking of his own experience several years ago, a representative at the forum, Lu Ting-Hua, says that the card will definitely facilitate travel.

"I remember a few years ago the bullet train to Shanghai was launched and I worked in Shanghai. But I couldn't get my ticket to Shanghai issued because the railway station staff had trouble in inputting my ID number on the entry-permit to the bullet train ticket system. Now there's a specially designed solution for us. In the near future, with the official card, it will make things much easier for those who come here to study, work, tour or reside."Cross-Straits exchanges became widely possible after 2008 when the two sides opened direct mail, transport, and trade links.

Official statistics show Taiwan residents made 5.3 million visits to the mainland in 2014, a 20 percent increase from 2008.

Mainlanders made over 4 million visits to Taiwan last year, compared with just 280-thousand in 2008.

Wang Cho-chung, editor-in-chief of Want Daily based in Taiwan, has expressed his confidence in exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.

"If we are exempted from needing travel permits to come to the mainland, it means we can come at any time we want. Actually that is a very critical step to show that the two sides across the straits are one family. Through this new policy, the two sides can embrace business and personal exchanges in the future."Experts say the new policy is expected to attract more and more young people from Taiwan to pursue careers on the mainland.

A poll from the island earlier this year indicated about one third of Taiwan residents aged between 20 and 29 are interested in working on the mainland.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.

Only Candidate in KMT Primary Passes Opinion PollsHung Hsiu-chu, the only contender for the ruling Kuomintang Party's primary Taiwan leadership bid, has passed the required support in public polls.

Hung, deputy head of the island's legislature, got a high-average rating of 46 percent, higher than the 30 percent required by the KMT regulations.

Hung's nomination still has to be confirmed by a convention of KMT party delegates next month.

"If the convention passes my nomination and I become the KMT candidate for the 2016 election, we are looking forward to a completely new impression brought by a competition between two women."The opposition Democratic Progressive Party has endorsed the candidacy of its chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen for the 2016 election on April 15.

4 Dead in SW China Building CollapseFour people have been confirmed dead after a building in southwest China's Guizhou Province partially collapsed.

Three people were injured in the when the nine-story apartment building collapsed on Sunday morning.

He Chuqin is one of the injured.

"Around 05:50, we heard sand falling down. I was sleeping with my grandma who then reached out the window to check what was going on. But she did not find anything wrong. Then one minute later, we heard the sound again."The building was built in 1993.

Fan Rongwen, Head of the residential committee, says residents had complained about the safety of the building since 1997 and they had informed the authorities of problems, but the building was never identified as dangerous.

"Residents complained about the building materials and the structure of this building. The wall skin was falling off."Authorities have opened a probe into the cause of the collapse and vowed to hold accountable those who are responsible.

One hospital in Seoul shut down for becoming new epicenter of MERS outbreakA 38-year old South Korean national in Slovakia is being tested for MERS.

The man works in the European country at a car factory owned by South Korea's Kia.

The result of his blood test is expected to be released later on today.

He is currently in isolation.

In Seoul, authorities in charge of a hospital are offering apologies and changing strategies amid the current outbreak of MERS.

It's been revealed a staff member at the Samsung Medical Center continued to work at the hospital for days after being identified as a person who had potentially come into contact with the virus.

He's believed to have come into contact with around 200 people during the time he was still working.

Samsung Medical Center President Song Jae-hoon has issued a public apology.

He says they're now taking steps to cope with the spread of MERS at the facility.

"We will partially close the hospital in order to fully focus on counteracting MERS. Other than emergency operations, we are also going to temporarily set a restriction on out-patient treatments, hospitalisation, as well as operations and treatments on emergency patients. Also, we will limit the visitors coming in to visit in-patients."　Close to half of all the 145 confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrom in South Korea can be traced to Samsung hospital.

South Korean authorities have already sealed off two additional hospitals.

Around 4-thousand people in the country are now being quarantined.

The MERS virus has led to the deaths of 15 people since it was first identified in the country on May 20th.

However, the World Health Organization says it doesn't believe the spread of the virus will become a pandemic, as it has so far been confined to hospitals.

The WHO says it believes a combination of over-crowded emergency rooms and so-called "doctor shopping, or people visiting different medical facilities to treat the same ailment, are the main factors behind the spread of the virus in hospitals.

It is recommending the South Korean government ban anyone who have have been exposed to MERS from traveling overseas.

Experts: Low Risk of MERS SpreadingAnchorExperts with the World Health Organization mission have downplayed concerns that the MERS outbreak in South Korea will spread outside the country, as transmission so far has occurred only among hospital patients, visiting family members, and medical staff.

CRI's Huang Shan reports.

ReporterTwo health experts made the remark in Hong Kong after they joined the WHO mission and studied the MERS outbreak in South Korea.

Virologist Malik Peiris says so far there is no evidence suggesting the virus will spread out of the country.

"It is too earlier to say whether this is going to be a sustained effect or not, so the next week will be very crucial. Given that situation, I think, if things go well, the risk of this spilling over out of Korea in a significant way is small."Peiris adds there is no evidence the virus is changing in a way that will make it spread more easily and more quickly between people.

"Now, we don't see evidence that the virus is changing to become more transmissible than what it has been, so what we have to primarily deal with is, have a high level of alert for all people presenting with fever or respiratory disease or pneumonia in Hong Kong with a travel history and keep in mind not just from South Korea, because we know that there are also cases in the Middle East."David Hui, a professor of respiratory medicine, says multiple factors contributed to the outbreak of MERS in South Korea, such as over-crowded wards, lack of knowledge about the disease, and bad information exchange between hospitals. But the risk of a community outbreak is very low.

"The possibility of a community outbreak is very low because the current cases are all related to medical facilities in the hospitals. The first outbreak was in hospitals, so the chance of a community outbreak is very low, so far we haven't seen the virus mutating to increase the chance of a community outbreak."In light of the situation in South Korea, Chinese airlines are cutting flights to the country.

Air China has cut the number of flights between Beijing and Seoul to 21 a week from 24.

For CRI, I am Huang shan.

PROMO HERESudan's Bashir faces ICC arrest warrant in S. AfricaA court in South Africa has barred Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from leaving the country after the International Criminal Court called for him to be arrested at a summit in Johannesburg.

The Pretoria High Court says Bashir must stay until it rules on Monday on whether he should be handed over to the ICC.

Bashir is wanted for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the Darfur conflict.

He is in South Africa for an African Union Summit.

Sudanese officials remain defiant of the court ruling.

Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour says the president will return home on schedule.

"This is not new to us - we have been subjected to, for many times. We believe that the ICC is a court that is targeting African leaders only. We never heard that the court has targeted any other leader, anywhere in the world. President Bashir was defending his people, he committed no crime, it's a political gas."Despite the arrest calls, Bashir has joined a group photograph of leaders at the summit.

There are reports that Bashir left South Africa after the opening session of the summit, but this has not been verified.

The ICC indictments relate to the western Sudanese region of Darfur, which erupted into conflict in 2003 when ethnic insurgents launched a campaign against Bashir's government, complaining of marginalization.

Khartoum then launched a counter-insurgency using the armed forces and allied militia.

The United Nations says 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and another 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.

Khartoum, however, disputes the figures, estimating the death toll at no more than 10,000.

Yemen peace talks to begin in GenevaLong-anticipated peace talks on the conflict in Yemen are due to start in Geneva later today.

The talks were originally scheduled for last month, but were postponed after the main warring parties failed to agree on the terms of the talks.

The talks are to include representatives of President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government, the Houthi rebels, representatives of former President Saleh who are fighting alongside the Houthis, as well as several other Yemeni political parties involved in the ongoing civil war.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be attending the talks.

The UN hopes the talks will bring an end to the conflict that has plunged the country into a state of humanitarian catastrophe and killed 2,600 people.

Ahmed Fawzi is the Director of the U.N. information office.

"The idea is to bring them together but if that doesn't happen, the special envoy will hold proximity talks, which means he will shuttle between both groups. There are two rooms, two rooms and he will shuttle between the two rooms throughout the day in the hope that they can be brought together."Yemen was plunged into turmoil last year After the Shiite Houthi rebels took control of much of the country and drove President Hadi into exile.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies launched an air offensive in late March on Yemen but have so far failed to defeat the Houthis.

Greece bailout talks end without dealNegotiations between Greece and its creditors on the deadlock over the country's debt crisis have broken up in failure in Brussels.

European Union officials are blaming Athens for failing to offer anything new to secure the funding it needs to repay 1.6 billion euros to the International Monetary Fund by the end of this month.

Athens insists it will never give in to demands for more pension and wage cuts but says it's still ready to talk.

Hopes to strike a deal now move to Thursday's euro zone finance ministers' meeting in Luxembourg which many believe is the last chance before Greece's EU bailout expires at the end of June.

If no deal is reached, the minister will have to make difficult political decisions on Greece's membership in the currency bloc.

Ireland Celebrates Yeats AnniversaryAnchorThe 150th anniversary of the birth of Irish poet William Butler Yeats has been celebrated in his home country and around the world.

CRI's London Correspondent Duan Xuelian has more.

ReporterJune 13th marked the 150th birthday of Yeats, who described himself as "the last romantic".

In a rare historic recording, we can hear the poet reading one of his best loved poems - The Lake Isle of Innisfree.

"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made."Ireland has designated 2015 as the year of Yeats, with celebrations taking place across the country.

One of the most ambitious project aims to create an online archive of live recordings of the poets' work.

Large numbers of enthusiasts have paid tributes to Yeats, including Irish President Michael Daniel Higgins.

"A Prayer for My Daughter by William Butler YeatsOnce more the storm is howling, and half hidUnder this cradle-hood and coverlidMy child sleeps on."Yeats, whose poems ranged from lyrical to political, was born into an artistic family on June 13, 1865. He went on to become Ireland's favorite poet in the 20th century and was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1923.

Yeats expert, and author of Yeats's Poetic Codes, Nicolas Grene shares his views on the poet as one of Irelands' greatest literary figures.

"He was very much one of the people who shaped the sense of Irish National Identity by his participation in the Irish Literary Revival and the Irish Theatre Movement."Grene, who is Head of the School of English at Trinity College, Dublin says Yeats had an extraordinary capacity for using very simple language to create a lyrical rhythm that reaches right into your heart, creating timeless poems that remain powerfully eloquent today.

"Like all great poets, he manages to encapsulate in language feelings that everybody experiences from time to time. And his poems of plangency and loss are poems that anybody might identify with. "The lyrical and imaginative poems of Yeats are also a favorite with musicians, but not only in English speaking countries. One of his best known poems, When You Are Old, was adapted into a song which won hearts of numerous Chinese fans for its nostalgia and rendition of true love.

For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in LondonPhilae Lander Wakes UpThe European Space Agency has announced the Philae lander has woken up, seven months after it was believed lost after landing in shaded area on a comet.

Philae Project Manager Stephan Ulamec says the lander is in good condition.

"Tonight since the long period of the hibernation of the Philae lander we did again receive a signal, a sign of life from the lander for about 85 seconds only though. But we got housekeeping data on the status, temperature, power as generated by the solar generator, so it appears the lander is healthy, it's operational and we will work now in the coming days on getting longer slots, longer communication slots and then we hope also to command again also the scientific instruments and get more signs from the commentary surface with the instruments."Scientists suggest as the comet speeding closer to the sun, the solar panels of the lander's probe are receiving more sunlight, which will allow it to send back data again.

In the following days, they will work on getting longer communication slots from the lander.

The Philae lander was released from its mothership Rosetta in November, and fell into a long period of hibernation after it failed to recharge.

New York Governor: Zero Tolerance for State Employee Aids Prison BreakNew York authorities say they will not tolerate the fact that a state employee has allegedly helped two convicted murders escape from a maximum security prison.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gives the remark.

"I understand prisons run on a delicate balance and having a good relationship between guards and inmates, guards and the employees, employees and the inmates, is important. But there's a line and when the line is stepped over, action must be taken."The convicted murders broke out of prison by using power tools, and have been on the run for nine days.

Prosecutors indicate a state employee assisted the escape by providing two suspects with tools like chisels and hacksaw blades.

If convicted, the employee will face up to eight years in prison.

Local authorities say the search for the escaped murders continues, but they also admit that they do not known where the men have gone, with some speculation the two have fled to Mexico.

New Apps at Chinese MuseumsAnchorSmartphone apps and bar codes are increasingly changing the way Chinese audiences interact with their rich cultural heritage in museums.

CRI's Sam Duckett has the details.

ReporterChinese museums have made the push to enhance the their experiences through popular technology.

The Forbidden City has been at the forefront of this jump forward with their latest app 'forbidden city porcelain hall' or 'gu gong tao ci guan' in Chinese.

Liu Jun is a museum research scholar from Jilin province, he commented on the new museum app.

"Audiences can use their phone to scan a code and then get more information on on their phone. It has added a new form; It will be popular with children from the post 90's or the post 00's era. It is a blend of different time periods."The new app looks to make cultural rich experience a bit more enticing for the visitors. It offers pictures and explanations of over 300 porcelain relics at the Forbidden City. It has also categorized them in an easy to read and elegant format.

Professor Mao is the former chief editor for Beijing Language and Culture University Press and expert in Chinese historical culture. He has a go on the app and offered his opinions.

"The design of the app is very pretty. It also offers a great 360 view of the ceramic works of the Forbidden City. Although I enjoyed using the app I would be more interested in APPs that focus on the entire Forbidden City as apposed to those that just focus on the ceramic works there. I think young people would find this more interesting, and an app that focuses on ceramics may not appeal as much to as mass market."The Forbidden City is not the only major exhibition of China's history to modernize its approach to entice visitors.

The Natural History Museum of Shanghai also has an app highlighting its exhibitions, as well as introduced a bar code system that offers the same effects for patriots that may not have had the chance to download the app and get a more detailed experience. The app actually allows viewers to see which sections of the museum are most popular, their contents and then design a personalized route through the museum, focusing on their areas of interest.

Gu Jie Yan is the vice president of the Shanghai Natural History Museum.

"For example if you were to choose several exhibitions you are interested in such as dinosaurs and whales, and do a bit of homework before coming to the museum we can help you design a personalized route so you see the things you like. "The integration of technology into China's exhibitions, whether they be museum or historical sites is happening all over the country. So far 208 public and private museums in Shannxi Province have opened online exhibitions.

BACK ANCHORThat is CRI's Sam Duckett reporting.

Forbidden City Limits Visitor FlowAuthorities in charge of Beijing's iconic Forbidden City have announced they're going to limit the daily flow of people through the Palace Museum to 80-thousand.

At the same time, tour group operators are now being required to book group tickets online before arriving.

Identification will also be required when picking up the tickets.

Forbidden City's management is also recommending group tours visit in the afternoon hours.

WeatherBeijing will be cloudy with a high of 34 degrees Celsius.

Overnight temperatures should drop down to 22.

Shanghai will see moderate rain with a high of 27 and a low of 22.

In Chongqing, it will have moderate rain during the daytime with a high of 27 and lows of 23.

Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia,Kathmandu, slight rain, 30.

Islamabad will have slight rain with a high of 36.

Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 26.

Over to North America,New York will see slight rain with a high of 21 degrees.

Washington, overcast with a high of 25 degrees.

Honolulu, slight rain, 26.

Toronto will be overcast with a high of 25 degrees.

Finally, on to South America,Buenos Aires will be sunny with a high of 15.

And Rio de Janeiro will see slight rain with a high of 27 degrees Celsius.

Headline newsMainland to lift entry-permit requirement for Taiwan residentsTop Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng says authorities on the mainland are planning to remove the entry permit requirements for people from Taiwan.

Yu Zhengsheng has made the pledge at a Cross-Straits forum taking place in the city of Xiamen in Fujian.

Right now people from Taiwan require a special visa to enter the mainland.

At the same time, Yu Zhengsheng says the mainland side is committed to creating better conditions for cross-Straits exchanges.

4 Dead in SW China Building CollapseFour people have been confirmed dead and three others injured after a building partially collapsed in Guizhou in southwest China.

The nine-story apartment building was built in 1993.

Residents had complained about the safety of the building since 1997 and they had informed the authorities of problems, but the building was never identified as dangerous.

Authorities have opened a probe into the cause of the collapse and vowed to punish those who are responsible.

One hospital in Seoul shut down for becoming new epicenter of MERS outbreakA 38-year old South Korean national in Slovakia is being tested for MERS.

The man works at a car factory owned by South Korea's KIA Motors.

The result of his blood test is expected to be released later on today.

He is currently in isolation.

The MERS virus has so far killed 15 people in South Korea.

Syrian refugees cross border fence to escape fightingThousands of Syrians have cut through a border fence and crossed over into Turkey to flee intense fighting between Kurdish fighters and Islamic State militants.

They had been gathering for more than a day on the Syrian side of the crossing before they broke through.

The surge of refugees comes as Syrian Kurdish fighters closed in on the outskirts Tal Abyad, a strategic town on the Turkish border.

The move will potentially cut off a key supply line for the extremists' nearby de facto capital Raqa.

Before the weekend's refugee surge, Turkey had taken in more than 13 thousand Syrians escaping the fighting for Tal Abyad.

DPRK fires 3 short-range missiles into eastern waters: YonhapThe North Korean military has reportedly test-fired another round of short-range missiles into its eastern waters.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says at least 3 short-range missiles have been fired off the east coast of North Korea.

It's believed the missiles travelled around 100-kilometers before coming down.

Reports say they were fired from the Wonsan area, which is a major port city along the east coast of North Korea.

Similar missile launches by the North took place in February and May.

Biz reportsAnchorFirst let's get a preview of what we can expect on the markets this week.

Here's CRI's Sophie Williams.

ReporterThis week, equities could continue to drift as investors watch for a debt-resolving deal between Greece and the EU and for Federal Reserve policymakers to emerge from a two day meeting and hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Even a messy Greek deal could produce a rally in equities and some relief for the Euro.

But one thing remains: the dollar's strengthening trend is unlikely to be significantly undermined.

On Monday the U.S. Federal Reserve will issue May's industrial production data.

The New York Fed release for Empire State general business conditions index for June is also due.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department issued May data for housing statistics and building permits.

On the same day, the Federal Open Market Committee will begin a two-day meeting on interest rate policy and markets will focus on U.S. Federal Reserve's statement on Wednesday.

Oracle Corp, the world's leading Database Company, is expected to report lower revenue and profit for its fourth-quarter on Wednesday.

Shipping giant FedEx will report fourth-quarter results on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Commerce Department will issue current account data for the first quarter. On the same day, Central bank of Mexico will publish the minutes of its June policy meeting.

The U.S. Labor Department on Thursday will issue May data for Consumer Price Index, which is expected to have increased 0.2 percent, slower than the 0.3 percent pace in the prior month.

Statistics Canada will release inflation data for May on Friday, which is expected to have advanced 0.5 percent after a 0.1 percent drop in April.

Record money to be locked up for IPO subscriptionAnchorIt's expected capital volume in China's A-share market will set a record high this week with the release of a series of new IPO's.

25 companies are scheduled to launch IPOs within this week, hoping to raise nearly 42-billion yuan.

This should push the capital volume of the A-share market to 5.7 trillion yuan.

This should surpass the previous record set in January of 2014, when securities regulators reopened access to the capital market for dozens of companies looking to list.

According to China's market rules, stock investors are required put in capital to join a lottery system for IPO share purchases. The more capital they prepare, the more IPO shares they are likely to get.

For more on this topic, we're joined on the line by Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

==Talking points==1. How are investors expected to respond to the new IPOs, and does the prospect of a new record have any influence on investor sentiment?

2. How will the new wave of IPOs influence the stock market in China?

3. What are the trends among Chinese IPOs lately, in terms of the kind of companies that are going public?

Back Anchor:

That was Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.

US sets final dumping margins on Chinese tiresThe US Commerce Department has set final dumping margins on imported passenger-vehicle and light-truck tires from China.

This signals that it may impose punitive duties on those products.

The department made its affirmative final determination that tires had been sold in the United States at dumping margins ranging between 14 and 87 percent.

The department also determined that producers and exporters of these Chinese products received countervailable subsidies ranging between 20 to 100 percent.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has voiced strong opposition to the decision, saying that the probe breached the rules of the World Trade Organization and US laws.

According to U.S. official data last year, imports of the Chinese tires were estimated at about 2.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Margin trading regulations revisedThe rules covering investors' use of margin trading and short selling have been relaxed in China, starting from this week.

China Securities Regulatory Commission announced on Friday it will drop restrictions that are no longer compatible with the current conditions involving margin trading.

The revised rules scrap a requirement that investors wanting to use these methods must trade with the same securities brokerage for more than six months, as well as a requirement that the clearing and settlement capital must be placed in escrow with a third-party financial institution.

The authority says overall risks of margin trading and short selling are manageable.

It also urged securities firms to maintain a "prudent" balance between the scale of their business in these areas and their capital.

Enel CEO says China's CNNC likely to bid for Slovenske stakeMedia reports say China National Nuclear Corporation is likely to bid for the stake in Slovakian power generator Slovenske Elektrarne held by Italian utility Enel.

Italy's biggest utility is seeking to sell its 66 percent stake in the Slovakian nuclear power plant as part of a plan to sell 5.6 billion U.S. dollars of assets over five years to cut debt and fund growth.

China National Nuclear Corporation is one of China's two biggest nuclear developers and is listing a subsidiary in Shanghai to fund investments.

Banking sources previously told Reuters that the company had expressed an interest in buying a stake in Slovenske last year.

Bullish Uber plans to invest $1 billion in China in 2015Ride-hailing service Uber says it plans to invest more than 1 billion U.S. dollars in China this year.

According to Financial Times newspaper, Uber head Travis Kalanick said China is the "number one priority" for the company worldwide and that the firm is completing almost 1 million trips in China per day.

Uber is taking a bullish approach to China, despite the firm facing raids on its offices and a crackdown on its drivers deemed to be operating illegally.

It is said that the firm plans to launch its services in 50 more Chinese cities over the next year and that there is huge potential for further growth.

The firm is currently operating in 11 cities here in China.

Letv, Immersion to bring 4D video on smartphoneChinese online video streaming company LeTV has teamed up with NASDAQ-listed haptic technology solution provider Immersion Corp. to allow viewers to watch four-dimensional (4D) videos on their smartphones.

4D technology has been featured in selected cinemas to simulate effects such as rain, wind, lights and vibrations.

When shown on smartphones, 4D videos seek to create an experience where viewers can feel effects like bullets passing, a grinding halt, hearts pounding - for example - by touching the screen.

LeTV says so far it only wants to feature touch-based simulation effects on movie trailers.

The company says such features will be first rolled out in videos from its latest mobile app for devices running Google's Android operating system.

That means users of Apple's iPhone will have to wait as the iOS currently does not support 4D videos.

SportsChina's World Cup qualification preview; weekend football recapStarting things off with football action,China's men's national team will start its 2018 World Cup campaign tonight.

The first game is against Bhutan in the qualifying for the top 40.

Coach Alain Perrin said his squad will overcome Bhutan's home advantage and destroy them with goals.

And a quick recap of more actions from the weekend,In the EUFA Champions League qualifiers,Spain beat Belarus 1-0,Wayne Rooney scored a late winner as England came from behind to win 3-2 against Slovenia,Andreas Schuele's hat-trick helped Germany massacre Gibraltar 7-0,And Portugal downed Armenia 3-2.

In the Copa America,Venezuela beat Colombia 1-0,Argentina blew a two goal lead and leveled against Paraguay.

Nadal wins Mercedes CupIn tennis,Rafael Nadal claimed his third Mercedes Cup after defeating Viktor Troicki 7-6, 6-3.

It was his first title on grass since Wimbledon 2010.

Nadal says the title is a confidence booster.

"Well, all the titles are emotional. All the titles are important. At the end of your career what is still there is the number of titles that you have and to add another one is very important for me and especially to confirm that I am playing better and better the last couple of months."Nadal will continue his warm-up for this year's Wimbledon at the Aegon Championships next week.

Azerbaijan tops European Games medal tally on day threeHosts Azerbaijan top the medal tally three days into the first edition of the European Games in Baku.

They have won three golds, one silver and three bronzes.

On the third day, Elvin Mursaliyev added a gold medal for the hosts by winning the 75 kilogram category in Graeco-Roman wrestling,Six gold medals have been awarded in karate already.

Chris Froome wins Criterium du Dauphine, becomes favorite for TourIn cycling,Team Sky's Chris Froome overturned an 18 second deficit to win both the final stage and the general classification at the Criterium du Dauphine.

Froome attacked on the final climb and shook off yellow jersey rider Tejay van Garderen.

He eventually finished 17 seconds ahead of van Garderen and won the race overall by 10 seconds with bonuses picked up at the finish line.

Froome is happy about how things are turning out ahead of July's Tour de France.

"This is going to be a day I remember for the rest of my life. This is really a special race. We're only a few weeks out from the Tour. This is a big test and I'm pretty happy with how things are looking at this point in time."He last won the Dauphine two years ago on his way to a Tour de France victory.

He is now one of the favorites for cycling's most prestigious tournament.

Alvimedica win in-port race in LorientIn sailing,Team Alvimedica has won the in-port race in Lorient ahead of the official start of Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

It puts the young Turkish-American crew back in contention for a podium finish in the in-port series.

Skipper Charlie Enright is ready for the fight until the last minute.

"It is great, you know. We got a good game plan. We got a great start that allowed us to implement it and I just kind of sail clean from there, try to stay out of trouble. It is nice to have a little extra time. So, nice to slide up the leaderboard in the in-port but it is still really close so, you know, we have to follow up with a good win in Gothenburg as well."Alvimedica is currently third overall in the in-port series, trailing Team Brunel and leading Team SCA by one point respectively.

The fleet will set off for the final leg to Sweden tonight.

Chris Wood wins Lyoness OpenFinally in golf,England's Chris Wood secured his second European Tour victory with a strong finish to win the Lyoness Open in Austria.

Wood started the final round five shots down on overnight leader Gregory Bourdy and finished the tournament at 15-under overall, two clear of runner up Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

Wood says victory is sweet after sitting out the winter due to an injury.

"I've had a good run of form the last month or so. You do feel like a victory is coming, but until is does, you're always chasing it and you always sort of feel 'is it going to happen?'. Yeah, but to get it done today was... it's brilliant."Over in the Women's PGA Championship in New York,South Korea's Park In-bee won the event by five shots at 19-under 273.

EntertainmentShanghai Film Festival gets underwayThe Shanghai Film Festival kicked off this weekend opening with a screening of film 'I Am Somebody' directed by Derek Yee.

The film tells the story of extras based at the Hengdian studios near Shanghai.

At a press conference for the film, director Derek Yee says he gained a new found respect for extras through making the film.

"I feel that they're very courageous so I decided to tell not only their stories but also the stories of other young people who have worked as extras through the years. Through this film I want to encourage people all over the country. I want to tell them that if you have a dream, you have to chase it."I Am Somebody stars Wan Guopeng, Wang Ting and more than 20 other real life extras who all act as themselves in the film.

A total of fourteen films from around the world have been nominated for the Golden Goblet feature film awards which will be judged by a panel of seven judges including actress Hao Lei. It's her first time on a film panel and she says she will work hard to come to a decision.

"Among the jury members, I might be the youngest but not necessarily the most modest. It's my first time being on a jury at the Shanghai International Film Festival. I will carefully review the movies that are nominated and I will work very hard and very sincerely to decide my vote."There are also two other awards categories including documentary and animation. The Golden Goblet awards will be handed out during the closing ceremony on June 22nd.

This year's event also features the first ever Jackie Chan's Action Movie Week, aiming to cultivate new Chinese action film stars and to promote Chinese action movie worldwide.

Jurassic World takes $511 million at global box officeJurassic World has surpassed all expectations with a massive 511 million US dollar worldwide debut making it the biggest global debut of all time.

It also marks the first time a film has grossed more than $500 million in a single weekend.

At the North American box office, Jurassic World is the second biggest debut in history with $204 million losing out to Avengers: Age of Ultron by just under $3 million.

The film's global takings were boosted by a $100 million opening here in China.

Jurassic World is number one in all 67 markets it debuted and is yet to open in Japan.

Kindergarten Cop to be remadeThe Arnold Schwarzenegger classic film Kindergarten Cop is to be remade without the star.

Universal have announced a remake of the hit 90s film is currently in pre-production.

It's been confirmed that Schwarzenegger will not return.

The original Kindergarten Cop told the story of a police officer who has to work undercover as a Kindergarten teacher in order to catch a drug dealer before he finds his ex-wife and son.

However for the remake the plot will differ slightly, focusing on a lost flash drive from witness protection that ends up in a Kindergarten classroom.

Don Michael Paul will direct the film from a new script written by David Steinberg who was behind American Pie 2.

Kindergarten Cop will be released straight to DVD.

Queen's Birthday Honours List announcedThe Queen's Birthday Honours list has been announced with Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Kevin Spacey recognized.

It was announced that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has been made a Commander of the British Empire by the Queen.

Eddie Redmayne who won countless awards this year for his performance of Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, will be handed an Order of the British Empire.

Kevin Spacey will receive a Knight Commander in honour of his services to culture however he will not become a Sir because he is American.

Five Seconds of Summer guitarist injured onstageThe guitarist of popular band Five Seconds of Summer has been injured after an incident on stage.

The band were playing a concert at Wembley Stadium in London when guitarist Michael Clifford was burnt by pyrotechnics.

Five Seconds of Summer were forced to cut their show short so Clifford could be taken to hospital for treatment.

The guitarist sustained injuries to his face and his hair.

A video of the incident shows him putting out the flames in his hair with a towel.

A statement from the band says he is recovering and future concerts will go ahead as planned.

That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.

A quick look at the headlines before we go...

Mainland authorities have announced plans to lift entry-permit requirements for people from Taiwan...

A South Korean national living and working in Slovakia is being tested for the MERS virus...

and a court in South Africa has barred the visiting Sudanese president from leaving the country after the International Criminal Court called for his arrest...

In Business...record-high capital predicted for China's A-share market...

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