新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2013/07/26

 The Beijing Hour

 
Evening Edition
 
 
Friday 26th July, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital, I'm Ben Leung.
Coming up on our program this evening,
80 are now confirmed dead at the Spanish train crash as investigators question the driver.
The UN says over 100 000 people have now been killed in 28 months of the Syrian conflict.
Thousands are expected to rally in support of the interim government in Egypt today.
Business, World food prices have fallen due to weaker demand.
Sports, We'll have the latest at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona.
Entertainments, We'll feature Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman.
Plus Special reports is a feature Hanergy's attempt to break into the US market.
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will have showers tonight with a low of 23 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow showers with a high temperature of 28.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 30,　thundershowers tomorrow, with a high of 39.
Lhasa will have moderate rain tonight, 12 degrees the low, showers tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny, with a high of 36.
Kabul, sunny, 37.
Over in Australia
Sydney, sunny, highs of 19.
Canberra, sunny, 16.
Brisbane, overcast, 22.
And finally, Perth will have thundershowers with a high of 18.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Egypt's ousted president faces espionage, jailbreak charges
 
A top Egyptian court has ordered a 15-day detention for ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi
Local media say charges dating back to the uprising in 2011 include spying for the Hamas movement in Gaza, as well as enabling inmates, including himself, to flee from Wadi El Natron prison.
Meanwhile, Egyptians appeared divided over the army's call for a mass demonstrations today to show solidarity for the interim government.
Political allies of Egypt's military lined up behind its call for a huge rally.
By contrast, Islamist opponents are still demanding the release of ousted president, Mohamed Morsi.
Mass rallies organized by both pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators take place after Friday prayer today in major Egyptian cities.
 
 
Victim identification continues after Spain train crash kills 80
 
Identification of the victims of Wednesday's fatal train crash in northwestern Spain continues.
The accident has killed at least 80 people so far and injured another 130, in Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region.
Local media reports say 40 of the victims have been identified so far.
Hospitals have received blood donation from more than 800 local residents.
The King and Queen of Spain visited the site on Thursday and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy - a native of Santiago de Compostela - announced on Thursday that the country would observe three days of mourning for the victims of the train accident.
The crash is being blamed on the driver for speeding around a bend. He is currently under formal investigation.
 
 
Car bomb kills 10, wounds 62 near Syrian capital
 
A car bomb has exploded in a residential area near the Syrian capital Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding 66 others.
The explosion caused heavy damage to nearby buildings and destroyed many cars in Jaramana, just a few kilometres southeast of Damascus
Syria's state-run news agency SANA reports that the area is inhabited by predominantly supporters of the President, Bashar al-Assad.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing.
 
 
UN chief Ban Ki-moon says over 100,000 people killed in Syria
 
Anchor:
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon says the number of people killed in the 28-month long Syrian conflict has now surpassed 100-thousand mark, with millions more injured and displaced.
Here's CRI's Lucy Du.
Reporter
The latest estimate is 7-thousand people higher than the figure issued by the UN only a month ago.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon,
"The conflict is now continuing for almost two and a half years. More than 100,000 people have been killed. Millions of people have either been displaced or become refugees in neighbouring countries. We have to bring this to an end."
Ban Ki-moon has issued the statement at UN headquarters in New York alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Both are stressing the urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict.
Ban Ki-Moon is also appealing for a fresh attempt to try to convene a peace conference.
Previous attempts at trying to get a peace conference together have been held up by differences between Russia and the US about who will be involved.
At issue is the involvement of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia has insisted Assad needs to be part of the process.
For CRI, I'm Lucy Du.
 
 
Australian FM reiterates firm stance against people smuggling
 
Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr has reaffirmed the country's firm stance against people smuggling in the region.
Mr Carr said Australia's new measures of moving all newly arrived refugees to offshore detention centres are aimed at putting an end to people smuggling.
" We can't privatize our immigration program to people smugglers, we can't allow that to happen. We believe as a proud party to the convention on refugees, that we cannot allow people smuggling to figure more and more, to become stronger and stronger."
His remark came after Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's recent announcement on his government's tough new asylum policy.
Rudd said that all refugees arriving in the country by boat will be resettled on the island nation of Papua New Guinea.
However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the new measures are devoid of quote, "adequate protection standards and safeguards for asylum seekers and refugees in Papua New Guinea."
More than 15,000 asylum seekers have arrived by boat in Australian territory this year.
This spike in number has reignited a heated debate on refugee policy and prompting opposition accusations that the ruling Labor government is soft on border protection.
Federal elections in Australia must take place before the end of November.
 
 
Four Russian nationals and a Ukrainian charged in hacking case
 
Four Russian nationals and a Ukrainian have been charged with hacking cases worth 300-million US dollars.
The have been running a hacking organization which penetrated computer networks of more than a dozen major US and international corporations in seven years.
They are accused of stealing and selling at least 160-million credit and debit card numbers.
Indictments has been announced in Newark, New Jersey.
US Attorney Paul Fishman described the case as the largest hacking and data breach scheme ever prosecuted in the United States.
It's been reported that US credit card numbers are sold for about 10 US dollars each; Canadian numbers are worth 15 US dollars and better-encrypted European ones 50 US dollars.
The data were stored on computer servers all over the world.
 
 
Pakistan's opposition party boycotts presidential elections
 
Pakistan's major opposition party has announced that they boycotting the presidential elections as a protest against a change in the election date.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had previously set Aug. 6 for the presidential elections, but the Supreme Court ordered the elections to be held on July 30 on a request by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.
The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) objected this court verdict and said that the party was not heard in the case and described the decision as "one-sided".
Analysts say the opposition boycott could lead to political tensions between the ruling party and the opposition.
 
 
Landslides damage railroad in NW China
 
14 people have been killed in floods in northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a result of continuous heavy downpours.
Rain-triggered landslides also damaged local rail tracks -affecting local train services.
CRI's He Fei has more.
A total of 34 trains were canceled or delayed in Yan'an city, Shaanxi Province due to the rain-triggered landslide.
Sections of the Baotou-Xi'an railway, one of the major lines through northwestern China, had been badly damaged after intense rainfall in recent days.
Zhang Guanglin, deputy director of Yan'an railway department, explains.
"This section has been damaged by landslides for three times recently. The landslides are more likely to happen on steeper hillsides. We have dispatched maintenance personnel working around-the-clock to reinforce the railroad and to resume the traffic as soon as possible."
Ticket-holders for train services affected are eligible for a refund.
Continuous torrential rains also brought widespread flooding within the province, where more than 800,000 people have been affected and 189,000 people already relocated.
Officials estimate the economic losses to be in the region of 1.8-billion yuan.
An emergency disaster relief response has been initiated in the province.
The country has also allocated 230 million yuan as flood relief funds for 12 provinces and autonomous regions.
The money will be used for flood control efforts and to repair damaged water conservancy facilities.
Nationwide floods have already killed 337 people and left 213 missing this year, with further flooding predicted in the upcoming months.
For CRI, this is He Fei.
 
 
8 Chinese missing, 2 rescued after barge capsized in Singapore waters
 
8 Chinese nationals are still missing after a barge capsized at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore.
The search and rescue operations are continuing, and investigation is also underway.
The Chinese embassy in Singapore confirmed that 2 crewmen had been rescued when the barge sank at around noon on Wednesday.
It is believed that there were 10 people on board at the time.
 
 
Overseas performance of Chinese companies
 
As more cash-rich Chinese enterprises invest overseas, their performances are not always rosy.
Some struggled and are on the verge of being sidelined in the local market due to political barriers.
Huawei and ZTE's treatment in the US is a classic example in which political barriers can derail the ambition of Chinese companies entering advanced markets.
So how do experts rate the overseas performance of Chinese companies?
CRI's Zheng Chenguang earlier spoke with Wang Huiyao, Director General of the Center for China and Globalization.
…
That's CRI's Zheng Chenguang speaking with Wang Huiyao, Director General of the Center for China and Globalization, on the overseas performance of Chinese companies.
 
 
China likely to issue 4G licenses by year end
 
Anchor:
Anticipation is growing amongst Chinese mobile internet users that the government is set to unveil the much-anticipated 4G wireless licences and they are set to be issued before the end of the year.
CRI's Mark Cavigli has more.
Reporter:
At a 4G service center of China Mobile in Henan's Zhengzhou city, customers are trying out the new service with high expectations for faster speeds and easier access.
"I look forward very much to the availability of 4G service, which will be faster than the current 3G network. But I'm not sure if it will be able to synchronize with televisions and other home appliances."
"I hope it will be launched soon. I really want to experience it as soon as possible."
The fourth-generation wireless service is designed to deliver a speed four to ten times faster than today's 3G system, the most widespread, high-speed wireless service at the moment.
China Mobile, China's largest cell phone provider, is now promoting a homegrown 4G standard and hopes to start commercial rollout soon.
The core technologies are ready and the company has been ramping up installations of its base stations, which will be shared by both 3G and 4G networks.
Li Xiaobang is an engineer with China Mobile.
"We need to examine all the base stations currently used for 3G services, including the machine room and the roof, and carry out Long Term Evolution upgrade, either to F frequency band or to D frequency band, based on overall conditions of the base stations."
According to Li, the company is hoping to finish the work as soon as possible so people can use the new service once the 4G license is issued.
The government says it will press ahead with building infrastructures and hopes to issue 4G licenses by the end of this year.
There are 1.2-billion mobile phones in China, more than any other country in the world.
For CRI, this is Mark Cavigli.
 
 
Argentina's H1N1 flu death toll rises to 43
 
In Argentina, the H1N1 influenza virus has claimed 43 people so far this year.
Four of these deaths came in the western part of the country, whilst health authorities also confirmed another fatality over in the east.
The latest victims included four elderly people and a 40-year-old man.
Back in 2009. as many as 626 people died in Argentina during the H1N1 pandemic.
 
 
Latest round of TPP free trade talks end as tough issues remain
 
The latest round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations has concluded in Malaysia.
The negotiators have said in a joint statement that tough issues remained to be solved despite progress.
J. Jayasiri is Malaysia's chief negotiator at the talks.
"Although significant progress was made during the 18th round, there are still a number of issues that require further work. We are now entering a stage where negotiators have to deal with the more difficult and sensitive issues."
Negotiators from 11 countries gathered in the resort city of Kota Kinabalu for the 18th round of TPP negotiations.
And they were joined by Japanese officials on Tuesday as the country became the 12th TPP negotiating partner.
The 19th round of TPP negotiations is scheduled to be held in late August in Brunei.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Asian Stock
 
Chinese shares closed lower for the third straight day today as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the weekend.
When the markets closed, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.5 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index edged down 0.7 percent.
In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng moved up 0.3 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's Nikkei plunged nearly 3 percent, weighed down by the yen's climb against the US dollar.
Meanwhile, South Korea's KOSPI managed to move slightly up as foreign investors bought local stocks amid a mixed picture of second-quarter earnings.
In Singapore, the Straits Times index finished almost flat.
and finally Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1 percent.
 
 
Samsung in record quarterly profit on smartphone boost
 
Yesterday, we talked about a steep fall in the sale of Apple iPhones here in China. Today, Samsung has reported a record quarterly profit between April and June this year.
The company made a net profit of 7 billion US dollars during the quarter of 2013 - that's a 50% jump from a year ago.
Samsung said the launch of new models such as the Galaxy S4 have helped boost sales of smartphones, but warns that growth in this sector is set to slow down due to fierce competitions.
One rival which Samsung IS beating here in the Chinese market is indeed Apple, which only has 9% of the market share - a full 10% behind Samsung in this 80 billion dollar market. In terms of popularity here in China, Apple ranks only fifth overall.
 
 
phoning with Doug Young
 
Anchor:
For some other key events on the corporate front in China this week.
CRI's Paul James earlier spoke with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
…
Back Anchor:
That was Pual James speaking with Doug Young, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
UBS expects A-share market to continue bearish run
 
A UBS report is now predicting that China's yuan-denominated A-share market is to continue a weak run during the second half of this year.
The bank has also lowered its projection for the combined profit growth of listing companies from 11.5 percent to 8.7 percent.
The bank's survey showed that the top 300 companies traded on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses have plunged nearly 13 percent between January and June.
UBS also said that deflation risks and the country's current liquidity squeeze will have a negative effect on corporate profitability.
It added that a prevailing cautious sentiment depresses the market as investors are uncertain about the new administration's still unfolding economic policies.
 
 
Japan consumer prices rise for first time in 14 months
 
Japanese consumer prices rose for the first time in more than a year in June.
Official data showed that consumer prices, excluding food, rose by 0.4% - the biggest increase for five years.
But analysts say the rise is down to higher energy bills rather than increased domestic demand.
Imports of foreign fuel has also gone up dramatically after Japan closed nearly all of its nuclear reactors.
In addition, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy of quantitative easing has devalued the yen in recent months, making imports more expensive.
Japan has seen more than a decade of falling prices.
 
 
Deadline set for removing outdated industrial capacity
 
The central government here has set a deadline to shut down outdated production facilities in more than 1,400 companies.
It involves 19 industries, including steel, coke, ferro-alloy, cement and paper making.
Outdated operations will have to be removed by the end of this September and permanently dismantled by the end of the year.
The names of these firms will be made to the public and they will not be allowed to relocate their outdated capacities to other regions.
These 1,400 plus companies are the first batch of enterprises included in this directive, with more companies targeted soon.
 
 
Global food prices continue to fall: World Bank
 
A World Bank report says that global food prices dropped 2 percent between February and June.
The World Bank said the drop, which is the third consecutive quarterly decline is mainly due to improved weather conditions and weaker demand.
In a breakdown for all the crops, wheat prices fell 2 percent, sugar 6 percent, soybean oil 11 percent, and maize, 1 percent.
The same report said that global maize production was expected to reach a record high this year.
It also cautioned that uncertainty remains in international markets due to unfavorable weather conditions in northern and central Europe as well as other risks.
 
 
Amazon reports unexpected losses
 
US online retail giant Amazon is reporting unexpected losses through its latest quarter.
The Seattle-based company is reporting a net loss of 7-million US dollars through Q2.
This represents a 2-cent a share loss.
Most analysts had been anticipating Amazon was going to report a profit of around 6-cents a share.
The post-close announcement briefly send Amazon's share-price down around 4-percent in afterhours trading.
Right now the shares are down around 2-percent.
Amazon is on-record saying unfavorable foreign exchange rates through this latest quarter have cut its operating income by some 18-million US dollars to 79-million.
Amazon shares on the S&P 500 have risen by over 10.5-percent so far this year, outstripping the 6.5-percent rise in the S&P itself.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Egypt's ousted president faces espionage, jailbreak charges: report
 
A top Egyptian court has ordered the detention of ousted President Mohamed Morsi for 15 days for investigations over such charges as spying and jailbreak.
Charges against Morsi include spying for the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement and escaping from Wadi El Natron prison.
Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3 after he failed to respond positively to the demands of millions of protesters who were unsatisfied with his rule since he was elected a year ago.
Mass rallies organized by both pro- and anti-Morsi demonstrators are now underway in major Egyptian cities.
 
 
Pakistan's opposition party boycotts presidential elections
 
Pakistan's major opposition party has announced that they boycotting the presidential elections as a protest against a change in the election date.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had previously set Aug. 6 for the presidential elections, but the Supreme Court ordered the elections to be held on July 30 on a request by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League.
The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) objected this court verdict and said that the party was not heard in the case and described the decision as "one-sided".
Analysts say the opposition boycott could lead to political tensions between the ruling party and the opposition.
 
 
8 Chinese missing, 2 rescued after barge capsized in Singapore waters
 
8 Chinese nationals are still missing after a barge capsized at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore.
The search and rescue operations are continuing, and investigation is also underway.
The Chinese embassy in Singapore confirmed that 2 crewmen had been rescued when the barge sank at around noon on Wednesday.
It is believed that there were 10 people on board at the time.
 
 
Samsung in record quarterly profit on smartphone boost
 
Yesterday, we talked about a steep fall in the sale of Apple iPhones here in China. Today, Samsung has reported a record quarterly profit between April and June this year.
The company made a net profit of 7 billion US dollars during the quarter of 2013 - that's a 50% jump from a year ago.
Samsung said the launch of new models such as the Galaxy S4 have helped boost sales of smartphones, but warns that growth in this sector is set to slow down due to fierce competitions.
One rival which Samsung IS beating here in the Chinese market is indeed Apple, which only has 9% of the market share - a full 10% behind Samsung in this 80 billion dollar market. In terms of popularity here in China, Apple ranks only fifth overall.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China Daily
“Weather center to report accurate temperatures”
Meteorological departments are now expected to make more accurate weather forecasts and not report false temperatures lower than the actual one.
As the summer heat is prolonged in some regions in China, some people feel the temperature is higher than reported, and question whether the departments downplayed the weather to prevent people from quitting work on hot days.
A senior forecaster at the National Meteorological Center, claims the center has implemented the international practice requested by the World Meteorological organization.
But the air temperature perceived by the human body, which takes wind and air humidity's into consideration, might be different from the report.
Shanghai Daily
“Woman pays dearly for online medicine”
A woman who bought medicine online in hope of having twins has suffered serious damage to her body and had to have her left ovary removed.
Medical experts say clomiphene is used to induce ovulation in women who wish to increase the chance of twins - and triplets.
It is a prescribed medicine and must be taken under strict supervision of doctors.
The woman bought clomiphene online and started to take the medicine without consulting any doctors early this year.
However, after taking the medicine she began to vomit and was rushed to the hospital.
Medical checks revealed that the patient suffered over-stimulation to the ovaries.
BBC
“Scientists can implant false memories into mice”
The brains of genetically engineered mice were implanted with optic fibres to deliver pulses of light to their brains.
The researchers have conditioned a network of neurons to respond to light, which make the mice remember an unpleasant environment.
Scientists say just like in mice, our memories are stored in collections of cells. When events are recalled we reconstruct parts of these cells.
The study could help scientists further understand how similar structures in the human brain work, as the structure and basic circuitry of mouse's brain are very similar to human's.
Scientists also say the study could one day shed light into how false memories occur in human.
Los Angeles Times
“Full moon can disturb human sleep”
In folk tales have long dramatized the effects a full moon has on human behavior.
Now scientists in Switzerland say there's evidence people sleep worse around the time of a full moon.
They have found in the four days around the full moon people took five minutes longer to fall asleep and they slept 20 minutes less.
The participants also claim they felt as though their sleep had been poorer.
The researchers say this is the first time it has been shown that "a lunar rhythm can influence sleep structure in humans."
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
China's Hanergy buys US Global Solar
 
Anchor:
China's largest private clean energy provider Hanergy is set to buy US solar firm Global Solar Energy.
The deal came as Chinese solar panel makers face increasing difficulties in shipping their products to the US and Europe.
CRI's Ding Lulu has more.
Reporter:
The solar panel industry is one of the hardest hit in Chinese exports due to frequent trade frictions and thinning profit margins.
As a result, many companies are now looking to get around customs barriers and localize their productions.
Jason Chow is the Executive President of Hanergy Global PV Application and oversees the Global Solar Energy deal.
"Global Solar is actually the largest commercial-size flexible panel manufacturer in the US and the world. Actually what's very helpful for us is that we can bring the technology and the products to China."
Once completed, the Global Solar deal will be Hanergy's third acquisition in less than a year.
The previous two acquisitions brought the cutting-edge thin-film solar technology from Germany and the United States.
Wang Shuqi, Vice President of Hanery says to really stand out among the average PV makers, new technology should also be matched with a new business model.
"We keep our eyes in Europe. It's a well-developed market, especially Germany, Spain, Italy. We're trying to find a new solution for them and come up with new developed business model."
She added Hanergy is working with Swedish furniture retailer IKEA to install PV panels on all IKEA store roofs on the Chinese mainland.
IKEA said Hanergy's solution could potentially cut carbon emissions by more than 60-million tons a year.
Companies' own innovations aside, experts note practical policies should also by put in place by the government so the domestic market can take in the solar panels on scale.
Wang Jiayu is a research associate of Global Buildings Performance Network, a foundation for energy conservation.
"To cover solar power generation for the building, the scale of PV panels should be two or even three folds of the building's area for high-rise buildings. The current policies in China are mainly incentive measures that focus on resources, but no mandatory requirements on energy savings for developers have been introduced yet."
Earlier this month, the government announced it will increase its solar power generating capacity by four times by 2015.
To meet the ambitious target, the State Council also announced a raft of support measures for the sector.
This includes promoting small-scale solar power generators and increasing financial support for large solar panel producers.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
Sports
 
 
15th Fina World Championships in Barcelona
 
Over at the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, China is doing what it does best and that is to dominate the diving competition, and none more so than a 1-2 in the women's 10 metre platform dive.
Si Yajie pulled off a series of exceptional dives to clinch gold, ahead of her compatriot Chen Roulin in second. Ukraine's Julia Prokopchuk finished third.
Meanwhile, in the synchronised swimming, the two Svetlanas - Romashina and Kolesnichenko - came out on top for Russia, beating the Chinese twin-sisters Jiang Tingting and Jiang Wenwen to the gold.
Water polo's also taking place with some close results among the competing nations.
One of the most eagerly-awaited matches was that between Russia and the Netherlands, with the match going down to the wire, ending in a 12-all draw.
Overall, The U.S, Russia, Australia and Hungary topped the individual groups in the competition.
China secured the runner-up spot in Group B after defeating New Zealand.
 
 
The NBA is expected to release the 2013-14 schedule soon
 
The NBA is expected to release the 2013-14 schedule very soon.
The Lakers and Rockets will reportedly meet during the season's first full week at Houston's Toyota Center.
Kobe Bryant is expected to start the season, though he still is in rehabilitation from an injury he suffered back in April.
Dwight Howard was traded to the Rockets from the Lakers earlier this month with a 4-year, 88-million dollar contract.
Howard's time with the Lakers was tumultuous to say the least, so his exit was somewhat inevitable.
With Howard joining James Harden and a strong team in Houston, the Rockets are now legitimate contenders for the NBA championship crown whilst the Lakers could be quite painful to watch with a number of key players missing.
 
 
Brendan Steele shoots seven-under-par 65 for a first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open
 
America's Brendan Steele has shot a seven-under-par 65 for a first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, Ontario.
Steele has a one stroke lead over Scott Brown, Scott Gardiner and Matt Kuchar.
American Kuchar - the highest ranked player in the field at No. 6 in the world - he already has two titles this season and has yet to miss a cut.
The defending champion Scott Piercy though only managed a one-under-par 71 and is six strokes off the lead going into day 2.
It's been 59 years since a Canadian won their national championship. But Ontario native and former US Masters champion Mike Weir struggled in his opening round and finished at one-over par 73 - having missed the cut in 12 of the 19 events he's played in this season.
And over in the UK at the Senior Open Championships at Royal Birkdale in NW England, American Gene Sauers currently holds the lead with a three-under-par after round one.
"It's a second chance, you know. I was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnsonson. Both arms and both legs got burned up. Got skin grafts on all of them. Seven weeks in the hospital, and it was torture. I don't want nobody to go through that. Didn't touch a golf club for five years, had some arthritis going on with me. Like I said, I'm blessed to be doing this right now."
The 50 year-old made a comeback to professional golf after battling a life-threatening skin disease in 2009.
 
 
Liverpool confirm they have turned down two offers from Arsenal for Luis Saurez.
 
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has confirmed media reports that the club has turned down two offers from Arsenal for troubled striker Luis Suarez.
Speaking in Bangkok ahead of a friendly match against the Thai national team, Ayre says the Uruguayan, who is with the squad, remains a Liverpool player.
"It's never been our intention to sell Luis. As it's been widely reported in the media, we've received two separate offers from Arsenal for the player. We rejected both offers. Our situation remains the same: Luis Suarez remains the liverpool player as he's in Thailand as part of our squad."
Manager Brendan Rodgers says Suarez might play in Sunday's friendly against Thailand, if he is match fit.　
"As long as he's fit. He obviously played a part in the game in our last trip in Melbourne. He's still getting up to fitness, he's about three weeks behind all the other players. The one thing about Luis is he loves to play the game, he loves training and he loves working, but he lives for the game of football so I'm sure at some stage he'll play a part".　
Regardless of which team he ends up playing for, Suarez still has six matches left of a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April.
 
 
KENYA-ATHLETICS
 
Kenya's national track and field athletics team has started training for the world championships in Moscow in August, but without top stars.
Officials concerned about possible burnout have also withdrawn some competitors from the London Diamond Games, including 2011 world championships 1500m silver medallist Silas Kiplagat.
With Olympic champion and 800m world record-holder David Rudisha already out of the championships through injury, 40 athletes still turned out for training at the Moi international sports centre in Nairobi.
Another one who's injured is the 5000 and 10000m world champion Vivian Cheruiyot.
Kenya won 17 medals, including seven golds at the last world championships in Daegu in 2011, but few people expect similar success in Moscow.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Play Adaptation of Zweig Novella in China
 
A play adaptation of Austrian writer Stefan Zweig's novella "Letter From an Unknown Woman" will be performed here in China later this year.
The novella tells the story of an author who catches glimpses into a woman's life by reading letters from her.
Director Meng Jinghui says actress Huang Xiangli will perform 10-roles in the show including a teenager, young lady, unwed mother, social butterfly, and a psychopath.
The play will premiere in October at the Fengchao Theater in Beijing before touring throughout other cities in the country.
It may even travel to other countries including the United States, France and the UK.
 
 
Big Names in Hollywood Meet with Disney for Star Wars
 
Hollywood megastars Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron, and Leonardo DiCaprio have all met with Disney studios for possible roles in the upcoming Star Wars Episode 7.
It has been reported DiCaprio was ruled out following the meeting, but Gosling and Efron may still appear in the next installment in the franchise.
Gosling met with Disney producers and filmmaker JJ Abrams to discuss playing the role of Luke Skywalker's son in the new film.
Efron met to discuss an unspecified role.
The film begins filming at Pinewood Studios in the UK early next year.
Disney is denying rumors Abrams was planning on dropping out of directing the film to focus on the next installment to the Star Trek series.
Star Wars Episode 7 is expected to hit theaters sometime in 2015.
 
 
Executives Urge Martin to Hurry Up with Writing
 
Executives at HBO are echoing what millions of fans have been begging author George RR Martin to do for years, get busy writing.
HBO's award winning show Game of Thrones is based on Martin's unfinished epic 7-novel A Song of Ice and Fire series and is quickly catching up to the source material.
Game of Thrones has just concluded its 3rd season and Martin still has two full books to complete to conclude the story.
The fifth book A Dance with Dragons came out summer 2011 after being delayed for over 5-years.
No word yet on even a tentative release date for the sixth book The Winds of Winter nor the seventh A Dream of Spring.
 
 
Hugh Jackman to Break from Acting
 
Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman claims he plans to take a break from acting.
The Aussie actor will appear as the fan favorite mutant in both the new film The Wolverine in theaters soon and X-men Days of Future Past next year.
He has explained he feels he needs the time off after starring in 4 major film roles in quick succession.
The 44-year-old actor went on to say he doesn't know how much time he'll take off, possibly a year or more.
Including the new Wolverine and X-men films Jackman will have played the claw swinging mutant a grand total of 7-times.
He has also opened up about rumors concerning turning Wolverine's story into a Broadway musical.
Jackman says he will never sign on to perform as Wolverine on the Broadway stage.
However, he's no stranger to musical performance.
The Tony award-winning actor has starred in stage shows such as The Boy from Oz and Back on Broadway.