新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 08:00 2014/03/28

The Beijing Hour
 
Morning Edition

 
Paul James with you on this Friday, March 28, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on our program this morning...
Bad weather is once-again hampering efforts to reach a suspected debris field connected to missing flight MH370.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is getting set to begin the 3rd leg of his 4-nation European tour in Germany today.
Chinese authorities have announced plans for a rural water upgrade across the country.
In Business... ICBC has unveiled its full-year figures for this past year.
In sports.... Beijing looking to take home the title tonight in Game-5 of the CBA Finals.
In entertainment.... we'll take you to Macau for last night's Asian Film Awards.
But first... lets get a check on the weather...
 
 
Weather
 
 
In Beijing, the smog alert has been called off and it will be cloudy today, with a high of 21 degree Celsius.
Overnight temperatures should drop down to around 11.
During the weekend, it looks like the sunshine will return. People will embrace a warm or maybe even a little bit hot weekend with the temperatures climb to 22 degree Celsius in the daytime. Overnight lows are around 10 degrees.
Shanghai will see slight rain today, the high of 20, and a low of 15 in the night.
Chongqing will be cloudy with a high of 24.
Overnight lows are expected to be around 15.
Elsewhere in the world, staying here in Asia.
Islamabad will see slight rain with a high of 17.
Kabul will be cloudy with a high of 15.
Over to North America.
New York will see slight rain today with a high of 13 degrees.
Washington will be rainy, the high of 15 degrees.
Houston, Texas will see slight rain on Friday with a high of 22.
Honolulu, moderate rain, 26.
Toronto, Canada, will see slight rain with a high of 5 degree.
Finally, on to South America,
Buenos Aires will see slight rain with a high of 27.
And Rio de Janeiro will be rainy with a high of 26 degrees Celsius.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Weather forces MH370 search delays as more debris is spotted
 
Anchor:
New satellite imagery has detected upward of 300 floating objects thought to be connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The images have yet to be verified by search crews, as weather has once-again shut down the search for the missing plane.
CRI's Jordan Lee has more.
Reporter:
A Thai satellite has detected some 300 floating objects in the area that is currently being searched by the multinational force in hunt for missing flight MH370.
Thai authorities say the images were taken on Monday.
Anon Snidvongs is executive director of Thailand's Geo Informatics Agency.
"We found the floating objects of various sizes from two metres up to 15 or 16 metres. We preliminarily estimated that there may be at least 300 pieces of those objects scattered in the area of about 500 square kilometres."
Thai authorities have forwarded the information to Malaysia.
It's expected a conclusion as to what the objects are could be reached in the next day or two.
Meanwhile, a Japanese satellite has also spotted 10 other objects which could be connected to the missing airliner.
The ten floating objects are also in the same general area, which is being deemed as a likely debris field.
The determination of a debris field comes after a French satellite first detected some 122 objects in the area earlier this week.
But any hope of physically identifying the objects has been frustrated once again by bad weather.
Heavy rain and severe winds have forced the Australian-led air missions to be abandoned on Thursday.
Mike MacSween is a Canadian airforce captain taking part in the multi-national search.
"The weather was the biggest factor for today, it was definitely not ideal for visual search conditions, ceilings were anywhere from 600 feet down to the surface with visibility from anywhere between five miles and basically zero."
One day of searching has already been lost this week because of bad weather.
Fall and early-winter weather conditions are beginning to materialize in the southern hemisphere where the search is located.
Chinese authorities are sending more military and civilian vessels to the area to help assist in the search.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
"Up to now, there are five Chinese ships that have already arrived the relevant sea area claimed by Australia where they spotted suspicious objects from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane."
Three additional Chinese ships are on the way to the area.
At the same time, the Chinese Defense Ministry is also making more resources available to assist in the search.
The 17th Chinese escort naval fleet, which had been on its way to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrols, is being diverted to the southern Indian Ocean to help with the search.
For CRI, I'm Jordan Lee.
 
 
China and France sign multi-billion euro deals
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is continuing his 4-nation European tour, arriving in Germany on Friday.
Xi Jinping is in Berlin following a 2-day stop in France, where he held meetings with France's top leaders.
"China and France are two nations with global influence. we have decided to reinforce our cooperation substantially between the two countries in international affairs and to propose new ideas and solutions to establish a new international political order which is more just and equitable and a system of worldwide economic governance based on mutual advantages where everyone wins."
French President Francois Hollande says his country's relationship with China is critically important to France's economy.
"At the moment when our economy is starting up again, at the moment when we are fighting against unemployment, at the moment when we must increase our competitiveness, at the moment when I'm launching the responsibility pact, it is very important that we demonstrate the value of our companies and France's potential, along with China, to have a partnership at this level."
The two leaders have also overseen the signing of some 18-billion euros worth of corporate agreements.
Xi Jinping's time in Germany is due to be followed by a stop in Belgium before returning here to China.
 
 
Xi Jinping becomes the first Chinese president to visit UNESCO headquarters
 
Anchor:
Chinese president Xi Jinping has made a stop at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, in Paris.
CRI's Tu Yun has more.
Reporter:
President Xi Jinping's speech at UNESCO headquarters has been mainly focused on China's acknowledgment of UNESCO'S role in preserving cultural diversity around the world.
Addressing a packed auditorium of representatives from UNESCO's member-states, Xi Jinping says every civilization in the world needs to be respected.
"Civilizations are like water, moistening everything silently. We need to encourage different civilizations to respect one and another and live together in harmony, while promoting the exchanges and mutual learning as a bridge of friendship among peoples, a driving force behind human progress and and a strong bond for world peace."
The Chinese president also says he hopes the world can appreciate China as a dynamic and innovative civilization.
"As China continues to make economic and social progress, the Chinese civilisation will keep pace with the times and acquire greater vitality. A civilisation carries on its back the soul of a country or a nation. It needs to be passed on from one generation to the next. And more importantly it needs to keep pace with times and innovate with courage. As we pursue the Chinese dream, the Chinese people will encourage creativeness and innovative development of the Chinese civilisation."
China has been a part of UNESCO since its inception following World War II.
As the first Chinese head of state to visit the organization's headquarters, Xi Jinping is also promising greater Chinese support for UNESCO's work around the world, particularly in promoting education and cultural exchanges.
Xi Jinping has also revealed in his speech that the Chinese government has decided to triple the number of scholarships it provides to students from Africa and other developing countries in the coming year.
The Chinese President's wife, Peng Liyuan, who is with her husband on his current trip to Europe, has also been appointed as an ambassador for promoting equal education opportunities for girls and women by UNESCO.
China is home to 45 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Authorities in China are actively trying to enshrine more of this country's historical sites and intangible cultural heritage on to UNESCO's lists.
For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.
 
 
Xi Jinping's visit to Germany
 
For more on Chinese Xi Jinping's time in Germany, CRI's Zheng Chenguang spoke earlier with Michael Clauss, Germany's Ambassador to China.
 
 
UN General Assembly declares Crimea referendum illegal
 
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the referendum that lead to Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal.
The vote on the Ukraine-sponsored resolution was 100 in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia.
"The purpose of this document is to reinforce core United Nations principles at a moment when they are experiencing a major challenge. This text is also about respect of territorial integrity and non-use of force to settle disputes."
Unlike the more powerful Security Council, resolutions in the General Assembly cannot be vetoed.
However, the resolutions in the General Assembly are not legally binding.
Russia's UN Ambassador did lobby for a "no" vote.
Vitaly Churkin contends an historic injustice in Crimea has been corrected, saying its people have expressed their right to self-determination in wanting to join Russia.
He is also describing the resolution as "confrontational in nature."
In Ukraine's capital Kiev, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has announced that she will run in the forthcoming presidential elections set for May 25th.
"I am planning to run for the post of president of Ukraine. On the 29th of March there will be a congress during which I will ask my party to officially nominate me as their candidate for the highest post in the land."
Tymoshenko was recently released from jail following the overthrow of her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovych.
This will be her second attempt to secure the presidency.
She narrowly lost to Yanukovych in 2010, and was sent to prison shortly afterward after being convicted of misusing state funds during her time as Prime Minister.
 
 
U.S. lauds peace deal between Philippine gov't and rebel group
 
The US government is characterizing yesterday's signing of a peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the country's main rebel group as an "historic milestone."
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has overseen the signing of a peace accord with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Under the newly-signed agreement, a new political entity will be set up in the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao.
The island, home to most of the Philippines' Muslim population, has been the scene of a Muslim insurgency since the 1970's.
In voicing its support for the new agreement, the US government is also calling on others in the region to join the peace initiative.
Fighting among Muslim and leftist groups in the southern Philippines since the late 1960's has left over 100-thousand people dead.
 
 
Bahrain grants two week for citizens fighting abroad to return
 
The government of Bahrain has announced an amnesty for its nationals who might be engaged in jihadist sojourns overseas.
Bahraini authorities say any of its citizens who are engaged in conflicts, particularly in Syria, will have two-weeks to return home without punishment.
If they return within the time frame, they'll be offered counseling and other programs to help them reintegrate into society.
But at the same time, the government of Bahrain says any jihadist who does not heed the call to return during the next two weeks will face up to 5-years in prison if they're found to have taken part in overseas fighting.
It's believed a significant number of young people from Bahrain have become engaged in fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
 
 
China to upgrade rural water facilities
 
Anchor:
The Chinese government's central planning division, the National Development and Reform Commission, has announced a new set of plans to upgrade this country's water in rural areas.
CRI's Li Dong has more details.
Reporter:
At a press conference held yesterday, the NDRC stated that the central government will allocate 70 billion yuan or about 11.3 billion US dollars in separate investment on water conservation facilities in rural areas this year.
Li Pumin, spokesman for the NDRC says this year's spending from the central government's budget on agriculture, rural areas and farmers will be more than last year's total, both in dimension and proportion.
"The budget will perfect the infrastructure to upgrade water, electricity, road and gas facilities in rural areas."
Li says that with the backing of the Central Economic Work Conference's resolution on modernizing agriculture, the NDRC will invest in dams, irrigation facilities and rivers.
Although some of the beautiful images of rural China might involve wet rice paddies and lush bamboo forests, much of China faces problems of water shortages. This is both due to water pollution by industry and agriculture, as well as overuse of water resources in dry areas in China's North.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, China contains around 20 percent of the world's population, but only around 5 to 7 percent of the world's fresh water resources. Water is scarce in approximately two thirds of China's 660 cities. And much of the agriculture in China's North relies on ground water, a resource which is being overused both by farmers and by cities.
Gao Juncai, the director of the NDRC's rural economy department explains how the investment will be utilized.
"We will give priority to projects that can give quick profit returns, and to those projects welcomed by farmers."
In 2013, over 220 billion yuan in total, or nearly 50.6 percent of the central government's investment budget went to rural areas, according to a statement recently released by the Commission.
The statement added that more than 15 thousand small reservoirs in rural areas were reinforced, and currently 63 million farmers have access to safe drinking water.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
U.S. markets ended a choppy session with slight losses Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite Index extending recent declines to near two-month lows.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped less than 0.1%.
The S&P 500 lost 0.2%.
The Nasdaq continues to underperform on the broader market, shedding 0.5%.
The financial sector attracted attention Thursday, after the Federal Reserve revealed details of its annual "stress tests" of large banks' ability to survive a severe economic downturn.
Big tech names also saw a downturn, including Google, which shed 1.6-percent of its value.
Amazon.com declined 1.4 percent.
Microsoft, which has just unveiled its office for iPad, dropped 1.1-percent.
Patrick Moor is the head of Moor Insights & Strategy.
"Really what they're doing is they realize that the iPad is a standard for tablet computing and really instead of using Office just to sell more Windows machines with their operating systems on it, they realized that they need to extend to the millions of people using iPad or there's the threat of them losing an office franchise."
We'll have more on the new Office for iPad in just a moment.
Meanwhile, European stocks rose only slightly Thursday.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 fell 0.3%.
France's CAC 40 closed down 0.1%
Germany's DAX finished the day roughly flat.
 
 
Microsoft unveils Office for the iPad
 
Tech giant Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Office software designed for use on the iPad.
The move is part of a new -quote- "beginning" for the company, as it continues with its strategy of linking cloud computing with mobility.
Two new versions of Office are being offered.
A free version will allow users to read and present content.
The other requires an Office 365 subscription in order to be able to create and edit documents.
Satya Nadella is Microsoft's new Chief Executive Officer.
"When it comes to Office 365, the vision is pretty straightforward. It is to make sure that the one billion Office users and growing can have access to the high-fidelity Office experience on every device they love to use. And Office on the iPad, and today's announcement marks one more step in that direction."
The Office version for the iPad includes Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs.
 
 
ICBC posts slowest gain in net earnings since 2006
 
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is reporting 10-percent annual growth in net profit this past year.
The growth in profits is ICBC's slowest since it went public in 2006.
ICBC's net profits increased to surpass 260 billion yuan last year from a little less than 240 billion a year earlier.
Net fees and commissions are up over 15-percent year on year to more than 120-billion yuan.
This represents 21-percent of all of ICBC's operating income.
ICBC's bad loan ratio has jumped to nearly 1 percent from 0.85 percent a year earlier.
 
 
Corp News with Doug
 
Anchor:
Let's check out some of the key events on the corporate front in China this week.
Doug Young joins me on the line, associate professor at Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
1.       ICBC cuts interfaces for paying on Alipay
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has cut the interfaces that let bank card users pay via Alipay's quick payment service in the bank's system from five to one.
It also shaved the cap on daily payments made to Alibaba's platform.
The bank, one of the big-four lenders in the country, said it is consolidating the five interfaces located across the country into one in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, where Alibaba is based.
The big-four banks — ICBC, China Construction Bank, the Agricultural Bank of China, and the Bank of China — have lowered the cap on payment per transaction as well as total payment per day that users can make via Alipay.
Questions:
1, The quick transfer service only requires user's name, ID number, bank card number and mobile phone number to link the service with their bank cards. Afterward users only need a confirmation code sent to their mobile phone to finish each payment.
Do you think convenience and security are something that cannot exist inclusively? Or it is just an accusation out of nowhere? What are some of the potential security risks that quick transfer had compromised for its convenience?
2, Do you think ICBC's move to try to unify interfaces into one will be the norm in the development of internet financing? It sure will make access to the Alipay or Yu'eBao from banking deposit less quickly and more complicated, I assume?
3, What will be the advantage of a unified interface for banks regarding supervision and verification?
4, What is the attitude of Alipay regarding the latest restriction from banks and where do you think the central bank has sided in the case of online financing security?
2.      Ctrip to stop saving user CCV info due to security loopholes
Ctrip, China's No.1 travel booking website will stop saving users' credit card verification (CCV) information online after system loopholes were discovered that led to the leak of user information and possible money loss.
The CCV number, a three-digit card verification number normally printed on the back of credit cards, is a security tool for card holders.
Customers are required to enter the numbers to verify the card usually used during online payment.
Questions:
1, Do you think the Ctrip loophole case indicates that we are under-estimating the risks of online payment?
2, Is it the users to ask the question, who will protect our key information and how can it be done? What is missing here?
Back Anchor:
Doug Young,Associate Professor of Fudan University and former China company news chief at Reuters.
 
 
IMF close to agreeing aid package for Ukraine
 
The International Monetary Fund is reportedly close to an agreement with Ukraine on financial assistance worth 14 to 18 billion US dollars over the next two years.
The agreement still needs approval by the full board of the IMF.
The deal is expected to unlock a further 10 billion US dollars in loans for Ukraine from the European Union and the US.
A cut in energy subsidies to consumers has been one of the conditions of the deal.
Ukraine's interim government this week has agreed to raise domestic gas prices by 50-percent in its effort to secure the IMF aid package.
Ukraine has been importing Russian natural gas at cost, and then subsidizing it below cost.
 
 
U.S. fourth-quarter GDP nudged up to 2.6%
 
Revised figures show the US economy grew by 2.6-percent through the 4th quarter.
This is up from the initial estimate of 2.4-percent.
Higher health-care spending has accounted for nearly three-quarters of the revised increase in consumer spending.
Bigger electricity bills have also increased spending.
Final sales of U.S.-produced goods and services have risen 2.7-percent.
However, the increase in business investment is softer than previously estimated.
Infrastructure investment declined by 1.8-percent through the final quarter.
Initial estimates suggested that figure was going to rise 0.2-percent.
U.S. exports rose a tick faster at 9.5-percent.
Import growth is unchanged at 1.5%.
Overall inflation has come in at 1.1-percent.
This is well below the Federal Reserve's inflation target of 2 to 2.5-percent.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
Bad weather hampers search for MH370
 
New satellite imagery has detected upward of 300 floating objects thought to be connected to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The images have yet to be verified by search crews, as weather has once-again shut down the search for the missing plane.
The determination of a possible debris field comes after a French satellite first detected some 122 objects in the area earlier this week.
But any hope of physically identifying the objects has been frustrated once again by bad weather.
Heavy rain and severe winds have forced the Australian-led air missions to be abandoned on Thursday.
 
 
Xi Jinping set to begin German leg of European tour
 
Chinese President Xi Jinping is continuing his 4-nation European tour, arriving in Germany this Friday.
Xi Jinping is in Berlin following a 2-day stop in France, where he held meetings with France's top leaders.
As part of his time in France, Xi Jinping and French President Francois Holland have overseen the signing of some 18-billion euros worth of corporate agreements.
Xi Jinping's time in Germany is due to be followed by a stop in Belgium before returning here to China.
 
 
ICBC posts slowest gain in net earnings since 2006
 
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is reporting 10-percent annual growth in net profit this past year.
The growth in profits is ICBC's slowest since it went public in 2006.
ICBC's net profits increased to surpass 260 billion yuan last year from a little less than 240 billion a year earlier.
Net fees and commissions are up over 15-percent year on year to more than 120-billion yuan.
This represents 21-percent of all of ICBC's operating income.
ICBC's bad loan ratio has jumped to nearly 1 percent from 0.85 percent a year earlier.
 
 
Death toll from Washington mudslide expected to rise sharply
 
Searchers scouring through a massive mudslide in the northwestern US state of Washington are warning the death toll from this past weekend's deadly slide is expected to rise sharply in the coming days.
So far 16 people are confirmed dead, after a wall of mud on Saturday engulfed the former fishing village of Oso, which is about 90-kilometers north of Seattle.
90 people remain unaccounted for.
Searchers are now saying any hope of finding anyone alive has all but faded.
 
 
Turkey shuts down Youtube after key security meeting leaked
 
Turkish authorities have blocked Youtube.
The move comes just hours after a leaked voice recording of a high-level security meeting on Syria showed up on the website.
In the recording, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, along with a number of other leading Turkish officials, can be heard discussing possible intervention into Syria.
The Turkish government has launched an investigation to find out who leaked the recording.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
CHINA DAILY
Headline
State Grid upgrades
Summary
China's state-run electricity grid is being upgraded to help combat smog in major cities.
An official with State Grid says they've completed the construction of five ultrahigh-voltage transmission lines since January.
The ultrahigh-voltage transmission network reduces transmission losses, allowing for the long-distance transmission of electricity.
This could potentially mean less regional coal-fired electricity plants.
GLOBAL TIMES
Headline
Porn punishment
Summary
The Ministry of Culture has banned a Chinese mobile game from using a Japanese porn star as part of its promotional activities.
The company in question has also been fined over 170-thousand yuan.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Crackdown on fake news
Summary
Chinese authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on false reporting for extortion.
The campaign will involve the establishment of hotlines and online platforms for people to report malpractice by journalists and newspapers.
BEIJING NEWS
Headline
Virtual war museum
Summary
An online "virtual museum" has been set up for users to post information about the anti-Japanese war.
The Virtual Museum links to websites connected to the war.
The site also allows people to provide historical relics, pictures, videos, audio records and diaries.
BEIJING MORNING POST
Headline
Real estate registration by 2017
Summary
A new statement released by the Ministry of Land and Resources has outlined the plans to establish a national real estate registration system in the next 3-years.
The new system will provide information sharing for approvals, transactions and registration.
BEIJING TIMES
Headline
Lights out
Summary
Chengguan, police and transportation authorities from the Dongcheng district government here in Beijing have forcibly been removing lanterns along the capital's famous Guijie dining street.
Authorities are citing safety as the reason for the crackdown.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
2014 China International Clothing & Accessories Fair
 
Anchor:
This year's China International Clothing and Accessories Fair has opened here in Beijing.
CRI's Xiong Siqi has more.
Reporter:
At the New China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing, with an exhibition area of over 100 thousand square meters, the China International Clothing and Accessories Fair is staging over 1000 domestic and international fashion brands from more than 20 countries and regions who are bringing their latest and greatest designs to China. Wang Jiafeng is the Business Division manager of the Youngor Dresses Shareholding Company, which is a leading Chinese brand.
"We attend the CHIC almost every year. Until now we have taken part in this fair at least 20 years. Every time, we bring new designs. Over the past few years, our company has cooperated with famous designers from many countries, such as Japan, Italy and France."
Attracting the bulk of attention at the fair are not only domestic brands, but also the exhibition halls for foreign brands, such as French, Italian, South Korean and Japanese brands. And all their stands are delicately designed according to their distinctive features.
Serge Beccaria is the commission manager of Billtornade, a brand from Paris.
"This is the second time. We were here last year. We come back because CHIC is very important for French people and also for the brand that we present. We present everywhere in the world, such as Paris, London and New York. But we don't have any partners or any shops here in China, and in France we have lots of Chinese customers buying the brand, so we begin to build the brand in China."
Apparently, the first step for a foreign fashion brand entering the Chinese market is to find a perfect partner to help navigate the country's unique waters. At the annual CHIC, the participants can have the chance to get the latest information on upcoming trends, attend various forum and seminars, but also get their business targets achieved.
Among the 100 thousand visitors, many of them come here to learn and seek business partnerships. Mao Sanmao is a young Chinese fashion designer.
"I'm a fashion designer from Zhengzhou. I have a collection presented here this year. But at the same time, I come to learn, to have a look at designs from home and abroad. This morning when I toured around, I found two brands I like very much. We also talked and hoped to have further cooperation. So coming to CHIC, you can not only present yourself, but also communicate with other peers."
Over the past 21 years, the CHIC has proved itself as an international communication and exchange platform. This year, CHIC will continue to be a show window of new successful business stories and explore new values for its participants.
For CRI, I am Xiong Siqi.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Beijing and Xinjiang gear up for potentially deciding game 5
 
In CBA playoff action, tonight is game 5 in the final series between the Beijing Ducks and Xinijang.
The Ducks lead the best of seven series 3-1 after a critical win the other day at home, and a win tonight would see them lifting the championship trophy.
Tonight's game will be another home game for the Ducks, tipping off at 7:30pm at the Mastercard Center here in Beijing.
And over in the NBA,
Portland and Atlanta just tipped off at 7:30. There's two games tipping off in just a few minutes at 8 am: Philadelphia takes on Houston, and the LA Lakers are playing Milwaukee. And then at 8:30 the LA Clippers play Dallas.
 
 
Berdych and Williams through to semifinals
 
In tennis, quarterfinal action contiues at the Sony Open in Miami.
Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic booked the final spot in the semifinals after defeating Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Japan's Kei Nishikori slipped through to the semifinals after a big upset win over fifth seed Roger Federer. He'll next face Novak Djokovic, who beat defending champion Andy Murray in the quarters.
On the women’s side,
Serena Williams plowed ahead into the semifinals after neatly dispatching Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3.
And later today, China's Li Na will take on Dominika Cibulkova for a spot in the next round.
 
 
England defeats Sri Lanka by six wickets at World T20
 
In cricket,
Yesterday England ran down Sri Lanka by six wickets with just four balls to spare.
Alex Hales scored an unbeaten 116 off 64 balls, hit a six, then another to wrap up victory, making him the first England player to score a T20 century.
"Yeah it's an amazing feeling, it still hasn't sunk in what's happened. I've come close a couple of times before, and I'm pleased to get over the line. Today it was a very good wicket, and I'm happy I cashed in."
Yesterday's second match was also dramatic, South Africa handed the Netherlands another loss, but this time it was by a narrow six runs.
Later today, hosts Bangladesh are looking for their first win in the Super 10s when they take on India. And the West Indies will play Australia.
 
 
Formula One drivers look ahead to Malaysian Grand Prix
 
In formula one,
Drivers are looking ahead to this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. Mercedes have started the season off with a bang after Lewis Hamilton took pole position in the season opener in Australia and Nico Rosberg's victory there.
Ferrari struggled in the pre-season testing and season opener, but Kimi Raikkonen hopes things will turn around once his team modifies his car to suit him better.
I mean, obviously not the ideal start for the year, for the team, obviously not what we want to achieve. We want to do much more better results but I mean, after all the difficulties over the weekend, somehow difficult it was, many areas - just the small things."
Thundershowers are expected to heighten the drama this weekend in Kuala Lumpur.
 
 
Europe captures advantage at EurAsia Cup with 5-0 lead
 
In golf,
Europe dominated after day 1 of the EurAsia Cup with a 5-0 lead.
The Spanish duo of captain Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal defeated Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat 2 and 1 yesterday.
The Europeans dominated the fourballs competition, with Jamie Donaldson and Graeme McDowell wrapping the day up with a 3 and 1 win over Hyund-sung Kim and Nicholas Fung.
"Jamie drove the ball great on the back nine. I missed a few fairways, and you cannot play this golf course from the rough. It's a simple case of fairways and greens here and you do have some chances. Big day for Europe, but Asia will be, I'm sure they'll be raring to go and come out all guns blazing tomorrow."
The EurAsia Cup is styled after the Ryder Cup, with the tournament beginning with a fourballs competition and ending with singles.
 
 
HK rugby sevens tournament gets underway today
 
This is a pretty good weekend for sports, but for me the highlight is definitely the Hong Kong sevens tournament that will kick off later today.
South Africa leads the series standings with 116, but the All Blacks are right on their heels with 114. Team Fiji is in third with 95, and had a confidence boost after beating the Springbok in the Tokyo sevens final last weekend.
Today the qualifying competition will get underway. The first matchup is between a fairly promising Japanese squad and Uruguay, followed by Cook Islands and Trinidad.
Pool play gets underway late this afternoon, beginning with a matchup between USA and Samoa. Samoa has been struggling this series, and are sitting in sixth place overall just ahead of Kenya.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
Grandmaster sweeps the Asian Film Awards
 
The Asian Film Awards lit up Macau on Thursday and martial arts epic "The Grandmaster" dominated with seven wins, including best movie.
Inspired by the life of Yip Man, the plot spans several decades of Chinese history and was in production for more than six years.
The hard work payed off, earning Zhang Ziyi the best actress gong for her performance and Wong Kar Wai the best director award.
Despite the triumphs, Wong had a somber message in his acceptance speech.
The veteran director mourned the loss of one of the film's martial arts directors on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Wong urged for Malaysia to provide more transparent information regarding the on-going search.
35 year old Ju Kun was on his way to visit family in Beijing.
Elsewhere, Indian film "The Lunchbox" picked up the best actor award for Irrfan Khan.
Khan plays the lead in the romance about two strangers in Mumbai whose paths cross because of mixed up lunch deliveries.
In its seventh year of running, the Asian Film Awards is organised by the Hong Kong International Film festival and featured 26 films from 13 different counties in competition.
 
 
Noah opens in New York
 
The cast of "Noah" hit the red carpet in New York to celebrate the film's opening.
Helmed by "Black Swan's" Darren Aronofsky, the drama is based on the Old Testament story of Noah and the deluge.
Russell Crowe, who plays Noah in the film, says that he expected the film to receive some backlash but underestimated its intensity.
"We knew going in that there was going to be some criticism. But I didn't realize it was going to be so strident, you know. And it's kind of funny because there is a whole bunch of people that have gone on record now, you know, accusing the movie of things that are just not real."
Meanwhile, Emma Watson reflects on the difficulties of her role as Ila, the wife of Noah's eldest son.
"Darren did put me through my paces, he gave me some scenes that I hadn't ever seen before and gave me five minutes to look at them and I had to go through the scene, I actually had to cry in my audition as well, which is reasonably hard. But, I just really wanted the role."
The film also stars Jennifer Connelly as Noah's wife, Anthony Hopkins as Noah's grandfather and Douglas Booth as Noah's eldest son.
The film is set to hit North American theatres as of today.
 
 
Tate to return Nazi looted Constable
 
The UK's Tate Gallery has agreed to return a painting by John Constable.
This comes after evidence emerged that the oil piece was stolen by the Nazis.
The 1824 painting is entitled Beaching A Boat, Brighton and is believed to have been stolen during the Second World War and smuggled out of Hungary.
The painting was first recorded in London in the sixties and was donated to the Tate's collection in 1986.
The artwork will be returned to the family of the original owner, who was a well-known Hungarian artist who fled the 1944 Nazi invasion and went into hiding.
However, the Tate's handling of the case has been underfire, as the work was included by the Hungarian Government's list of Nazi loots since the late 90s.
 
 
Yvonne Lim to marry Alex Tien
 
Singapore actress Yvonne Lim is to marry boyfriend Alex Tien, a former member of Taiwan boy band B.A.D.
Despite having been friends for a decade, the pair only started being romantically linked since the end of last year.
Lim says that she believes it is fate that they are to be together and finds herself still in a bit of a daze.
Tien reportedly staged a surprise proposal whilst Lim was working on a photo shoot in Singapore.
A date is yet to be set, as Lim is choosing to focus on filming her upcoming drama "Blessings" first.
 
 
That’s it for this edition of the Beijing Hour.
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
Bad weather is once-again hampering efforts to reach a suspected debris field connected to missing flight MH370.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is getting set to begin the 3rd leg of his 4-nation European tour in Germany today.
Chinese authorities have announced plans for a rural water upgrade across the country.
In Business... ICBC has unveiled its full-year figures for this past year.
On behalf of the Beijing Hour staffers, this is Paul James in Beijing hoping you'll join us for our next edition of the Beijing Hour to open a window to the world together.