新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 13:00 2013/06/26

 Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Astronauts from the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft land safely back on earth.
WHILE
The US Secretary of State says they aren’t looking for a confrontation with Russia over Edward Snowden..
And the Indian Prime Minister leads the mourning of the casualties from the rescue helicopter crash.
Business
The Chinese Central bank set to provide more liquidity for lenders.
We’ll also have the sport and entertainment updates, as well as a special report on the sacking of the Chinese national football team manager – experts saying it’ll do more harm than good.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Three astronaunts landed on earth safely
 
The three astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft have now set foot back on Earth after a 15-day mission in space and are in good physical condition and in good spirits.
"It is my second manned space mission. I'm very familiar with the place we have landed. It feels really good to be home again. I just want wish our country and the people prosperity. "
"I am very excited right now. Thanks everyone who have concerned and supported us."
"The space mission has fulfilled my dreams, one is traveling in space and another is to be a teacher. And this time I got to teach from the space. I wish all young people have their own dreams, those who have dreams will succeed."
The capsule of the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft successfully returned to earth earlier this morning.
While in orbit, the three astronauts completed two docking tests with the Tiangong-1 experimental space lab.
The astronauts also gave a special lecture to students on earth for the first time in China's space exploration.
Nie Haisheng, one of the astronauts, has set a record amount of time in space for Chinese astronauts, logging more than 470 hours over two missions.
It is the fifth manned mission of the Shenzhou program, coming ten years after the original Shenzhou 5.
Meanwhile, the Tiangong-1 space lab has also been officially retired now.
It was first put into orbit in 2011, and has hosted to a total of 6-Chinese astronauts.
Originally developed as a training platform for the eventual-Chinese space station, which is due to be built by 2020, it's now being put into a higher orbit.
 
 
China steps up international cooperation ahead of world anti-drug day
 
Today is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Anti-drug officials in China say they're trying to strengthen international cooperation to keep drugs from entering the country.
Around 70-percent of the drugs consumed in China are said to be smuggled in from the so-called 'Golden Triangle' along the Mekong River delta.
But Chinese authorities are also warning of an increase in trafficking from Latin American countries.
Here's Liu Yuejin is the deputy director of the Public Security Ministry's anti-drug bureau.
"In recent years, we've increased cooperation with governments and police in countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. We've stepped up information sharing and also cooperated on the handling of some drug trafficking cases."
China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have been conducting joint patrols on the Mekong River since 2011.
However, Liu Yuejin says international co-operation on drug trafficking still faces a number of challenges.
"Different countries have their own regulations, cooperation often has to go through complicated diplomatic and judicial process. This tends to cause delays in intelligence sharing in some cases."
The Chinese government has recently launched a cooperative mechanism with the BRICS countries to try and crack down on drug trafficking as well.
 
 
China, Russia, US jointly establishes a credit rating agency
 
Anchor:
China, Russia and the United States are teaming up to form a new, stand-alone credit-rating agency.
The move comes amid the frustration with the way the current global credit-rating leaders do business.
Our Hong Kong correspondent Xu Weiyi has more.
Reporter:
Currently, the so-called "Big Three" rating agencies in the world, namely, Moody's, Standard & Poor and Fitch Group are all American companies with a sovereign background.
The newly-established Universal Credit Rating Group is headquartered in Hong Kong and all its three founding members are independent agencies from three countries.
Guan Jianzhong, the chairman of UCRG, said that the new agency enjoyed unique strengths compared to other rating agencies in the world.
"First, it's non-sovereign and represents the common interest of the human society. Second, it will introduce a credit rating system with brand new rating theories and criteria, which can be applied to the whole world."
Over the past years, credit rating has been playing a key role in facilitating global capital flow.
However, the inaccurate ratings issued by rating agencies have dramatically hurt investors and economies, especial before and after the global financial crisis.
Director of UCRG, Sean Egan, says the founding of the UCRG is an answer to the call to reform the credit rating system. Also, as parts of the world which are providing credit right now basically don't have a voice in the credit rating industry, UCRG will try to better assist these regions.
"To date, there has been a shift in the flow of credit. We are trying to assist in having a greater representation from a variety of groups around the globe especially representing those areas of the globe that are major contributors of capital."
UCRG is planning to establish its new global credit rating service system and methodologies by 2020 and set up rating operations in all participating countries by 2025.
Economist, independent consultant, Norbert Gaillard, believes that it may take time before UCRG get recognition from global investors. But the agency will have a fantastic opportunity to grow in the Asian markets.
"I think that UCRG has real knowledge of emerging markets, particularly Asian markets. I think it may be a real strength for the future when you realize that in China, in Thailand, in Indonesia, in Malaysia, in Vietnam and so on, there will be more and more debt issuers."
For CRI, I'm Xu Weiyi in Hong Kong.
 
 
Kerry says US not looking for confrontation with Russia over Snowden
 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States is not looking for a confrontation with Russia over the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
"I would simply appeal for calm and reasonableness in a moment where we don't need to raise the level of confrontation over something as, frankly, basic and normal as this."
The comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected any notion of extraditing Snowden, saying they don't have an extradition treaty with the US.
"As far as any sort of extradition is concerned, to wherever it may be, we are only able to hand over citizens of foreign states with those countries with whom we have a corresponding international agreement on handing over criminals. We have no such agreement with the United States."
Putin says Snowden is free to travel wherever he wants, and insists Russian security agencies haven't been in contact with him.
He also says that right now, Snowden is not even technically in Russia, as he is currently in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and has not passed through Russian immigration.
Snowden disappeared from public view on Sunday after flying into Moscow from Hong Kong.
It's believed he's trying to gain transit to Ecuador to avoid extradition to the United States, where he's facing upto 30-years in prison for leaking secret government information.
 
 
Indian PM mourns deaths after chopper crashed in rescue operations
 
At least nine people have died when an Indian Air Force helicopter crashed during a flood rescue operation on Tuesday.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has mourned the death of the soldiers who were delivering wood for the mass cremation of the flood victims in northern India and trying to rescue survivors.
"It is a very tragic incident. Our brave soldier, who have been engaged in a very courageous operation in Uttarakhand, have lost their lives. I am with them in this tragic moment. The entire country is standing beside our soldiers."
The floods and landslides unleashed by early monsoon rains last week killed at least 680 people in the Uttarakhand state and left thousands of people missing.
Officials are saying that ten people have been saved, after the chopper crashed on its way from the rain-ravaged Kedarnath shrine to a relief camp.
The bad weather is believed to have caused the accident, but the exact reasons are yet to be ascertained.
This is however, the second helicopter crash incident during these rescue operations.
 
 
Rio Residents protest plans to build cable car, demand better health care
 
Thousands have gathered in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro demanding better health care and protesting against government plans to build a cable car system.
"This country is becoming impractical. We have a series of issues. In a very rich country people earn a misery, without quality transportation, without quality education or health care. The health care is scrapped if it arrives. So the people are waking up, thankfully."
Sao Paulo has also seen similar unrest, with at least 500 people blocking the main streets in the city for several hours.
"We want a Brazil that's different, a Brazil of quality in which people can feel confident that the politicians represent us."
"What the poor people want is a health service, policies they can believe in, respect, where they have opportunities. There is such a failing in the education system, in everything."
The grievances also include the high cost of hosting next year's Football World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
Demonstrators back in Rio, also gathered outside the home of the state governor, which led the Mayor Eduardo Paes trying to calm the crowd.
"This budget (for transport fares) isn't fictitious, nor is it a 'black box' (where nobody can see the information). The black box that existed before was perhaps our ineffectiveness in communicating and informing the public how the rate of return (for transportation companies) was determined."
The protests come just a day after President Dilma Rousseff proposed a referendum on political reforms in the country.
She is also promising to boost spending on public transportation and focus on health and education as part of what she calls "five pacts " with the people.
Protestors meanwhile have also held up signs of condolences for residents of the Mare area, where at least nine people died after a police confrontation in the slum late on Monday.
The clashes began when a group reportedly set up a roadblock to rob stranded motorists.
Hundreds of police and National Guard officers have since secured the area, but the initial shootout left many people caught in the crossfire, with 9 wounded as well.
 
 
Obama announces climate change plan
 
Anchor:
US President Barack Obama has laid out a comprehensive plan to curb climate change.
This includes limits on greenhouse gas emissions and an expansion of renewable energy projects.
Our Washington correspondent Xiaohong with more details.
REPORT:
In a highly anticipated speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday, Barack Obama has warned Americans of the deep and disastrous effects of climate change, urging them to take action before it's too late.
"It demands our attention now. This is my plan to meet, a plan to cut carbon pollution, a plan to protect our country from the impacts of climate change, and a plan to lead the world in a coordinated assort on a changing climate. This plan begins with cutting carbon pollution by changing the way we use energy: using less dirty energy, using more clean energy, wasting less energy throughout our economy."
The measures include limits on emissions from power plants and the doubling of renewable energy projects across the country.
Obama says by improving the country's carbon emission standards for power plants and increasing the efficiency of Federal buildings, the United States is expected to cut a total of three billion metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030.
At the same time, the Obama administration is also planning to double the number of clean energy projects across the country by 2020.
Obama is also promising the United States will be a global leader in curbing climate change through cooperation with other governments.
He's pointing to a recent agreement reached between the US and China to phase down the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs.
Obama says his administration is also going to try to help the developing world move away from HFC consumption.
"And I'm directing my administration to launch negotiations toward global free trade in environmental goods and services, including clean energy technologies to help more countries skip pass the dirty phase of development and join a global low carbon economy."
Despite the grand vision, Obama's plan is likely to be met with resistance, as many of his Republican opponents, and even some within his own caucus, remain skeptical about global climate change.
As such, it's widely expected Obama is going to use his executive privilage as the US President to push through much of his plans, allowing him to bypass the divided congress.
Xiaohong, CRI, Washington.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stock
 
Anchor:
First off, a check on the stock markets.
Join me on the desk, CRI's Ding Lulu.
Reporter:
Chinese mainland shares closed mix after the morning trading.
The Shanghai composite index slumped 1.3 percent while the Shenzhen component index saw a recovery and ended flat.
Elsewhere in the world,
U.S. stocks rallied on Tuesday after Monday's sell-off, as the country's economic data came in better than expected.
Reports on Tuesday showed home sales reached a five-year high in May and consumer confidence hit its highest level in more than five years.
When the markets closed,
The Dow gained nearly 0.7 percent,
the S&P 500 surged 0.9 percent,
and the Nasdaq added 0.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Canada's S&P/TSX jumped 1.4 percent.
Over the Europe,
The positive U.S data and China's central bank's announcement to inject liquidity have contributed to the European shares bouncing off seven-month lows.
Germany's DAX gained 1.5 percent.
France's CAC 40 was also up 1.5 percent
and Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.2 percent.
 
 
Central bank inject liquidity to lenders
 
The People's Bank of China is set to inject liquidity into certain lenders, while also saying there will be further support to the larger banks if they face a fund-shortage in the future.
Hu Xiaolian is the Vice Governor of People's Bank of China.
"Generally speaking, the overall liquidity in the domestic banking system is abundant, and the provisions are at a high level. The central bank has already taken measures to stabilize the banking market, which fluctuated violently in the past several days. The interests of the monetary market started to fall."
This a reversal of the Central Bank's previous hard-line stance over the past couple of weeks, when it was pressing lenders to tighten up liquidity, despite the recent spike in inter-bank lending rates.
The Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate, or SHIBOR for example, hit an all-time high this past week.
For more on this, Paul James earlier spoke to Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
(Q&A with Ben)
Back Anchor:
That was Benjamin Cavender, Associate principal at China Market Research in Shanghai.
 
 
Spanish Treasury raises 3 bln euros at high interest rates
 
The Spanish Treasury has placed bonds worth over 3 billion euros or 4 billion U.S dollars on the market.
A total of 934 million euros worth of 3-month bonds are offered with an average interest rate of 0.8 percent, the highest rate so far this year.
A further 2.14 billion euros of 9-month bonds fetched an average interest rate of 1.4 percent.
Spain has so far auctioned around 130 billion euros on the market covering between 55 percent and 60 percent of the country's total financial needs for 2013.
 
 
Inquiry announced in to Anglo-Irish bank collapse
 
An inquiry has been announced into the bailout of the Ango-Irish Bank, after recordings unveiled by a newspaper suggests the bank directors underplayed the gravity of the situation.
The bank was the first Irish bank asking for government bailout, needing a rescue package of 30 Billion EUROS of taxpayers money – that's just over 39 Billion US Dollars.
It was later nationalized in 2009, but recording from a year before that show Bank's capital markets head John Bowe and the retail kank head Peter Fitzgerald discussing a visit to the IFSRA – that's the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
It's also thought that the bank asked for less than it needed to correct their situation to begin with – so the financial regulator wouldn't be scared off.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny says the public need to know the truth of what happened in the bank's collapse.
However, the executives at the centre of this – John Bowe and Peter Fitzgerald are denying they misled the regulators.
 
 
Kenyan Central bank injected 2.8 BN USD in a year: World bank Report
 
Data just released from the World Bank shows that the Kenyan Central Bank injected 239 billion Kenyan Shillings into the economy over the past year to stimulate growth. That's just under 2.8 Billion US Dollars.
That's an average of around 20 Billion Kenyan Shillings every month, which shows the government's willingness to allow money supply to grow without a sharp spike in cost of goods and services.
Cash circulation was expanded by 18.5 percent this April, which was the largest year-on-year growth seen since as far back as March in 2011.
The central bank said the increase was to help the private sector back up, which had been behind projections recently.
Commercial banks, however, have been criticised for their slow reaction to the policy loosening by not reducing their lending rates quickly enough to compliment the increased cash flow.
 
 
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Weather
 
 
Beijing will be foggy today, with a high of 29 degree Celsius in the daytime, and the tonight will be cloudy with a low of 22.
In Shanghai, it will be overcast today, 27 the high, and tonight will see pouring rain, the low of 21 degrees Celsius.
Lhasa will see showers in the daytime the temperature's at 21, and tonight will have moderate rain with a low of 12 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, 42.
Kabul, sunny, with a high of 36.
London, sunny,19.
Paris, sunny, 19.
Cairo, sunny, with a high of 36.
Monrovia, sunny, 27.
Nairobi,sunny, 23.
Johannesburg, sunny, with a high of 19.
 
 
News paper picks
 
 
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Hebei to cut coal use
Summary
Provincial authorities in Hebei are planning to cut coal consumption by 40 million tons over the next 5-7 years to clean up the air.
This is expected to help clean the air here in Beijing and neighboring Tianjin.
A new report shows 7 of the 10 most polluted cities in China are located in Hebei.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Real-name express mail rule to curb drug trade
Summary
Users of express delivery services in Guangdong Province will need to provide their real names from July in an attempt to curb the transportation of drugs.
Domestic and overseas drug traffickers have increasingly turned to logistics delivery companies to distribute drugs in recent years.
CHIN DAILY
Headline
Children should be better protected
Summary
Legal experts are calling for a new system to be set up to regulate the temporary custody from parents who fail to fulfill their parental obligations.
This comes after two toddlers left at home by themselves and starved to death in Nanjing.
The 22-year-old mother is being held on suspicion of murder.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Scammers prey on parental fears
Summary
Police have continued to investigate how a group of scammers in Xiamen, Fujian Province, obtained the personal information of thousands of students.
The scammers used the information to trick parents into sending them large sums of money under the pretext that their children needed emergency medical treatment.
YANZHAO METROPOLITAN DAILY
Headline
Prosecutors reject murderer's confession
Summary
Prosecutors in Hebei have rejected a suspect's confession to a 1994 murder and rape, which could prove a miscarriage of justice that led to the execution of another man.
Wang Shujin, sentenced to death for a different case in 2007, claimed his confession has been great help to police and should earn him a reprieve.
DONGGUAN TIMES
Headline
School principal gets 18 years for sexual assaults
Summary
A school principal has been jailed for 18 years for raping and molesting girls in Anhui.
The 59-year-old raped two girls several times and molested 7 others between 2001 and last year.
The case is the latest involving educators, and has raised public concern about the safety of students.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Online platforms to be included in supervision plan
Summary
The Chinese government is adding Apple's App Store, Taobao and Amazon to its copyright supervision plan against online piracy.
The online platforms will be required to report on their work in protecting copyrights and handling complaints filed by title holders.
The administration is also extending its supervision to music videos for the first time.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Kunming PX risk "acceptable"
Summary
The China National Petroleum Corporation has released an environmental assessment report on a controversial oil refinery and paraxylene project or PX in Kunming.
The report says the project is "acceptable" based on its influence on the area's environment.
The report comes after two major protests in Kunming last month in connection with the project.
 
 
Special reports
 
 
Chinese FA sacks Jose Camacho
 
Anchor:
With the Chinese national football side manager Jose Antonio Camacho sacked just a few days ago, a leading pundit here in the country is warning this could mean even more problems for them.
CRI's Marc Cavigli has more.
Reporter:
The arrival of Jose Camacho in August 2011 was met with much celebration here in China.
However, that celebration was less about new Spanish coach's arrival, but more about the disappointing departure of his predecessor, Gao Hongbo.
Ma Dexing is deputy editor in chief of Titan Sports, a flagship sports magazine here in China.
He explains the teams need for consistency.
"Since 2001 when China last qualified for the world Cup, the national squad has seen six coaches over 12 years, a consequence of bad performance but also a culprit of the national squad being so disorganized due to lack of an organizational consistency."
Much of this problem doesn't stop with Camacho, whose resume boasts nine La Liga titles and a quarterfinal berth in the 2002 World Cup.
Ma Dexing says the fact that Camacho did not bring a miracle to China does less to tarnish his own credentials than to expose problems that did not end when he took over.
"Our football association has yet to come up with a detailed planning as what kind of football we want to achieve and how do we go to get there. Firing coaches to appease the fans and hiring new coaches to rekindle that faint hope could only be the easiest thing to do."
Ma explains that changing coaches regularly costs money, 3-million euros in the case of Camacho, but it also comes at the hidden cost of letting the real problem remain ignored.
He added that the fact the Chinese Super League Club Guangzhou Evergrande, only just set up China's first ever Youth Academy in 2012, is an added embarrassment for the football association.
Ma believes although club managers and fans have been paying to keep the stadiums open, the national team can only stop bringing back humiliations once the FA does what needs to be done.
"Guangzhou Evergrande has been doing well. The management, the fans, the press have all helped to create that football spirit which makes football such a great thing. But the national team is a different story, rather than seeing itself merely as a watchdog, it should start thinking about how it can to help."
The Chinese FA has since issued an apology after sacking Camacho.
They claim to take the majority of responsibility for China's shameful defeat to Thailand in a friendly two weeks ago.
The FA further added it would start building a more organized national team from scratch.
For now it remains to be seen how this re-building will unfold.
For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Li Na, Peng Shuai Through to Wimbledon Second Round
 
Anchor:
Onto Tennis now and China's Li Na and Peng Shuai are among those through to the 2nd round at Wimbledon.
Our correspondent Tu Yun has more.
Reporter:
Sixth-seeded Li Na grabbed her first victory of the tournament in a little over one hour, easily rolling through Dutch competitor Michaella Krajicek 6-1, 6-1.
"I think today I played differently (from the last few matches) because I was daring to try some new things that I've been practisinng over the past couple of days. Yes that includes serve and volley."
Li Na will next face world number 32 Simona Halep of Romania.
Li Na lost to Halep in straight sets in the US Open two years ago in their first and only meeting.
Meanwhile, rising Chinese star Peng Shuai is through to round-2 after downing Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-2.
Peng Shuai will next meet Marina Erakovic of New Zealand in the next round.
Zheng Jie, a 2008 Wimbledon semi-finalist, is out after going down to number 100-ranked Caroline Garcia in straight sets.
The French qualifier's victory puts her into a second-round collision with defending champion Serena Williams.
The five-time American champion is through to round two after powering past Mandy Minella of Luxemburg 6-1, 6-3.
"I feel like I was a little rusty for some reason today. I don't feel like I played my best. I felt really upset when I lost my serve in the second set. With that being said, I think Mandy played really well. I thought she was really mixing up her shots, mixing up her game. It wasn't an easy match for me. I'm a little excited I was able to play a tough match and to get through it."
Most other top players on the women's side are safely through to the second round, except for 10th-seeded Maria Kirilenko of Russia.
The Russian was upset by Britain's top female, Laura Robson 6-3, 6-4.
On the men's side, major seeds including Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer are also safely through.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.
 
 
Guangzhou evergrande beats Shanghai East Asia
 
In the Chinese Super League,
Guangzhou Evergrande beat Shanghai East Asia 1-0 at the Tianhe Stadium yesterday.
The Guangzhou's only goal came in the second half from Brazilian Elkeson di Oliveira, who headed in a cross from Muriqui to give Marcelo Lippi's side the win.
Stven Goran Erikkson, the newly appointed manager of Guangzhou R&F, was a spectator at that game as well.
The former England manager will be up against Lippi's Evergrande, when the two rival sides meet later this season.
 
 
Italian authorities investigate possible widespread tax evasion by football clubs
 
Prosecutors in Naples have initiated searches into certain domestic and foreign football clubs that are allegedly conspiring to avoid paying significant sums to tax authorities.
Authorities suspect the clubs of evading these payments specifically during player transfers.
Financial police issued search warrants yesterday to the offices of about 20 Series A and lower league clubs. Among those being probed are AC Milan, Juventus and Lazio.
Prosecutors confirmed that some foreign clubs are also being investigated, although they haven't clarified which ones.
The fraud investigation comes on the heels of charges filed against Spanish footballer Lionel Messi.
The four-time world player of the year and his father have been accused of defrauding Spanish tax authorities of more than 5 million dollars between 2006 and 2009.
The two will appear in court in September.
 
 
Spanish Football Federation denies thefts from players were connected to a party
 
And in Brazil,
The Spanish Football Federation issued an official statement denying that players hotel room robberies were connected with a team party.
Six Spanish players reported thefts from their hotel rooms in the first week of the Confederations Cup.
A Brazilian media outlet reported that the robberies were linked to a wild party involving strippers and alcohol after the team's victory over Uruguay.
Spain captain Sergio Ramos has condemned the report as a lie that damages the team's integrity.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Jackie Chan backs up on vow to depart from action genre
 
Jackie Chan has swallowed his words after going back to action in his upcoming release "Police Story 2013".
The star previously claimed that he would be quitting the action genre after 2012's CZ12.
Chan explained at a press junket that Police story director Ding Sheng had changed the original script adding action sequences to Chan's character as the shoot progressed.
The 59-year-old filmmaker added that whilst he still enjoys the action scenes he is sad that directors do not approach him for romances.
Chan recently expressed a desire to broaden his cinematic repertoire and become the "Asian Robert De Niro".
 
 
Robert Downey Junior to star in Indie Comedy
 
Robert Downey Junior will reunite with Iron Man director Jon Favreau, but the actor is dropping the super powers in favour of comedy gags this time round.
Entitled "Chef", the upcoming indie flick tells the story of a man, who tries to reclaim his estranged family and artistic integrity after he loses his job as a chef.
Favreau will be donning three hats at once for the project, as director, actor and scriptwriter.
Joining Downey Junior on the cast are Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale.
The movie is set to start production on July 8th.
 
 
Chris Brown hit and run charges
 
Chris Brown finds himself entangled with the law yet again.
(Chris clip)
We reported yesterday that the singer may face charges after he allegedly pushed a woman to the ground.
The incident is said to have taken place at an LA nightclub and left the woman with torn ligaments.
Now it has emerged that the 24-year-old has been charged with a hit-and-run as well as driving without a valid license.
The charges come after Brown's car collided with a Mercedes last month.
Brown reportedly refused to hand over his license and gave false insurance information to the police.
The singer may face a one-year jail sentence if found guilty of the offences.
In response to the fresh crop of controversy, Brown has taken to Twitter, claiming to be the victim of "bullying and yellow journalism".
Brown is currently on a 5-year probation for assaulting and making criminal threats against ex-girlfriend Rihanna back in 2009.
 
 
MIA premieres latest video
 
M.I.A has premiered her latest music video for "Bring the Noize".
(MIA clip)
The video sees the 37 year old icon yet again challenging concepts of beauty with neon pop-art.
The track, produced by Switch and Surkin, is taken from her upcoming album Matangi.
The single is the follow up to 2012 Grammy nominated single "Bad Girls".
(Soundbite/0626 Bad Girls)
Originally released in the artist's Vicki Leekx mixtape, the song will also feature in Matangi, which is set to drop this Autumn.
 
 
G-Dragon to work with Missy Elliot and Diplo on new album
 
The prince of K-pop G-Dragon has confirmed collaborations with US artists Missy Elliot and Diplo on his forth coming solo album.
(G-Dragon clip)
The rapper, singer and fashion icon from boyband the Big Bang is currently about the wrap up his solo world tour.
Fans attending the closing shows in Singapore this weekend are in for a treat.
G-Dragon's YG entertainment label mates, girl band 2NE1 will also be taking to the stage.
G-Dragon's second solo album is set for release on August 18th.
 
 
David Beckham tipped to be a film star
 
Hold tight, as David Beckham could be hitting a big screen near you!
Victoria Beckham has said that her husband would make a great actor, enthusing that he would be ideal as the next James Bond.
However, when questioned about his acting ambitions, famously modest David said that he is "not sure that (he)'d be very good at it".
He hastened to add that he does count famous actors amongst his best of friends, including "Oblivion" star Tom Cruise.
Earlier this month, Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein heralded Beckham's prospective Hollywood career.
Weinstein said that he is increasingly impressed by Beckham's talents with each repeated meeting.
The legendary producer said that the retired footballer can do "anything he wants in TV and film."
The glamorous Beckham duo recently toured China, where David has become the ambassador for football, a visit so popular that it prompted a stampede, which injured seven people.
 
 
RECAP
Astronauts from the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft land safely back on earth.
WHILE
The US Secretary of State says they aren’t looking for a confrontation with Russia over Edward Snowden..
And the Indian Prime Minister leads the mourning of the casualties from the rescue helicopter crash.