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The Beijing Hour
Evening Edition
Tuesday June 25th, 2013.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this evening，
Chinese stock markets extend Monday's losses, falling to a seven month low.
Russian government confirms NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden did not enter Russia.
Afghan officials say all insurgents killed during heavy gun battles at the Afghan Palace
Business，Chinese catering sees a drop in profits.
Sports，Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon in the First Round
Entertainments，Chart-topping musicians Macklemore and Ryan Lewis announce their first ever US arena tour.
Plus special reports takes a look at growing demand for illustrated books here in China.
Weather
Beijing will have thundershowers with a low of 22 degrees Celsius. Tomorrow thundershowers with a high temperature of 30.
Meanwhile Shanghai will have heavy rain tonight, with a low of 22, it will be overcast tomorrow, with a high of 28.
Lhasa will have light rain tonight, 10 degrees the low, showers tomorrow with a high of 23.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, thundershowers, with a high of 42.
Kabul, sunny, 37.
Over in Australia
Sydney, rain, highs of 17.
Canberra, overcast, 14.
Brisbane, sunny, 19.
And finally, Perth will be sunny with a high of 20.
Top News
Market observers not worried about Chinese economy
Anchor
Chinese stock markets have extended Monday's losses, falling to a seven month low.
It comes amid a cash crunch among China's commercial banks and the government's credit tightening policy.
As CRI's Su Yi reports, market watchers are not worried about the bigber picture of the Chinese economy.
Reporter:
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell as much as 5.3 percent during Tuesday's trading session, before trimming early losses to end mostly flat.
So far, the index has fallen around 20-percent from a recent peak.
The drop is believed to be directly linked with recent fears towards the health of the country's lenders.
The central bank has told lenders to manage liquidity risks in order to stabilize the monetary environment.
The People's Bank of China has also said the country's liquidity remains at a reasonable level, ruling out the possibility of another round of stimulus package.
China's central government rolled out a huge stimulus package during the global financial crisis back in 2008 and 2009.
It's widely believed the PBOC is trying to force lenders to stop channeling money into "shadow banking," which has boomed in recent years and fueled concerns about broader financial risks.
Finance commentator Ye Tan believes it could be seen as a pressure test:
"The Central Bank didn't inject liquidity to the market as it always did at the middle or the end of the year. What it did is to maintain the stable monetary policy and improve the efficiency of the market through private capital."
Finance expert with the Renmin University Zhao Xijun echoes this view.
He says what the central bank is doing is legitimate, since he believes there is nothing wrong with China's real economy.
"The issue now coming from commercial banks has to be addressed by the market itself other than being taken as a issue of liquidity. Therefore, the central bank is supposed to maintain confidence of the market as it is just a issue of confidence."
In fact, all of these have taken place at a time when the business world is debating the future of China's economy.
Recent data suggests Chinese manufacturing activity for June fell to a nine-month low.
The World Bank has also just lowered its growth forecast for China this year from 8.4 percent to 7.7 percent.
Chief economist of the Galaxy Securities Zuo Xiaolei says the government should also be alert to avoid this from becoming a systematic disaster.
"The central bank has to keep calm following the instruction of the premier Li Keqiang that holding the baseline of the stability of the monetary policy. The opinion such as "capital shortage " or "the central bank does not want to do anything" is aiming to put pressure on the central bank in order to gain its own benefits."
Observers also suggest the government should give the market a "buffer zone" instead of tightening short-term lending too much.
For CRI, I'm Su Yi.
Tight liquidity banks risks and wealth management products payout
Anchor:
Among the biggest losers at the Chinese markets this time were smaller banks seen as more reliant on short-term interbank funding.
Meanwhile, Fitch ratings says tight liquidity conditions could constrain the ability of mid-tier banks to meet upcoming obligations on maturing wealth-management products, WMP's.
Fitch estimates that more than 1.5-trillion yuan in wealth-management products will mature in the last 10-days of June.
Issuance of new products, and borrowing from the interbank market, are among the most common sources of repayment.
So the recent interbank liquidity shortage complicates both methods of repayment for the maturing WMP's.
For China's mid-tier banks, an average of 20-to-30 percent of total deposits is in wealth-management products.
In contrast, for state-owned and city or rural banks, the rate is 10-to-20 percent.
Insiders say smaller banks, especially aggressive ones whose non-interest income rely heavily on the sales of wealth products, may struggle to pay their liabilities.
For more, we are joined on the line by Mark Hughes,Executive business editor of China Daily.
…
That was Mark Hughes, Executive business editor of China Daily.
Russia denies Snowden entrance
The Russian government has confirmed U.S intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden did not enter Russia.
The exact whereabouts of Snowden remains unclear.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says U.S attempts to blame Russia for his disappearance are "groundless and unacceptable".
The former NSA contractor has not been seen since Sunday after flying from Hong Kong, where he had been hiding after revealing classified NSA surveillance programs.
The U.S government says it is now following legal channels to try and bring Snowden back to the U.S.
The 29-year old whistleblower has been charged with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified intelligence.
Each of the charges carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
China rejects US accusation about Snowden
The Chinese government is rejecting U.S accusations about its handling of Edward Snowden.
The White House says the Chinese government facilitated the flight of the U.S spy agency contractor.
Chinese foreign ministry says the accusation is "baseless and unacceptable".
Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying:
"The U.S side has no reason to call into question the Hong Kong government's handling of affairs according to law. The United States' criticism of China's central government is baseless. China absolutely cannot accept it."
Hua says the Chinese government hopes the U.S. will work to improve bilateral relations.
"On U.S.-China relations, China's stance has always been clear, maintaining the healthy stable development of China-U.S. relations fulfils the interest of the two countries, as well as their people, as well as benefiting the development of peace and stability in Asia Pacific as well as the whole world."
The Chinese government says it respects the Hong Kong government's handling of Edward Snowden's case.
Police say all militants involved in assault on presidential palace are dead
Afghan security forces say they have killed all Taliban insurgents responsible for an attack on the Presidential palace in Kabul.
Officials say all insurgents were killed during heavy gun battles at the gate of the palace.
Muhammad Salangi is Kabul's Police Chief:
"A Land Cruiser car using fake ID came to the gate. While the guards were asking them to show the ID two to three people came out from the car and the car exploded, The guards killed all the attackers."
The Taliban have confirmed they carried out the attack.
President Hamid Karzai was in the palace due to give a press conference.
Dozens of reporters who had gathered in the area for the conference said they heard as many as 14 explosions.
This latest attack shows the Taliban are able to infiltrate one of the most secure areas of the capital, which houses several government buildings and NATO headquarters.
Afghan Taliban show no sign of abating their assault, despite last week's announcement it had set up an office in Qatar for US-led peace talks.
The Afghan government says it will not take part in such talks unless they were "Afghan-led".
The latest assault was launched a day after a U.S envoy arrived in Kabul to help the Afghan government and Taliban pursue peace.
Qatar's ruler transfers power to his son
The Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has handed over power to his son.
The 61-year-old emir made the announcement in a televised address following weeks of speculation.
"I will hand over the reins of power to Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. I am entirely certain that he is up to the responsibility and that he deserves the confidence and that he is capable of shouldering the responsibility and fulfilling the task."
Qatar has given no official explanation on the transition, but it is widely believed that Sheik Hamad is suffering from health problems.
A peaceful handover is a rarity for the Gulf region where leadership changes are nearly always triggered by deaths or palace coups.
Some believe the handover to the 33-year-old crown prince is an effort to give voice to the region's youth after the Arab Spring upheavals.
However, the British-educated Sheik Tamim, who is deputy commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is unlikely to deviate far from his father's policies.
Under his father's rule, Qatar has been transformed into a political broker and a centre for global investment with a sovereign fund estimated to be worth more than 100-billion-US dollars.
Now the Sheik Tamim is set to kickstart the process of putting together a new government with younger ministers likely to take charge.
This is going to be in direct contrast to the old guard leaders across the Western-backed Gulf Arab states.
China's first space lab retires
China's first space lab module Tiangong-1 has retired following its latest mission with the country's manned space craft Shenzhou-10.
Tiangong-1 has been in orbit since 2011 and received six astronauts.
Now it is set to go to a higher orbit for long-term flight.
On the other side, the Shenzhou-1o space craft is set to touch down Wednesday morning after flying half a month in space.
During the latest mission, the three astronauts carried out space medical experiments, technical tests and delivered a lecture to students back on the ground about basic physics principles.
The latest Shezhou mission is another step of China's efforts to build a space station by the year 2020.
Biz Reports
Asian Stock
Chinese shares extended their losses on Tuesday following Monday's drastic slump.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.2 percent.
The Shenzhen Component Index shrank 1.2 percent.
In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng rose 0.2 percent.
Elsewhere in Asia,
Japan's benchmark Nikkei-225 lost 0.7 percent.
In South Korea, the benchmark KOSPI declined 1 percent.
In Singapore, the benchmark Straits Times up 0.5 percent.
Finally, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3 percent.
China caters see profits down
Anchor
Top-end restaurants in China have seen a fall in their revenues over the past year.
With the government cracking down on wasteful expenditure such as lavish restaurant banquets and the like, restaurants have had to rethink their businesses strategies.
Zhang Wan has more.
Reporter:
According to statistics from the China Cuisine Association, during the first four months of this year, sales revenue for the catering industry reached over 770 billion yuan - more than 37 percent drop from the same period last year.
Secretary-general of the China Cuisine Association Bian Jiang says traditionally in China, the first two months of the year are usually the golden period for the industry. But the last four months have witnessed the slowest growth since 1991.
"Based on our prediction, the annual growth rate of China's catering industry at present would not be lower than 16 percent, however, this year we've seen a rate of 13 percent. Based on the current situation, it is predicted that the current trend of revenue decline will continue."
The revenue drop in the catering industry has also made the agricultural and sideline products market slump.
In a seafood wholesale market in Beijing, many wholesalers say the demand for high-end seafood has sharply decreased recently, while these comparatively cheap seafood products are sold well.
"My business becomes much worse than before, our sales volume has dropped by two thirds, especially these high-end and luxury seafood products such as lobster and abalone."
Zhang Yuxi, Xinfadi Wholesale Market for Farm Produce says the total amount of farm produce across the country continues to increase despite the drop in revenue of the catering industry.
"The total transaction amount for the period from January to May this year is nearly 4.8 million tons, a 4 percent increase over the same period of last year. The trade volume in the first five months of 2013 is over 22 billion yuan, 2 billion higher than that of last year. From these numbers we can see that the amount of supply to the catering industry is stable."
Industry experts say that compared to other markets worldwide, the catering industry in China features strong structural problems. High-end restaurants take in too much of a market share leading to irrational competition among large and medium-sized catering businesses.
With the slump, many restaurants have recently taken the opportunity to correct course, using the tough times to get back to the basics. Here is An Yong, president of a high-end chain restaurant Southbeauty.
"We have recently stopped purchasing high-end ingredients, and have started to provide more popular dishes to meet the demand of consumers."
Some industry insiders say when restaurants focus more on quality, re-work cost-revenue ratio, they believe customers may still make a beeline for good food.
For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.
Moody's changes the outlook for Hong Kong banking system to negative
Moody's has downgraded its outlook for Hong Kong's banking system to negative from stable.
The ratings agency is citing concerns over persistent negative interest rates and banks' growing exposure to the mainland.
Moody's says persistent low interest rates and limited land supply in Hong Kong have driven asset prices up since early 2009.
It says this has led to higher consumer and corporate leverage in Hong Kong.
The agency also says the mainland's transition from an export-and investment-driven economic model towards a consumption-led model is creating uncertainties and may expose overcapacity in certain industries.
The negative outlook on the banking system contrasts with Moody's stable outlook on the Hong Kong government's AA1 rating.
This is because the sovereign outlook places more emphasis on the government's strong fiscal position.
CNPC's annual oil import from Russia to reach 46.1 mln tonnes
The China National Petroleum Corporation says the company's future crude oil imports from Russia are due to hit 46.1-million tonnes annually.
CNPC says its yearly crude oil imports via the Sino-Russian pipeline will increase from the current 15-million tonnes to 30-million tonnes in 2018.
At the same time, Russia is also going to supply CNPC with 7-million tonnes of crude annually through the Sino-Kazakhstan pipeline for 5-years starting next year.
Russia is also committed to provide another 9.1-million tonnes of crude for a joint refinery in Tianjin.
Sinopec buys Angola oil field stake for 1.52 bln USD
Chinese oil refiner Sinopec has reached a deal with U.S. oil giant Marathon Oil to buy its oil and gas field in Angola for 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Sinopec is due to buy Marathon's 10-percent stake in the Angolan project.
The Angolan project, which is currently run by BP, is believed to contain over 500-million barrels of oil.
Sinopec's stake in the project will reach 15-percent upon the completion of the Marathon deal.
The deal is still subject to approvals by both the Chinese and Angolan governments.
Singapore Airlines completes sale of stake in Virgin Atlantic
Singapore Airlines has completed the sale of its 49-percent stake in Virgin Atlantic to Delta Air Lines.
As announced last year, Delta agreed to pay 360-million U.S. dollars in cash for Singapore Airlines' entire shareholding in the U.K.-based airline group.
Singapore Airlines said the commercial arrangements between the two airlines will remain in place.
Those arrangements include code sharing, frequent-flyer program ties and reciprocal lounge access.
Singapore Airlines acquired a 49-percent stake in Virgin Atlantic in March 2000.
But the cooperation did not turn out as expected.
The company said last year the investment had not performed to expectations and the relationship originally hoped for had not materialized.
Japan's ANA to end budget airline joint venture with AirAsia
Japanese airline ANA Holdings Inc has announced it will buy AirAsia out of a budget airline joint venture.
The company says it will operate the business as a wholly owned subsidiary, dissolving an alliance after less than two years.
The Tokyo-based low-cost airline joint venture has failed to win over Japanese travellers since it was set up in 2011.
Senior Vice President Shinzo Shimizu earlier said the venture cut ANA's operating profit by about 3.5-billion yen, that's some 35.8 million Dollars.
ANA has blamed the poor performance of AirAsia Japan on ineffective marketing and a user-unfriendly booking website.
It has not revealed how much it will pay to buy out AirAsia.
S.Korea's consumer confidence rises to 13-month high
Consumer confidence in South Korea has hit a 13 month high.
The data from the central bank – that's the Bank of Korea, shows the composite consumer sentiment index rose by 1 point in June to hit 105.
This is the highest seen since the 106 mark in May last year and also the 6th straight month when the reading has stayed above the benchmark of 100.
The central bank says the rise is due to a cut in the benchmark interest rate for May, as well as negative views over the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's weak yen policy.
Greek current account gap widens in April
Bank of Greece says the country's current account deficit widened some 26-percent in April.
According to the bank, the increase in deficit is due to a higher trade gap and lower tourism and shipping receipts.
The current account balance showed a deficit of around 1.2 billion euros from 945 million euros in the same month last year.
Tourism receipts, the country's biggest money earner, dropped 13 percent year-on-year to 290-million euros in April.
Total tourism receipts in the first four months of the year were down 7.9 percent year-on-year to 683-million euros.
Headline News
Russia denies Snowden entrance
The Russian government has confirmed U.S intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden did not enter Russia.
The exact whereabouts of Snowden remains unclear.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says U.S attempts to blame Russia for his disappearance are "groundless and unacceptable".
The former NSA contractor has not been seen since Sunday after flying from Hong Kong, where he had been hiding after revealing classified NSA surveillance programs.
China rejects US accusation about Snowden
The Chinese government is rejecting U.S accusations about its handling of Edward Snowden.
The White House says the Chinese government facilitated the flight of the U.S spy agency contractor.
Chinese foreign ministry says the accusation is "baseless and unacceptable".
Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also says the Chinese government hopes the U.S. will work to improve bilateral relations.
The Chinese government says it respects the Hong Kong government's handling of Edward Snowden's case.
Police say all militants involved in assault on presidential palace are dead
Afghan security forces say they have killed all Taliban insurgents responsible for an attack on the Presidential palace in Kabul.
Officials say all insurgents were killed during heavy gun battles at the gate of the palace.
The Taliban have confirmed they carried out the attack.
President Hamid Karzai was in the palace due to give a press conference.
Dozens of reporters who had gathered in the area for the conference said they heard as many as 14 explosions.
This latest attack shows the Taliban are able to infiltrate one of the most secure areas of the capital, which houses several government buildings and NATO headquarters.
Qatar's ruler transfers power to his son
The Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has handed over power to his son.
The 61-year-old emir made the announcement in a televised address following weeks of speculation.
Qatar has given no official explanation on the transition, but it is widely believed that Sheik Hamad is suffering from health problems.
A peaceful handover is a rarity for the Gulf region where leadership changes are nearly always triggered by deaths or palace coups.
China's first space lab retires
China's first space lab module Tiangong-1 has retired following its latest mission with the country's manned space craft Shenzhou-10.
Tiangong-1 has been in orbit since 2011 and received six astronauts.
Now it is set to go to a higher orbit for long-term flight.
On the other side, the Shenzhou-1o space craft is set to touch down Wednesday morning after flying half a month in space.
During the latest mission, the three astronauts carried out space medical experiments, technical tests and delivered a lecture to students back on the ground about basic physics principles.
The latest Shezhou mission is another step of China's efforts to build a space station by the year 2020.
Newspaper Picks
LiveScience
"Third-hand smoke damages human cells"
A new study finds third-hand smoke, the residue from cigarette smoke that lingers on surfaces and in dust long after the cigarette is out and the smoke has cleared, may damage human cells.
The researchers found a compound found in smoke residue significantly damages DNA in human cells.
Researchers say this is the very first study to show that third-hand smoke is mutagenic and causes DNA damage, which is considered as one of the first steps toward cancer.
The Wallstreet Journal
"Can You Relieve Pain With a Squeeze to the Hand?"
Applying pressure to a dime-sized spot located between the thumb and forefinger can calm anxiety and pain.
This works particularly with headaches and dental pain and is no new secret as acupuncturists treat this spot, called hegu, with needles, but a small device can put pressure on it as well.
Doctors say of the more than 300 Chinese acupuncture points, hegu in clinical practice seems to be one of the most useful—particularly for pain relief.
Hegu hasn't been sufficiently studied to prove conclusively it alleviates pain, but one well-designed study found it blunted the worst pain experienced during a medical procedure.
Shanghai Daily
"Schools due refund for shoddy uniforms"
Shanghai's marker watchdog says schools can ask for refunds if the uniforms they order fail quality tests.
The clause was added as a result of batches of uniforms having been found in February to contain toxic dyes.
Shanghai established a dual check system for school uniforms after a cancer-causing dye was found in some of the clothing.
Schools and suppliers must send a sample of uniforms for quality tests and only those that meet standards can be offered to students.
China Daily
"PetroChina unveils EIA report on refinery"
China's largest oil and natural gas producer PetroChina has released an environmental impact assessment or EIA report on its refinery in Kunming.
The refinery, expected to open in 2014 in the capital of Yunnan province, will have an annual processing capacity of 10-million tonnes.
The EIA report comes over a month after residents aired objections and doubts over the planned oil refinery project as they believe it may pose a threat to the local environment.
Special Reports
China to embrace more original picture books
Anchor
The growing demand for illustrated books here in China is being viewed as a growing opportunity for publishers, writers and artists in China.
CRI's Zhang Ru explains.
Reporter:
The history of picture books, which combine visual and verbal narratives, can be traced back more than a hundred years. But according to industry insiders, picture books have only just started to boom in China in recent years.
Thanks to the rapid development of China's economy and gradual formation of the middle class, the picture book market possesses a large potential consumer market.
Wang Lijun, Director of the Comic & Media Business Department at China Publishing Group Digital Media Company says that although digital books are threatening the traditional publishing industry, Children's picture books are one of the last pillars of China's printing industry. As a result, Wang recently organized a picture book exhibition featuring the works of Chinese writers and illustrators.
"We hope to select a batch of picture books as part of this exhibition so as to recommend them to Chinese parents and teachers. Many visitors ask us whether we sell the books on display and want us to give them a reading list."
Zeng Xianqin visited the exhibition with her six-year-old son.
"In previous years, I didn't really notice many picture books on the market. But now, I find that there are too many to choose from. There are a lot of good pictures but I should pay careful attention when looking for the right one."
Picture book expert Yang Zhong says the picture book industry is in its infancy in China.
But she notes that talent exists within the country, and what illustrators and writers need more than anything else is a better publishing environment.
"In China, the important role of an editor has been neglected. In foreign countries, an editor plays a very important role in making a good picture book. I think an editor to a picture book is like a director to a movie. Without a good editor, it's hard to create a good product."
Yang also points out that many Chinese publishers want to make profits as soon as possible, making it impossible to create a classic picture book.
But she is optimistic about China's original picture book market because she senses the enthusiasm of its writers and illustrators as well as the demand of Chinese readers.
For CRI, I am Zhang Ru.
Sports
Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon in First Round
Anchor:
Wimbledon has claimed its first major victim.
French Open Champion Rafael Nadal has gone out in the 1st round to 135th-ranked Belgian Steve Darcis.
Our correspondent Tu Yun has more from London.
Reporter:
Two weeks ago, Nadal set a record in becoming the first man to win eight titles at the same grand slam tournament at the French Open in Paris.
Two weeks later, the Spaniard set another personal record - but one he'll probably want to forget.
For the first time in his career, Nadal has failed to survive the first round of a grand slam.
Though there has been a lot talk about his lingering knee injury, the 5th seed is refusing to make it an excuse.
"The only thing that I can say today is congratulate Steve Darcis. He played a fantastic match. Everything that I will say today about my knee is an excuse, and I don't like to put any excuse when I'm losing a match like I lost today. He deserves not one excuse."
135th seeded Steve Darcis clinched the upset with a straight-set 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.
"I think today I serve very good. I could use a lot of slice. And I think he didn't like it so much. Of course, he didn't play his best tennis. But I knew it is the first match on grass for him. Me, I played already four. So I think it helped me today."
Meanwhile, other major seeds including defending champion Roger Federer and British favorite Andy Murray have advanced without any trouble.
On the women's side, all the top seeds in Monday's action, including Russia's Maria Sharapova and Belarus's Victoria Azarenka, have also reached the second round.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun at Wimbledon.
Li Na starts against Michaella Krajicek at Wimbledon
Right now, Chinese ace Li Na is in her first round action against the Netherland's Michaella Kraji/cek.
Li Na is leading Krajicek 1-0 at the moment.
Also on court is Chinese Zheng Jie battling it out against Caroline Garcia of France 0-1.
In a few hours time, Chinese Peng Shuai will start against Anabel Medina of Spain, while men's top seed Novak Djokovic meets Germany's Florian Mayer.
FIFA dismisses change of World Cup host city
FIFA officials have dismissed plans to move the 2014 World Cup to another country despite the current mass protests in host nation, Brazil.
The announcement was meant to dispel circulating rumors that other countries have renewed their bids to host the football tournament.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke says there have been no such offers.
"The Confederations Cup, the final, will be played in Rio de Janeiro, in the Maracana stadium, and the World Cup will be played in Brazil in 12 more cities. At least we have six stadiums which have been delivered, another six to come between now and the end of December 2013. So that is just to make things very clear. There is no plan B. And, by the way, I have never received any official offer from any other countries around the world to stage the World Cup in 2014."
Brazilian sports minister Aldo Rebelo has offered his reassurances that this weekend's upcoming Confederations Cup final will run smoothly.
Chicago beat Boston 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup
In the National Hockey League,
The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup, beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game 6.
Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds apart in the final 1 minute 16 seconds of the third period to bring Chicago the win.
It's the second Stanley Cup in four seasons for the Blackhawks.
Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
"I think there's something about our core. Hopefully we can stay together a long time, because that's two Cups in four years, and we seem to only be getting better and better as players as time goes on here. It's unbelievable to be in this situation."
The Blackhawks also finished the lockout-shortened regular season with the league's best record.
Boston, which won the Stanley Cup two years ago, finished the finals with a third straight loss after going up in the series 2-games-to-1.
Entertainment
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Announce US Tour
Chart-topping musicians Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have announced details of their first ever US arena tour.
The star pair will embark on a 30-date tour through North America starting in October and ending in December.
The news came through an announcement they made on youtube as they wander the streets of Germany, where they are currently on tour.
The Thrift Shop team will kick off their tour through the states on the west coast in Oregon at the world famous Portland Rose Garden.
The arena tour will commence after their current tour which includes several summer festivals such as London's Yahoo Wireless Festival.
They plan to perform 7-shows in the UK and Ireland this September before crossing the glorious Atlantic Ocean to begin the US portion.
Chris Brown Beats Up Another Woman
US R&B singer Chris Brown may be facing some more legal trouble soon after he allegedly assaulted a woman at a nightclub.
The 24-year-old victim insists she may need surgery following the violent incident at a Los Angeles nightclub.
She claims Brown intentionally pushed her to the ground which made her fall abruptly to her knees.
She also says medical experts have determined she has torn ligaments in her knees where she fell.
The victim has filed a police report and an investigation is under way.
This would not be the first case of violence against women for Chris Brown as in 2009 he brutally beat up ex-girlfriend and popstar Rihanna following an argument.
Rihanna's injuries required hospitalization and Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats.
Actress Ellen Page Disapproves of Videogame Using Likeness
US actress Ellen Page has expressed her disapproval of the new zombie survival video game The Last of Us using her likeness for one of the main characters.
The Incpeption actress recently answered fans' questions online where she was asked if she had seen footage from the game and if she would have taken the role if it had been offered.
The star who recently acted in the new video game Beyond: Two Souls supposes she should feel flattered, but the use of her likeness was not appreciated.
In the game a young girl Ellie joins a man named Joel as he treks across a post-apocalyptic United States in the year 2033.
Along the way players must avoid or fight infected human monsters as well as bandits and cannibals who roam the waste.
The game has been met with overwhelming praise by both critics and gamers alike and has generated more money its opening weekend than the new Superman film, Man of Steel.
Liam Neeson Signs on for Taken 3
US actor extrordinaire Liam Neeson has signed on to return in the third installment of the Taken franchise.
The Schindler's List actor will pocket a cool 20-million US dollars for reprising his role as a vigilante ex-CIA operative in the new film.
In 2008 the first Taken cost 25-million dollars to make and pulled in over 225-million.
The sequel did even better pulling in almost 375-million on a budget of 45-million.
Originally, following the opening of the second film the 61-year-old Neeson said he didn't see a third film in the series happening.
Filmmakers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen will return to write the script and it has been rumored Taken 2 director Olivier Megaton will return as well.
Taken 3 will begin production in February. No release date has been set yet.
Author Richard Matheson Dies
Famous author Richard Matheson, the man behind the 1954 novel I Am Legend of which the Will Smith film is based off of, has died at 87.
Matheson is known for his scifi-ish works which inspired several films such as Robin Williams' tearjerker What Dreams May Come, and Kevin Bacon's thriller Stir of Echoes.
The influential writer also wrote for the small screen penning episodes of The Twilight Zone including the famous episode Nightmare at 20-thousand Feet which featured a young William Shatner.
His credits also extend to the big screen as he wrote the script for the film adaptation of his story Duel in 1971, which was directed by a young Steven Spielberg.
His wife and four children released a statement on facebook thanking their World War 2 vet for being a funny, generous, and caring man.
That’s it for this edition of the BJH
A quick recap of the headlines,
Chinese stock markets extend Monday's losses, falling to a seven month low.
Russian government confirms NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden did not enter Russia.
Afghan officials say all insurgents killed during heavy gun battles at the Afghan Palace
Business, Chinese catering sees a drop in profits.
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