新闻纵贯线 The Beijing Hour updated 20:00 2014/04/28

The Beijing Hour
 
Evening Edition
 
 
Paul James with you this Monday, April 28, 2014.
Welcome to the Beijing Hour, coming to you live from the Chinese capital.
Coming up on the programme this evening.
The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is entering a new phase, with commercial contractors being brought in.
A new crackdown on online piracy is underway as China celebrates 20-years of internet connectivity.
Denmark's Queen is wrapping up her 5-day state visit here to China today.
In business, a pair of Chinese "big-4" lenders are out with their first-quarter profits today.
In sports, Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been named the Premiership's Player of the Year.
In entertainment, Hollywood's long-running confirmed batchelor is reportedly now 'off the market.'
 
 
Weather
 
 
Beijing will be clear tonight with a low of 11 degrees Celsius. Sunny tomorrow with a high of 28 degrees.　
Meanwhile Shanghai will be cloudy tonight, with a low of 13, cloudy also tomorrow, with a high of 22.
Chongqing will have showers, 15 degrees the low, overcast tomorrow with a high of 22.
Elsewhere in the world, staying in Asia
Islamabad, sunny with a high of 36.
Kabul, cloudy, 27.
Over in Australia
Sydney, rainy, high of 23.
Canberra, cloudy, 19.
Brisbane, thundershowers, 26.
And finally, Perth will be rainy with a high of 21.
 
 
Top News
 
 
Searching for the missing Malaysian jetliner enter the new phase
 
The Chinese government is promising it will continue providing resources in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
China's ambassador to Australia, Ma Zhaoxu, has made the pledge following an announcement by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who says the search is entering a new phase.
Abbott says it's not highly unlikely any debris will be located on the ocean surface.
"By this stage, 52 days into the search, most material would have become water-logged and sunk. With the distances involved, all of the aircraft are operating at close to the limit of sensible and safe operation. Therefore, we are moving from the current phase to a phase which is focused on searching the ocean floor over a much larger area."
Abbott says the new phase of the search is going to be privatized.
Civilian contractors are going to be brought in to lead the search.
Australia, China and Malaysia have agreed to share the cost, which is estimated to be around 60-million US dollars for the new phase.
For more on the new phase of the search, we spoke earlier with CRI's Australian correspondent Wang Xiao.
…
CRI's Wang Xiao reporting for us from Australia.
 
 
Coast Guard releases new video of ferry captain being rescued
 
The South Korean Coast Guard has released footage of captain Lee Joon-seok fleeing his sinking passenger on April 16th.
Kim Kyung-il with the South Korean Coast Guard says the ship's crew members did not tell their rescuers they were responsible for the sinking ship.
"It was a very urgent situation, so we couldn't recognize if they were the captain or the crewmen. We had to rescue first."
Divers are continuing the hunt for the more than 100 bodies still trapped underwater.
This weekend's recovery efforts were hindered by bad weather.
So far 188 bodies have been pulled from the sunken ferry.
Meanwhile, South Korea's joint investigation team has raided the situation room of the local coastguard office as part of their investigation into the initial response to the sinking.
　　
The raid comes amid growing criticism that the authorities wasted crucial minutes by not responding properly to the initial accident call.
The ferry's captain and a number of crew members have been charged with dereliction of duty in connection with the sinking.
 
 
Philippines, U.S. ink new military pact
 
U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived in Manila for the last leg of a four-nation Asian trip.
Ahead of his arrival, the US government has signed a new defense agreement with the Philippines.
The 10-year deal states the US government will not be allowed to have a permanent base in the Philippines.
The US will also have to ask permission from the Philippine government to use its bases.
Philip Goldberg is the US ambassador to the Philippines.
"It will also serve to update our security alliance to meet the increasingly complex challenges of the 21st century, whether it is terrorism, transnational crime or natural disasters like typhoon Haiyan, typhoon Yolanda."
The terms of the agreement have not outlined how many US troops can be on any Filipino military base at one time.
The military agreement has been under negotiation for the last 2-years.
For decades, the United States maintained large military bases in the northern Philippines until Philippine congress voted to close them down in 1991.
 
 
One OSCE observer freed by protesters amid continuing conflicts in eastern Ukraine
 
One of 8 international observers taken hostage in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has been released.
The OSCE member from Sweden has been released because he suffers from Diabetes.
Vyacheslav Ponomarev is the self-declared "mayor" of Slovyansk.
"We perfectly well understand that these gentlemen officers have ended up the victims of a misunderstanding."
The pro-Russian protesters who have occupied administrative buildings in the city are vowing not to give up their fight.
"We'll take up arms also, should we need to. If it happens that they start pressuring the locals, then we'll stand for ourselves - armed or unarmed. The whole city will stand."
"Our leaders in Kiev don't want to either make an agreement or talk to us. They are trying to quickly divide the throne. Their goal is to get to the throne and eat golden bread. I'm afraid of war. I'm really scared of war."
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has sent in a negotiating team to try to secure the release of the other 7 hostages.
This comes as Washington and Moscow continue to blame one-another for the unrest in eastern Ukraine.
The US side says its preparing "a stronger position," and is calling on Europe to join with it in imposing stronger measures against Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has conceded the current sanctions are hurting the Russian economy.
But he says the damage is not critical.
 
 
srael Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day
 
Anchor:
The world's Jewish community has begun the annual Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Rememberance day.
CRI's Qizhi has more.
Reporter:
An opening ceremony has been held at Warsaw Ghetto Square of Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, to commemorate the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day.
The central theme of this years' event is "Jews 'On the Edge' 1944: Between Annihilation and Liberation". Dorit Novak, director general of Yad Vashem, says the year 1944 was significant during the Holocaust.
"1944 was a turning point in the war. Some of the Jews were already saved and rescued, the others were still in the midst of very intensive murdering and killing. This year really signified these specific dates of the two tendencies, on one hand, the release and liberation, and on the other hand, the intensive annihilation."
And it was the time that people began to rebuild their lives.
Aliza Maayan Hupert, a Polish Holocaust survivor who was born in early 1945, says her birth is an example.
"My parents realized already that the end of the war is near, so my mother dared to be pregnant. This was exactly the time that people already felt that the war was almost over, but it wasn't over. So it was between trying the best to survive this extra time and to see the moment of liberation."
Although it has been 70 years since the Holocaust, people believe that it is still important to commemorate what happened and pass it to the next generation.
"I think it's important that the world should never forget the six-million innocent people were killed because they just happened to have been born Jews. They hadn't done anything bad."
"We try to remember what happened and we hope that something like that will not happen again."
"The younger generation is a part of it, and it's very important to teach every generation what happened to prevent another catastrophe."
And young people also find the history of Holocaust important and meaningful for them.
Eliana Newmark is a high school student who has joined a tour to Poland on the Holocaust.
"It was a stronger feeling and it was a lot more meaningful for me to be there and to understand where they went, what they saw and how they lived in the time of the Holocaust. It made me realize to enjoy life, not to take life for granted, and to enjoy every minute of it and to do what I can in order to succeed."
Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the ceremony. The memorial events will be held throughout Monday.
For CRI, I'm qizhi.
 
 
The state visit by the Danish queen Margrethe II ends today.
 
Anchor:
Danish Queen Margrethe II is concluding her five-day visit to China today(Monday).As part of her time in the country, Margrethe has made stops in Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Jiaxing and Shanghai, highlighting sustainability.
CRI's Luo Yu has more.
Reporter:
In Beijing, President Xi Jinping and the queen witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral agreements. The agreements aim at deepening cooperation in a wide range of areas involving tourism, investment, renewable energy and so forth.
With five food-related government agreements signed, Denmark has become the first country to offer heat-treated pork products such as sausages to the Chinese market. Dan J?rgensen, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, says that means a lot to both sides.
"Because it means for us, a big market, and for you, a lot of good sausages. So I think that's a typical win-win situation. Also with regard to poultry, with regard to pet food, with regard to dairy products, with regard to organic food, we've made important agreements. So even though we already now have an extensive trade between China and Denmark and we have already exported a lot of food with high quality and especially emphasis on food safety, I think it's fair to say that we will grow quite a bit in the years to come."
Dan J?rgensen adds one of the ways they will do that is by establishing model farm in China for pig production.
Besides Dan J?rgensen, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Martin Lidegaard, together with the Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, and the Minister for Higher Education and Science, five vice-ministers and representatives from more than 110 Danish companies, has accompanied the Queen during the tour.
Martin Lidegaard, lauded both the format and content of the visit being exceptional, saying he believes both countries would see sustained growth of their cooperation.
"When it comes to format, the most high level politicians in China. We have been able to discuss all important items of the China's development, and we have talked in very constructive, critical, frank manner. When it comes to content, we chose together sustainability as the theme of this visit. I think that is a very good choice. Because when you look at China in next 60 years, it's your ambition to double the economy of your country. It does matter which kind of way you will choose. It matters to you, (and) it matters to us."
It's Margrethe II's second China trip as the queen. In September 1979, the queen visited China as the first Western head of state to do so, after China adopted its reform and opening-up policy.
For CRI, I'm Luo Yu.
 
 
China to crack down on online piracy/Michael 1602
 
Anchor:
It's been 20-years since China gained access to the World Wide Web, with the country coming "online" in April of 1994.
Today, the main goal for regulators is not the development of the web, its cracking down on piracy and IPR theft.
CRI's Li Dong has more.
Reporter:
Over the past 20 years, online piracy and copyright violations have been keeping pace with the development of the internet here in China.
Regulators have been working to try to stem the tide of IPR theft via the internet.
This has made life a lot less convenient for some.
"I like watching Korean TV dramas. There are many options to choose from, like Kuaibo. I can watch it online or download it. But now, since they don't provide the resources for free any more, I find it a bit inconvenient."
Vice director of the National Copyright Administration, Yan Xiaohong, says the protection of Intellectual Property Rights is good for the long-term development of the internet in China.
"It's been 20 years since the internet came to China. We've been trying to stamp out online piracy and products which violate copyrights for the past 12 years. It's widely known that special actions are taken every year targeting online privacy. We collect evidence and report big cases to the public security departments. Copyright protection is becoming more effective in recent years."
Wang Hao is the sales director of an online video website.
He says the crack down on online piracy in recent years has brought positive impacts to the online video market.
"Copyright protection in the new media area has been growing noticeably. In the beginning, there was no copyright protection, and piracy was everywhere on the internet. But companies eventually realized that if you have a certain amount of customers and you are considering being listed, you need to use legal resources. The protection of copyright will bring positive developments for the internet industry. Part of the crackdown has seen only the big online video sites survive, such as Youku, Tudou, iQiyi, Tencent, Sohu and leTV. They are the ones who benefit and care about copyright protection."
IPR protection here in China not only covers video products, but also music and written works.
A new circular issued by the State Council is calling for a new round of crackdowns on intellectual property infringement and counterfeit goods.
The nationwide campaign has a focus on false or deceptive advertising online.
Websites found containing illegal video or audio materials will be shut down.
For CRI, I am Li Dong.
 
 
Biz Reports
 
 
Stocks 
 
Reporter:
Asian stocks fell for a third consecutive session in cautious trading today as prospects of additional sanctions against Russia have kept investor appetite in check.
Chinese shares tumbled on liquidity concerns after the China Securities Regulatory Commission announced its Public Offering Review Committee will meet later this week to review the IPO applications of four companies.
The Shanghai Composite fell 1.6 percent.
The Shenzhen Component was down some 1 percent.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped two fifths of a percent.
Japanese shares also fell today, weighed down by a firmer yen and lackluster corporate earnings.
The Nikkei 225 dropped 1-percent.
Toyota closed down 0.4 percent on reports it plans to restructure its U.S. marketing operations in California.
Australian shares eked out marginal gains.
The benchmark ASX 200 barely changed.
South Korea's KOSPI closed down slightly as investors await meetings between the U.S. and Japanese central banks this week for direction.
Singapore's Straits Times lost 1-percent.
 
 
CCB reports Q1 profit rise
 
China Construction Bank is reporting a 10.4-percent rise in its first-quarter net profits.
An 11 percent rise to income from interest and fees has helped Construction Bank's net profits rise to 66 billion yuan from 60 billion through the first quarter.
The bank's non-performing loan ratio has increased to just above 1-percent through the first quarter.
This is up from 0.99 percent from the final quarter of last year.
 
 
Agricultural Bank's Q1 net profit up 13.6% on strong interest margins
 
Agricultural Bank of China is reporting its first-quarter net profits are up more than 13 percent.
Net profits for the quarter surpassed 53 billion yuan, up from the 47 billion registered a year ago.
Agricultural Bank's net interest income has come in at 103-billion yuan, up 15 and half percent over the same period last year.
Agricultural Bank is the second of China's "big-4" state run banks to report its first-quarter earnings.
Bank of China, the first to report, beat market expectations with a nearly 14-percent rise in first-quarter profits.
 
 
Retail Sales of Consumer Goods Rise 10.9 Percent
 
Retail sales here in China have risen nearly 11-percent quarter on quarter through the first three months, reaching 6.2 trillion yuan.
This is slightly percent higher than the same period last year.
Online retail, culture and tourism sales are said to be the key drivers behind the increase.
 
 
Alibaba, UCWeb plan mobile-search joint venture
 
China's e-commerce titan Alibaba is teaming up with mobile browser firm UCWeb to introduce a new mobile search service in the country.
UCWeb will maintain a controlling stake in the joint venture, which will be called Shenma, or "What?"
The new company is hoping to poach talent from Baidu and Google.
Financial terms of the agreement have not been released.
 
 
China replacing coal with shale gas
 
Anchor:
Shenhua Energy, China's largest coal producer, has seen its first-quarter net profits come in down just under 10-percent compared with a year earlier.
Shenhua is citing falling coal prices as the main reason.
The company still earned over 10-billion yuan in the first three months. That's more than one and half billion US dollars.
The coal producer is also warning of a weak second quarter.
At the same time, the central authorities have put out a new target of 6.5 billion cubic meters of shale gas extraction by 2015.
For more on this, CRI's Shane Bigham spoke earlier with Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of Economics and Business.
…
Back Anchor:
Mike Bastin, Visiting Professor at China's University of Economics and Business, speaking with CRI's Shane Bigham.
 
 
Australia's Goodman Fielder snubs $1.2bn takeover offer
 
Australian food producer Goodman Fielder has turned down a 1.2-billion US dollar takeover bid from Singapore's Wilmar and Hong Kong's First Pacific.
The firms were offering 65 Australian cents a share.
Goodman Fielder says it believes the bid "materially" undervalued the firm and was "opportunistic".
Goodman Fielder owns some of Australia's most recognizable food brands.
The company manufactures and distributes staples including bread, milk, salad dressings, cooking oils and flour in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The company's shares soared 18-percent in trading on the ASX 200.
Goodman's shares on the New Zealand stock exchange rocketed 23-percent.
Singapore's Wilmar International already owns 10-percent of Goodman Fielder.
 
 
Japan retail sales surge on tax hike
 
Retail sales in Japan have grown at their fastest pace in 17 years through March.
Retail sales jumped 11-percent through March ahead of the sales tax increase from 5 to 8-percent.
The tax increase comes as the Japanese government tries to rein in its debt.
Japan's debt, which stands at around 230-percent of GDP, is the highest in the industrialized world.
The increases in the sales tax is also meant to try to help stifle years of deflation.
The latest data shows consumer prices in Tokyo have risen 2.7-percent in April from a year earlier.
This is the fastest pace of growth in some 22-years.
 
 
Bayer's first-quarter profit jumps more than 20%
 
German pharmaceutical firm Bayer has announced a 23-percent rise in its first-quarter profits.
Bayer's net profits have jumped to just-under 2-billion US dollars in the three months.
The company has seen its combined drug sales hit 830-million US dollars through Q1.
This represents a rise of just under 3-percent.
Bayer expects its full-year sales to increase by around 5-percent.
 
 
Bankia's first-quarter profit more than doubles
 
Spain's largest bank, Bankia, is reporting its first-quarter net profits have more than doubled from a year earlier.
Bankia's net profits have on in at nearly 260-million US dollars in the three months.
This is up from around 100-million dollars recorded one year ago.
Net interest income is up 36-percent.
Bankia's bad-loan ratio has dipped slightly to 14.3-percent.
Spain's government has injected 31-billion dollars into Bankia to keep it afloat.
 
 
Siemens bids $14 bln for Alstom energy units
 
Germany's Siemens is putting forward a swap agreement with French rival Alstom.
Siemens proposed deal would see an asset swap to acquire Astom's thermal, renewable and electric-grid divisions.
Siemens has valued the businesses at around 15-billion US dollars.
The move comes as the French government tries to slam the brakes on GE's proposed purchase of Alstom's energy businesses.
 
 
Headline News
 
 
MH370 search to be privatized
 
The Chinese government is promising it will continue providing resources in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
China's ambassador to Australia, Ma Zhaoxu, has made the pledge following an announcement by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who says the search is entering a new phase.
Abbott says it's not highly unlikely any debris will be located on the ocean surface.
As such, he says the new phase of the search is going to be privatized, with civilian contractors being brought in to lead the search using underwater sonar.
Australia, China and Malaysia have agreed to share the cost, which is estimated to be around 60-million US dollars for the new phase.
 
 
OSCE member released in eastern Ukraine
 
One of 8 international observers taken hostage in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has been released.
The OSCE member from Sweden has been released because he suffers from Diabetes.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has sent in a negotiating team to try to secure the release of the other 7 hostages.
This comes as Washington and Moscow continue to blame one-another for the unrest in eastern Ukraine.
The US side says its preparing "a stronger position," and is calling on Europe to join with it in imposing stronger measures against Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has conceded the current sanctions are hurting the Russian economy.
But he says the damage is not critical.
 
 
Philippines, U.S. ink new military pact
 
The US government has signed a new defense agreement with the Philippines.
The 10-year deal has been signed just ahead of the arrival of US President Barack Obama to the country.
As part of the agreement, the US government will not be allowed to have a permanent base in the Philippines.
The US will also have to ask permission from the Philippine government to use its bases.
The terms of the agreement have not outlined how many US troops can be on any Filipino military base at one time.
The military agreement has been under negotiation for the last 2-years.
 
 
Death toll rises to 11 as Tornadoes strike central, south U.S.
 
A series of tornadoes in the southern US have left at least 11 people dead.
The severe storm system rolled through the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma, generating more than a dozen different tornadoes.
The twisters have leveled numerous homes.
Meteorologists say the tornadoes generated very quickly, leaving very little room for warnings.
 
 
Macedonia's ruling coalition claims victory in elections
 
The ruling coalition in Macedonia has earned another victory in the country's parliamentary elections.
The coalition, headed by Nikola Gruevski, has taken 61 seats in the country's 123-seat parliament.
Incumbent president Gjorge Ivanov has also won another term in office.
Macedonia's ruling coalition has held power in the southeastern European state since 2006.
The coalition is made up of the main ethnic Macedonian party and the minority ethnic Albanian party.
 
 
Newspaper Picks
 
 
China Daily
"Bill Gates urges more in China to help poor"
Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Monday took to the pages of the People's Daily to encourage people in China to do more for the poor.
Gates wrote in an editorial that China has many successful entrepreneurs and business people. He hopes that more people of insight will put their talents to work to improve the lives of poor people in China and around the world, and seek solutions for them.
Gates says investing for the poor requires participation from the entire community.
Philanthropy in China has yet to take off, as some wealthy Chinese fear generous donations could invite unwanted attention on their fortunes.
According to The World Giving Index, compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation,
China ranks towards the bottom of the list of countries where people give money to charity, volunteer or help a stranger.
The editorial by Gates comes just days after the founders of Chinese internet company Alibaba Group announced the establishment of a charitable trust which will focus on the environment and health.
China Daily
"Universities begin new recruitment system"
Zhejiang University, considered one of the top universities in China, is bringing in a new freshman recruitment system this year.
In the new recruitment system, the national college entrance exam will no longer be the only assessment.
The "trinity system" will combine candidates' performance in high school evaluation tests, recruitment interviews by the university and the national college entrance exam.
The national college entrance exam, known as gaokao, which used to be the sole assessment for Chinese high school graduates for university enrollment, will account for 60 percent in the trinity system. High school grades will account for 10 percent and interview scores will make up the remaining 30 percent.
The Telegraph
"Expensive gifts for teachers raises spectre of classroom corruption"
Teachers at fee-paying schools are being "bribed" by parents who hand over expensive end of term gifts including designer handbags, diamond necklaces and even free use of a private jet.
Witnesses reported seeing "boxes and boxes of Prada and Chanel" outside the headteacher's office at one west London private school.
The June edition of Tatler magazine reports one teacher received a wad of cash as an end of term gift.
A teacher reported being offered key's to the family villa by one set of parents, while another was invited to use a private jet free of charge.
One mother told the magazine that she invested in expensive gifts to ensure her son was "always on the teacher's radar".
Janette Wallis of the Good Schools Guide said the gifts were often given innocently by families from countries such as Russia, China and the Middle East.
CTV News
"Selfie science: MIT student develops algorithm to predict photo's popularity"
New research has discovered how to compose a shot to make a selfie as popular as possible.
Aditya Khosla, a PhD student at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, has developed an algorithm, which is based on information gathered from over 2 million images posted to Flickr.
According to the researchers, if you want to get as many people as possible to view your selfie, it needs to feature three things: colour, sexiness and tags.
The brighter the colours (ideally yellows and pinks), the more popular the picture is going to be with viewers. Therefore avoid blue and green tones in the foreground.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the same goes for sex. The algorithm used is able to analyze images on content as well as context and found that shots featuring underwear, miniskirts and bikinis had the most "positive impact."
And last and most obviously, when posting to social media sites, the more tags accompanying the image, the better chance it has of being discovered and viewed.
 
 
Special Reports
 
 
Wartime documents of Japanese soldiers record Japan's atrocities in China
 
Anchor:
A set of documents purporting to detail the activities of Japanese soldiers during the invasion of China have been made public.
CRI's Ding Lulu with more.
reporter:
The documents have been released by Jilin Provincial Archives.
Zhang Yujie is the director of the administrative office under the archives.
He says that these documents were discarded by the Japanese army during its hasty retreat from Changchun, the capital of Jilin, after Japan's surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.
Among them are some letters written by Japanese soldiers
Zhang explains these letters expose the crimes conducted by Japanese soldiers during their aggression against China.
"He said he cried before throwing a kid into a fire, but then he told himself the kid from the country he is invading would grow up if he left him alive, so he threw the kid into fire finally. He said it was hard to express how he felt after doing that. He said they killed 150 people that time."
The documents detail eight different atrocities conducted by Japanese troops in China.
Some of them show how Japanese invaders grabbed land from and other resources from Chinese peasants, and others show the cruel oppression used to coerce locals into serving the invaders.
They also record evidence about the Nanjing Massacre, human testing of chemical and biological weapons conducted by the notorious Unit 731, the use of Chinese women as sex slaves, and the maltreatment of U.S. and British prisoners of war.
Jiang Lifeng is a research fellow of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"Monthly reports of the invaders at that time, how they managed such reports, relevant data, and letters of these Japanese soldiers, all these recorded their crimes. And these documents are shocking to me."
The expert says that these files are a response to the denial of Japan's wartime atrocities, made by Japan's right-wing politicians.
For CRI, this is Ding Lulu.
 
 
Sports
 
 
Beijing Guan and Shandong Luneng win weekend matches
 
In football (soccer)
Here in the Chinese Superleague, Beijing Guo'an took three points from their match against Harbin Yiteng last night. Zhizhao Chen scored the only goal of the match just before the end of the first half.
Meanwhile Shandong Luneng defeated Henan Jianye 2-1. Vagner Love scored twice for Shandong in the second half while Ji-Nam Lee managed to get one back for his side just before the final whistle.
After this weekend's matches Beijing sit third in the table with 18 points, Shandong Luneng are on 19 while top of the superleague are defending champions Guanzhou Evergrande with 21 points after eight matches.
 
 
Chelsea deliver blow to Liverpool with 2-0 victory
 
In the English top division, Liverpool have suffered a blow to their Premiership campaign.
They lost 2-0 against Chelsea to allow the blues to creep to within 2 points of the top spot with two games remaining.
Chelsea frustrated the league leaders with dogged defending and punished them on the break with goals by Demba Ba and Willian.
Chelsea manger Jose Mourhino was resting several players ahead of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
He ordered his midfield to sit deep and double up with his defenders to deny space and time to Liverpool, a tactic which paid off beautifully.
Despite this loss Liverpool still sit on the cusp of their first Premiership title since 1990 and the club's manager, Brendan Rogers, said the loss will not knock their confidence too much.
"Well we can tell the players, like I did say afterwards, that I'm so proud of them, and the position that we find ourselves in; the money that has been spent at the top end of the table, for us to still, as I said, be two points clear of Chelsea and see if we can finish the season now and win these two games we will finish above them and maybe above Manchester City. But as I said there is still a way to go but obviously Manchester City now will feel that they can on and win their games. For us, we will just recover now; we will focus now on the next game and continue with that positive mentality that we have had throughout the season because that is the reason we are where we are."
In other Premiere League action from Sunday, Man City defeated Crystall Palace 2-0. Man United fresh from sacking managed David Moyes managed a 4-0 win over Norwich city.
Meanwhile Sunderland, fighting to raise themselves from the relegation zone, score a 4-0 win over now bottom of the League Cardiff.
 
 
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez named Premiership player of the year
 
Looking back at Liverpool for a moment, striker Luis Suarez has been voted player of the year by his fellow professionals in English football.
He has led Liverpool's unexpected Premier League title challenge with 30 goals so far this season, a record for the club.
The feat is even more impressive considering that he missed the first five matches of the season while completing his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic last year.
This was not the first time he was the centre of controversy either but this season he has managed to turn things around, winning the admiration of fellow players.
On collecting the award he was humble and thanked his team-mates.
"95 percent, another 5 for me.....because this prize is for the team, the squad, and for my teammates and for the staff and for the members of staff because they have done a really good job, and of course for my wife and children."
The 27-year-old Uruguay international becomes the first South American to collect the Professional Footballers' Association accolade.
 
 
Kei Nishikori wins Barcelona Open
 
Kei Nishikori has become the first Japanese tennis player to win the Barcelona Open.
He dropped his opening service game against Santiago Giraldo, but quickly found his rhythm to outclass the Colombian who was playing the biggest match of his career.
Once in the zone Nishikori proved unstoppable and ended the tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 victory, a result which even surprised him:
"It's a little bit of a surprise for me to win this title, especially it's my first claycourt tournament to win and first tournament on clay so a little bit of a surprise but I've been playing well and a lot of confidence and it's going to help my career for sure."
With this victory the Japanese world number 17 claims his fifth career title.
 
 
China makes clean-sweep at diving World Championships
 
In diving
China's Yang Jian has claimed gold at this year's world championships setting new world records for individual and total scores over the course of the event.
The 19-year-old rounded off the victory with a stunning display off the 10 metre board on the final day in London. He ended on 616.50.
The silver medal went to his compatriot Chen Aisen with a score of 553.25.
In the women's event Chinese Olympic champion Chen Ruolin maintained her perfect record at the London Aquatics Centre on the 10 metre platform.
The 21-year-old won gold on 400.50 breaking her 16-year-old-teammate Liu Huixia's stronghold on this season's World Series.
These results mean that China won all eight titles available in London, the first time they have achieved the feat this season after taking seven in Beijing and six in Dubai.
 
 
Golden State Warriors beat LA Clippers amid racist row
 
The Golden State Warriors kicked the Los Angeles Clippers' while they were down, thumping them 118-97 this morning to even their Western Conference first-round series at 2-2.
Game Five is scheduled for Wednesday morning, though it is unsure whether Clippers owner Donald Sterling will attend the game.
　　
He was asked not to show up in Oakland on Sunday after racial remarks attributed to him went public.
Clippers players made a silent protest during Sunday's pre-game warmups circling up to show their T-shirts inside out to remove reference to the team.
In the game Golden State built a 15-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back prompting questions that the poor performance was due to the off court distractions.
Doc Rivers is the Head Coach for the Clippers:
"Listen, it could have, I mean, I'm not going to deny that we had other stuff, I just, you know listen, I just believe when the game starts, the game starts and nobody cares anymore, Golden State surely didn't care, it's like when a player plays with an injury -- they don't care you're injured, they're going to come out and they're going to try to attack you so if we were injured physically or mentally the other team doesn't care and they really shouldn't care because it's a competition."
In other action from the NBA playoffs this morning, it was the Miami Heat downing the Charlotte Bobcats 98-85 to take a 3-0 series stranglehold.
The Toronto Raptors have evened their best-of-7 with the Brooklyn Nets at 2 with an 87-79 win this morning.
And Portland has taken a 3-1 series lead over Houston following a 123-120 overtime victory this morning.
LaMarcus Aldridge with a 29-point performance for the Trailblazers.
 
 
Chicago and Anaheim win latest NHL playoff games
 
In the NHL playoffs
The Chicago Blackhawks have advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs following a 5-1 victory over the St Louis Blues this morning.
Chicago advances 4-games-2 after dropping the first two games.
The top-seeded Anaheim Ducks are also through to round-2 of the NHL playoffs after getting past the Dallas Stars 5-4 in overtime.
Nick Bonino scoring the overtime winner to advance the Ducks into the Western Conference semi-finals.
The other game from this morning in the Eastern Conference has seen the New York Rangers put Philadelphia on the brink of elimination, doubling up on the Flyers 4-2.
The Rangers lead that best-of-7 series 3-games-2.
 
 
Entertainment
 
 
 
Release Date of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' in China Set
 
3D Hollywood film "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is set to hit Chinese screens on May 23rd.
The American superhero film is a sequel to both 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2011's X-Men: First Class, as well as a follow-up to 2013's The Wolverine. Its ensemble cast features Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Halle Berry. Chinese film star Fan Bingbing also acts in the film.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" sees the X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants, as seen in "X-Men: First Class". What ensues is an epic battle to change the past, and save our future.
The cast of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" will soon be attending premieres at cities around the world, including Beijing next month.
 
 
Zack Snyder to direct Justice League movie
 
Warner Brothers has confirmed plans to bring the "Justice League" to the big screen.
"Man of Steel" and "Superman vs Batman" director Zack Snyder will be behind the camera.
"Man of Steel" lead Henry Cavill has been tapped to return for the follow-up.
Ben Affleck - who is set to play Batman in "Superman vs Batman" - and "Wonder Woman" actress Gal Gadot are also expected to appear in the third film.
Warner Brothers hasn't said when the film may be out.
However, reports out of Hollywood are suggesting the film will be released back-to-back with "Superman vs Batman" in 2017.
The script for "Justice League" is currently in development.
The Justice League was an amalgomation of superhero characters in the Marvel Comics chain.
 
 
Chiung Yao suing Chinese period drama "Palace 3"
 
Romance novelist Chiung Yao from Taiwan has filed a formal law suite against the mainland period drama "Palace 3: The Lost Daughter."
The series is now being broadcast on Hunan Television.
Chiung Yao filed a complaint to the mainland's media watch dog earlier this month, contending the series plagiarizes plots from her novel "The Plum Blossom."
The producer of "Palace 3" has denied the accusation, saying instead that they are simply "paying tribute" to Yao's work.
Yu Zheng also says he plans to send a copy of the series to Chiung Yao out of respect.
The novelist has hired a law firm here in Beijing to deal with the issue.
 
 
'House of Cards' producers reach tax deal, will stay in Maryland
 
The producers of the Netflix series "House of Cards" have reached an agreement with the US state of Maryland which will keep the show filming in the state.
Netflix had threatened to stop filming in Maryland unless they received better tax breaks.
The producers of "House of Cards" will receive 11 and a half million US dollars in tax credits this year to keep filming the series in Maryland.
"House of Cards" is a Washington political thriller starring Kevin Spacey.
Netflix has already received 26 million dollars in tax credits for filming its first two seasons in Maryland.
Season three is expected to begin production in the next few months.
 
 
George Clooney engaged to British lawyer
 
Actor George Clooney is reportedly engaged.
Clooney has reportedly popped the question to 36-year old human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
She was born in Lebanon and grew up in Britain.
She was reportedly spotted last week sporting a "huge" ring on her engagement finger while dining at a restaurant.
Alamuddin made her first public appearance with Clooney in February.
She's managed to keep a low profile.
Their relationship is believed to have begun last summer.
52-year old Clooney has been romantically connected to a string of women in Hollywood.
He was previously married to actress Talia Blasam from 1989 to 1993.
 
 
Justin Bieber releases new song 'Hard 2 Face Reality' - listen
 
Justin Bieber has debuted a new song titled 'Hard 2 Face Reality.'
Bieber has released a 2-minute video clip through his Twitter account.
The song features singer Poo Bear.
Speculation is suggesting 'Hard 2 Face Reality' could be about Bieber's ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez or his recent legal issues.
Bieber was detained for several hours at a Los Angeles airport on Friday after being questioned by immigration officials.
It hasn't been revealed why he was being questioned.
Bieber, who lives in California, is Canadian.
 
 
A quick recap of headlines before we go.
The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is entering a new phase, with commercial contractors being brought in.
A new crackdown on online piracy is underway as China celebrates 20-years of internet connectivity.
Denmark's Queen is wrapping up her 5-day state visit here to China today.
In business, a pair of Chinese "big-4" lenders are out with their first-quarter profits today.