新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/05/01

 

The Beijing Hour

 

Evening Edition

 

 

Paul James with you this Thursday, May 1st, 2014.

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

Coming up on the programme this evening...

Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for action following last night's deadly attack on the main train station in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.

Tensions are on the rise in Ukraine, where the country's special forces have been taking part in highly-visible exercises.

Demonstrations and marches have been taking place in Asia and Europe to mark the May Day holiday.

In business, new stats show manufacturing here in China has continued to improve through April.

In sports, China into the quarter finals of the World Table Tennis Championships.

In entertainment, the soundtrack for the film "Frozen" is breaking Billboard records.

 

 

Weather

 

 

Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 14 degrees Celsius. Cloudy tomorrow with a high of 23degrees.　

Meanwhile Shanghai will be clear tonight, with a low of 18, cloudy also tomorrow, with a high of 29.

Chongqing will have thundershowers, 17 degrees the low, moderate rain tomorrow with a high of 26.

Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia

Islamabad, rainy with a high of 38.

Kabul, cloudy, 27.

Over in Australia

Sydney, sunny, high of 22.

Canberra, overcast, 14.

Brisbane, thundershowers, 26.

And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 21

 

 

Top News

 

 

President Xi Urges "Decisive Actions" against Terrorism after Xinjiang Blast

 

Anchor:

Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for "decisive action" against terrorism following Wednesday's deadly attack at a train station in Xinjiang's regional capital which has left 3-dead and 79 others hurt.

CRI's Ding Lulu has more.

Anchor:

The attack took place at the exit of Urumqi's South Railway Station at around 7:10 at night.

A train from Chengdu to Urumqi just arrived at the station and passengers were pouring out of it when the blast happened.

The explosion hit the area between the station exit and a bus stop.

According to the Xinhua news agency, the initial investigation shows knife-wielding mobs slashed people at the exit and set off explosives.

A witness is quoted by saying that he heard two explosions.

Some luggage and damaged motorcycles have been left at the scene.

Police cordoned off all entrances to the station square after the blast.

Trains were suspended for some 2 hours before the station resumed operation late last night.

The station is one of the three in the city, and the largest in Xinjiang.

After the blast, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged "decisive actions" against violent terrorist attacks.

He calls the battle against separatist forces in Xinjiang long-term, complicated, and acute.

Last night's attack follows Xi Jinping's recent inspection tour in the region.

Terrorist attacks have increased in Xinjiang in recent years and have also targeted places outside Xinjiang.

On March 1, knife-wielding assailants killed 29 civilians and injured another 143 at a railway station in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.

Evidence linked the attack to separatists from Xinjiang.

For CRI, I am Ding Lulu.

 

 

1 killed, 9 injured in twin blasts in southern India

 

At least one person is dead following a pair of explosions at a railway station in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

Nine others have been hurt in the blasts, which hit the city's main railways station during the morning rush-hour.

Some of the injured are said to be in serious condition.

Police in Chennai are labelling the explosions as a terrorist attack.

One suspect has already been detained.

So far the authorities have not offered any motivation for the attack.

Chennai has been the scene of a series of attacks over the years amid sectarian conflicts among the Tamil and Hindu communities in the city.

 

 

Pro-Russians in charge of much of east

 

Anchor:

Tensions in Ukraine are rising, with separatists gaining control of more weapons, while at the same time, Ukrainian government forces are conducting rapid-response drills in the capital, Kiev.

The details from CRI's Cao Yuwei.

Reporter:

In Kiev, special forces soldiers have been put on guard outside the Parliament building.

The head of Ukraine's state guard, Valery Heletei, says the exercise Thursday morning is meant to test their response times to protect a government building.

"We checked how quick we are in getting to one of the governmental buildings, how fast we can deliver our crews, working in real time. That was planned by the Head of Department, other units worked in cooperation with us in an urgent situation. We performed the task well."

The highly-visable exercise involved some 200 troops and 4 Armoured Personnel Carriers.

The drill comes amid a revelation this week by Ukraine's acting President, who has said the country's police and security forces are "helpless" to stifle the unrest in the east of the country.

Despite that suggestion, the Ukrainian army has managed to take control of a checkpoint outside of the city of Slovyansk.

This is the city where a pro-Russian militia controls all the main government buildings and is holding 7 European observers hostage.

But its also being reported separatist forces have taken control of a huge weapons cache beneath a salt mine in the city of Horlivka.

The arms depot is kilometres long and contains over a million pieces of weaponry ranging from artillery to assault rifles.

"Our main goal here is to preserve all the munitions down there, so nobody can get it. Particularly the western part of Ukraine, if they are armed, you understand what is going to happen."

On the political front, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is repeating a call for dialogue between the Ukrainian government and the separatists.

"Russia believes that this dialogue between the authorities in Kiev and their opponents could be established, or launched in the framework of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. We hope that our partners, our western colleagues allow Ukrainians to establish this dialogue without major impediment."

US Vice President Joe Biden has issued a new statement, saying Russia can't alter European borders by force.

"What Russia has done violates not just Ukrainian sovereignty but the fundamental principle that European borders cannot, will not, be changed through political intimidation or military force. And we have to be resolute in imposing cost."

The US and the European Union have been imposing sanctions on Russia, which the International Monetary Fund has suggested this week are starting to have an impact on the Russian economy.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian interim Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk has promised to hold a vote on the future of the country's territorial integrity later this month.

But the vote will be non-binding.

For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.

 

 

IMF board approves a two-year, $17 billion loan package for cash-strapped Ukraine

 

The International Monetary Fund has approved a two-year financial aid program worth 17-billion U.S. dollars for Ukraine.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

"Under the programme, we are not designing sanctions, we are designing reforms, we trying to improve the situations so that the stability is restored, so that the exchange rate is supportive of more sustainable growth and we are encouraging transparency and new business practices in a country that badly needs those changes."

The Ukranian economy has been struggling to recover since the onset of the global economic downturn in 2009.

An internal political struggle in Ukraine as to where it would secure financial backing, either through the EU or Russia, was the initial catalyst for the current political unrest in the country.

And at the same time, since February, Russia has almost doubled gas prices to Ukraine.

The EU buys a quarter of its gas from Russia, which is transported through Ukraine.

The three parties are scheduled to hold talks on the ongoing gas dispute later today.

 

 

Police, protesters clash in Istanbul

 

A new round of unrest is underway in Turkey.

Police and protesters have been clashing in Istanbul.

Security personnel have been firing tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the hundreds of marchers who took to the streets in defiance of an order banning a march on Taksim Square.

It's unclear if there have been any casualties.

Taksim Square was where mass demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan broke out last year.

Mass demonstrations have also been planned for other cities across Turkey to mark the May-Day holiday.

Trade unions in Turkey have called for the marches in protest against the government's ban on rallies, which was put in-place following the unrest that engulfed Istanbul and other parts of Turkey last year.

 

 

May Day marches and protests in Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia

 

Groups across Asia have been staging rallies on this International Labor Day to call for better treatment for workers.

In the Philippines, thousands have marched through the streets of the capital, Manila.

Meanwhile, security forces have beat demonstrators in Cambodia after a rally was held in defiance of a government ban on public protests in the capital, Phnom Penh.

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy.

"We call on the government to release 23 workers and union activists that were arrested during the previous demonstration. If they do not release them, we will hold a large demonstration until we achieve this."

Garment factory workers in Cambodia have been demanding a higher minimum wage.

Textile exports are the main source for foreign exchange in the country.

Meanwhile, tens-of-thousands have also turned out in the Indonesian capital Jakarta for a demonstration, calling for a 30 percent increase in salaries this year.

No violence has been reported in Jakarta.

However, thousands of police officers have been deployed.

Indonesia has a labor force of 95-million people, two-thirds of whom are between the ages of 15 and 34.

 

 

More May Day marches

 

Demonstrations are also taking place in a number of European countries.

In Moscow, more than 100-thousand demonstrators have marched through Red Square, waving the flags of trade unions.

In the Greek capital Athens, May Day is being marked by docked ferries, idle trains and most services shut down.

Wide scale marches and demonstrations are also planned for North America later on this Thursday.

 

 

Intense downpour in the southeastern US damages roads, homes and neighbourhoods

 

Parts of United States are being hammered by more deadly weather systems.

Large areas of coastal Florida and Alabama have been left flooded after 24 hours of intense heavy rains.

Close to 19-inches of rain has hit the region.

The flooding has forced many to climb to their rooftops or attics to escape the fast-rising waters.

"It was coming hard, just real hard, trying to see what was going on, it was dark and you could see the water keep rising. You're just praying it didn't get all the way in the house."

Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency and is deploying the National Guard to help people trapped by the flooding.

Around 300 people in Florida have needed to be rescued.

From the Florida panhandle to as far north as Baltimore, Maryland, roads have been wiped out or severely damaged by the massive storms.

This is the latest bout of deadly weather in the US this week, which began with a string of deadly tornadoes across parts of the US south and Midwest.

So far close to 40-people have been killed by the severe weather in the US this week.

 

 

Jordan opens new refugee camp

 

Jordan has opened a new refugee camp meant to accommodate tens-of-thousands more Syrian refugees.

The new camp stretches for 15 kilometres and lies 90 kilometres inside Jordan away from the Syrian border.

Right now the camp can house over 50-thousand people, but could be expanded further to play host to around 130-thousand.

"We've escaped because of shelling and destruction, there is no safety in Syria, you can't be protected in Syria, then we decided to flee to Jordan, we feel good and happy here, the humanitarian agencies did their best to help us in this camp."

The new refugee camp has been under construction for around a year.

Jordan's main Zaatari refugee camp is operating close to capacity.

Jordan already hosts some 600-thousand registered Syrian refugees, which is 10-percent of the country's population.

But officials estimate the real number of displaced Syrians in Jordan is closer to 1.3-million.

 

 

Year of South Africa in China launched in Beijing 

 

Anchor:

The Year of South Africa in China, a year-long program meant to try to showcase South African culture, has kicked off here in Beijing.

The program includes more than 50 events about South Africa, including trade seminars, art displays and educational projects.

For more on the events, CRI's Xiong Siqi sat down for an exclusive interview with ambassador Jerry Matjila, director-general of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa to discuss what the event will mean for both countries.

…

Ambassador Jerry Matjila, director-general of International Relations and Cooperation for South Africa, speaking with CRI's Xiong Siqi.

 

 

Biz Reports

 

 

Stocks 

 

Reporter:

With most of the markets in the region closed for the Labor Day holiday, the mood was quite cautious among the markets in the region which did see trading today.

Among the three markets where trading did take place, Australia and New Zealand closed lower, while Japan saw a solid session.

Despite a positive lead from Wall Street and better than expected quarterly results from ANZ Bank, the Australian stock market ended notably lower, weighed down by weak economic data.

The benchmark ASX 200 closed down four fifths of a percent.

Trading was also down today in New Zealand.

But the Japanese stock market went higher with investors indulging in some buying.

The Nikkei 225 gained 1.3-percent.

The markets here in China, South Korea and Singapore were all closed for Labor Day holiday today.

Mainland markets will remain closed tomorrow as well.

 

 

China's manufacturing growth rises in April

 

China's manufacturing growth continued to rise in April.

The National Bureau of Statistics is reporting the country's Purchasing Managers' Index for the manufacturing sector has come in at 50.4 last month, up from 50.3 in March.

A reading of 50 is the dividing line between contraction and expansion.

This is the second consecutive monthly uptick in the manufacturing PMI.

The index finally began to climb again in March after three months of declines.

 

 

China's new trademark law to take effect in May

 

China's revised trademark law has taken effect today.

The tougher intellectual property protection laws raise the compensation ceiling for trademark infringement to 3 million yuan.

That's 6-times more than the previous limit.

The law also offers better protection for well-known trademarks, giving the owners the right to ban others from registering their trademarks or using similar ones.

However, the words "renowned trademark" will no longer be allowed in promotions or advertising.

 

 

China expands VAT to telecom sector

 

Anchor:

Authorities here in China are set to replace the turnover tax with a value-added tax in the telecom sector starting in June.

The move follows similar changes in areas of the transport and service sectors in 2012.

Basic telecom services, such as voice calls and the rental or sale of bandwidth, will be subject to an 11 percent VAT.

Services such as messaging, data and Internet access will be subject to a 6-percent rate.

Overseas clients will be exempt.

Turnover tax refers to a tax on the gross revenue of a business, while a VAT is a consumption tax, added whenever value is added at a stage of production and at a final sale.

For more on this, The Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator.

…

Cao Can, CRI's financial commentator, speaking with The Beijing Hour's Shane Bigham.

 

 

AT&T approached DirecTV about possible acquisition

 

AT&T has reportedly approached the United State's second biggest pay TV operator DirecTV about a possible acquisition of the satellite TV firm.

Industry observers say the deal could be worth at least 40-billion US dollars.

A combination of AT&T and DirecTV could create a pay-television giant close in size to where Comcast will be if it completes its pending acquisition of Time Warner Cable.

There's been no word on how far the discussions between AT&T and DirecTV have gone.

 

 

BSkyB profit hit by TV soccer, tech rights

 

British Sky Broadcasting is reporting a decline in profits as costs for technology and television soccer rights have dented the broadcaster's earnings.

BskyB's net profits for the nine months ending in March dipped to 1-billion US dollars from the 1.2-billion earned though the same period a year earlier.

This puts BskyB's operating profits down 9-percent.

But its revenues are up 7-percent to 9.5-billion US dollars.

BSkyB has more than 10 million pay-TV customers.

It holds most of the rights to live English Premier League soccer matches.

 

 

U.K. manufacturing surges to 5-month high in April

 

Activity in the U.K.'s manufacturing sector has expanded more sharply than expected in April.

Official data shows the purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector rose to a 5-month high of 57.3 in April.

This is up from 55.8 in March.

The new figures come as unemployment levels in the UK fall below 7-percent.

 

 

Alibaba in talks to reclaim Alipay stake

 

China's e-commerce giant Alibaba is in discussions with its major shareholders to reclaim a formal stake in its online-payment affiliate Alipay.

Sources within the company itself suggest the move is meant to increase the overall value of Alibaba, which is preparing to go public later this year.

But even if an agreement connected to Alipay is reached, it isn't likely to come before Alibaba's IPO in the United States, as the agreement would face regulatory reviews here in China.

Alipay is central to Alibaba's operations, processing its e-commerce payments similar to the way PayPal handles transactions for eBay.

Alipay has also jumped into the financial services sector.

It currently controls China's largest online money-market fund, Yu'e'bao, with assets of 87 billion US dollars.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma separated Alipay from Alibaba in 2011.

The move was made to allow Alipay to obtain a license to continue its business under then-new Chinese government regulations.

 

 

South Korea inflation hits 8-month high in April

 

Inflation in South Korea has hit an 8-month high in April.

The consumer price index rose to 1.5-percent year-on-year in April, up from the 1.3-percent rises recorded in March.

The April reading is slightly lower than the median forcast by economists of a 1.6-percent.

The Bank of Korea still expects the full-year CPI to rise 2.1-percent.

South Korea's central bank has been maintaining its key interest rate at 2.5-percent since last May.

It has an inflation target band of 2.5 to 3.5-percent.

 

 

US Federal Reserve continues to slow monthly bond-buying

 

The US Federal Reserve has announced a further reduction of its economic stimulus efforts, after a two-day meeting in Washington.

The US central bank says it will continue trimming its monthly bond-purchases by an additional 10 billion dollars to 45 billion.

The bank has been buying bonds to keep long-term interest rates low and stimulate economic activity.

Fed chair Janet Yellen said the bank will continue to support the US economy for as long as it deems necessary.

 

 

Suntory buys Jim Beam firm in $16bn deal

 

Japanese whiskey maker Suntory has completed a 16-billion US dollar takeover of the US firm that makes Jim Beam whiskey.

The company is being renamed Beam Suntory.

The takeover creates the world's third-largest high-end spirits maker.

The combined sales of Beam and Suntory's spirits business came in at 4.6-billion US dollars last year.

The integration is expected to be completed by year-end.

Beam Suntory will maintain its headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois.

 

 

Headline News

 

 

Xi Jinping calls for action following Xinjiang attack

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for "decisive action" against terrorism.

The call follows Wednesday's deadly attack at a train station in Xinjiang's regional capital which has left 3-dead and 79 others hurt.

The attack early last night took place at the exit of Urumqi's South Railway Station.

It began with a pair of explosions.

This was followed by groups of people attacking travellers with knives.

The attack in Urumqi is similar to the deadly assault on Kunming's main train station by Xinjiang-based separatists in on March 1st which left 29-people dead.

 

 

Ukranian forces launch exercises in Kiev

 

Ukranian special forces soldiers have been put on guard outside the Parliament building as part of a rapid-response exercise to test their ability to respond to a government building being commandeered.

The drill comes amid a revelation this week by Ukraine's acting President, who has said the country's police and security forces are "helpless" to stifle the unrest in the east of the country.

Meanwhile, its being reported separatist forces have taken control of a huge weapons cache beneath a salt mine in the city of Horlivka.

The arms depot is said to contain over a million pieces of weaponry ranging from artillery to assault rifles.

 

 

6.7-M quake hits 206 km WNW of Ile Hunter, New Caledonia -- USGS

 

A strong earthquake has hit in the south Pacific.

The quake, measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale, took place in the ocean this Thursday afternoon about 200-kilometers east of the southern tip of New Caledonia.

No tsunami warnings have been issued.

The quake generated only light shaking in the sparsely-populated islands closest to the epicenter.

 

 

Strict Islamic law comes into force in Brunei

 

A strict new expansion of Brunei's Sharia Law has come into effect today.

Under the expanded rules, Sharia punishments are being expanded to include being stoned to death for adultery.

People can have their limbs cut off for theft.

And under the new rules, people can be flogged for other violations, such as having an abortion, drinking alcohol or homosexual acts.

The series of new Sharia laws are set to be phased-in over the next 2-years and will apply to non-Muslims.

Brunei is home to a number of non-Muslim expats, including a number of Chinese nationals working to expand the Sultanate's oil sector.

 

 

New Zealand minister quits after inquiries into Chinese businessman's assault charges

 

A controversy in New Zealand connected to a Chinese businessman has led to the resignation of a government minister.

New Zealand Custom Minister Maurice Williamson has been forced to resign amid revelations he tried to insert himself into an assault case connected to Chinese businessman Liu Donghua.

Liu pleaded guilty earlier this year to assault charges connected to a domestic dispute.

However, it's since been revealed Williamson contacted police to talk to them about the case.

Liu Donghua, who now holds New Zealand citizenship, is a director with a major hotel company in New Zealand which gave Williamson's governing National Party a 5-figure donation last year.

The opposition in New Zealand has been accusing the John Key government of "cronyism" in connection with the case.

 

 

Newspaper Picks

 

 

Xinhua

"Salary of civil servants below average: report"

An April survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences shows the average income of Chinese civil servant is a little below the citizen's average.

The average annual salary of a civil servant was 46,000 yuan in 2012. Financial professionals earn the most among all the social professions, almost twice as much of the average salary for Chinese workers.

The report shows the average annual income of civil servants is not only far behind those in finance or IT, but also relatively low compared to those in similar social services such as education and public health.

The public are concerned that despite relatively low salaries, civil servants enjoy a substantial package of welfare funded by public budget such as housing subsidies.

Shanghai Daily

"Women CEOs still rare, trend to pick up"

A private report by PricewaterhouseCoopers has showed China had the second-highest percentage of women chief executive officers in the world during the past decade.

Between 2004 and last year, the US and Canada boasted the highest percentage of female CEOs at 3.2 percent, followed by China's 2.5 percent. Japan had the lowest rate of 0.8 percent.

The report says women CEOs are still rare, but they are becoming more prevalent.

By 2040, it projects that women will make up about a third of new CEO appointments.

The highest percentage of women leaders was found in information technology firms as well as companies dealing in consumer necessities and consumer discretionary goods such as cars and luxury products.

Women make up half of the workforce in China but their percentage for entry-level jobs is 50 percent, in contrast to 10 percent for senior positions.

The Telegraph

"Why choosing a simple name could give your child a better life"

Academics find easy names to pronounce are viewed as more familiar, less risky, less dangerous and therefore more trustworthy.

Researchers have found the harder your name is to pronounce, the less likely people are to trust you.

A recent study showed that people with easier to pronounce names were evaluated by employers more positively than their harder to pronounce counterparts. They were also found to be more likeable, preferred as election candidates, and held higher positions in legal firms

Lead author Eryn Newman of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Said fluency can influence judgment.

However the researchers warn that the effect would change depending on your country of origin.

Researchers found while native Brits may find "Yevgeni Dherzhinsky" to pronounce, the name would cause no problems in Russia, and be therefore deemed more trustworthy.

AFP

"Why the devil sells Prada: Study says snobby staff good for business"

A new study may shed light on why high-end, luxury boutiques are often staffed by haughty, snobby sales associates: turns out, they're better for sales.

According to researchers at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, when participants were treated poorly by rude and snooty sales staff, the customer experience actually increased people's desire to splurge and make big-ticket purchases.

This was true for those who had expressed a desire to own an article from the big-name brands.

Researchers found when interacting with "authentically rude" sales associates, turns out participants expressed a greater desire to dig deep and splash out on an item.

That desire, however, faded significantly with time – and the return of common sense.

 

 

Special Reports

 

 

Underground Hospital Prepared for Emergency

 

Anchor:

In the northern Israeli city of Haifa, a fortified underground hospital is set to open.

The facility has been designed specifically for emergency situations such as a war or a natural disaster.

CRI's Qizhi has more.

Reporter:

The 2,000-bed Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital is the largest of its kind in the world, designed to protect the patients of northern Israel in times of war.

The underground hospital, attached to Rambam Health Care Campus, will operate as a three-level parking lot for 1,500 vehicles in peace time. In an emergency, it can be converted into a hospital within 72 hours, fortified against conventional and non-conventional weapons, and sustain itself for 72 hours without support from outside.

Rafi Beyar is the Director of Rambam Health Care Campus.

"The concept was developed after the 2006 second Lebanon war, when this place was actually under an intense rocket attack. Rambam really had to treat patients in situations under fire. We had to move patients to improvised locations, to corridors and basements in the old hospital."

Doctor Yaron Bar-Lavie of Critical Care Medicine, who experienced the missile attack in 2006, says the completion of the underground hospital offers the staff and patients security if emergency situation occur.

"During the second Lebanon War, around 50 missiles were launched in our direction. It was very scary. At that time, we went down to the basement. Of course there was nothing prepared to take care of patients. Now this is going to be ready and prepared to treat everybody that needs intensive care, operations, dialysis... everything. Under this condition we feel totally normal, because we'll be protected."

During a drill before the facility opens, staff members practice operating ventilation and electrical systems, deployment of necessary equipment, and transfer of hospital beds and equipment to designated locations.

Michael Halberthal, deputy director of Rambam, says they are practicing the manual of emergency and improving it.

"What we are checking today is the logistics. We are writing the manual. There's no manual like this in the world. So we are trying to see with the manual how long does it take to do something like this. Today is basically a logistic drill to use all the infrastructure."

In addition, Rambam hospital staff are well trained to deal with emergency situations.

Director of nursing Hanna Admi says they are doing drills and training regularly.

"We are all prepared to take care of emergency situations involving injured civilians and soldiers. Everyone knows what his role is in an emergency. The document is a little bit different, but the medical care is very similar."

And the army experiences of hospital staff also help, says Doctor Bar-Lavie.

"A lot of us went to the army, so we know how to function under these conditions. I was a physician in the army and I worked in the field, and I was a physician in the ambulance unit, so I know how to function in not ideal conditions and to treat patients in various situations, so for us here it will be very natural to function."

The underground hospital can also work in natural disasters such as earthquakes, though hospital staff hope none of the emergency situations will ever happen.

For CRI, I'm qizhi.

 

 

Sports

 

 

China whitewash Serbia to proceed to World Table Tennis Quarter Finals

 

Defending champion Chinese men's table tennis team have blasted Serbia 3-0 in their final group match to reach the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Table Tennis Championships.

Chinese Captain Ma Long, stunned Marko Jevtovic in three games at 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 to open the match for China.

Wang Hao, came on the court in the second match to beat Bojan Crepulja also in three games.

While Xu Xin concluded the victory for China as the world's No. 1 defeated Zolt Pete 11-9, 11-2 and 11-6.

China who won all five group matches 3-0 and become the first team to reach the quarterfinals.

 

 

Guangzhou Evergrande 3 points clear at top of Superleague after 5-0 victory

 

A Glance at how things ended up with the Chinese Soccer last night….

Guangzhou Evergrande gave Shanghai East Asia FC a real thumping winning that game FIVE – NIL.

The defending champions now top the superleague by three points after eight wins from nine games.

Beijing Guo'an sit second in the table. A lone goal by Zhizhao Chen in the second half secured them a home victory against Jiangsu Sainty in the Chinese capital last night.

While Shandong Luneng are a further two points back now in third after losing one – nil to Changchun Yatai.

 

 

NBA playoffs continue

 

In the NBA playoffs,

The Houston Rockets live to play another day.

Yao Ming's former club downed Portland 108-98 this morning to stave-off elimination in their first-round matchup.

Dwight Howard led the Rockets with 22 points and 14-rebounds.

The Trail Blazers still lead the series 3-games-2.

In other action,

The Toronto Raptors have taken a 3-2 series lead over the Nets, downing Brooklyn 115-113 this morning.

And the San Antonio Spurs now hold a 3-2 series advantage after they downed the Dallas Mavericks 109-103 today.

 

 

NHL Sharks, Rangers and Wild through to second round playoffs

 

In the National Hockey League,

The LA Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-1 to become just the fourth NHL side to win the best-of-seven series after losing the first three games.

San Jose started this series by outscoring Los Angeles 17-8 in their opening matches but their offence went cold and the Kings won the next four in a row.

Los Angeles join the 1942 Toronto team the New York Islanders in 1975 and the Philadelphia side of 2010 as the only teams to complete that comeback and now will get another California showdown in the second-round with the first Freeway Playoff against the Anaheim Ducks.

It's not to be Philadelphia's year this year however as they were defeated by the New York Rangers 2-1 in the decisive game 7.

New York will face another Metropolitan Division rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs starting on Friday.

Meanwhile the Minesota Wild are through to the next round after scoring a nail-biting 5-4 overtime victory over the Colarado Avalanche this morning.

The Avalanche had the lead on four different occasions in this game, only to have the Wild respond.

The Wild's Jared Spurgeon scored with just 2 and a half minutes left in the 3rd to tie the game at 4.

Nido Niederrieter then scored the winner for Minnesota just 5-minutes into the extra frame for the victory.

The Wild will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks in the second round starting on Friday night in Chicago.

 

 

Australian cricket team top world rankings

 

In Cricket

Australia have returned to the top of the test rankings for the first time since 2009.

The Aussies achieve the feat after sweeping an Ashes series and beating previous incumbents South Africa in their own backyard over the last six months.

　　

Australia retain their top ranking in one-day internationals ahead of India, who fall from third to fifth in the test rankings behind the top two nations as well as England and Pakistan.

Australia captain Michael Clarke.

“One of the positives of experiencing the tough times through the last couple of years, makes days like today even more special. So, for me it's obviously extremely satisfying to be captain of the Australian team and to see us go from number five to number one, and it's taken a lot of hard work. So, the players deserve a lot of credit for that. It's a great achievement to get there, but it's even a harder achievement to stay there. And the great Australian team that I was lucky enough to walk into, they stayed there for a long time. So, that's our goal. Thank you all, long may it continue."

Australia topped the rankings from their inauguration in 2003 to 2009 before being displaced briefly by South Africa, India and England at different times.

 

 

Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana talk ahead of fight

 

Floyd Mayweather, the man dubbed the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the world, has been trading barbed comments ahead of his fight against Marcos Maidana at the weekend.

The five-division world champion will put his 45 fight unbeaten record on the line in the welterweight title unification in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Speaking in Spanish with an interpreter Maidana gave his thoughts before the fight:

"Nobody's giving me an opportunity. Everything I have I earned myself. I know it's a very difficult fight. That's why I trained like never before. Mayweather as everybody knows is a very excellent fighter and a very difficult fighter. Like la raza (hispanic community) says 'I don't give a **** about him."

In response Floyd Mayweather acknowledged his 30-year-old opponent's achievements. The big hitting Argentinian has 35 wins and 3 losses but with that a staggering 31 knockouts.

His latest fight, in December, saw him beat the heavily favoured American Adrien Broner by unanimous decision. But Mayweather predicts this fight will be just a step too far for his opponent:

"Is he one of the best guys in the sport. Yes he is but I am the best and that's the difference. He's tough. he's rugged. He's the champion. I respect him as a man but come Saturday you have to make me respect your fight game. I don't ever go into no fight with no game plan. My game plan is to win and be first."

The 12 round bout, will unify the WBC welterweight title held by Mayweather and Maidana's WBA welterweight crown.

 

 

Sports world marks 20th anniversary since death of F1 racer Ayrton Senna

 

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of legendary Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, and tributes have been pouring out from across the world of sport and elsewhere.

The three time world champion who is often voted the greatest racer in history died after crashing into a concrete wall at Imola at about 300 kph during Sunday's race.

The tragedy occurred just a day after another driver died at high speed at the San Marino Grand Prix.

Austrian racer Roland Ratzenberger was involved in a high speed crash during qualifying, while another driver, Senna's Brazilian compatriot Rubens Barrichello, had been lucky to survive a horrific accident during Friday practice.

The attention around Senna's death brought about safety improvements at the Imola track and throughout F1.

And to this day the loss of the beloved Brazilian racing driver on May 1 1994 is the last fatality the sport has had to endure.

 

 

Entertainment

 

 

Actor Jude Law comments on the passing of actor Bob Hoskins

 

British actor Bob Hoskins has died of pneumonia at the age of 71.

The Oscar-nominated star was best known for his roles in the iconic films "The Long Good Friday" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

British actor Jude Law once worked with Hoskins in the film "Enemy at the Gates". He remembers Hoskins as a funny, brilliant performer.

"He came to work with me on 'Enemy at the Gates' and he was playing the military advisor under Stalin, and so he had this huge latex nose on. So in between takes he would be able to push his nose and a squirt of water would come out the top bridge because it was basically a sponge filling up with water. Yeah. He was a brilliant actor and a very sweet man. Great spirit. And he will be much missed."

Hoskins' latest film role was as one of the twelve dwarves in the 2012 film "Snow White and the Huntsman," starring Kristen Stewart.

Soon after, Hoskins announced that he was retiring from acting due to being diagnosed with Parkinsons's disease.

 

 

'The Simpsons' get Lego makeover for 550th episode

 

Fox's hit animated show, "The Simpsons," is celebrating another milestone with a plastic makeover featuring LEGO building blocks.

"Brick Like Me" marks the show's 550th episode and adds a notch in this year's revival of the popular Danish plastic building brick, after the runaway success of February's "The Lego Movie".

The show's writer and producer, Matt Selman, says the newest episode will see both the cartoon characters and town of Springfield re-imagined in the form of the plastic toy brick blocks.

"If you watch the episode slowly we put in tons of hidden background jokes, references to "The Simpsons", references to Legos. So, it really rewards a close viewing. So, watch it closely superfans."

"The Simpsons" was created by Matt Groening and premiered in 1989.

It is the world's most-watched U.S. television show, syndicated across more than 100 countries, and reaches more than 150 million viewers a week, according to Fox.

"Brick Like Me" is set to air in the U.S. on Sunday.

 

 

Kevin Spacey releases new documentary

 

Actor and producer Kevin Spacey is self-releasing a documentary about his collaboration with director Sam Mendes on a touring theater production of Shakespeare's "Richard III".

The documentary, directed by Jeremy Whelehan, is titled "NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage".

It tracks a troupe led by Spacey that toured theaters from the Middle East to China to Italy, performing their take on "Richard III".

Spacey says he is amazed that language is not a barrier for people from different cultures to appreciate Shakespeare's plays.

"Language is not a barrier, whether English is their first language or their second language. We had subtitles in every city that we went but we often were quite amazed that people weren't looking at the subtitles. They were watching us. So it's an interesting thing that if you present something that's accessible and understandable and that people are able to follow even if they don't understand all of the words -- it just goes to show why Shakespeare has survived 450 years."

"NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage" will be available on May 2 via Spacey's website, as well as in a very limited number of theaters.

 

 

'Frozen' reigns atop Billboard 200 for 12th week

 

The soundtrack for Disney's animated film "Frozen" is still ruling the Billboard 200 as of Wednesday (Apr. 30), as it clocked a 12th week at No. 1 on the weekly album chart.

The soundtrack, which features the Oscar-winning song "Let It Go", sold another 115-thousand copies last week, bringing its cumulative U.S. sales to 2.5 million, according to figures from Nielsen Soundscan.

Last week, "Frozen" ousted the soundtrack of Walt Disney's 1994 movie, "The Lion King," to become the animated film soundtrack with the longest run at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

Billboard said the "Frozen" soundtrack is the first album to cross 2 million sales this year.

 

 

TV series '24' to return after four years of absence

 

The Emmy-award winning TV series "24" will be back for its ninth installment after a four-year hiatus.

Star and executive producer of the show, Kiefer Sutherland, will be back as agent Jack Bauer.

Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub is also returning as Chloe O'Brian, and Kim Raver will continue to play Audrey, Bauer's former love interest.

One of the major changes is that Raver is married in the new season, a sore point for anyone who hoped to see Jack and Audrey get together.

The cast welcomes Benjamin Bratt as Steve Navaro, head of a CIA division, and British star Stephen Fry will make an appearance.

24 picked up a total of 73 Emmy Award Nominations.

The last episode was broadcast on May 24th, 2010, and season nine is set to premiere in the U.S. on May 5th.

 

 

Elton John sings at Battersea concert

 

Prospective home-owners that have purchased units in a 3,500-home development at Battersea Power Station in London enjoyed an exclusive Elton John concert on Wednesday (April 30).

Among the celebrities attending the show were Grace Jones, 'Game of Thrones' actor Kit Harrington and British Olympic diver Tom Daley and his boyfriend, 'Milk' screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

The gig was held inside one of the UK's most recognizable landmarks, Battersea Power Station, which became known to many music fans outside the UK after it graced the front cover of Pink Floyd's "Animals" album.

The developers have not said how much they are paying Elton John to play the concert.

But the singer has previously been reported to charge more than half a million pounds for a private show, the proceeds from which go to his charitable foundation.

 

 

A quick recap of headlines before we go.

Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for action following last night's deadly attack on the main train station in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.

Tensions are on the rise in Ukraine, where the country's special forces have been taking part in highly-visable exercises.

Demonstrations and marches have been taking place in Asia and Europe to mark the May Day holiday.

In business, new stats show manufacturing here in China has continued to improve through April.